School Funding

As most of you may know, college expenses are rising exponentially as time goes by, and some times a little assistance would be nice. There are quite a few options for those of you who want to find a way to pay some of those expenses without having to refinance your life. Student loans can have a high interest rate, some people end up paying their loans off for the rest of their lives after college, so that may not be a great option. Scholarships are nice, like the ones given through the Bill Gates foundation but they also take a lot of work on the part of the student. Grades and hard work determine who is eligible for scholarships so they may not be available if you're in the middle of your class.

Well, check out all the options out there before signing your life away to student loans.

I'm on my way home, finally

Here I am waiting at the airport at four in the morning, Vegas time and I am so ready for my flight I can taste it. Not that that's necessarily a good thing in Vegas. :) My flight was originally scheduled for twelve noon, but luckily the nice lady at the US Air check-in counter was able to bump me up to a much earlier flight. Now I can see my Noelle and Jay before they go to bed.

Oh yeah, I haven't forgotten about my Expo Sneak Peek. Once I get home and digest everything, I'll be posting about some great rugs that I found at the show. Check back soon.

iPod Protection

On my trip to Las Vegas I saw a lot of people who had their iPods in ugly leather cases with not so nice see through screens. While this may serve a purpose, there are some nice ipod cases that are a clear plastic film that protects the screen of your iPod. I know your iPod is important to you, so why not keep it protected.

The Futon Expo is one for a few more days, here's some info

For those of you who can go to the futon expo, you still have a few days left. But, in order to get it all done, you will need to have a plan of attack. So take a look at the floor plan and plan your route. I was able to see every manufacturer I wanted to, and only in one day with a proper plan of attack.

Need HelpWith An eCommerce Site?

When I setup my website I really went with what I knew in terms of setting up my site infrastructure. I went through the same ecommerce storefront idea and used the same shopping cart software. I should have looked around, because since I've gotten my business going, I've seen that there are a lot of options on the market for someone who either knows the tricks of the trade or can accept the help of someone who can help refine your business. I've since seen databased carts and flash media sites that really give the end user or customer a great experience.

So, before you jump on one cart / website plan, do your homework and make an educated choice.

The Next Time I Travel

Ok, now that I traveled to Vegas, I'm already planning my next trip. But next time I think I'd like to go to Europe. There are some really nice Spainish Motels at Cheaper Than Motels. The deals look good, and I think a laid back location would be a nice change from Vegas.

Cheaper than motels has great sections of the site dedicated to specific regions of Spain. If you know where you'd like to travel they have Mallorca Hotels, Lanzorote Hotels or Menorca Hotels are just a few of the many locations you can find while browsing through the selection on the site. If you are unsure, check out the site for ideas, there are quite a few areas to view and the selection can be narrowed if you see something in a sub category. It's definitely a great place to find some great travel ideas and deals.

It's official, I've had my fill of Las Vegas

Tomorrow I leave Las Vegas for home, and it's about time. Tonight we went to the strip and walked around. There were cops everywhere with bomb sniffing dogs, and a show at Treasure Island. I felt really bad for the performers, it was like thirty degrees out side and the performers were wearing next to nothing. So, even though there was a bomb threat the Vegas show must go on.

I'm ready for home.

The Things I saw at the futon expo

Let me start by saying that the expo center was huge, I saw so much bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, bar furniture, and convertible furniture that I may never need to look again. Well, at least for a few years anyway.

The expo was huge. There were two finished buildings, two pavilions, and one building on the way. And it was full of amazing furniture as well as people who were trying to sell you everything. They were really going all out as well, most places had an open bar or food. Quite and experience.

Health insurance

As a lot of you may know, health insurance has under gone huge changes over the last few years. In Massachusetts, everyone is now required to have health insurance, or you lose the ability to claim yourself on your taxes. I mentioned this to my grandmother, who lives in Florida and is concerned about health insurance in Florida as it is also under going changes in Florida as well. But, for those of us caught in the middle there are great resources available, like People's Health Insurance. Their site has tons of info about plans available directly to consumers as well as pricing. You can call them if you need assistance, which is nice, or complete the process online.

The whole issue seems like a tough one to solve, with a growing population and rising costs. Maybe any step is a step in the right direction. We'll see.

My day off in Vegas

I finished up all my marketing at the Las Vegas world market yesterday, so today I got to check out the sights. I'll start by saying that I'm not a gambler or heavy drinker, so I went out to the Hoover Dam today and took the tour that takes you down into the depths of the dam itself. It was a bit cramped and the whole dam vibrated non-stop, which was a little disorienting, but it was a very interesting place to visit. Once! So, if you don't mind the ground you're standing on and really tight spaces visit the dam, if not just walk across the top.

Replacement windows

About five years ago Noelle and I replaced all the windows in our house, and I would recommend using a company who specializes in actually replacing window. Like Houston windows, a company in, well, Texas, that actually has some experience with said task. When deciding on a contractor to replace our windows, we decided to support our local contractor who didn't really have a whole lot of experience with replacement windows. Let's just say that it was a bad decision, things took way longer tan quoted, were quite a bit sloppier, and are quite drafty today. So remember, stick with a specialist when you replace your windows.

Modern Furniture

For those of you who have checked out my site, I carry a lot of classical, mission style furniture. So, when I saw some really interesting modern furniture at Concept furniture I thought I'd share my appreciation with you. Their collections look really nice, clean lines and curves are always nice to see in a sofa or chair. modern furniture almost always has that sleek look that sets it apart from other lines.

I was especially impressed with the television stands on the site. They were very minimalist, but provided a nice support. I also liked the blending of the various materials in the tv stands. Glass, wood, and metal combine to form a great piece of furniture. Check out the site and feel fee to leave some feed back.

The view in Vegas is stuning.

I just woke up in my hotel room in Vegas and I was amazed by the view. I had no idea there were some many peaks in the skyline, it was a pleasant surprise. Well, I'm off to the futon expo, I'll post again soon.

Genealogy

My mother-in-law, Bev, is really interested in genealogy and has asked me if I had any information about the family trees of either side of my family. Well, unfortunately I don't, but I found a cool, free service at Tribal Pages where you can create a family tree. If you already have one started, you can import it to the site and invite other members of your family to contribute. As soon as I get the info about my family for Bev I think I'm going to set up an account for my family tree.

Ok, I settled in and now I can't sleep

Ever have one of those night's where you just can't get to sleep? Well, I'm in the middle of one right now. I'm tired of tossing and turning, so I'm going to post a couple times to see if that will distract me from..., what's keeping me up anyway? Could be the convention tomorrow. Could be the loud drunk people that just got into their rooms. Could be lots of things.

Hopefully this will help.

Need a little help with web design?

From time to time I find myself wishing I had a little help with the web design of my site. It could be a bit more modern, and have some flash elements. So, I checked out Atlanta web design, a developer company that can help with tasks like content management, Web Design, E-Commerce, Custom Programming, Flash Design, and Information Architecture. Basically they do it all, and they take care of the updating and programming that guy like me can't handle. Maybe, in the future, I'll be giving them a call to get a quote on some of their services. Stay tuned for an update, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Our Vacuum Blues

Noelle and I have been thinking about getting a new vacuum for a while and now we really have to. Our dog Jay (shown above) sheds quite a bit, and our old vacuum recently died. Well, that's a big problem, and I suggested we take a look a new vacuum, a bissell vacuum being one of the brands I thought to look at.

I really like the bissell vacuums. They are very colorful and look really cool. I've also heard good things about their performance, but for me that just means picking up all the hair that my dog jay leaves all over the house. I'll give you some feedback on whatever bissell vacuum we decide on.

I'm finaly settled in, tomorrow the expo begins

Well, after some delayed flights and some terrible airline food, I'm finally settled in at my Palace Station Hotel in Vegas. Tomorrow the expo begins and you'll all get a sneak peak at this years newest futon products.

Check back soon for the latest and greatest.

Business Coaches

While I'm traveling to Vegas I intend to keep up on my schedule of posting to my blog, I know some of you depend on it. Well, I wish anyway. :) As many of you should know because of my last post, I'm on my way to Vegas, to find the newest products the futon industry has to offer. I'm traveling with my uncle, a successful man who I intended to use for business coaching. He's the type of guy who's succeeded at almost everything, and I think getting a little bit of that influence would be a positive step for my business. If I feel I need additional input, there are services where business men and women offer advise to entrepreneurs who may need to refine their direction or define their goals as well as how to achieve them.

We'll see if that ever becomes necessary.

While I'm traveling to Vegas I intend to keep up on my schedule of posting to my blog, I know some of you depend on it. Well, I wish anyway. :) As many of you should know because of my last post, I'm on my way to Vegas, to find the newest products the futon industry has to offer. I'm traveling with my uncle, a successful man who I intended to use for business coaching. He's the type of guy who's succeeded at almost everything, and I think getting a little bit of that influence would be a positive step for my business. If I feel I need additional input, there are services where business men and women offer advise to entrepreneurs who may need to refine their direction or define their goals as well as how to achieve them.

We'll see if that ever becomes necessary.

