Quickwrite before I leave for my Uncle John, Aunt Debbie, Abby, and Rachel Thanksgiving dinner so I apologize for any errors in spelling or grammar and for the …I will fix those later.

Ponderance of the day: If one doesn’t like what how they treat other people looks like written down, why do it?

Anywho, I thought yesterday was going to be a terrible day after it went downhill about halfway through.  It was right before I set out to drive from Alliance to my grandma’s in Kinsman to have an early Thanksgiving for my Uncle Mike and his family…it was a long teary-eyed drive and a lot of thinking…plus this song (and the first minute of “Up on the Roof”).  I don’t listen to “Snowstar” nearly as often as other songs because this super-hyper-Christmas song on caffeine and sugar never fits my mood…there’s a lot going on in it.  BUT I like it now   Another Scott original to the rescue!  

This video doesn’t really do the song or the group justice because the sound is unbalanced, but I didn’t want to illegally post the song itself; however, I did want to share how it differs from your usual Christmas song.

            Snowstar: By Scott Leonard

“It never happened,
that thing that made you cry
it never happened
Erase it from your mind

See one glowing drop of starlight
floating slowly to the ground
shooting luminescent snow white
all directions without sound

Feel your ever-red preoccupation
everheavy hestitation
disappear within the fallin’ snow

See what’s happened,
It happens over time
It had to happen
for you to leave behind…

The hills of frozen tear drops
rolling slowly from your heart
The sting of what should be: stop waiting
Here’s where you start

See the breath of possibility
the edges of all you can be
reappear with the fallin’ snow

Crystal snowflake
whisper cool across my mind
Send a smooth-as-velvet breeze
Clear a path for us to see
forever, forever in the fallin’ snow

It’s gonna happen
Don’t waste a worry why
That day will happen
Erase it from your mind

Through crystal veil of snowflake
speeding light of mercury
whiskin worries cross the snowscape
velvet far as you can see

There’ll be symphonies of planets rising
hosts of angels improvising
new beginnings in the fallin’ snow”

Things are going to happen; they’re always going to happen…and I think I’ve finally learned how to deal with them.  It’s a good thing I pondered out “People Change” and posted it when I was ready or this could have been disastrous.  Anywho, so I had to stop at Quinn’s before I got to my grandma’s to fix my makeup and try to make myself look somewhat presentable before I walked in looking upset.  I managed to pull that off and actually had a wonderful evening with my Uncle Mike, grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, sister, Jonathan, and little cousins…THEY ARE ADORABLE!!!  Emma is 10 now, Andrew is 8, and Max just turned 6…playing around with them and hearing them laugh made me realize what truly matters to me and what affects my life. 

So we helped my grandma prepare the food, set the table, bring everything in to the dining room, and got everyone to sit down.  We said grace and ate together.  All of the food was awesome and for once, everything went smoothly…my grandpa still “eats like a bird…a humming bird” but will clean his plate every time, Max ate half of the corn, Andrew had a feast, and Emma somehow got that girl shyness that runs in my family…we’re all pretty quiet.  I avoided getting a glass of wine because, you know what?  I just don’t need it…I’m still not used to the taste plus it reminds me of lab because I can recognize the smell as an alcohol as in -OH group…I think I’ve tried 10ish glasses since I turned 21 in July…not your typical college student.  Between my grandma getting annoyed (kinda jokingly) at my grandpa for telling goofy stories and my grandpa’s old farmer mentality and randomness, it’s always a fun dinner (No, that’s a BRAND NEW battery!!! I just bought it USED from Joe down the road the other day…). 

