The funflector Blog

Reflectors Save Lives, Even in Florida

May 30, 2011 / traffic safety / Outdoor Activity, Safety Reflector, Sunset, Testimonial, Traffic Safety

The other day, someone living in Florida tried to convince me that we would be better off focusing our reflector sales in the northern states and in Canada. Well, looking at when the sun sets tells us that our reflectors can save lives and reduce pedestrian accidents also in the southern states!
So, how do the dark hours in the northern US states and Canada compared to the south? Well, in the summer, the sun sets earlier in the south. In hot climates, it is also often more pleasant to be outside after the blasting sun has set. We made a map to display sunset for a few North American cities on the longest day of the year. Dusk sets in 15-30 minutes before that.

North America sunset June 21 2011, longest day, shortest night — Sunset (pm) for some North American cities on the longest day of the year. In most places, the sun sets between 8 and 9 pm and dusk begins 15-30 minutes before.

So, what can we conclude from this?

In most places, if you are outside after 7:30 pm (dusk included!), you are safer with a few safety reflectors!!!
This is midsummer. Now and a couple of weeks into July, you need ta make yourself visible even earlier.
We won’t insist on reflectors in Anchorage this time of year – but we will when fall and winter comes around…

This CBS news clip (2018 update: clip not available) from earlier this year shows a frightening accident where a police car hit a pedestrian walking her bike in the dark—in Florida. Imagine how much different this woman’s life would have been, had she worn a couple of reflectors, and had a bike light. Even if the car hadn’t managed to come to a complete stop, slowing down makes pedestrian injuries less life threatening.

Contrary to that, one of our Florida customers is well prepared to be out and about any time. Tee ordered funflector® tags from our webshop and sent us this kind note after receiving them : “Elisabeth – I rec’d my reflectors on Saturday. I couldn’t believe how quickly you were able to ship them! I love the funflector tags (they are on my bike & backpack already!) and I appreciated your email response and your personal note on the shipment receipt. I will definitely be passing on the word about your products to people that i know. Thanks again!! 🙂 -Tee”

Enjoy the summer nights and stay safe!

Elisabeth

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Go Bulls!

May 10, 2011 / funflector® designs / Fun Safety Reflector, Kids, Spirit Wear, Sports

Tonight we’ll park ourselves in the TV couch for another thrilling basketball playoff game between the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks. It’s a joy to watch Derrick Rose put the ball in the hoop (No wonder, he just got the NBA MVP award as the youngest in the history of the NBA) but most of all we are fascinated with the work within the teams. We hope the Bulls will be on fire tonight—we know they can do better than their last game!

If we had any small bulls fans in our families, they would certainly get this funny onesie from Bad Baby Inc., one of their newest designs.
Whether you cheer for your favorite NBA team or the local high school basketball team, you can show your love for the sport with a basketball safety reflector. Hang the super bright safety reflector on your jacket, bag or backpack and it will also make you more visible in the dark!

funflector safety reflectors basketball — Basketball safety reflectors for sports bags, backpacks and jackets

Enjoy the rest of the NBA playoff and finals season!

The funflector team

Go Bulls! Read More »

Poor Knights on a Plate

April 30, 2011 / thoughts / Recipe, Scandinavian

This post is all about a yummy Swedish-German dish related to both pancakes and bread pudding (and not at all about the islands off the northern coast of New Zealand.) In my house, we serve both American and Swedish pancakes, but when there is too little time for those, we turn to “Poor Knights.” They are white bread dipped in Swedish pancake batter and then fried. The recipe is easy and they don’t need to be on the stove for very long. We follow the Swedish tradition and serve them as a substantial dessert after a bowl of soup.

This is what you need for 4-6 people:
4 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
24 oz white bread (e.g. country buttermilk), not too fresh
1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Butter for frying pan/griddle.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl (wide enough to hold a slice of bread).
Add 1/2 the milk and mix.
Add flour and beat until smooth.
Mix in remaining milk, salt and cinnamon.
Soak a slice of bread, lift it up with a spatula and put in heated and buttered griddle/frying pan. Use medium heat and fry them golden brown on both sides. Serve warm with apple sauce.
The American relative of “Poor Knight” is French Toast, but “Poor Knights” have flour added to the milk-and-egg batter. Variations on this are common all over the world and a good way to make a tasty dessert from stale bread. The odd name has triggered many interesting discussions around our kitchen table as to why the poor “kniggets” were so poor. What comes to your mind?
Elisabeth

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Easter Egg Stuffers & Other European Easter Goodies