Today's rthe day, I'm off to the Futon Expo in Vegas

While this trip is going to be mostly travel, within the next couple days I'll be finding some of the latest futon and bedding products and bringing them to you. So, check back in the next few days for a sneak peak at what's to come this year. Oh, by the way, if you're flying in the next while, don't bring any shaving cream in your carry on bag, security will confiscate it or make you check it. :(

My next post will either be from Las Vegas on in flight.

Custom Blinds

Are you tired of the cheap plastic, venetian blinds that you picked up from the dollar store yet? I know I am. They were great for my first apartment, but now that my Noelle and I have owned our house for six years it may be time to upgrade to some custom blinds. I was always partial to a cellular shade, especially in the winter when an extra layer of air between us and the cold can really make a difference. I also put some thought into some heavy cloth roman style shades. What ever we choose, it will definitely be an improvement over what we have now, maybe we should donate our old shades to a frat house since that's where they belong. :)

Modern Sofa - Stephan

The Stephan Sofa is modern design to the hilt. It's molded seat looks great, and I really enjoy the clean lines of the gently curved back. Minimal metal legs give the illusion of a floating sofa. Quite Nice.

Security Cameras

When I ran the warehouse for my former employer, I strongly suggested the installation of some wireless security cameras due to the location. I found a great selection of cameras at IT Planet, and the prices were great. The wireless cameras start at $399, they have dome and hidden cameras available as well. All you need is a hard drive on site and you're good to go on your wireless security system.

Anyway, back to my story. As you may have guessed already, the warehouse was not in a highly traveled area, most warehouses aren't, and there was some suspicious activity late in the night that eventually cost my form boss quite a bit of money. I'll elaborate, late one night after everyone was gone for the night, someone went to the warehouse and cut off all the catalytic converters off every vehicle behind the building to sell the platinum wiring. That's thousands of dollars in stolen property. If we'd installed cameras we may have been able to press charges on someone, or the perpetrators may have just bailed on the heist. Ah, to think about what could have been.

Coolest Pendant Light Ever? - I think Maybe

The Celebro
pendant light makes me think of a cross between ribbon candy and coral. The design would fit in many spaces, it complements and pops at the same time. But, you can be the judge, what do you think?

Logo Design

One of the hardest tasks I had to perform when designing Goodnight Moon Futon was coming up with a logo that I really liked. In the end, I really wasn't able to decide on one logo that really popped for me, so I made a very clean and simple logo which you can see on every page of my site. I wish I had searched around a bit more for a Logo Design company like Logo Yes. Their six step process makes designing your logo easy, well if you can make up your mind about what you like anyhow.

The six step process really helps you narrow down your choices. First you choose the image that you're going for (high tech, bold, or flair) and then you move on to a choice of industry. In step two there are thirty categories to select from, these categories will narrow your logo symbols in step three. Step three gives you industry specific symbols for your logo. Step four allows you to enter your company name and any additional info you may want in your logo. Various fonts allow you to personalize your logo. Step five is where you adjust the layout and font sizes. At this point the logo is done, and, if you don't like what you see you can leave and you haven't paid a thing. If you approve, you buy the logo file and you're finished.

The process is seamless, and it give the user ample options for a free process.

Crazy Lighting

The Vertigo Pendant is a something out of a psychedelic dream. Parallel hot pink screens mix with a round cut out to give the illusion of a sphere within a box. You will definitely either love or hate this light, probably with a passion.

Blog Polls

Yesterday I made a post to my blog about how a contractor in my area tried to take advantage and go back on his quote, well triple it actually. I wanted my post to be interactive, so I asked people to leave their opinions via comments with little feedback. When I found a service that offers source code for polls on your blogs. I signed up and it only took a couple minutes. So, what do you think, are polls better than comments?

polls

This is a sponsored post.

Hybrid Metal / Leather Chairs

The Madrid Chair is an interesting, futuristic design on a lounger. Metal frame work combines with a leather cushion and a composite base for a unique chair. If you have a modern space, the Madrid is a great choice for decor.

Where do telephone poles come from? Now you'll know

I never really thought much about telephone poles. I don't think many people do unless there is a problem with their phone, cable, or electric. some cities, like San Francisco or even smaller ones like Woodstock Vermont have underground power and phone lines. Cities like that look very picturesque but when the time comes to maintain / upgrade your grid get ready for a tax hike. I also never thought about what goes into a telephone pole, how many wood products do we expect to last at least fifty years with constant exposure to the elements. Not very many that I can think of, and a major one allow us to light our homes, call our friends, and keep our food fresh. So remember, don't take your telephone poles for granted.

Contractor Woes

Ok everyone, get ready for a rant, I'm up on my soap box again.

I recently had some work done by several contractors at my rental property and only one of them did, in my opinion, good work in a timely manner. One of the contractors is a well known floor guy in the my area, he's been around for a long time and everyone loves his work. Well, most of the work was pretty good, there were a few issues, but the main problem was in the job quote area.

I want this post to be interactive, so feel free to leave your opinion in a comment. What would you think a contractor meant when they told you that a small repair job will cost $35 per hour at roughly 3-4 hours of work? Would you think that meant per guy? Would you also think that it meant that even if they were at the job for 30 minutes there would be a minimum service charge of one hour per guy? Even if one sat in the truck for the whole time since it was only a one man job?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, well either you're in the business or you've been ripped off by someone in the business.

I'm going off because recently our floor guy quoted us $35 per hour on a floor repair job that took his guys a total of two hours of labor. One of the guys hung out in the truck for half the job and the total bill was $275. Does that seem right to you? Me neither.

Let me know what you think.

This is a first for me, a game about global warming?

Most of the time when I think about video games, I automatically thinkgames for kids or games specifically designed for one of the major platforms like games for macs or Playstation games. Never have I ever thought about games to fight global warming The two just didn't mess for me. But, it does seem like the right time to make the fight against global warming fun to kids. Maybe if they're caught early there will be more effort from a larger base. Check it out.

This is a sponsored post.

Brief Speed Linking

Here are a few links to some of my favorite blogs.

Jakel Daily: A blog about blogs. Great tips to all things blog related, great stuff.

Vocino: Cool Technology related blog with some humorous stuff thrown in.

Lastly: Blog Rush: Cool blog post sharing widget that chills out on the side nav.

Feel free to post comments with links to some of your favorite blog related sites.

Matt

Nouveau Riche

If you're looking at trying to work from home, you definitely want to check out Nouveau Riche University. But, wait, you're probably asking what's Nouveau Riche? Nouveau Riche University is a Real Estate Investment College offering classes such as Short Sales, Wholesaling, Foreclosures, Buying and Holding, Lease Options, Tax Strategies and more. So what, was probably your response, there are tons of work at home oportunities. So what makes Nouveau Riche University different?

Well, for one thing, Nouveau Riche University was featured in the January 2008 Issue of Your Business at Home Magazine! Your Business at Home is a leading, nationally distributed magazine for results-driven entrepreneurs. Each issue of this top-notch publication highlights only one chosen company, with high quality photography and articles that deliver unmatched credibility in a 100-page, full color magazine including a DVD providing exciting video clips of student testimonials, live college classes, and company background information.

The Graduate Riche website was developed to give you access to the January 2008 issue of the magazine including short excerpts from several of the articles and profiles. Take your time to browse through the categories on this website to learn more about Nouveau Riche University and read success profiles from some of our students as well as related articles from industry experts such as Suze Orman, Tom Hopkins, Sharon Lechter and more.

Terrible looking V-Shaped Bed.

The V-Shaped Bed is definitely one of the most terrible ideas I have ever seen. It looks uncomfortable and very awkward. Luckily this 1930's idea was a short lived fad, but if I had one I'd bring it in to antiques road show. Maybe it'd be worth something.

Are you travelling to France?

In high school I traveled to France for an exchange program and I wish I had been a bit more involved. I also wish that I had internet access back then, I would have visited a site to findFrance secrets, you know, little cafes and bistros found by people like me. It also would have been nice to read up on the culture of France before I went on my trip. The only resource I had were teachers who wanted to cram as much text book knowledge into my head in as short a time as possible.

Last Star Fighter Chair

Ok, technically the Chaos Chair wasn't in the Last Star Fighter, but if the bad guys had furnishings in their rooms they would definitely choose a char like this one. You'll see what I mean 13 seconds into the video below. Those cats would definitely like the Chaos Chair.

Looking to get more out of your Ipod?

Have you tired to sync the contents of your iPod and your PC and run into trouble? Maybe you've tried to transfer movies or music and iTunes shut it down? Well, if you're having a hard time you may want to check out Podmaxx '08. Podmaxx cuts through all the red tape that Apple included with its programming, allowing you to download music from any iPod, copy any DVD movies to your iPod, and create free ring tones. Sounds good right, well you should check out the customer testimonials at Podmaxx to see what others are saying about it.

As a side note, I really don't like it when a company, like Apple, sets up programming within their products which requires a user to only use their services. I know there are other players in the market, but this type of practice really ties the hands of the consumer, and thus creates resentment from their consumer base towards the manufacturer. But, smaller companies, like Podmaxx, are giving end users the control back, to use their property as they choose.

So, definitely check it out, read their blog, and testimonials and see what you think. You may like what you see.