After dinner we all cleaned up and my cousins had a beanbag war in the living room.  The first wave of cousins would have never been allowed to do that when we were their age, but I’m glad they can…it definitely was a less tense night.  My grandpa tried to put a polka television show on, but that quickly got poo-pooed by the majority who wanted to watch cartoons.  My grandpa bartered with them for five minutes of his polkas then they could watch all of the cartoons they wanted…I definitely went to polkas with my grandparents when I was little and danced at them.  Back to the beanbags…DUCK!  Holy smokes, if you weren’t watching you were going to get hit…they’re all in baseball and other sports so they not only have good aim, but throw pretty darn hard too..luckily with years of softball, my catching abilities were spot on…Jonathan was not so lucky.  A couple of pictures got knocked over, but other than that I think the major causalities were from each other.  My dad, Uncle Mike, and Jonathan were all dying watching them…they were out of control!!! In a good way  

Well, then we showed them what the beanbags were actually for…the criss cross toss thingy that we used to play with (basically tic-tac-toe).  They wanted Jonathan and I to play it and every time we’d throw one, they’d throw the beanbags back to us 100mph!  Then they decided it would be fun to try to block us so we just kind of threw them with no real goal other than to reach the board. There were bags flying left and right and we kept getting hit, but it was a blast.  Then we tried to get them to play so Jonathan set up rules and they actually followed them.  One person stood like 10ft away on one side and the other stood on the other,  you were whatever block you flipped over first (X or O), and you had to wait your turn.  It seemed like whoever had the lead instantly lost it by flipping over the other person’s letters or nobody got anywhere.  At one point Jonathan needed one more and he just couldn’t no matter how hard he tried…jokingly Max whipped the beanbag at the board and helped Jonathan win…hilarious.  Every time Andrew won he yelled BINGO!!!!!! which was amusing   The winner played the next person in line so it was a Jonathan, Max, Andrew, and Emma tourney until desert time.  I got to talk to my Uncle Mike too for a while which was nice because I just haven’t seen him in a year…everyone is finally starting to relax from that strictness we all had to follow when I was little so the conversations are much more pleasant.  Over tea and coffee everyone laughed and had a good time…one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve enjoyed even if it was thrown together at the last second to make it early. 

So back to “Snowstar”…when I went out to my car as we were all leaving, I saw I had a message on my phone.  Never failing, it was not a nice one which upset me after the turnaround that had just occurred.  HOWEVER, I’ve got enough strength now to just turn off my phone, say “oh well,” and call it a day rather than dwell on it.  I asked Jonathan to drive to Niles so we could hang out.   We went to Borders, he bought some cold Mochas, and we talked…I actually didn’t get emotional this time trying to tell him about the terrible-ness of the day…great strides.  Jonathan’s cousin Greg called so we met him at Applebees.  It was nice to talk to Greg about life, politics, school, work, and especially how Jonathan can’t count out the beat in a song if his life depended on it.  After a great night of conversation, I decided to head home since I haven’t slept the past couple of days and knew last night would be no different. 

I woke up this morning happy which I didn’t think was possible after the unpleasantness of over half of yesterday, but I was just fine.  Jonathan sent me a text in the morning making sure I was okay and I told him I was…thanks to “Snowstar.”  He couldn’t believe it since I constantly skip the song on “Comfort & Joy.”  Bring on the snow tomorrow and my favorite season, winter!  ”It’s gonna happen ~ don’t waste a worry why ~ that day will happen ~ erase it from your mind…”  Yesterday was that day and today I am erasing it.  I’ve got less than a month left of school before Christmas break and fully intend on enjoying it.  I never liked Christmas much because my mom dislikes it and it is high stress for everyone…until this year.  I’ve been in a holiday mood since September and I’m fully prepared to make this season happy and great…not going to let anyone change that.  PLUS, after the last few weeks of school and the day after finals, I get to head to Fairfax, VA for my Rockapella Holiday Concert with Jonathan! I do wish I was heading to Durham, NC to see them with the rest of the girls, but that just didn’t fit into my schedule so Fairfax it is…and I can’t wait!!! Especially after how much their songs have helped me this past year  

This is what is getting me through the hard times now (T-minus 23ish days!)…the polar opposite of what you have caused…and I’m just fine   :

With love and until next time,

       LLP

Last night the kids were having fun in the living room. There was much screaming, a few tears and, when I went through to chase them all to bed, a scattering of polystyrene balls that had escaped from our very cheap fluffy Netto beanbag. I like the beanbag. If I sit on it I can cuddle up close to the fire and keep my back supported. And the Joker likes to stroke the fluffy material and suck his thumb when he’s tired. But the escaping balls are a total pain. The first escape occurred after some vigorous jumping by the tribe, and since then the bag has leaked regularly. Those little balls cling to everything and travel round the house, cheekily pointing out my lack of attention to housework.

