Meet our Viking Safety Reflector!

/ funflector® designs

We are excited to present our newest funflector®: a happy viking reflector!

Black viking safety reflector by funflector
The viking safety reflector is now available in our webshop!


We know that real vikings did not have horns on their helmets, but how would you know it was a viking without them? We think the horns are fun and add graphic recognition and hope you share our excitement! You can find the new viking reflector in our new webshop, that we are stealth launching.  Try it out with free shipping this week with code FUN813XO! *
Even the gift shop at the Danish National Museum, the current host of a wonderful international Viking Exhibit, had viking helmets with horns in their gift shop. The horns originate from the early 19th century, when heraldic nationalism was more important than accurate history. And now we are stuck with the graphic representation of these merchants, explorers and warriors from the 10th and 11th century.
The exhibit will to move on to London (British Museum) and Berlin (Museum für Vor- und Frügeschichte) after its closing in Copenhagen in November, so if you have your ways to any of these cities, keep your eyes open. It is a wonderful display of treasures, jewelry, weapons and everyday items that focus on the small portion of the Scandinavian population that went into viking. If you, like me, learned about vikings in school a while ago,  there is a lot to learn from modern research!
* We offer wholesale rates for stores, please contact us for more info!
Elisabeth
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Unexpected Berlin Icons

/ neat stuff, traffic safety

Traffic signals are designed to be intuitively understood. Maybe that’s why I never paid much attention to what traffic light signals for pedestrian cross walks really looked like – until I visited Berlin, Germany. There, the traffic light guys signaling “walk” and “stop” have a lot of personality and really popped out. The almost forgotten East German Pedestrian crossing lights got new life and are today Berlin icons. I tried to remember what the American guys look like until I realized there aren’t any, at least not where I live. Instead, white letters spell “WALK” and red letters “DONT WALK”.

US pedestrian crossing lights in Libertvyille IL
Pedestrian traffic signals in Libertyville, IL says “DONT WALK” or “WALK”.

It turned out to be quite a story behind the Berlin “Ampelmännchen” (means “small traffic light men”).

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Visible or Scary?

/ neat stuff, traffic safety / ,

In its native Sweden, H&M isn’t just a store for the latest fashion, it is also where parents get pretty good and inexpensive basic clothes for their kids.
When I visit Sweden I usually get PJ’s (all cotton and no flame retardant chemicals) and outerwear (most with integrated reflective strips) and cotton socks. Sizes up to 180 (16 y) is a big bonus when your kids are tall!

Reflective jacket

Safety reflectors and reflective strips have been integrated in children’s outerwear for a long time, but what I found the other day is taking it a step (or two!) further. The entire fabric looked reflexive, so I had to take a photo with flash to see just how reflective it was.

Wow, look at this:

Reflective jackets at H&M
Same jackets without and with camera flash.


Had to buy this reflective jacket and can’t wait to get back to my Chicago suburbs and play around with them. Do you think drivers will be too scared to drive safely or relieved that they saw the pedestrian?

Elisabeth

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Summer Solstice

/ neat stuff / , ,

The long Scandinavian twilight summer nights peak today, June 21st.  Swedish Midsummer Eve always falls on a Friday close to the old Midsummer Eve on June 24th. After long winters and slow springs, Midsummer is when Swedes head out to their summer cottages, invite friends over, eat herring, small fresh potatoes and strawberries, drink and dance all night long. If you are a tourist in Sweden, make sure you understand how closed down everything is and I mean EVERYTHING. Restaurants, coffee shops, stores, currency exchanges, and pretty much everything else. I got married on Midsummer day. One of the foreign guests had to borrow money for a taxi since they had not managed to get Swedish crowns. “I didn’t think it would be THAT closed”. Well, it was. Watch this if you don’t believe me!

Swedish midsummer pole and celebration - funflector blog
Midsummer in Sweden

This summer, I have the fortune to be working and blogging from Europe. Early summer is a lovely time when nature erupts with leaves, flowers and sweet scent of lilac and “hägg” (prunus padus).

Lund style Swedish student cap by kortgalleriet.se
“Congratulations to Your Exam” – greeting card by kortgalleriet.se

Last week, I had the pleasure to to show my kids what a Swedish high school graduation looks like. The white caps “The Student Caps” originated among college students in the 1840’s to mark the affinity to their universities. At that time they were used daily, today they are rarely used outside of graduations and college ceremonies.

Swedish highs school grads with the traditional Lund style student cap
Highschool graduates in Lund, Sweden

Happy Midsummer!
Elisabeth

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One Paw Two Paw Red Paw Blue Paw

/ funflector® designs

Our popular paw print safety reflectors have been restocked with more color choices than ever! They are great for pet and animal lovers and make perfect spirit wear for schools.