PS. Don't worry, I just got down off my soap box after my rant. :)

Furniture or Art?

The Wave Chair from Moore Designs of London is going through a bit of an identity crisis. It's hard to tell whether this chair is meant to be a functional piece of furniture or a piece of art. Either way the Wave chair looks great, but it would be nice to sit in it before you drop $2200 to have it shipped from the UK.

Free stuff for your loved ones.

For those of you who like free stuff (I know there's a few of us out there), I have a great contest at Overstock.com where you can win free stuff for Valentines day. For instance, Noelle and I have been talking about how it's been a very long time since either of us have played chess and that we'd like to play together , so I went do to the Game O Love website to see what I could find. Well, the contest starts tomorrow so I checked out their selection of Chess Sets and saved one that I liked in my cart. I'm definitely going to head back tomorrow to sign up for the contest to see if our dream chess set is up for grabs in the Game O Love contest.

But, the contest isn't just about chess sets, there should be a huge array of products up for grabs, Overstock has so many products on their site that the selection should be immense. I imagine that a lot of the free stuff is going to be very lovey dovey for Valentines Day, chocolates, jewelry, you know, all the commercially pushed merchandise that people think they need to get their loved ones. But hopefully for me, there will be a few, well, unconventional items up for grabs (like a chess set!). I'll see tomorrow and if you're up for some absolutely free stuff, you should definitely check it out too.

Cutting edge designs from behind the iron curtain.

Here's another interesting piece from Stanislav Katz. The Shelves have no sides and due to the color scheme they appear to float in mid air. Very interesting stuff.

Do you know how many visits your blog gets? Here's a free counter.

One of the features I've been meaning to add to my blog, but never really had the time to put into it was a visitor counter. Until I found some free web counters and decided to give it a shot. There are twenty two free variations to choose from and the site also has poll questionnaire code for your blog as well. Check it out. You can see my free counter on the bottom right of my blog.

Post Seviet Design

I really like the imagery that I'm seeing from Stanislav Katz but the pieces don't look to user friendly. Maybe there not supposed to be, who knows. Anyhow, take a look, theres some very interesting pieces on their site.

Commercial Shipping.

My buddy Rick recently moved down to Belize, and since hes their to stay he has to ship all of his belongings down once he's done building his house on the beach. What he really needs is a logistics company that can handle small or large shipments. With everything that he has in storage here, a company that offers van, flatbed, stepdeck, double drop, removable gooseneck and specialized heavy haul trucking is just what he's looking for. So, I'm definitely going to recommend some of the transport companies that I work with, maybe he'll build a guest room that I can use from time to time.

Totally cool coat rack

This has got to be the coolest coat rack I have ever seen. The hooks are hidden behind a printed aluminum modesty panel. No more ugly hooks with this cool rack.

Looking for a career change? Try some online training.

If you're looking for a career change you may want to check out the online EMT training courses offered at the National Paramedic Institute. National Paramedic Institute is dedicated to providing cutting edge continuing education for First Responders, EMTs and Paramedics.

Here's how it works:

Each episode of Medic Monthly involves a case re-enactment with testimonials from real firefighters, real paramedics, real EMTs, and real emergency physicians. Each installment includes a pretest, 20-minute video, post-test explanation and review, and a quiz. Each episode of the Medic Monthly is case-based and addresses a challenging, confusing, or unusual EMS issue.

So you get to see what real EMT's see and then you get tested and graded based on your evaluation of the video. Pretty Cool.

Nutcracker Dish Cloth

I really liked what I saw at Jonas Samson Product Design, and the Nutcracker Dish Cloth was no exception. The retro feel is great, and the step by step pattern was very nice. Check out this site!

Small Business Web Hosting

Just yesterday my little sister, Zoie, decided that she wanted to start a blog as a precursor to starting her own eCommerce business. Her blog is currently on a blogger account, which is ok to start, but eventually she'll want to look into small business web hosting. She'll be able to set up an email account in to her own domain name, she won't have that pesky .blogspot in her domain, and she'll be taken much more seriously as a blogger. Luckily, she'll be able to move all her posts over to her private server and still use her blogger settings.

Wallpaper Lighting - Part Two

Here you can see the process, step by step. This wallpaper is so cool! Enjoy. Check out Jonas Sampson Product Design for additional details.

Travel Sites

With my travels to Las Vegas rapidly approaching I've been searching high and low on the subject. I wish I had done a little more shopping around before I settled on my non-refundable trip to the futon expo. I leave on Monday so it's a bit too late to make any changes now, but I would have definitely checked out Hotel Reservations before I made any decision. When I recently found Hotel Reservations I didn't think anything of it, but then I checked out some of their Hotel Deals and I was impressed by the prices I found. For example, I found a forty dollars a night room at the Tropicana hotel for two people! Or forty one dollars a night room at the Sahara Hotel for two people! Those prices are way less than what I was able to find a month and a half back. And those are only two great deals out of many that I found on the first page of results.

So, you might not be too impressed yet, but they also have a great section on airfare. You can find everything you're looking for at Hotel Reservations, they had an almost identical flight to the one I booked two months ago for the same price. Well, I might not know everything, but I thought that the closer you get to your departure date the higher the price on the airfare goes. Another pleasant surprise.

Well, ok, you've seen site like Hotel Reservations before, but they also have deals on Cruises. If you are looking to get away to a tropical location / maybe an international one, they can help. You're also able to book your trip online or give their staff a call toll free. Imagine that, you can speak with a real person to book your flight instead of a machine. Well, check it out, you may like what you see.

Planned Communities

I've heard a bit about planned communities in the past six months, like the one started by Disney or the one planned by Texas hill country real estate. For those of you who are not familiar with planned communities, here's the deal. Planned communities are generally structured communities, that give the appearance of small town USA, even though a lot of planned communities have a larger population than a small town. Planned communities are usually within a reasonable distance to metropolitan centers as well, which is nice because you can still live in small town America without giving up the amenities you've come to depend on and enjoy.

Take Eagle Mountain Reserve, a 118-acre master planned community located on the northeastern foothills of Lake Buchanan, Texas. The site itself is situated on a mountain overlooking picturesque Lake Buchanan -- a 23,000 acre lake in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. It's only 13 miles from the city of Burnet, 27 miles from Georgetown, and just 70 miles northwest of Austin.

Use Wallpaper To Light Your Room

The wallpaper in the picture is actually used as a light source for your space. The wallpaper has two settings: off, the paper will look like ordinary wallpaper and on, the wallpaper will light up your space. A very innovative and extremely cool option for your hip space.

Moving to Boston? Better get a real estate agent!

My sister in law, Bailey, just moved to her new apartment in Boston a couple weeks ago. And finding desirable Boston apartments for rent can be almost impossible without a real estate agent. Even if you're searching for an apartment to rent, you'll need someone to broker the deal. To me, this was ridiculous, but thats the way the system works. You do the leg work, then contact an agent to set up a viewing, then the agent gets one to two thousand from you when you sign the lease.

Before you go to the trouble of browsing the classifieds, you may want to check out We rent Boston. You can search for apartments by price, location, and number of bedrooms to narrow your search from the 30,000 apartments on the market today.

Twin Over Full Bunk Beds

Well, I finally found it. A manufacturer who offers great bunk beds, twin over full bunk beds even, shipped anywhere in the US. They'll be on the site in a few weeks, but heres a little taste of what you should expect.

Telescopes and Binoculars for Astronomy or Bird Watching

The night day I was up in my attic looking for some of my computer equipment, when I saw my sister-in-laws telescope in the corner. We store some of her stuff in the attic while she's away at school. Well, one thing led to another and, well, I was checking out the telescope instead of searching for an extra USB wire. I really enjoyed it, actually stopping for a moment and looking at the stars, it was relaxing.

Well, with my interest peeked I decided to look online to price out a telescope for myself, the one I had will be leaving eventually, and I found some great telescopes & night vision binoculars at Anacortes. From what I gather, they carry some popular brands of binoculars and telescopes including Celestron, Meade and Bushnell. The selection was nice and I know what it'll cost me if I want to continue my new hobby after the telescope I have is reclaimed.

Small Business Loans Part Two

I recently did a post on the site about loans for small businesses and I wanted to share another site with my readers. It's for a financing company called America One Unsecured, a company the specializes in low or no collateral loans. The company seems legit, they're a member of the better business bureau, and they've been in business since 1999.

So, if you're a small business owner, like myself, who's thinking about expanding you may want to see the loan options they offer. Or if you're looking for a personal loan or maybe personal loans they have some great options for you.

Check it out.

Futon Daybed Frames

This Daybed Futon Frame has got to be one of the most unique futons I've seen in years. The curved back panel sets it apart from all the other daybed futons on the market today. What's even better is the fact that I get to test this frame out next week at the futon expo.

Things to do in Vegas when you're bored

As some of my readers may already know, I'm headed to Las Vegas next week, and I imagine I'll be bored out of my mind when I'm not at the futon expo. In my quest to find something amusing to do, I saw that the National Finals Rodeo is going to be held in Las Vegas. Let me fill you in om my background first, I grew up in Vermont, moved to Massachusetts, have never really been to the south, and don't know a whole bunch about being a cowboy. That being said, I am definitely not a rodeo fan. But Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I thought if the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas corresponded with my trip to Las Vegas I might check this slice of Americana. So I decided to check out WNFR Tickets to see if I was in luck.