When I twittered my distress this evening one tweetpal suggested ‘vigorously brushing your hair and then gently sweeping floor with head & the static will attract balls like magnet’. Since I did not have a plan for transferring the balls from my hair to an appropriate receptacle, I instead went and fetched Henry, who sorted everything out. Henry is my wonderful Numatic vacuum cleaner. Now, I know it’s a bit sad to enthuse about a hoover, but I hate housework. And Henry has made vacuuming almost a pleasure.

Mine is a lot dustier than this

There is a good deal of surface area that needs regular hoovering here in the Vicarage. I find that mess and dirt always expand to fill the space available and we’re certainly blessed with space and have risen to the challenge of expanding our mess and dirt. At the moment leaves blow into the hallway every time we open the front door. And we have inherited dark carpets in the hall, stairs and landing, which don’t show mud too much but do highlight every piece of fluff that the kids drop from their pockets.

But Henry is light so I can lift him around, he’s quiet so I can still listen to Radio 4 or the new Sovereign Grace cd as I trundle him about, and he has a cord and hose so long that I can clean the whole of the downstairs of the house and all the way up the stairs without having to unplug him from the socket in the hall. His eyes and smile are a bit cheesy, but looks aren’t everything you know.

He’s not a cheap vacuum cleaner – he cost about £100, but he’s made it possible for me to keep the Vicarage looking almost respectable. So I love him and will continue to recommend him as the perfect Vicarage vacuum to anyone who’ll listen.

In the meantime, does anyone know where to source replacement inner liners for beanbags?

Nothing can compare to the comfort of a beanbag chair.  As you slowly sink into a beanbag, the material conforms to the body providing total support as it gently surrounds you.  There are a wide variety of shapes and sizes to choose from, but perhaps the best part is that modern bean bags are now available that are eco friendly.  Today’s bean bags can be produced using a wide variety of recycled materials which would otherwise be discarded.  These materials can now provide the most comfortable seat in the home, rather than sitting in a landfill.

designer beanbags of today's times are luxury and style anybody would like

I was looking in the past days all over the internet for a green and eco-friendly sofa or lounge but even the greenest options weren’t that green after all. You can have a look at my previous article to see what’s all about. For the easy-readers I’ll just state my conclusion and go on with the article: there doesn’t seem to be a complete green alternative for the very thing that makes sofas comfortable: foam . So where else can you find comfort and style and the possibility to choose completely green materials?

You’re right: beanbags.

But historically beanbags weren’t something classy or to buy and feel proud of it. Their design doesn’t allow for great flexibility in shaping as a sofa does. That’s because you just can’t use such diversity of materials to build a beanbag. They’re just bags. And they somehow occupy lots of space and tend to flatten over half of your apartment when you sit on it. “Historically”.

But not any more. Although the variety of shapes didn’t changed a lot, talented designers came up with beanbag lounges you’d be proud of having. Lots of celebrities do. And TV shows also. Talking about comfort?  “Comfort” is the word that was found among the thousands beans inside it, just like a message in a bottle. Take a look and feel inspired.

The classiest lounge i have found on designerbeanbags and it’s called Fiorenze Leather Beanbag. I couldn’t have described this better: “Opulent European style coupled with the confidence of quality and longevity. Inspired by open spaces, clean living, freedom of mind and creative expression. That’s the spirit of the Ambient Lounge Fiorenze genuine leather range.”

Fiorenze Leather Beanbag makes a luxury addition to the most opulent crib

Second but somehow cuter is the Sake Chair designed by Pascal Mourgue which you can find at Ligne Roset:

Cute and very stylish Sake Chair whispers "comfort" to your eyes

Last on my short list is the EcoPod Beanbag which is a sort of tub chair with a beanbag cushion. Inmod describes it like his: “EcoPod combines the aesthetic appeal of an iconic design with an industrial strength frame, providing unique eco-modern styling, comfort and durability”.