April 18, 2011 / neat stuff / Easter, Egg Stuffer, Europe, Gift Idea, Holiday

Easter is approaching rapidly and it’s time to get this year’s Easter egg stuffers. As all my kids have their birthdays in the fall, I use Easter to surprise them with some gifts from the Easter Bunny. The big cardboard eggs, common in Northern Europe, are perfect for jump ropes, juggling balls, sunglasses and even flip flops or baseball gloves. I went on a quest for some more of those eggs at the Swedish American Museum in Chicago and at the World Market. Needless to say, that I found a lot more neat stuff than planned.
A teeny-tiny cardboard egg with contemporary Swedish egg and chick design from the museum store is ideal for hiding a few funflector tags. The baseball and soccer ball reflectors as well as the shamrock are perfect spring replacement of my family’s basketballs and footballs. Love & Peace is popular all year around and a few more are needed when one winter jacket is replaced by a couple of fleece sweaters.

Easter Egg Stuffers form the Swedish American Museum in Chicago and from the World Market and funflector — Easter Egg Stuffers form the Swedish American Museum in Chicago, the World Market and funflector

The large egg, found at the World Market, can hold quite a few Easter egg stuffers. It has a old fashion design with bunnies in a vintage car and chicks in the grass. Its white trim has the traditional wavy edge that I remember from my childhood. I was surprised by its sturdiness until I realized it was actually made in Germany. Lindt chocolate was a staple while I lived in Switzerland, so the two golden bunnies had to follow me home along with some hazelnut-chocolate carrots. Can’t wait for Easter…
Cute Easter pasta from the World MarketColorful Italian Easter Pasta will be perfect with our Swedish meatballs. By the way, did you see the Trib article about meatballs? I firmly believe that IKEA wouldn’t sell nearly as many meatballs without my kids and their friends around 😉 It seems harder to find a good lamb roast for Easter than Swedish meatballs and herring…
Along with the new cardboard eggs, we reuse the ones from previous years. We fill the smaller ones with candy and the larger ones with “stuff.” The Easter bunny hides them during the night before Easter Eve (!) and the kids get to search for them behind curtains, under couch pillows and in other more unexpected places. The older they get, the trickier it is to find good hiding spots. A couple of years back, one of the eggs seemed to be completely lost. A year and a half later we found it when we cleared out the wood basket by the fireplace. The pair of new socks were already outgrown, so the bunny now leaves us forgetful parents with a list…
When the gifts are too big to fit in an egg, no matter how big, the Easter bunny needs to be creative. One year, the eggs contained clues on where to find the next egg. Eventually the kids ended up in the garage next to a brand new basketball hoop!

We use a few vintage eggs for decoration only. Especially the silver one with distinctive 60’s design is far too cool to let the kids handle.
When homework is done today, we’ll continue digging through our Easter boxes and pull out our favorites. Collected over time, the ornaments carry so many memories from all over and I’m curious about the memories the kids are creating from year to year.
Elisabeth
p.s. The combination of a pretty cookie tin and delicious Nyåkers Pepparkakor (Swedish ginger snaps) made a purchase completely irresistible. From the World Market. I still have a few minutes left for a coffee before the kids will be home…

Swedish pepparkakor (gingersnaps) are not only for Christmas — Swedish pepparkakor are not only for Christmas

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Prepared for Luck?

March 17, 2011 / thoughts, traffic safety

One day, on the way home from visiting down town, a friend of mine found himself in the middle of a serial collision during rush hour. In his back seat was his four-year old son. The police arrived and checked on all drivers and passengers. The police were so happy to see his son in a good booster seat with the seat belt properly attached. My friend was prepared for luck.
Way too often, the policemen see the horrifying results of children not using booster seats and/or seat belts when the unexpected accident hits.

Stuffed moose in the back seat with safety reflectors but no booster seat — Our buddy should have had a booster seat to avoid the seat belt across his throat. On the other hand, he’s just a stuffed moose…

My friend and his son were taken in for checkups at the emergency room. Luckily they were both fine, although of course still a bit chocked. He is the kind of person that always wears his seat belt and insists on everyone in the car doing so all the time. So how lucky was he? Of course, he was very lucky!
The cars could have been going much faster when they slammed into each other, he could have got a nasty whiplash injury to his spine, his son could have… On the other hand, he had prepared himself the best he could to get through an accident with as little injury as possible. He had bought his son the best booster seat he could find and they were both belted in properly. He was prepared to be lucky – or as Louis Pasteur expressed it: “Luck favors the prepared mind”.