Unfortunately, well, maybe fortunately, the National Finals Rodeo doesn't take place till December of 2008. I won't get to see all the rodeo clowns getting trampled or the bull riders getting thrown around. I'll miss the guys that sell ribs in the bleachers, I heard they'll throw you a half rack from thirty feet. :) Now I have to figure out another time to wear my bolo tie and leather vest.

PS. I was just kidding about the ribs and the bolo tie thing.

Innovative Futon and Slip Covers

If the slip covers in this video are made from a material that's nicer than spandex I think they're great. However, if these covers are just huge spandex skirts, well I think I'll pass. The options are many, sizes and colors both, so I hope the quality is as nice as they put on.

Trusted Tours and Attractions

My business partner and I are going to be traveling to Las Vegas soon, and luckily, I found a site called Trusted Tours & Attractions. Trusted Tours is a website that puts you in touch with the information you'll need to really enjoy your trip. When I first scheduled my trip to Las Vegas I had no idea what I'd do in between the Futon Expo, and thought I'd probably just be stuck in my room bored out of my mind. I don't gamble and really don't feel like venturing into the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas. For instance, I had no idea theres a wax museum, or a city tour, and while those might not be my thing they do give me some options. Trusted Tours and Attractions also gives their readers transportation info from the airport to the city as well as schedules within the Las Vegas city limits. Very useful.

If you're not traveling in the immediate future Trusted Tours also has a NewsLetter. As a promotion, when you sign up for the Trusted Tours & Attractions Newsletter you can also sign up for their drawing in which you could win a hand held GPS device.

So, take a look at their services, read up on the sightseeing tours info and browse their site, you might find some useful info for your upcoming travel plans.

How many futons can you fit in a small space?

Well, I'm sure you could fit more, but the girl in this video has seven futons lined up in a very tight space. Her dog doesn't really seem to like it though. Check it out.

Cheap Glasses

For those of you out there who wear glasses and are tired of spending way too much, I made a Great Discovry:$ 8 Prescription Glasses From Zenni Optical. Single vision glasses start at only eight dollars, with some customization options both free or for additional cost. All in all the selection looks good so it may be worth your time to head to the site and browse through their selection.

Wall Hugger Futons - Part Two

I've seen quite a few people searching for wall hugger futon frames so I thought I'd put together a list of all the frames on the site that are wall hugger frames.
Feel free to check out our wall hugger futon frames.
• Bellpark
• California
• Cezanne
• DaVinci
• Matisse
• Monet
• Picasso
• Rembrandt
• Sleigh
• Adriana
• Mission Rim
• Addison
• Orion
• Lambton
• Lexington
• Devonshire
• Dillon

Discount Office Supplies

For those of you who are in the same boat I was in, you know, having to go to staples and over paying for office supplies I just found a site you may want to check out. Super Media Stores has a great selection of office supplies that are priced lower than some major retailers, items like ink cartridges, DVD-R's, labels, toner, and more. So whether you're a small business owner like myself, or your part of a larger operation, you may want to visit Super Media Stores, they may be able to save you some money on the items that keep our businesses going.

Futon Foam Core Processing

A lot of futon mattress manufacturers use machines like this one in their manufacturing process, now that foam cores are being heavily integrated into the futon industry. The video may be a little slow but I still think it's fairly interesting. Check it out.

Do you need to brush up on you computer skills?

If you're feeling at all rusty on your basic computing skills and want to check out some info on excel training, pmp training, or leadership skills it may be worth it for you to visit Computer Based Training. It may save you some time when you have to set up spread sheets and with stying on task. No more leafing through manuals and wasting time, you'll should know the programs better.

Rosebud Daybed Futon Frame

The Rosebud Daybed is one of the most unique daybed style futon frames I have seen in a while. I really liked the graceful curve to the back panel and the combination of rattan with hardwood looks great. Drawers or a trundle bed can be added to the Rosebud to increase the versatility of this beautiful frame.

On-Line Colloege Courses

I've been thinking about taking some online courses over the past six months or so, and in my browsing through college websites I decided to look at what Brown Career College had to offer. At first the Brown Career College website looked really promising, the site has a lot of info about enrollment, financial aid, the programs they offer, a school history, some basic information about their online course program, and even a section of the site where prospective students can fill out an application. Pretty cool right? Well, that's what I thought too until I read on their site that only students enrolled in a full time degree programs are eligible. So the search was back on.

My next stop was at the site for Harrington College of Design. Since I am a web designer I thought I'd check it out to see what Harrington had to offer. Well, I was definitely disappointed, Harrington College of Design wasn't focusing on web design. Oh no, Harrington College of Design is a school who's focus is interior design, photography, and communication design. So, I didn't find anything I could use at Harrington College of Design, so I was off again. I will say, however, the Harrington has a very nice website, loaded with features. They even had live chat on the site, which I am a huge fan of.

Lastly in my search for online college courses was Missouri Medical School. Obviously not the right choice for me, even though it appears as though Missouri Medical School does offer some programs that don't involve surgery, like medical billing and insurance courses, I don't think I really want to change careers just yet. :) But, I still wanted to share what I found because Missouri Medical does have a nice site, with good resources thats relatively easy to use.

Credit Cards For People With Bad Credit.

I've seen some sale get declined on the site over the past few months and I wanted to share a link to a site with credit cards for bad credit. The site features quite a few offers for people who have had credit issues in the past, some of the cards even have fairly good interest rates and terms. What I also liked about the site is the amount of information it contained, not to sell you a product, but to help educate people about the resources out there for people who may have run into credit issues in the past. Discussion boards, live chat, peer-to-peer help, and online resources round out the selection for anyone who needs a little help attaining and repairing credit. Check it out.

Euro Metal Futons

Here's an interesting metal futon with adjustable back decks. This one looks like a new take on an old design. All in all, quite nice.

Sweet IM

Almost everyone under the age of fifty has used or at least seen an instant messenger program. Yahoo, MSN, Verizon, everyone has their own version but have you heard about SweetIM? So, what does Sweet IM do for you? Well, as most of you know, text messaging uses a lot of abreviations, like brb = be right back and lol = laugh out loud, among many others. There are also emoticons, small smiley faces that you either type out using keys, like ; = ) as ;) for a wink and so on. A lot of programs now allow you to use emoticons, small image files that are compatible with the instant messenger software. These images make the plain old keystroke smiley face obsolete and also liven up your chat experience. What Sweet IM does for you is give you a fun list of emoticons to choose from as well as nudges, sounds and so on for you chat experience.

All in All I like what I've seen from the software and I always like to try new things in whit my chat programs so I think I'll be giving Sweet IM a shot.

Coolest Futon Chair Ever

This has got to be one of the coolest futon chairs I have seen in a long time, and it'll soon be part of the line up a Goodnight Moon Futon. I was so excited I had to spread the news, so come back soon and check it out.

Valentines Day Is Right Around The Corner, Are You Ready?

With Valentines Day drawing nearer and nearer with every day, nows the time to think about what you're going to give your sweetheart. And, while you're thinking about that, we'll try to help you keep some money in the bank with some great coupons at a site called Coupon Chief. With deals from great companies like Gap Coupons, Target Deals, and Nordstrom Savings(to name a few) you'll find loving bargains on the perfect Valentines Day gift for everyone on your list.

So check it out, gifts can mean just as much, even if you don't have to pay full price on them.

Knockdown Tables

If you're looking for very reasonably priced end, coffee, or television tables look no further. Our KD Tables are less than $65, shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states. They match the KD Collection frames perfectly.

El Pollo Loco

Ever try to cook your lunch in a new apartment when you haven't turned the gas on yet? Here's my video for the El Pollo Loco video contest at Where's the Flame Grill dot com. They specialize in grilling chicken so they wanted some humorous videos that show terrible ways to cook chicken. So, head over there and vote for me, I could win a grand prize of one thousand five hundred dollars. That's not chicken feed, if you catch my drift. ;)

Traditional one bedroom Japanese Ryokan

I really like traditional, Japanese settings, like the one shown above. The futon in the video looks really thin, but the people who sleep on them seem pleasantly surprised at how comfy they are. The whole thing looks nice and cozy.

Cadre Technologies Warehouse Management Software

I just wanted to say, well type really, a few words about what the back end of a furniture store is like when the owners won't put any investment into a good inventory and order tracking system. In two words, it sucks. Ok Maybe three, it really sucks.
I speak from experience, I reiterated time and again the importance of keeping a good inventory and keeping track of open and closed orders. But, it was kind of like hitting my head against a wall.

Most of you are probably trying to figure out why I went off on this tangent. I did because I found some great order management software that I plan on sharing with a few former co-workers because I know they are still in a terrible situation, hand counting the items in a twenty thousand square foot warehouse on a regular basis. Think about how much time and money is being spent by having two or three guys spend 8-12 hours a piece each week to perform a task that a program would do automatically. Tasks like inventory, order tracking, fulfillment, and shipping.

If you're in the same boat that I used to be, or know someone who is, share that website with them. It may make their lives easier.