The EcoPod BeanBag Tub Chair bridges the beanbag concept with the tub chair style

The list isn’t very large as you can see but that’s about all I could find on my liking. Should you have any info on other beanbags this stylish and classy other than those presented at the websites I linked above please let me know and if they are up to these ones then I’ll make them a place here on perfectcube.

On a eco-friendly side-note, the possible fillers for an eco-friendly beanbag would be un-popped popcorn, buckwheat hulls, perhaps acorn seed ( oak tree seed) and of course the hardest nut to crack… the macadamia nut -very expensive though, I don’t know if there’s any way of securing large quantities of these nuts in whole or only husks.

For pillows millet husks seem very adequate.

Did you like this? Comment and let me know. Or share it with your friends:

Hi Readers!

Get your hands ready to slap some boards

Trixxy’s Shop has this cute lounging pool in their board with includes 6 cuddle animations

Pixel Dolls Belle Star location has a 175L gift certificate in their board

:::IrEn::: Mainstore has these sexy lace tights in their shop

Swords Custom Choppers has this sweet bike in their board. Guys you might love this one…

Siri Us Skins has this bejeweled lashes in their board

D& T Clothing has a bike in their board too…. with a little twist

this one is Simpsons themed! Check out the seat…

RAWR Mainstore! has this adorable beanbag in their board

=) Happy Slapping!

<3 Cait

Come to LoveSac on the 15th of September…
And here are some important things to remember:
Come on in, have a seat
Relax a little and take a load off your feet.
10AM is the time to be here
Don’t be late or the discount will disappear!
If you’re the first one to arrive you get 27% off your sac,
You better take the deal and don’t look back!
And if you happen to be the second one in the doors…
26% off the purchase is all yours.
If you’re lucky number three:
You might as well be stealing from me…
Because that’s 25% off in your hand,
Which is a great deal for a product this in demand!
The 27th store is something to celebrate…
It means another Sacless town we will liberate.
After the third customer you’re not out of luck…
But come in quick if you want to save a buck.
The promotion will last until the 27% runs out,
And you’ll be satisfied with your product no doubt!
We’ll see you bright and early at LoveSac,
and deal after discount we will attack!

Loving this knitted Kebnekaise beanbag by Swedish designers at Little Red Stuga. It’s designed for kids but I reckon it’s way too smart for sticky little fingers!!

Wolfgang was a tall, rangy homosexual who spoke with flamboyant gestures and a heavily contrived German accent. His acerbic wit could slice the knees from anyone foolish enough to consider him a stereotype.

He was into latex, but not in the biblical sense. Despite looking and acting like one, Wolfgang really was an eccentric and innovative fashion designer. He did all his own work, jealously protecting his exotic techniques. He worked exclusively in latex and had repeatedly pierced the membrane of accepted thought on its use.

In Wolfgang’s hands, latex swooned and surrendered its deepest secrets. It danced for him, happily assuming the appearance of any fabric he cared to nominate, from lace to hessian.

One spring, Wolfgang was suffused with two urges, one of which was to create something truly new in latex. After much deliberation, he decided to construct a set of beanbags. He told his hetero friends, Rodney and Susie. Wired into their Friday night cocktails, the couple embraced the idea and threw in their own thoughts. Most Wolfgang rejected as passé or unviable. A few, however, entered his fertile mind and began incubating.

**********

It was Saturday. Wolfgang bid his hosts a shaky farewell and returned to his studio. He slept for most of the day, rising as an alien orange moon clambered into the dusk, an hour ahead of schedule. The designer looked up bleary-eyed from his basin. The cratered disc filled his window, commanding him to work. The tides in his brain surged. He towelled himself dry, snatched a handful of sweet biscuits from the packet beside his shaver and stumbled into his workroom.