Green paw print safety reflector by funflector
funflector paw print safety reflectors for everyone – adults, teens, kids and pets

Hang  funflector® reflectors on zipper pulls of jackets and backpacks and on bags, strollers, wheelchairs and pet collars. Everyone needs to be visible when it gets dark at night! (And soon we’ll have nice warm summer nights to spend outdoors even in the Midwest…)
We are excited that the new paw print reflectors are made in the USA and hope you are too!
In stock, we now have:

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One Paw Two Paw Red Paw Blue Paw Read More »

5 Things to Do for Cute Polar Bears

/ go green /

Are there polar bears on the streets in Sweden? In my teens, I traveled a lot and I surprisingly often got this question from non-Europeans. NO, no, no, of course there are no polar bears on our streets!!! (The gulf stream keeps northern Europe much warmer than northern USA and Canada at those latitudes.)

Polar bear during the blue hour at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, December 28, 5 pm.
Majestic polar bear at Brookfield Zoo on a cold December day..

Polar bears are adorable and a source for many aww’s on pinterest boards. However, real life polar bears are having a hard time coping with the shrinking ice on and around the North Pole. We all need to step up our efforts to slow down global warming. Did you know that global warming and melting ice is the main reason that more and more cubs get orphaned when their moms can’t find enough food?

Polar bear paw print safety reflector

So what can you do? Here are 5 ideas:

  1. Walk and bike instead of driving, but don’t forget safety reflectors if you are out at dusk or later. As much as you love polar bears, you don’t want to be as invisible as a polar bear in a snow storm!
  2. Replace your gas guzzler with a car that gets more miles on the gallon. Here is some help to find a car that fits your needs  – and the polar bears’!
  3. Your house needs a sweater and a wind breaker. Make sure it has both! Thick fiber glass insulation (sweater) does not help if the air flows straight through (no wind breaker). At a recent energy audit of my own house, I was shocked to see draft coming out of the latch plate in the door frame in a new part of the house. Cold air was coming straight down from the attic and channeled by the frame work. I thought the many inches of fiberglass in the attic would keep my new rooms warm and snug. Ha! If you live in metropolitan Chicago, contact Energy Impact Illinois to find out how to get access to government grants to improve your house. It is easier than you think! You will get a more comfortable home and the polar bears will thank you.
  4. Replace incandescent light bulbs with more efficient ones. If you don’t like the CFL bulbs, there are now LED bulbs on the market for most light fixtures and for dimmers. Choose LED lights with the Energy Star seal to make sure they perform well in the long run. It will be a while until you need to get up on the ladder again to replace the bulb in that ceiling fixture…
  5. Contact your congressman and your senator and tell them you are concerned with global warming and urge them to step up the efforts to increase power from renewable energy sources, protect the arctic from exploration and push for higher car fuel standards.

And, finally, here is today’s fun fact about polar bear fur: It’s long been thought that polar bear fur conducts UV light down to the body to keep polar bears warm. Well, it turns out not to be true. Polar bears appear black on UV cameras, because the fur absorbs the light but it does not make it into the skin and it does not keep the polar bears warm. You can find more in this article by the North American Bear Center.

The funflector team

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The Ultimate No-Brainer / Small Foot Print #4

/ go green, neat stuff / , , ,

There is no Planet B. (duh!) Earth Hour (March 23rd at 8:30 pm) and Earth Day (April 22nd) are here soon to remind us to be careful with the only planet we have. However, it is not enough to be reminded, we also need to TAKE ACTION to leave a healthier planet behind for our children and for our grandchildren. As our followers know, we are all for walking and biking instead of driving, hanging out laundry to dry, reducing waste and recycling and more.

norwex_enviro_cloth
Superclean with just a cloth and water!
norwex_consultant_elisabeth_hubbard


Here is another one, the ultimate no-brainer: With LESS effort, LESS time, LESS money and NO chemicals, you can get a cleaner house, office and car, a healthier family and a happier planet!!! Everyone is a winner: you, your wallet, your kids and the earth – can it get better? So, let me explain:
With Norwex cloths you can clean your house, office, vehicle, windows, kitchen and bathroom – and your face! –  with just water. It is not magic, just Scandinavian technology of incredible skinny polyester fiber (quality microfiber) that picks up everything – dirt, grime, grease, crumbs and dust without additional chemicals. Read more in the Norwex product catalog!
So how can you get your hands on these amazing cloths? Here are three suggestions:
1. Buy them, either online or at my next party in Libertyville, IL (email info(at)funflector.com for dates and directions)
2. Get them for free! Book a real or online/catalog party. Introduce your friends to the amazing cloths and reap the rewards from the generous host gift program. As your consultant, I will guide you through and the online host portal will make it a breeze reaching out to friends and family near and far.
3. Earn an income on them! As a consultant you don’t only get free products, you also get a commission on every sale! Norwex has a figured out how to get you started with no startup cost! I did this a year ago and it’s been an amazing journey where each hour at work makes an impact in someone’s life! Be your own boss AND surround you with an inspirational team.
Take action NOW –  go green AND help yourself get more time for the things you love to do more than cleaning!