All right, I'm down off my soap box now.

With all this talk about futons, did you forget about your floor?

One of the major furnishings I always regret neglecting is my rug. I always put so much thought into how I'm going to set up my room that when I remember my rug, or in some rooms lack there of, I have to kick myself when I need to move everything out of the way in order to lay out my old dinghy rug. The last time Noelle and I rearranged our living room we decided that it was time to start looking for a new rug, our great dane Jay has made a mess of the old one and we're tired of looking at it.

Anyway, to make a long story short, we decided to start looking into what options we have for replacing our old rug. That meant lots of browsing to try and find the best deal we could. That meant looking for cheap area rugs and I thought the two terms could never be used in the same sentence until I started looking online. The retail location where I used to work marked up the rugs they stocked by three to four hundred percent. I'll just leave them un-named ;)

So needless to say, when I saw the rugs being offered at Superior Rugs, which look to be high quality, at reasonable prices I was pleasantly surprised. The selection of rugs is top notch, there are many styles and sizes to browse through, I liked the Oriental Rugs. Not only were the prices great, but the lead times are very short (two to three days in most cases) and shipping is free. Shipping doesn't get much cheaper than that.

Other than that, Superior Rugs has a well put together website that's easy to navigate. Features and options are clearly listed so finding exactly what you want is easy. You'll also notice that Superior Rugs features a 30 day money back guarantee, so you can shop with confidence.

Built In Footboard Bench

I just found a new product that I have to add to the site, platform beds with built-in footboard benches. They look great, with matching finishes and sizes available. And the convenience of being able to unfold the bench only if you need it, and save space when you don't is great.

Did You Dial a Flight?

For my readers here in the US, you may be asking yourself, why would I dial a flight? Or maybe what is dial a flight? Well, Dial a Flight is a UK based travel agency that specializes in finding the best possible prices they can on flights to USA. I just took a look at their site and some of their package deals are great, 13 GBP per night at the Sands Regency Casino Hotel, 15 GBP per night at the Atlantis Casino Resort and so on. That's unbelievable, I'm spending twice that per night at the end of the month when I go to the futon expo. Too bad I'm locked into a non-refundable package.
Anyone who's planning to travel on their holiday break definitely needs to search this site for the best prices on flights and lodging for their stay in the US.

Futon Expo '08, here's a list of featured exhibitors

For everyone who's going to Las Vegas at the end of the month that hasn't seen the updated list of featured bedding exhibitors, well, here's the list. Check it out and get ready, maybe I'll see you there.

Alessanderx Spa
Booth: P30208 / P30210
Via S. Leonardo Da Porto Maurizio, 26/26/28
Prato, 59100
Telephone: 003-905-7654011
Fax: 003-905-765101235

Arason Enterprises, Inc
Booth: P30112
P. O. Box 3274
Annapolis, MD 21403
Telephone: 410-703-4412
Fax: 410-280-3388
www.fu-chest.com

Blazing Needles
Booth: P30301
401 N. Beach Street
Fort Worth, TX 76111
Telephone: 817-831-2668
Fax: 817-831-8764
www.ecaravan.net

College Covers LLC
Booth: P30213
P. B. Box 336
Harrington, NE 68739
Telephone: 402-254-9933
Fax: 402-294-7133

Cotton Belle
Booth: P30004
302 Highway 28 S
Belle, MO 65013-9500
Telephone: 573-859-6589
Fax: 573-859-6474

Devon Chase & Company
Booth: P30004
10705-107 Rocket Blvd
Orlando, FL 32824
Telephone: 407-438-6466
Fax: 407-438-1777
www.devonchase.com

Electropedic Mfg. Corp.
Booth: P30221
637 Fourth St.
San Fernando, CA 91340
Telephone: 818-365-6616
Fax: 818-365-3261

Handy Living
Booth: P30116
1750 N. 25th Avenue
Melrose Park, IL 60160
Telephone: 708-345-6900
Fax: 708-450-9047
www.handy-living.com

Hickory At Home a division of Hickory Springs Mfg Co
Booth: P30204
P.O. Box 128
Hickory, NC 28603-0128
Telephone: 800-438-5341
Fax: 828-324-4893
www.hickoryathome.com

Land and Sky
Booth: P30016
1401 W. Bond Cr.
Lincoln, NE 68521
Telephone: 800-755-7667
Fax: 402-470-2517
www.landandsky.com

Life Style Covers
Booth: P30101
58-25 Laurel Hill Blvd 2nd Floor
Woodside, NY 11377-7419
Telephone: 800-478-5089
Fax: 718-478-4574
www.lscovers.com

M. B. & G. Marketing
Booth: P30008
P. O. Box 2787
Indio, CA 92202
Telephone: 760-347-7322
Fax: 760-347-7355

Marshfield Omni Division of Marshfield Furniture
Booth: P30104
P O Box 639
Spring Green, WI 53588
Telephone: 608-712-8702
Fax:

Prestige Furnishings
Booth: P30307
255 Calyer St.
Brooklyn, NY 11322
Telephone: 718-349-8008
Fax: 718-349-8025

Protect -A- Bed
Booth: P30000
624 Haverford Rd
Haverford, PA 19041
Telephone: 610-642-0422
Fax: 610-642-2656
www.protectabed.com

Renelle Furniture
Booth: P30008
13120 76th Ave
Surrey, BC V3W 2V6
Telephone: 604-591-5922
Fax: 604-591-9195
www.renelle.com

Strata Furniture, Inc.
Booth: P30004
3507 Commerce Blvd.
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
Telephone: 763-786-3784
Fax: 763-784-9781
www.stratafurniture.com

Strobel
Booth: P30200
3131 Industrial Pkwy
Jeffersonville, IN 47130
Telephone: 812-282-4388
Fax: 812-282-6528
www.strobel.com

US Bank
Booth: P30114
7300 Chapman Hwy
Knoxville, TN 37920
Telephone: 865-403-8476
Fax: 865-403-5476

Viking Industries
Booth: P30104
38169 County Rd # 2
St Joseph, MN 56374-8701
Telephone: 320-259-0909
Fax: 320-259-4705
www.vikinglogfurniture.com

Wallbeds!
Booth: P30016
3457 Collins Ave.
Richmond, CA 94806
Telephone: 800-934-6711
Fax: 888-477-6796
www.wallbedsinfo.com

Yan's International Inc.
Booth: P30021
5733 San Leandro St.
Oakland, CA 94621
Telephone: 510-261-7999
Fax: 510-261-8666
www.miwafuton.com

Sedona Method.... Catch The Happiness Wave !!!!!

Lately, I've heard a few things about a meditative technique called the Sedona Method, a chemical free means through which to find happiness according to it's Co-Founder Hale Dwoskin. As an aikidoka and yogi I know that the power of the mind is a powerful force inside every person, and by focusing your intentions on a positive path you can make great changes happen within yourself. That being said, here's what the Sedona Method has to say about making your existence a happier one.

The Sedona Method counsels anyone who wants to take part in its program to let go of the un-happy thoughts that people have a tendency to hold on to. The Sedona Method is unique in that it doesn’t ask people to cover over their negative thoughts with positive ones.

“Positive thinking alone can’t bring happiness, peace or success,” says Dwoskin. “It’s my experience that our negative thoughts and feelings just surface elsewhere if we try to force ourselves to think or feel positively. Acknowledging them and seeing through the illusion that they are about a separate person brings an end to suffering.”

The Sedona Method holds workshops on a regular basis, all over the world for anyone who feels they may benefit from learning the ability to let go. But, it you can't make it to a seminar, they also have informational DVD's that may be able to help as well.

All in all the Sedona Method sounds like a promising technique to overcome ones negative feelings.

Loveseat Futon Covers

In the past month the search volume for loveseat style futon covers has skyrocketed. It's not hard to understand why, loveseat frames save a lot of space and you need to order a cover that matches. Generally loveseat futon covers are sold in two piece sets, one piece for the chair and one piece for the ottoman. Full loveseat futon cover sets are 54" x 54" and 21" x 54". Twin loveseat futon cover sets are 54" x 39" and 21" x 39".

City Hotel Guides

If you're traveling any time in the near or distant future you may want to check out Hotels By City, a great resource for finding Cheap Hotels as well as deals on other necessities which you may need while you're on your visit. With over five hundred cities to search, which can be found here, the savings you can find whether you're traveling within the United States or whether you're venturing to distant, international locations. Your search for rental cars, hotel lodging, flights, hotel blogs (where you should be able to find guest reviews), and group booking just got another valuable tool.

For instance, I'm headed to Boston to meet up with a few buddies from high school this month so I checked out what Hotels By City had to offer and the choices were extensive. When I did my search for a hotel at least several pages of results as well as the option to sort my results by price, area, hotel name, land mark, rating, or top picks. As if that weren't enough I was also given an options to search the area's just outlying the city (Cambridge, Charlestown, Chelsea, etc.)

Another great resource I found was the city travel guide blog, and since we had no idea what we were planning to do, it really came in handy. Now I have some great tips on bars and restaurants that should go to and also some warnings on the ones to avoid.

