Another contest? Not really.

Blu Dot makes really good-looking, modern furniture. They are currently running a promotion whereby wanna-be Blu Dot furniture recipients offer goods, services, all sorts of things, in exchange for one specific item from the Blu Dot catalog.

This is right up my alley, because not only do I dig their stuff, the barter/trade philosophy is one I can really get behind. So over the past few days, I've taken an example from their catalog, the Knicker Chair, and converted it for machine embroidery. I chose the chairs because they lend themselves well to the vertical nature of ties, and there are about 9 of them, which seemed like a good number to work with.

The way Blu Dot has set up the website, visitors can thumbs-up a bid to deem it "swap-worthy," but the final decision is made by Blu Dot. Scanning through the selection of winners, they clearly have a good sense of humor, and appreciation for art and originality.

Oh, by the way, this is the sofa I'd like to get. I recently realized that in the past year or so, at least 8 or 9 of my friends have overnighted on my sofa. This seems like a kinder alternative.