And the award goes to...

As soon as I entered the office after my wonderful trip to Boston, Susanne from Marlon (the company that built our website) brought us some fabulous news: Smart Living Objects is nominated for the Usability Awards. That means the organization considers us as one of the 10 most user friendly websites in Belgium. Thank you for making that happen, Marlon!

But we’re not there just yet. We’d like to win the award as well and we really really need your help for that. So please vote for us and help us reach that first place:

And now for something completely different…

As I mentioned before, the trip to Boston and its area’s was very relaxing and I really enjoyed my stay there. And Balldo still does I have the impression, since he visited Fenway Park and was caught sunbathing in Brookline:

Here at Smart Living Objects we just hope he can travel a bit and that he enjoys himself!

October and November are the perfect months to redecorate your house as all designers then show their new creations in magazines and on trade fairs. Find inspiration at INTERIEUR 2012 in Kortrijk, Belgium. It’s a fair with an international reputation, where everyone will find what they’re looking for. Unfortunately we couldn’t be there, but we were very much under the impression of these objects.

Enjoy and see you soon!

The 3 best ways to spend Halloween when you’re not American or Irish

True. Since a couple of years (it must be almost a decade by now), Halloween has grown more and more popular in areas where pumpkins only used to be an ingredient for pie or soup. Europe now also enjoys this mostly American tradition, albeit on a different level.

Nonetheless, Europeans put together some nice creations:

The nice thing about Halloween is that it’s celebrated on October 31^st. On November 1^st many Europeans have the day off and that brings us to the first thing you can do on Halloween:

1. PARTY

There’s always time for a celebration, but when you don’t have to work the next day the occasion is even more special. Invite friends and family to your house, make some excellent Halloween dishes and treat them to your best Vampire’s drink:

Bloody Mary:

Ingredients

-1 1/2 ounces (1 jigger) vodka
-1/2 cup tomato juice
-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
-Worcestershire sauce to taste
-Tabasco to taste
-1 celery stick for garnish
-1 lemon wedge for garnish

Mix it up!
Combine the vodka, the tomato juice, the lemon juice, the Worcestershire sauce, the Tabasco, 1 cup ice cubes, and salt and pepper to taste, shake the mixture well, and strain it into a tall glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish the Bloody Mary with the celery stick and the lemon wedge.

Afterwards, party hardy in the city. And no, it doesn’t have to be a Halloween Party. A club or bar will do just fine :)

2. DRESS UP

Europeans have alternatives to the ‘trick or treat’-game and the nationwide interest in Halloween, but costume parties –my god –we love them. So that’s number 2. Halloween is the perfect occasion to dress up and go totally bezerk :) Find some inspiration with these celebrities, in The Costume Shop or at the Horrorklinik 

3. DECORATE YOUR HOUSE

October is the furniture month. All magazines show the new collections, trade fairs are held all over the world, so if you wish to redecorate your house, now is the best time to do it. And if you’d like to integrate Halloween into it, there are subtle ways to do so. Just ask Martha :)

We came up with our own spooky Halloween creation. The Orange Ball Chair is the lead actor. Have a look and tell us what you think:

Boooooooooh....Spooky, huh?

We know these tips don’t differ that much from what Americans do on Halloween, but here it’s still not as massively popular as it is in the US, which is why we went for the light version. We hope the tips help and if you have any other ideas, we’d really like to hear them. You can write them in a comment below.

See you next week!

The Four Seasons, the Holiday Inn, ...

The weather is fickle and temperatures are sinking. Days are getting shorter and the air is filled with that typical smell we associate with one particular season. Yep, autumn is no longer on our doorstep, it has entered the house and is now serving itself tea. But we have to admit, it can be one beautiful interlocutor. Look at the fall in all its glory:

Still, no matter how nostalgic autumn may be, here at Smart Living Objects we prefer summer to every other season. And that’s why one of co-workers is such a lucky bastard. She’s going to the Walhalla of Indian Summer: the North East of the United States.  Look look look:

Now that you know our preferable season, it's time to tell us yours and the reason why. Is it winter because you love to get presents at Christmas? Spring because you get a kick out of jumping up and down when the birds start to sing? Or Autumn because you like it so much that you can sleep one hour longer that time of year? Those are all valid reasons, you know :) No, we’re very curious about what our readers think. You can share it in a comment.

Now back to our colleague. When she gets back (if she gets back might be a better expression :) ) she will write her adventures on the blog. Apart from that, we’re also very curious about what she’s going to bring us. Would it be something from the Boston Design Center ? Or a gift from the Design Museum? Let’s wait and see…

So we don’t know which souvenirs she’ll bring us, but she already has a present for a US citizen. We just don’t know which American yet. Life’s full of surprises :)

You see, we’re launching a new competition, entitled ‘Who has Balldo? Smart Leaving Object’.

Balldo is one of favourite gadgets from the Extra Large collection. He’s in fact a major golf ball with a big sense for adventure, which is why we picked him to go on a world trip. To make that happen we need your help. As soon as you get Balldo, you have to take an original picture of him and put it on our Facebook page or send it to our email address. After that you have to pass him on to someone else. In March 2013 we will pick a winner. To read all about the competition, visit the Smart Living Objects website. 

 

See you next time!

We fly high…

True, we work hard. But sometimes it’s time for a celebration. There doesn’t always have to be a reason, but in this case there definitely was. Yesterday Piotr, our very nice colleague, worked 10 years at XLBoom – the mother company of Smart Living Objects - and just having shared a bottle of Champagne to commemorate that occasion would have been, well…a little cheap. So of course we decided to call in the big guns. We started off in the morning with homemade cheesecake and pie. Most of us already had a nutritious breakfast, but then again, it’s way too early for new year’s resolutions :)

At noon, we all had a delicious lunch (with champagne of course). Look for yourself and judge:

The party really started at 13h30. Our bosses gave Piotr a fake assignment. He was supposed to pick up a parcel at the airport of Antwerp, but once he arrived there he was welcomed by a pilot who took him on a half hour helicopter flight above Antwerp.

Like every normal person, Piotr felt a bit scared when he was about to enter the helicopter but afterwards he was as happy as he could have possibly been. A super gift!

We’ll see you next time!