Howdy folks!  Hope that you’re all enjoying summer (& if you’re in the Northeast, hope you’re keeping cool).  I wanted to pop in & tell you all to mark your calendars – our Annual Warehouse Sale is fast approaching.  Here’s the skinny:

• The When: July 16-18
• The Where: either of our retail store locations -
  • 554 US Rte. 1 in Freeport, Maine
  • 340 US Rte. 1 in Kittery, Maine
  • Hours for both location are:
    • Friday & Saturday, 9am – 8pm
    • Sunday, 10am – 6pm
• The Why: Up to 70% off of discontinued items & 20% off all regularly priced items!
• The Who: YOU!

If you happen to be in the greater Portland area, you can hit the famous Yarmouth Clam Festival first,  & then – after having your fill of freshly fried clams (amongst other fabulous foods) – head on over to our new Freeport location to enjoy some air-conditioned, one-floor shopping while you digest.   (And as an added bonus, we have plenty of parking for easily hauling of your newly purchased loot out to your car!)

Happy Holidays, Snobs!

After weeks of planning and celebrating the holidays, we’re surely all going to feel ready for a long winter’s nap. So, with a little inspiration from a Cuddledown customer looking to re-create the dreamy bed she slept in at the Four Seasons, I thought I’d share with you some tips on making your bed the envy of, well, everyone.

First things first—choose your mattress protector—it extends the life of your mattress, and serves as a foundation for all the plush goodness to come. Your thickest (and often considered the most heavenly!) layer is your featherbed. There are many options, from simple goose feather and down blends to layered, deluxe featherbeds with Fill Power. A good old Original Featherbed is just what I need for an extra layer of support and comfort. Now come the sheets, and as we snobs know, sheets can make all the difference. Sateen, percale, linen, voile, jersey, silk—the possibilities are endless. Crawl into 500 thread count Italian percale sheets (or under the matching duvet cover!) and you’ll never want to come out. After you tuck in your fitted and flat sheets, you might enjoy a nice blanket for added softness (and in winter, added warmth.) My favorite is the lightweight Cotton/Bamboo Medallion Blanket in lemon, which coordinates with absolutely everything. Top it all off with a handcrafted 800 Fill Power German Batiste Down Comforter—the world’s lightest, most luxurious comforter—and you’ll give a whole new meaning to Beauty Sleep.

Cheers!

Georgia

Just in time for the holidays–free shipping on online orders for all our bedding snobs, now through the UPS cutoff date, December 17, 2009. Brought to you by all of us at Cuddledown (and of course, Cuddledown’s magic little elves!)

Good Morning, Snobs!

Because we have fabulous taste, gift giving is our forte! Let’s get creative this year, and turn what some see as a generic add-on into one of the most thoughtful and personal gift touches—monogramming. Here are five fun, unique ways to make monogramming memorable.

1. Finish off the shams or pillowcases for your guest room with inspirations and holiday sentiments: mix and match words like Peace, Love, Cheer and Laugh for a feel-good collection of pillows.
2. Get festive with color! For the college student on your list, or even the die-hard sports fan, create a customized towel in the school or team colors, and monogram it with either their name, the school or team name, or maybe even a favorite player’s name.
3. If you’re shopping for someone with a hobby (I, for one, have about 7 golfers on my list!) try a set of hand towels with a cute hobby-related message. For my golfers, perhaps “Hole in One” or “Eagle.” There are endless options for an infinite number of pastimes!
4. For the mom who does it all, transform a plush robe into a luxurious five-star hotel experience. Choose the one-letter monogramming option for elegance, and make her feel like the most special person in the room every time she puts it on.
5. Monogram a blanket or throw for the perfect finish to a cozy couch. I love using words like “Snooze,” “Daydream” or “Relax” on a living room blanket everyone loves to nap with, like our super soft German flannel blanket.

Share your monogramming ideas with your fellow Bedding Snobs! And be sure and place your monogramming orders in time for holiday delivery—December 11^th for standard shipping, December 16^th for expedited shipping. For more details, visit our Monogram Guide.

Cheers!

Georgia

Holiday houseguests are right around the corner—are you ready? Making your friends and family feel at home doesn’t have to mean spending a fortune, cooking for days and decorating to the nines. The most comfortable accommodations are often the most simple—a vase of fresh flowers, miniature soaps and toiletries, and a plush warm bed. As innkeeper Maureen Haddad says in a recent Star-Ledger holiday décor feature, “Bedding is very important—the mattress and the sheets and the comforter.” The best thing about bedding is that it can transform the most basic space. Pullout beds in small apartments have the potential of a five-star hotel—all you need is a Multi-Zone Foam Mattress Topper and the cuddly coziness of a Primary Down Comforter. Finish the bed with a couple of European Goose Down pillows or synthetic pillows, and you’ll have your guests making their reservations again for next year.

Greetings!