Four hours later the studio was alive with the stench of latex. Faint from fumes, Wolfgang cut and bonded the freshly prepared fabric in a trance. Above hundred year old slate, the moon kept up an even, insistent pressure. It dandled its servant from silver wires, guiding Wolfgang’s hands with supernatural precision. He had become a conduit, and pure inspiration flowed through his abused veins.

The possession continued until the moon sank beneath cold sheets, drawing comfort from the night’s mischief. The sober sun took charge, pouring light over the prone form of Wolfgang, slumped amid three perfect beanbags.

**********

Susie opened her door to three huge tumours. She gasped, then realised they were the beanbags Wolfgang had threatened to construct. Laughing with embarrassment, she invited him in.

‘They’re marvelous, Wolfie! How’d you manage to knock them up so fast?’

Wolfgang smiled. ‘I vas possessed, darlingk. You haf no idea vat it vas like. I verked like ze demon all night. I just hat to show you zem. I em fery prout.’

The beanbags were indeed handsome. One was a dappled military farrago of four earthy colours. The others were of the same design, but employed only two of the hues of the first. One was olive and russet, the other brick red and ochre. The members of the set complemented each other perfectly.

Susie ushered Wolfgang to the terrace. Rodney stood in long grass before an ancient lawn mower, worn components strewn over sun-warmed concrete.

‘Hello, friend,’ said Rodney.

‘Hallo, darlingk.’ Wolfgang tossed the beanbags onto the terrace and stood arms folded. Rodney gave a low whistle and pulled the nearest towards him. He rolled the smooth latex between his thumb and forefinger and tested the seams. Holding the units together, he marvelled at how the colours worked. Then he turned one over and over, hunting for its zipper.

‘You von’t find him. I haf hidden him mit much cleferness.’

Rodney rose to the challenge, but Wolfgang’s prophecy held true.

‘Bloody ingenious; I think they’re fabulous. Why don’t we have a beer and try them out on the grass?’

‘Vell… perheps a small portion. Ya, O.K.’

Rodney beamed, happy to abandon his struggle with the mower. He nodded to the beanbags.

‘Like to do the honours?’

Wolfgang gathered up the four-coloured beanbag and with patent pleasure, hurled it from the terrace. It described a slow, graceful arc through the azure sky and fell deep in the lush lawn.

The moment it hit the ground, the beanbag disappeared.

The three friends blinked. The grass was fifteen centimetres high at most – nowhere near tall enough to conceal a beanbag at ground level, let alone from their elevation.

‘Fok me! Vere did ze fokker go?’

‘Buggered if I know,’ replied Rodney. ‘Chuck one of the others out.’

Wolfgang nodded and threw the olive and russet beanbag after its sibling. It landed close to where the four-coloured unit should have been, but remained clearly visible.’

‘That’s where the other one went,’ marvelled Susie. ‘So where is it?’

‘I don’t know, but I’m goingk to find out.’ Wolfgang prepared to jump down beside Rodney, then seized the last beanbag and sent it after the others. In utter amazement, he watched it vanish on landing, along with the other bi-coloured bag it hit.’

‘Sh*t!’ exclaimed Rodney. ‘That’s some camouflage. How’d you do it?’

Wolfgang strode to the site. ‘I just mixed up ze colours like I alvays do. I don’t haf any formula, so zey alvays com out a bit different. I don’t know vot ze fok hes heppened here. But I’m fokking goingk to find out.’ He stomped around the landing zone, crushing innumerable blades of grass and releasing a fragrant promise of summer.

Susie joined the search. ‘This is crazy; they must be here!’

Much later, the group sat on the terrace. Too exhausted even to open their beers, they glared at the trampled lawn.

The following week, Rodney bought a new lawn mower. Delighted with its power, he gleefully scythed through the grass and filled his compost bin with catcher after catcher of clippings. He failed to notice the soft resistance midway through one of his turns around the rose bed.

Not until a white jet of polystyrene balls shot over his shoulder and dispersed in the hot air did he realise he’d found a beanbag. He spotted the red and ochre fabric of one of the bi-coloured units and excitedly scanned the ground for its mate. It lay behind him and to the left – out of range.