Shamrock safety reflectors for good luck — Funflector® shamrocks increase your chances of being lucky. One shamrock for each beer…

Prepare for Luck on St. Patricks Day

People used to prepare to be lucky by carrying rabbit’s feet and four-leaf clover. If you are lucky enough to get a couple of beers during tonight’s St. Patrick’s day bar-hopping, how prepared are you to get home safely? Did you know that adult men, who are out walking late at night or early morning after a couple of drinks are at high risk of getting into traffic accidents? Penn (of Penn & Teller) is quoted as saying “Luck is probability taken personally,” so why not increase the probability and your chances of being lucky by upgrading to a reflective shamrock?

(Psst. If you don’t believe in four-leaf clovers, a baseball or basketball funflector^® tag will work equally well.)
Have fun and enjoy St. Patrick’s day!

Elisabeth

Prepared for Luck? Read More »

Uninstalling Winter…

March 4, 2011 / thoughts

I was working on a headline for this blog post when the following uninstalling winter image popped up on my facebook wall:

Uninstall Winter—isn’t that what we do in the world of ubiquitous technology we live in? What a brilliant assembly of a couple of characters! Thanks Ing-Marie!

Along with most Scandinavians, spring is what keeps me going during the dark and cold winter months. We all cherish the returning warmth of the sun this time of year.
The snow piles are melting and March is here with sunshine and rain! What other signs of spring are there?

two boys with baseball and paw print safety reflectors — Safety reflectors for when the evening still comes early

– Baseball spring training has started. The Cubs are in HoHoKam park just east of Phoenix, AZ, while the White Sox are on the northwest side, in Glendale. Little League is also taking off with some indoor camps. Put some safety reflectors on your kids for when they play outside and darkness falls before they notice. Happy time for all baseball fans!

Final countdown to Dairy Dream opens in Libertyville IL — Final countdown week 🙂

– The weekly countdown at our local Dairy Dream is down to zero weeks—just one more day before it reopens! This time the sidewalks were mostly cleared from heaps of snow.
– Despite some recent freezing nights, green sprouts are popping up in my south facing flower beds.

Shamrock safety reflectors for good luck and spring feelings

– St. Patricks Day is approaching – check out www.st-patricks-day.com to find events near you. Did you know that adults with alcohol in their blood are at much higher risk than children to get hit by cars in the dark? How about one funflector® tag for each beer?
Enjoy your weekend!
Elisabeth

Uninstalling Winter… Read More »

Funflector – Registered Trademark :)

February 22, 2011 / news

To our surprise we are ahead of schedule on getting our funflector trademark registered in the US. We were told it would take a year and here we are after not even 10 months! Woohoo for funflector registered trademark!

funflector is now a registered trademark in the USA

The “circle R” will appear on our web site very soon and later on also in printed material.

Funflector – Registered Trademark :) Read More »

St. Valentine?

February 13, 2011 / thoughts / Valentine's day

We all enjoy celebrations, so of course we will go out for dinner with our love any day. Monday is Valentine’s day, so this weekend you’ll find a lot of good deals at restaurants and get-away hotels. But why February 14th? Isn’t April or May more typical for affectionate love and Valentine’s gifts?

Red Heart Safety Reflector for Valentine's Day — Red Heart Safety Reflector for Valentine’s Day

Curious about the origin of this romantic holiday, I set out with the Swedish “Nationalencyklopedin”, Wikipedia and some google searches to get a trustworthy basis for a blog post. But bah, what a mess! Just like the Swedish Lucia, Valentine’s day seems to be a coincidence between one or even several pagan traditions and the name in the (old) Roman Catholic Saint’s Calender on that day.

Theories about Valentine’s Day

One, and probably the most popular, legend is about the priest Valentine who was martyred about AD 270. He had befriended and fallen in love with his jailer’s daughter and left her a letter signed “from your Valentine”. However, there are several saints named Valentine connected with this day. In 1969, they were removed from the Roman Catholic saints calendar. There was too little known about their deeds and lives.
Another theory is that the traditions of Valentine’s day come from the Roman celebration of Juno, Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses, which was followed by the Festival of Lupercalia. By drawing names from a jar, girls and boys were randomly paired to be partners during the festival and or course some partnership turned into love affairs. Later on, the church tried to tone down the tradition by using saints’ instead of the girls’ names to be drawn.

Funflector safety reflectors make perfect Valentines gifts for those you love and care about — Funflector safety reflectors make perfect gifts for those you love and are easy to send with a Valentines card.