Futon ABC's

If you're a first time futon buyer or even if you're a little unsure about what goes into a futon set, our Futon ABC's might shed a little light on the entire futon setup. Every futon is made up from three main components and we have a great description of those parts. Just follow the link above for more info.

Wrought Iron Furniture

As an apprentice level blacksmith I really enjoy seeing companies that work in metal, so I was very excited when I found the restaurant wrought iron furniture that Contract Furniture manufactures. Contract Furniture makes chairs, tables, benches, barstools and more in nine or ten finishes. As for styles, well I lost count at fifteen varieties or chairs and thats just the tip of the iceberg.

Another thing that I really like is a company that combines two mediums in their work, like the collection of Contract Resin Furniture and dining tables which blend metal with acrylic, wood, and other composites.

Check them out, especially if you plan on opening up a corner bistro. :)

Futon Reviews & Ratings

If you need a little advice on your upcoming futon mattress purchase, you may want to check out our futon mattress rating page and our customer testimonials page. You will find some great reviews on futon mattresses that have been sold recently as well as a ratings chart for all the futons on the site. Ratings will tell you how well specific futon mattresses perform as a sofa or a bed as well as how firm a futon is. If you need any help beyond that, don't hesitate to give us a call toll free at 888-743-8866 with additional questions

BadCreditOffers.com - A Free Consumer Resource

In todays market place there are many programs geared towards people with less than perfect credit and bad credit loans is one of them. Bad Credit Offers is a free consumer resource dedicated to helping those with a less-than-perfect credit rating. Their expert staff continuously monitors the credit marketplace to bring consumers the best "bad credit" offers available, such as home loans, auto loans, and credit cards to name a few of the categories. From there you select the plan that's right for you, so check them out, they may have a resource you can use.

Live Chat and Customer Service

For some time now, I've been using a live chat feature on my site to get more actively involved in customer service on my commercial site. People either love it or really hate it. In my opinion the live chat feature is great, but I want to know what my readers think of the idea. Please post you honest opinions about your feeling on a live chat request while you're online.

Audio Ads on Blogs?

There's a new advertising wave sweeping through the blogosphere right now called Net Audio Ads. While this is an innovative marketing ploy by ad companies it can be a double edged sword for a website owner. Here's how it works:

The owner of a blog or website signs up with a company like Web Audio Ads who works with advertising companies to get their ads on your computer. So, after signing up this an audio ad company a website owner puts a small amount of code into the html of their website or blog and every time a visitor comes to your site a five second audio ad plays. For website and blog owners this is great, you get paid for every visitor who enters your site. Website visitors, however, don't seem quite as excited as website owners do.

Now that this advertising strategy has entered the lime light, I believe the companies who participate in the program will start to grow, and thus their will be targeted audio ads for any site owner who wants to bring in a little extra revenue. I think I might just add an audio ad feature to one or two of my blogs, and if you'd like a little extra cash you may want to do the same.

New Clearance Section Added to the site

We're recently added a section of discounted clearance futon covers to the website where you'll be able to find some great deals. We're trying to clear out our discontinued inventory so take advantage of these deals while they're still available.
The Cover shown above, the Montana Chocolate is regularly priced at $109 in full size, well you can get our last one at $75

Great Travel Site

This is definitely the time of year where everyone daydreams about a tropical vacation, and well, I can't blame them. With a foot and a half of snow on the ground outside I recently checked out a Hawaii cruise package from Travel Store USA. Once you select a destination you choose the available options, whether you want to fly direct and take a local cruise or you can choose to sail out from the west coast for a longer sea voyage. Both sound better than snow to me, but I might have to learn my way around a shuffle board for longer voyage across the Pacific. There's so much to check out at Travel Store USA; a wide variety of cruise packages all over world, hotels in tropical locations, and a helpful section where you can get in touch with a vacation planner.

Trifold Futon Frames

One of the best selling futon frames at Goodnight Moon Futon is the KD Lounger Trifold Futon Frame. The KD Lounger is a work horse of the futon industry, with a five year warranty, seven positions, and a space saving design.

BTW, the KD Lounger is tough enough for frat brothers and nice enough for your guest bedroom

VistaPrint Address Labels

Recently I did a test to compare the quality of my new business card from Vista Print and a local print shop and I was surprised by the results. I setup and created the design above and worked closely with my local print shop to come up with the perfect layout out for my new cards and we ran a batch of one thousand cards. Now, I was going through this process in order to get ready for the futon expo in Las Vegas this month, very exciting, and I have to admit that I was not as happy with my cards as I thought I should be.

So, I did a search online for business cards and what site do you think I chose? That's right, Vista Print. Now, I was a bit skeptical about ordering business cards online so I decided to go forward and place a small order of two hundred and fifty business cards (that's the smallest) just to assess the quality. Well, to make a long story short, I was blown away by how much nicer my Vista Print cards were compared to my local expensive cards.

That experience got me thinking about the other products that Vista Print offers, like address labels, custom address labels, promotional materials, rubber stamps, not to mention cards and stationary. And, their prices are great, so if you're looking for new business cards, labels, or anything else business related check out the services and products that Vista Print offers, you may be as surprised as I was.

Skirted Futon Covers

Skirted futon covers are a relatively new offering from the futon industry. Skirted covers allow any futon frame to sit away from the wall without showing the less than photogenic slatted back. I personally think Skirted Futon Covers are a direct response to Futon Daybeds with finished back panels

On Site Computer Services

When I was setting up my home wireless network a company like Fast Teks would have really come in handy. With Fast Teks doing the work, my network would have been set up headache free, all my computers would have been able to share a printer without wires, and a host of multi-user applications / file sharing options would have been available to my home network. I'm definitely going to give them a call if I ever need to revamp my wireless network.

Futon in a chest

Here's a little additional info about our Murphy's Bed with a twist, coming soon. As you can see in the video, converting your frame is extremely easy. We are truly excited about this product and can't wait to add it to the site. Check out the video and be prepared to be amazed. :)

Clothing for my younger Sisters

I found Heavenly Couture, a site that carries junior clothing for girls and I immediately thought this site would be perfect for my sisters. They have a great selection that includes hoodies, shorts, pants, tops, dresses, blazers, accessories, and jackets & outerwear. So they have quite the selection. I know Zoie, my little sister, would love the cool contemporary clothing. The best feature of the site is their fantastic prices. Everything on the site is $17.95 or less. I wish I knew about Heavenly Couture before Christmas, I definitely would bought the Mint Green Floral Pattern Hoodie for Zoie, and think my other sister Haley would love the Pleated Loose Olive Top

Heavenly Couture also has a section of last call items. This section of the site has a lot of really cool items in limited quantities, like sweaters, dresses, pants and really cool shirts. And it really looks like the last call items are a real bargin, so check it out while they're still there on the site.

I've just sent a link to both of my sisters to Heavenly Couture, and I'm sure they're going to really love what they see. Hopefully they'll share it with their friends as well, because everything I saw looked great and was priced great.

Sustainable Living

We all talk about sustainable living, and in my case lumber, but these guys take the cake when it comes to sustainable living in the middle of nowhere. The living conditions in the video look fairly spartan. Check it out and if you don't have any idea what sustainable living is about you may enjoy it.

Window Treatments

One thing I need to add to Goodnight Moon Futon is a selection of window treatments, I thought realized this fact when I found Contempo Curtains, a nice looking site that offers a wide variety of window treatment options. Contempo Curtains has recently added grommet curtains to their selection, but you may be asking yourself what grommet curtains are? Grommet Curtains are a great alternative to your ordinary window coverings. Contemporary grommets allow you to use decorative curtain rings to match your curtain’s design, adding an extra bit of flair to your home's window treatments. As with our traditional style drapes and shower curtains, we provide a high quality grommet top panel curtain selection in a variety of fun retro or funky contemporary patterns.

From what I can see, Contempo Curtains has high quality home goods at reasonable prices, so go check it out if you get a chance.

Moving your sofa the easy way

Now, in the past I've had to move a lot of sofa for customers that were buying a futon to replace their old worn out sofa. Never quite as easy as this, nor as dangerously.

Now Everyone can get their fifteen minutes of fame

I justed checked out a site called YawpBox, a site thats similar to Youtube, that is solely focused on videos created by average, ordinary people. The idea is refreshing to me, personally I'm sick of hearing about copy write law suits and which site is going to be able to host / broadcast "Heros".

The videos at YawpBox are broken up into categories that everyone can relate to, marriage proposals, experiences with law enforcement, where were you that day in history, and your experience with your mullet just too name a few. I thought that the mullet images were funny, but that's just me. That's just the tip of the iceberg, there are so many categories that so many people can relate to that there's definitely something for everyone. Oh yeah, and the videos are shot by everyday people, so it's an independent look at the world.

For those of you who are hoping to get a little exposure, all the videos on YawpBox are eligible to be featured on the "Lex & Terry Challenge", a 30 minute weekly "magazine style" show, filmed before a live studio audience in Dallas, Texas. So, if you're looking for your fifteen minutes of fame you might just get it here. But be warned, if you're not posting you best moments you could be famous for the wrong thing.