**********

These days the two bi-coloured beanbags live in Susie and Rodney’s house. Whenever Wolfgang visits, the couple put them away. He cannot bear to be reminded. When the beanbags get in range of each other, they disappear – and usually remain so till vacuuming day. The four-coloured unit is still somewhere in the garden.

It’s like anything.

Get your “Mojo” back with a MojoSac Beanbag Chair or Bean Bag Sofa!

Come in today to save up to $100 on any of our Bean Bag Chairs or Bean Bag Sofas! MojoSacs are the most stylish & comfortable foam filled beanbag chairs & bean bag sofas on the planet. Much like a LoveSac, but IMPROVED! Our USA foam is fluffier & less dense than other foams; which is softer to the touch & “sit”, it’s not as lumpy as our competitors; so you don’t feel like you’re sitting on rock shaped foam.

Click here to view our Fall Sale

beanbag kneepad

there are many chairs wherein you can rest in a kneeling position, but this is the first attempt to make a kneeling pad of beanbag. The root of the matter, that a beanbag can perfectly adapt the form of the body so your weight can lean on a much bigger area. Therefore sitting on it is more comfortable and less exhausting.

looks like a trunk

the prototype

co-designer Júlia Lőrinc

Here are a few things others MojoSac owners have written:

“This sac is by far superior than the others my friend bought another brand a few years ago and I don’t think he Loved it. I bought a better product for a lot less its a great bag try one you wont be sorry.”

– Mark Schafer, Grants Lick, KY

“I just received my MojoSac a few days ago. I love it! It fluffed up very nicely. It’s perfect for a couch or a spare bed.”

– Tara Beebe, Chaska, MN

“We received the purple cover today. Thank you very much for taking care of this. We love our Mojosacs. My girls are really enjoying them and love the colors of their covers in their rooms. Thank you again for your service.”

– Rogene Gutshall, Yuma, CO

We want to Hear from You! We would love to hear about your experience with MojoSac.com so please follow the link and use the form at the bottom to tell us how your experience was with MojoSac.com or how much you love your New MojoSac Bean bag Chair or Sofa! Thanks, and we appreciate your business!

Click here to tell us your experience!

I totally suspected it just like everyone else that the Green Beanbag chair would win! So…I’m glad it did, and I really am looking forward to buying a few for my house this August. Here is a picture of the chair:

Hello Penguins!

The team’s always trying to make the things you want – and we’ve been doing some thinking about new furniture for your igloos. We’re hoping you’ll help us decide on a new furniture item for the September issue of Better Igloos! Click which piece of furniture you’d like to see most:

Green Bean Bag Chair Wining !!

Dinosaur Statue

Green Beanbag Chair

Globe on Pedestal

Whenever there’s a You Decide blog, we get tons of penguins who want to help choose, so it gets really busy. In the past, some of you have had to wait to leave comments. Until we can fix that, we’re going to keep the comments off when we do these kinds of blogs. So you won’t be able to leave a comment after you pick a furniture item – but they’ll be back on tomorrow!!

Don’t forget that you’ll see the Splatter shirt you chose last month in Friday’s new Penguin Style catalog!

Until Then Waddle On

~Rambo

Double the fun. In identical fabric and white, single-buttton eyes. Like beanbags with personality. All soft. Both of them. $8 for set.

As the name implies, LoveSacs’ products aren’t like grandma and grandpa’s home furnishings…not that the older set wouldn’t enjoy the comfort, convenience and cheap prices. While some LoveSacs look like the cool beanbag chairs of the 70s, LoveSacs are filled with shredded DuraFoam, so they never go flat, break or leak. In fact, the company offers a double lifetime guarantee. In addition, LoveSacs come in a wide variety of sizes, styles and colors. Quality, variety and flexibility…that’s what makes LoveSacs special. Check them out at http://www.lovesac.com.