“Nationalencyklopedin” states that today’s celebrations stem from a pagan belief that the birds started to mate on this day. However, reading in wikipedia make me think that the pagan belief might have originated from a poem written in 1382 by Geoffrey Chaucer. Parlement of Foules was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia and not really about mating birds. In more modern English line 309-310 would be
“For this was Saint Valentine’s Day,
when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.”
After quite some digging around, the only conclusions seems to be that no one really knows. Without big parades and serious speeches, this day is for you and your loved one to do something special. So just enjoy it your way!
Elisabeth

St. Valentine? Read More »

Pedestrian Friendly School Street

February 9, 2011 / neat stuff / Urban Planning

The architect Sarah Susanka, well known for her concept, the “Not So Big House” is involved in the School Street project in Libertyville. Today, she unveiled the plans for her Not So Big Showhouse. It will be built with other new homes right next to the vibrant Libertyville downtown. As a big fan of her ideas I was there with many others to listen to her explanations on how she integrates her ideas in a very livable house on a 29 foot wide lot. The neat thing with this project is that it also integrates the ideas for The Not So Big Community.

Sarah Susanka at an event for School Street and her Not So Big Showhouse, Libertyville IL February 2011 — Sara Susanka took some time to sign books after her presentation of the Not So Big Showhouse

There will be many inviting porches along School Street, which is a stone’s throw from Libertyville Main Street.

The not so big showhouse by Sarah Susanka planned for School Street in Libertyville IL — A street view of the Not So Big Showhouse (from schoolstreetlibertyville.com)

Walking distance to restaurants, small stores, a wonderful public library and a stop on the Chicago commuter train is an important part of the concept. Continuously smiling, Sarah seemed genuinely excited about building her first public showhouse here in Libertyville. She told us that the downtown atmosphere was one of the things that really sold her on this project. 🙂
Elisabeth

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Ready for SPRING?

January 31, 2011 / thoughts

Right now, all of the Midwest is waiting for the BIG BLIZZARD. They say it’s going to be worse than in ’67, and the shelves in the grocery stores have been emptied in no time. The only positive sign is that the groundhog is very unlikely to see it’s shadow in only two days, so hopefully spring will be here soon despite the weather forecast. After two unusually cold and cloudy months, I’m definitely ready for spring! The yearning for spring and the return of the warming sun, budding trees and sprouting flowers is deeply rooted in the Swedish soul, but it turns out, I’m not alone.

Shamrock four-leaf clover safety reflectors — Shamrock safety reflector (*Update 2017: discontinued, but check out our globetrotter collection)*

1. Our blog dog Maggie does not like walks in the snow, especially on sidewalks with salty snow. Leather shoes look terrible after walking outside, so it is easy to imagine that it is uncomfortable if it is your skin. However, Maggie is no longer a puppy and needs plenty of exercise so everyone in the house is looking forward to long walks on dry sidewalks.

2. Right after Christmas, stores get rid of their remaining mittens and winter hats at bargain prices to make space for swim suits and short sleeved shirts. Have they never heard about kids loosing their mittens or hats? Or wearing them out? The kids at our bust stop don’t need swim suits in January, they need more mittens. A whole bunch of them are wearing non matching mittens this time of year to keep their fingers warm. Kids grow and some kids grow fast. No matter how long their snow pants were in October, by now they are short enough to slip above the edge of the boot and let snow in. You might be able to find new ones on sale, but most sizes are gone by now.

3. Treadmills and cross trainers are a blessing to keep in shape this time of year when sidewalks often are bumpy and slippery. However, a walk through a forest or a neighborhood with trees, bushes and flowers, singing birds and fresh air will make your entire body feel more relaxed and refreshed.

4. Nature has an amazing effect on overactive kids as well. Even if playing in the snow is fun, spring and warmer weather brings the play-outside-from-dawn-to-dusk that very few kids enjoy on cold days.

5. Six more weeks until Dairy Dream open their windows again! The old railroad, turned bike path, offers a relaxing environment for a family walk or bike trip and it goes right by Dairy Dream. Hopefully, the snow and the puddles are gone in six weeks. March feels far away, but we are closely monitoring the count down!

While we wait for spring at the glimling office, we enjoy ourselves with some cheerful new funflector™ tags! The hearts come in many red and pink shades and you can still order in plenty of time for Valentine’s Day. We have also stocked up for the first big spring holiday (at least in the Chicago area), St. Patrick’s Day! Our shamrocks come in three green shades. Show off your Irish spirit and improve the odds of coming home safely after celebrating at the pub… (Update 2017: discontinued, but check out our globetrotter collection)