Blizzards Hits Western Massachusetts

I've lost count this year, but I think we were hit bu the fifth major snow storm last night. I snapped off a few pictures to share with everyone in a warmer climate. Enjoy

Relocating? Check out some moving company options

Ok, when I first got into the futon business I found a great company, who will remain nameless, that has a country wide network of affiliate moving companies that I used to perform assemblies all over the country. This was a great feature, but a very costly one. So, I decided to see if there were any other similar options when I found Car Movers, a company that primarily focuses on auto transport and while this is a little off topic, Car Movers is part of a larger company that performs total home moves as well as storage. This may be promising as most companies like this have subcontractors through out the country, and they may even be willing to assemble a few futons. Definitely worth looking into on my part.

This is a sponsored post

Chemical Free All Cotton Futon Mattress

Goodnight Moon Futon Just added another chemical free futon mattress to the line, a six inch all cotton that's borate free. The Non-Borate futon mattress is a great option if you're interested in a more natural mattress but don't want to spend a grand on a 100% organic.

Discount Upholstery Grade Fabric Supplier

Being in the futon industry I'm always on the lookout for new fabric suppliers for my custom futon cover offerings. When I saw Design Diva Fabrics I knew I found another great resource in my goal to provide unique and special offerings to my futon customers. What makes Design Diva different? Design Diva has a great collection of upholstery fabric - Discount designer online fabric store offering Kravet, Scalamandre, velvet, faux fur, and brocade fabric for your upholstery, curtain drapery, interior fabric needs at a discount price. They're selling at prices an interior designer would pay. Check out their discount Scalamandre fabric here, it's a steal.

Futon Expo Video

Check out some info on the Futon Expo.

Robotic Massage Chairs

I found another cool site called Humam Touch that carries some very coolMassage Chairs and thought I'd share it with all my readers. Normally I don't go for massage chairs, they usually don't look to great or they come in the form of a massage strip that rests on a plain recliner. Luckily for Human Touch, their massage chairs look really high end and have some innovative features:
• Amazingly human-like massage that replicates the rolling, kneading, compression and percussion techniques of massage professionals
• A full-body massage that follows the contours of your spine and body from neck to foot
• Unique three-dimension movements provide maximum relief to sore, tight muscles
• Multiple automatic programs that allow you to customize massage area, intensity and techniques used
• Intuitive controls that put you in command of your massage experience

So check it out, but bring your credit card, luxury ain't cheap.

Futons can go anywhere

Nice demonstration showing how a futon can go just about ahywhere, even in a mimi bus. Pretty cool.

Small Business Loans

Like a lot of small business owners, I too have thought about expanding my operation. While the idea does sound tempting, it does require a Small Business Loan, which, until this point I have been leery about committing to. But the time may be upon me, and my business, where an opportunity to expand my offerings to my customers. I my search for business loans I found EZ Unsecured, a financing company that has some interesting features that will make getting your loan easy, such as fast funding, good customer support and a very easy process. Click here to read a bit more about why EZ Unsecured is a different type of lender.

Contemporary Furniture in the UK

Last year my sister in-law, Bailey, had her Irish boy friend come visit and for a portion of that time they stayed with Noelle and I. You're probably asking yourself what this has to do with furniture, and I don't blame you :), so here's the connection. John and I got to talking about futons one day and he was very adamant that he had never heard of any futon retailers in the UK or Ireland. Now I thought that this couldn't be, so I started looking into the furniture in the UK to see just what the futon / furniture market was like.

That's when I found Nest.co.uk, a really cool furniture store in the UK that specializes in contemporary furniture. I was really impressed by their collections, Nest offers everything that a stylish pad could need. It was a totally new and refreshing experience seeing a store that focuses on the entire home rather than one niche market. Here's a few examples of what I'm talking about: Nest.co.uk carries amazing contemporary furniture but they also carry stylish radiators, kids furniture, kitchen / bathroom, and an extensive selection of lighting.

So, if you're in the UK, on the market for great home furnishings, or in the mood to check out a nice website that has some innovative web design go check out Nest. I think you'll like what you see.

Oh yeah, I would have liked to see a few futons, maybe John was right.

Mattresses for millionaires? Pretty Crazy if you ask me.

This mattresses in the video are just rediculous, well unless you have 20K-40K to drop.

Did you ever wonder what happens to your old futon mattresses? Now you know.

This mean looking shredder makes short work of all those used mattresses, hopefully those mattresses at least got ample before being destroyed.

Waterless Shampoo?

Ok, I know that this may be a bit off topic but I did a little reading on an interesting shampoo that is a dry shampoo. No, don't worry, you did read that last sentence right. So, as a stereotypical guy, I thought that this couldn't be true, don't you need water when you use shampoo? Well, apparently not with Salon Grafix Spray powder shampoo. You just spray the Dry Spray Powder Shampoo in your hair, give it a quick toss and brush it out. And that's it, no need to go rinse off, no need to jump in the shower, and your hair gets a thorough cleansing. Well, I think that's a really cool idea.

As some of you may have read, I study Aikido and there have been plenty of times such as seminars where I have to travel out of town or when I have to go straight to work after a long aikido class where a product like this could really come in hand. I would definitely give this a shot instead of walking around sweaty all day long. This definitely won't replace a shower, well I hope not anyway :), but it may help for those occasions where time is short but you still want to get cleaned up. So, check it out if you have a second or two, Salon Grafix will ship anywhere.

Goodnight Moon Futon To Add Eco Friendly Futon Products

Starting January Goodnight Moon Futon is setting up a collection of Eco Friendly futon and bedding products on the site. Now you can check out our futon frames made from sustainable lumber, our new 100% Organic Cotton Futon Mattress, and our Eco Friendly futon covers made with recycled materials.

As the owner of Goodnight Moon Futon, I found that it was important to walk in the world without leaving a large impact. I'll keep searching for manufacturers who work with recycled materials, chemical free fibers and sustainable futon products.


Coming soon you'll see a line of organic bedding, duvets, and futon covers so check back often.

Tax season is upon us, have you thought about forming an LLC

With tax season upon us I recently started toying with the idea of forming an llc, a limited liability company for several reasons. A limited liability company, or LLC, lets its owners select the tax treatment they want for their business, meaning I can select the type of llc based on the tax plan I'd be subject to during next years tax season. This tax flexibility means I can pick the tax treatment that saves me the most taxes--often times, thousands of dollars a year in taxes.

King Size Futon Mattresses

Goodnight Moon Futon carries quite a few mattresses in king size, but do you know which king size you need? In case you don't here's a little info on the subject. There are two types of king size futon mattress on the market today, eastern and western king. Eastern king size futons are 78"x80" and western king futons are 72"x 84". So if you're in the market for a king size futon, make sure you get the right one.

Here's a list of the king size futon mattresses we carry at Goodnight Moon Futon:
• Sleep Zones
• Galaxy
• Haley 110
• Haley 150
• Gemini
• Mercury
• Pulsar
• Millennium

Call the World for Pennies From The USA

I found a great service for international calling provided by a company called Mobile Talk by Packet 8. Mobile Talk lets cell phone users reduce their international calling rates by as much as
90%--quickly and easily. No more special PIN codes to keep track of. No more long access numbers to dial. Just the highest quality digital voice service and great calling rates to any of your international locations — all for a low monthly access fee.

Setting up your account is easy. Go to Talk Mobile, and fill out the application which, conveniently comes to your mobile phone via text message. From then on, whenever you make an international call, Mobile Talk will take route the call for you. Easy as that, a seamless system that saves you money every time.

Just take these rates for example, calls to the UK at 2 cents a minute. Calls to India just 5.9 cents per minute. The Philippians only 16 cents a minute. Compared to the $1.49 - $3.49 that AT&T, Sprint and Verizon charge the deal only gets sweeter. Don't just take my word for it, feel free to visit Mobile Talk's Website for more international call rate examples

Check out my video on youtube and vote for me in the contest at Bix Yahoo.

100% Organic Cotton Futon Mattresses

We've recently added a 100% Organic Cotton Futon Mattress to the site, which is very exciting. Finally a truly organic futon mattress, the 100% Organic Futon is chemical free, and only made twice a month in a specially cleaned room.
The only downside we can see to this unique offering is that a prescription is required due to the lack of chemical fire retardants in the mattress.

Cost Captain Software Store - Costcaptain.com

I've been thinking about setting up an account with one of those bulk shopper websites, you know the ones where businesses offer their goods for a great price only thru the discount site. Recently I found, Gogoshopper.com, a site that offers coupons and deals from stores all over the country. Gogoshopper.com is different though, they are a listing site that alerts the consumer to specials and deals that the retailer has at present. Specials like free shipping on orders over $799, or bulk discounts when buying items in quantities greater than one.

Gogoshopper.com seems like a great resource for retailers, in fact it's almost a breath of fresh air compared to all those sites that will let a retailer list their items on a bulk site and then take a cut of the profit without doing any of the work. I may just be signing up tonight.

Otis Bedding Futon Mattresses

Our Futon Mattresses from Otis Bedding are some of the best values at Goodnight Moon Futon, rated for 10-12 years with 10 year warranties. Their selection is outstanding, you choose the right futon mattress for your needs based on thickness, firmness, and desired use. Check out our Otis futon mattresses, or give us a call if you have any questions.

