The OpenSky Project is a very unique and different kind of shopping experience. Why? It’s a lot more like a community, where passionate people connect and help each other build their businesses. As a blogger, this means a unique shop, where I choose only the products I really love. This is awesome because I often get asked about products that I have found online in smaller shops, and now I will have one place to direct people so they can find these unique things too!

The other great thing about OpenSky is that it connects smaller sellers with great products to a much larger audience. The items you find in an OpenSky shop aren’t things that you will find at your local big box store. If you have been online for long, you know how many amazing home based sellers and small businesses are out there. They can partner with OpenSky too, and create buzz through blogs who love their goods.

I am so excited about putting together my shop and sharing the products that I love with you. The shop won’t have only home and garden products, although most things will be in that category. I plan to share a lot of the things I love, after all, a home is meant to be lived in, and there is a lot more to life than just decorating!

If you know of great products that I should carry in my shop I would love to hear about them! And if you are a maker of great things, I encourage you to check out OpenSky as a supplier.

The only bone of contention in our marriage has been our different sleeping patterns, which I talked about in a previous post. For far too long I really didn’t get much sleep, and usually slept on the very edge of our mattress to keep from getting kicked or punched. My poor husband (who usually slept through his activities) had to deal with a grumpy, sleep deprived wife most of the time. Like I mentioned, we replaced our old mattress and bought a SleepNumber bed. Now that we are both more comfortable on our own sides, and able to adjust the firmness/softness independently, we have slept much better.

So, because we actually own one and like it, I am more than happy to share these tips and deals from Select Comfort.

Sleep Tips:
Many moms, dads and kids are sleep deprived or sleep poorly. Sleep helps our bodies recuperate, stave of illness, and function better- emotionally and physically!

Select Comfort’s Vice President of Sleep Innovation and Clinical Research, Pete Bils– who has been researching sleep for more than ten years– has sleep advice to help people sleep better. Do you know what the best sleep temperature is? When you’re supposed to exercise before bedtime? How about watching TV? Pete’s 10 tips can be found at http://beds.com/sleeptips/.

Sale Details (5/16/10- 6/6/10):
Save $800 on Queen & King Sleep Number® Performance Series Special Edition bed sets. Hurry, available only while supplies last! Queen Sleep Number c2 mattresses are $699.99 and Temperature Balance (do you sleep hot or cold?) bedding solutions are 30% off. The Memorial Day Sale ends June 6, 2010!
From 5/23-5/29 you also can save 20% on the Precision Comfort Adjustable Base

Enter for Chance to Win FREE Sleep Number® Products:
Sleep Number Summer Sweeps: Go to www.sleepnumber.com/summer to enter for the chance to win a Queen Sleep Number® i10 bed set, including one Queen In-Balance blanket, one Queen In-Balance Sheet set with two standard pillow cases, and two Natural Foam pillows and home delivery. (ARV: $4,925.00)

Look for more details on beds.com, via the Sleep Number Facebook page or on Twitter @SleepNumberDeal. And if you have any questions you can ask me too, I would be happy to answer if I can based on our experience with the bed.

As a young college graduate in 1989, fresh from college and entrenched in his first “real job”, Michael Aram took a vacation to India. He arrived in Delhi with a child-like curiosity and began exploring the streets. He happened upon some wooden lean-tos lining the roadside, each one sheltering a lone craftsman working with raw metal. Theses artisans were smelting iron and transforming it into mundane object such as scissors, buckets and shoves, painstakingly trying to hide any evidence that these items were made by hand.

Michael watched one man in particular for hours, gradually recognizing the level of artistry and skill this man was exhibiting. Eventually, with no other way to communicate, Michael took a stick and drew an object in the dirt. It was a shoehorn with a long curling handle. The artisan looked at it, understood it, and within a very short while handed the finished piece to Michael.

This was the artistic awakening of a man who has, for 20 years, celebrated the ancient and miraculous craftsmanship of a mysterious and magical country. Today, Michael lives and works half of each year in Delhi. He speaks Hindi fluently and has been twice voted Indian Designer of the Year. The incredible artisan he met that day on the street 20 years ago now has today a factory of his own, where he employs several dozen other artists and holds the distinction of being Michael Aram Inc.’s longest-term artist partner. And that shoehorn is still sold in stores to this very day.

Look at this tea set that he designed, which is made from carved Amethyst, and carved Jade, as well as nickle plate. Although this piece is very expensive, his collection does have some items that are more budget friendly. His gorgeous items for the home at Bloomingdales right now.

I don’t know about you, but the contest and prizes sound like a lot of fun! I’m going to give it a try. As for her collection, I really love some of the home accents she designed. Especially the wall clock (but then I am clock obsessed). I also like her bathroom selection and am thinking about getting some of the rugs to replace our current rugs which are starting to show their age. Her collection seems to be pretty affordable. You can see for yourself by visiting the JCP website.

Do you think that you will enter the contest?