Take care,
Elisabeth Hubbard
Owner funflector.com & Norwex Independend Sales Consultant

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Hearts for Your Valentine

/ funflector® designs / , ,
Heart safety reflectors by funflector
Heart safety reflectors by funflector

It is hard to believe February is just around the corner. Where did January go? Anyway, the hearts for Valentine are now up on our website, and we have great offers if you need a whole bunch of them, from only $3.33 each!
We’ve also added a mixed package of hearts to our fun packs, so you can get  6 for $24.95 or 12 for $39.95!

  • funflector® pedestrian reflectors are unique and useful party and classroom gifts
  • they are super easy to send with a Valentine’s card to all your far-away friends
  • they are inexpensive so you can give them to everyone you love and care about!

Check out our webshop for more designs!
Take care and stay safe,
The funflector team

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Take a Walk

/ thoughts / , , ,

We got one warm day with pouring rain and now the temperature is heading south again. At subzero temperatures (Farenheit), sitting inside reading and pinning about walking feels healthier than going out for a walk. New to me is ChiWalking, walking with mixed in elements from Tai Chi, yoga and Pilates, which I will have to try. I also found a lot of interesting research on the benefits of walking that I thought I’d share with you:

Winter walk with sled and kid
Winter walks are fun with good gear (including safety reflectors). Just remember to check temperature and wind chill first.


Here are eight good reasons to start walking as summarized by CNN:
1. A brisk 30 minute walk is good for your heart.
2. Walking lowers breast-cancer risks
3. An afternoon walk helps you sleep better
4. ChiWalking can reduce aches and pains.
5. Walking makes you happy because your body produces more endorphins.
6. Walking keeps you slimmer
7. Walking helps ward off Alzheimer’s disease
8. Walking makes your bones stronger
If you are a man and want to lower your lifetime medical bills: start walking! Extreme Longevity reports on a Japanese study that shows that even if walker live longer, they spend less on medical care. Women walkers also live longer, but don’t necessarily save on medical care during their life time.
You have a good reason to worry when an elderly friend or relative slows down their walking speed. Walking speed has shown to be a good indicator of life expectancy independent on age, race and height.

Kids need to get moving on weekends as well as on school days to learn and to be able to focus.
Kids need to get moving on weekends as well as on school days to learn and to be able to focus.


Walking is not only good for living long and healthy, walking also helps learning while you are young. If your kid’s school doesn’t have a walk-to-school program, you should start organizing one. A Danish study (in English here) found that students who walk to school learn and concentrate better that those who go by bus or car. In addition, walking keeps the air around schools fresher than cars.
Exercising is all about making it a habit. It takes some work to make it a habit, but after a while you notice how good it makes you feel and you’ll miss it when you don’t do it. In summary, it is pretty simple: Open the door and get out. Start slow and short and build up. Get a good pair of shoes. And don’t forget pedestrian reflectors if you get back after dusk. Here are some resources with more details on how to get started:
The Mayo Clinic walking advice
The Walking Site


Elisabeth

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Christmas Ends on the Day of Knut

/ thoughts

Today, January 13th, is the “official” Swedish day for throwing Christmas out the door. Twenty days has passed since Christmas and the Saints’ calendar lists Knut on this day. I’ve enjoyed a couple of days in Lund, an old, cute and not-so-big city in southern Sweden with a lingering Christmas feeling. (I also spotted more bikes than cars and many pedestrian reflectors!)

A pretty Christmas tree is still in place at the Lund town hall on January 10th.
A pretty Christmas tree is still in place at the Lund town hall on January 10th.


When I left the US, my house was the only one on the block with any signs of Christmas at all. The last official Christmas bank holiday is January 6th, so why the 13th? It turns out that the Knut day, named after a Danish prince who was murdered January 7th, 1131 and declared saint in 1170. During the 17th century, the day was moved to the 13th in the Swedish calendar and as it was already established as the day for cleaning out Christmas, Sweden extended the holidays for a week. Nobody knows why…  Please enjoy some pics of a cute town not in a rush to get rid of Christmas quite yet!
Here is a link if you’d like to know more about the differences between Swedish and American Christmas traditions – written by an American expat.
Elisabeth

Window with Christmas lights and a view of the Lund Cathedral
LOVE the lights in almost every window of every house! – here with the bonus view of the Lund cathedral.
Lund cathedral from 1145, always with burning candles.
Lund cathedral from 1145, always with burning candles.
Ginger bread model of the Lund cathedral
Ginger bread model of the Lund cathedral
Christmas lights in January downtown Lund, Sweden.
Christmas lights in January downtown Lund, Sweden.
This is a small downtown bike parking, full no matter what season it is!
This is a small downtown bike parking, full no matter what season it is!

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