Kinda like the C.I.T. program at your local Y (…MCA that is), this Beanbag can serve as some serious inspiration for the young graphic designer.

via designer-daily from PB teen

It’s a scorcher in Richmond, Virginia today!  I just returned from some errands in the soupy humidity and want to bask in the air conditioning for the rest of the day.  The thought reminded me of this great “lounger” I saw in this month’s edition of Cookie Magazine.  It is an chic’ed up version of the good ole bean bag chair.  This comfy gem comes in many colors and patterns and would look great in a family room, play room or kids room. 

I also like this “island”, which would be great for kids and adults alike to watch movies, read or even nap:

This cool little pouf chair would also be great in a family room and could be tucked under the edge of a cocktail table when it wasn’t in use.  I can imagine sitting on it while using my laptop in the evening or reading the newspaper at the coffee table on Sunday morning. 

Speaking of poufs, I found this playful chair on Etsy and think it would look great sitting at child’s vanity or used as a comfortable ottoman for an overstuffed armchair in a library or sitting room:

This gorgeous personal “lilly pad” would be great for playing cards or enjoying some cocktails and tapas at the cocktail table in the living room:

And I love the idea of sinking into or putting my feet up on this luxe fuzzy pouf after a long day, and watching some of my favorite television, hello new season of Project Runway!

The nice thing about these glammed up seating options is that they do not require much commitment – they are reasonably priced and can be hidden at a moment’s notice – under the cocktail table or a console or behind a couch.

So take a load off and enjoy the cool in-of-doors.  Plus, how fun is it to say “POUF” anyway?  Pouf, pouf, pouf.

I never thought I’d be considering this. But anyone who stalks design sites or blogs has seen them – the modern beanbag, which is essentially furniture. Kids’ furniture. For grownups.

The old versus the new

In my new place, I’ve had a few ideas that I definitely want to employ – the first one being versatile, inexpensive furniture, the second being that I want to devote very little space to a television area. I don’t like that 95% (this is a very rough guess) of homes these days base their living room furniture around their TV. So in other words, I want comfortable, movable furniture that can face whatever direction I choose instead of having a couch that I park on a wall opposite the television and make the poor thing stare at it 24 hours a day (yes, I humanized the couch there, forgive me). The other really, really important thing is that whatever seating I choose be sleepable. When you move across the country, you want a place for folks to sleep.

So yesterday I was walking around downtown Greensboro, NC and dashed into one of my favorite stores in town, Area Modern Home. And there, staring back at me, was a big, orange, FatBoy. No, no – not your typical NC resident (overweight and sunburned) — FatBoy is a modern beanbag that can basically be squished anyway you want it, and even laid flat to act as a bed. I asked the owner what he thought of it, and he proceeded to lay down on it and show me how huge it is. He has several at home, he says, and loves them.

The big attraction here for me is that a) it’s affordable and b) I can get it in my car on Monday if I want to have any sort of furniture when I get to Illinois.

So then I got to thinking about it, and, as well-trained by my father’s mantra, “Gather data,” (which I swear could be a recording that he pushes the play button on any time I need difficult decisions made), I ventured home and did just that. In the process, I came up with some questions. There are other brands, too – who knew? – that are more and less expensive. Which one do I get? Do they look ok? Do I need a huge one? Do I like the flat kind or the more “bean-like” style?

Here are the contenders:

The FatBoy Original

The Sumoloung Omni in white

LoveSac's PillowSac

So… let’s talk about these for a second.

In terms of cost – Sumo seems to be the winner at $149 and free shipping. However, I have read that the Sumo requires refills every six months, which makes the FatBoy appealing in terms of quality at $229. The LoveSac’s PillowSac is even more expensive at $299, but has some great options with it, specifically, the Rocker, and I think I need this no matter which one I get.

In general, I think I like the white FatBoy the best, but LoveSac may be getting my business later for that Rocker. I have two super-thick couch cushions that I am covering with precious fabric that I think for now may be the perfect base for the white FatBoy, and just use the thing as a very versatile couch. Sumolounge still has a chance, I just need to know why it’s better.

Thoughts and opinions welcome.

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