Georgia here. Together with my fellow Bedding Snob, Brooke, I’ll be bringing you plush details and fabulous finds as we search for the world’s most luscious textures and textiles. We’re your insiders on new products, special sales and promotions, and the latest apparel trends. We’re also your queens of coziness—we research, scour, touch-test and report on the best in bedding and home decor. Because happiness is, after all, soft slippers and a sumptuous bed!

Here’s a little more about us—what are your bed and bath preferences?

Name: Georgia

Bedding Snob for how long: Always!

Sheets: Sateen. I love the finish!

Comforter: Down, Down, Down! 700 Fill Power Sateen Down Comforter

Duvet/Comforter Cover: Currently, floral. But I like to change it up.

Pillows: Feather/Down blend, medium density or a Down Neck Support pillow

Blanket: Pima cotton

Sleepwear: Lilly Pulitzer classic PJs, or a 100% cotton night shirt

Slippers: Giesswein, hands down!

Towels: White bamboo bath sheet

Bathmat: Bamboo bath rug—so soft and plush underfoot!

Best Hotel Bed: Boston Harbor Hotel

Best Hotel Bathroom: St. Regis, Washington, DC

Name: Brooke

Bedding Snob for how long: I admit, I haven’t always been a Snob.  It wasn’t until I started working at Cuddledown that I learned the difference between nice bedding and FABULOUS bedding.

Sheets: I’m a flannel girl from way back.  There’s nothing better than cozying up with some German flannel on a cold night.

Comforter: Hands down, our 800 Fill Power Batiste Comforter.  Light as air & just dreamy to sleep under – especially during the summer.

Duvet Cover: I’m a HUGE fan of sleeping sans flat (top) sheet, so I change my duvet cover every time I change my sheets (about once a week).  I like how I get to vary the look of my bedroom quite easily, going from detailed paisleys to soft florals.

Pillows: I’m a stomach sleeper, so soft, soft, soft is my preference.  We actually make pillows filled with just the right amount of down for sleepers like me.  My favorite is our 800 Fill Power Sateen Down Pillow.

Blanket: Our 400 Thread Count Oversized Synthetic Fill Blanket.  Incredibly insulating, easy to care for, & just super cozy.  (Not to mention that in a pinch, it can double as a comforter for guests!)

Sleepwear: Lounge pants feel the most comfy to me.  Something with a little bit of give, like the Lily Pulitzer Jardine Loungewear Set.

Slippers: Right now I’m totally rocking the Pig Applique scuffs & LOVING them!

Towels: Always gravitated towards bold color, like the Centurion or Oasis towels.

Bathmat: See my above note on the Centurion towels – we’ve always used the matching tubmats.

Best Hotel Bed/Bathroom: As the mom of a nearly 2-year old, I don’t get to visit many fancy places these days.  Any recommendations for the future?

Sunday, October 4, 2009 dawned gray & dreary.  But that didn’t deflate the excitement of the more than 3500 participants in the very first annual Dempsey Challenge – a fund raising athletic event created by McDreamy himself, Patrick Dempsey.  Dempsey, a Buckfield, ME native founded The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing after his mother battled ovarian cancer.  The Dempsey Challenge is an event that will help to fund the Center’s  free support & wellness programs to cancer patients & their caregivers.

Inspired by the emotional impact of such a large event, along with the desire to contribute to the local community, Team Cuddledown was born.  Associate Product Manager, Amanda, organized the group, working tirelessly to encourage employees to participate.  Her work paid off.  21 Cuddledown employees, friends, & family members signed up & raised nearly $5000 – not bad for our very first time.  We had a team member in every event: bikers riding 10, 25, 50, & 100 miles, as well as those in the 5k walk/run.  Energy was high and enthusiasm was through the roof.

Cuddledown President, Chris, braved the 100 mile bike trek and had this to say about his experience:

Cuddledown director Bob and I rode the 100 mile route in 5 hours and 52 minutes (total riding time on the bike) averaging 17 MPH.  The weather was overcast with temps in the low 60s and a few light showers.  The route took us all over hilly south western Maine and those hills were a challenge.  We were not the fastest riders, but were toward the leading edge of 100 mile riders, so everyone around us seemed to be experienced cyclists in great shape.  We passed lots of people on the side of the road throughout the ride that were waiting to cheer us on.  All the riders were in a great mood and sharing a sense of camaraderie as we worked toward a common goal.  We stopped three times at the rest breaks that the event organizers had set up – each time gobbling up PB&Js and bananas, washing them down with Gatorade.  I was impressed with the numbers of volunteers that were manning every road intersection and rest stop – it took an army of help to make the event happen.  I was concerned that I might have the leg cramps that I tend to get on long rides, but managed to avoid them this time by taking electrolyte capsules and pacing myself.  I raised $700 for the Dempsey Challenge and our team raised $4,801, while the event raised over $1 million – this is a tremendous result for a first time event and I am proud to have been a part of it.

A truly feel-good event all around.  We’re already looking forward to next year’s Dempsey Challenge & hoping that the turn out is even more impressive.

*Thanks to Inventory Control Buyer, Nina, for the use of her excellent photographs of the event.