Great Prices on Microsoft Products

I was looking for an upgrade of my Microsoft Office Suite when I found www.CostCaptain.com, an authorized Microsoft reseller. Cost Captain offers many Microsoft products such as Office, Outlook, Project, and Expression Web in Student, Professional and Standard Versions at fantastic prices. Cost Captain also offers products from Adobe, Sage, Symantec, Corel, Intuit, and Computer Associates. So, if you or someone you know is in the market for an upgrade to your existing software or in need of something new head over to Cost Captain and check out their great prices, customer feedback or maybe a gift certificate.

Shaker End Tables

Our Shaker End Tables are the perfect compliment to the Berkshire and Essex platform beds. Made from sustainable harvest ash or maple in Pennsylvania, these tables are built to last.

Planet Aid

In setting up our business Noelle and I tried to find as many eco friendly products for Goodnight Moon Futon as I could find and we're still searching for more. So, in my browsing the internet I found a blog called PlanetAid and thought I should share with my readers what Planet Aid is and what they stand for.

So let's cover the basics:

Planet Aid is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people in developing countries. Planet Aids objectives include development, protecting the environment, and relief aid.

You may be asking what they do though, so here goes.
Planet Aid has clothing collection boxes similar to the ones the Salvation Army has through out the country. The collection boxes are used to, well, collect second hand clothing from ordinary Americans that want to contribute to a cause that doesn't fill our landfills. The clothing is regularly collected by one of Planet Aid's drivers and brought to our warehouse. The clothing is then packaged for re-sale before being shipped out by truck. Much of the clothing is either re-sold in U.S. and Canadian thrift shops or exported in bulk overseas to developing countries. Some of the clothing is donated to projects and organizations that we support.

The proceeds from the sale of the clothing are used for community development projects in Africa and Asia.

Planet Aid also has a large selection of volunteer opportunities for anyone interested in in making a difference. Volunteer activities can include but are not limited to hosting a clothing donation box, donating used electronics, or being involved in in an upcoming exhibit by Zimbabwean artists. Proceeds from the exhibit will go back into the Planet Aid fund.


So visit PlanetAid to find out the many ways in which you can get involved. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others in need.

Futon Frames With Storage Drawers

Goodnight Moon Futon has recently added a new line of futon frames to out site, they're wallhugger frames so they don't need to be moved out from the wall when folded down into a bed. Which is quite convenient. They're also available with under futon storage drawers. Futon storage drawers may not be the largest form of storage you may be able to find, but they match your futon frame and they do help you store any clutter in your space out of sight.

Here's a list of all the futon frames that have optional futon storage drawers:
Bellpark
California
Cezanne
DaVinci
Matisse
Monet
Picasso
Rembrandt
Sleigh

Used Cars in the UK

Last semester my sister in-law studied abroad in the UK, Manchester to be exact. When she was there she noticed that a lot of the residents used public transportation, mostly because mass transit through out Europe is more widespread than here in the states but also because, according to her boyfriend, it was hard to find a reliable car that was reliable. When I found Buy Your Car, a UK based Website specializing in putting people in touch with quality Used Cars at varying price points. I browsed through their selection and I was very impressed, but then I always am when it comes to cars in Europe. Until I see a Mercedes taxi in New York City I don't think my opinion will ever change. :)

Here's a few examples of what you may find in your search: A 2003 Audi for 8000 pounds, not to bad. On the other end of the spectrum you can find a used Toyota Corollo for 1200, a great deal.

So, if you're thinking about heading to Europe in the near future for an extended period of time, you may want to check out Buy Your Car. Well, unless you want to ride the bus around, which may be more Eco Friendly but much more limiting.

Williston Eco Friendly Futon Frame

Classic lines, stickley inspired design, and durable all describe the Williston Futon Frame, but would you guess that it's also made from sustainable harvest ash or maple? If you said yes, you'd be correct. The Williston is made in Pennsylvania from sustainable harvest ash or maple, and warrantied for 12 years. It's refreshing to see a manufacturer who care about the environment and produces a high quality futon frame.

The Monet Futon Frame - Anther Armless Futon Frame With Style

The Monet Futon Frame is another sleek, armless futon frame available at Goodnight Moon Futon. The Monet is available in four finishes and six sizes, so theres quite a few options when it comes to sizes and colors.

If that weren't enough by itself, the Monet Futon Frame is on sale till February 1st

Payday Loans

Having grown up in a low income home I was very interested in reading up on payday loans, a service geared towards people that need extra funds in between paydays. How it works? You need a checking account and a regular source of income. When you apply, a date is agreed upon for you to pay the loan back. If you pay on the agreed date, that's it, you're done. If you default, finance charges will apply. I wish something like this existed when I was young when got tight.

Take 10% Off Our New Futon Frames

We have a great new selection of wall hugger futon frames and we're passing the savings on the you. Now till February 1st take 10% off the any of our new addition futon frames. Don't let this deal pass you by.

Lasik Eye Surgery

My wife Noelle and I have discussed Lasik eye surgery in the past, usually when she needs to have a new eye exam for her glasses. So, when I saw an oportunity to learn more about the process through Denver LASIK I decided to write a brief review of what Denver Lasik offers.

Most of of already know what lasik eye surgery is, so I'll be brief. Lasik is a procedure the improves eye sight, usually to 20/20 vision. What this means for the patient is clearer vision and not having to wear glasses anymore. Well, maybe on sunny days :).

What Denver Lasik offers is a free consultation, a fantastic track record and a great price, $499 per eye with a 12 month financing plan.

So visit Denver LASIK, you can setup an appointment online, refer a friend in need, or read the great testimonials they have from all their satisfied patients.

Sustainable Maple Platform Bed - The Mansfield

The Mansfield Platform Bed is another product that's part of our Eco Friendly Furniture Collection. It's made in Pennsylvania for sustainable harvest maple and available in seven distinct finishes. Choose from twin, full, queen and king sizes.

College Futon Covers & Bedding

For everyone who wants a college themed futon set, Goodnight Moon Futon has a new line of collegiate futon covers in the works. With over 21 schools to choose from you can set up your space in your school colors.

Fiber Foam Futon Mattress - An Eco Friendly Choice

The Athens futon mattress is a great eco-friendly futon mattress. Made in the US from fiber foam and natural cotton fibers the Athens is in stock in twin, full, and queen sizes. But wait, what's fiber foam you ask? Fiber foam is a new European technology that bonds natural cotton batting to polyester material thru heat and motion. IE, their tossed together while very hot. This produces a foam which is very durable and Eco Friendly.

Are you looking for piano lessons?

I just found a really cool site called Playpiano.com where you can learn Piano lessons & piano chords. There's a lot of info on the site and they are offering a free news letter on all things piano related, so sign up now before it's too late. Playpiano.com offers lesson dvd's in various styles as well as free tips that will help you in your quest to play the piano.

Supplemental Home Heating

With winter upon us, your thermostat turned up and heating oil prices higher than ever you may be brainstorming ways to reduce your heating bill. I know I have and that's when I found indoor heating options such as Natural Gas Fireplaces and Vent Free Gas Logs. Both forms of supplemental heating are cost effective as they utilize natural gas or propane instead of expensive oil.

There's something about heating with a fireplace that gives me a cozy feeling. I've always wanted a fireplace in my house and now I just might be able to make it happen. I can already see my self reading on my futon next to a warm fire.

Oh Yeah, the money saving part is nice too. :)

Awesome Resource For Bloggers

I just found out about a great tool for bloggers who actually want to make a living or at least an occasional buck for all the hard work they put into their blogs. Companies who utilize blog advertising work with Pay Per Post to get exposure for their wares and services. Pay Per Post, in turn, offers bloggers cash for blog posts that you place on your blog. You pick from opportunities within your niche and research the product / service and if you like what you see you can write a blog post about it and get paid for your work. Sounds great.

You're probably wondering how this works, so here it goes. You login to your account and review the article opportunities that are available today. If they fall within you're niche you can opt to write an article the ranges from fifty to five hundred words in length with targeted content about the opportunity you've selected. Once you're done writing your post, head back to your Pay Per Post user dash board to complete the confirmation and Pay Per Post checks your article. Once your article has been checked they either approve or disapprove. If everything checks out they make a deposit in your account for the amount that was specified in the article opportunity listing. sounds great to me.

So, I'm going to give this program a shot, within the theater of furniture to bring reviews of the newest futon and furniture products on the market today.

Cotton Batting For Futons

This video shows just a small portion of whats involved in the futon mattress manufacturing process. More to come soon.

New Futon Product For '08

First I'd like to say happy new year to all my readers. I'd also like to give everyone a heads up on some new products I hope to add to Goodnight Moon Futon soon. The Zzz Chest (pictured above) is probably the most innovative design I've seen in years. I'm calling it the "Chameleon of Futons" because it will look great in any room. Now you can hide your extra guest bed in plain sight.

Also in the works is a line of memory foam futon mattresses we are looking into. Made in Massachusetts and shipped anywhere in the US, we are very excited for their addition.

Last, we just started working with an organic futon mattress manufacturer. The only downside to a 100% organic futon is a prescription is required due to US fire codes.

So check back soon, we'll be adding new products in '08