Photography & Technology

Having a photographer in the house (along with being parents), means we have a lot of photos and not many of them ever leave the confines of the camera or computer. As I mentioned the other day, we are trying to get better about filling these empty walls in our house, so when Bumblejax contacted me about a possible review, I jumped on the opportunity to get one of our photos of Trent printed. We normally do framed prints or canvas prints, so I was excited to try one of their many unique printing & mounting materials.

About Bumblejax:

Bumblejax is at the forefront of modern photo display techniques, specializing in transforming digital images into gallery quality wall art on bamboo, acrylic (including 1” acrylic blocks), aluminum, dibond and gatorfoam. Each piece is handcrafted in Seattle. We pride ourselves on careful attention to detail, craftsmanship and customer service and can’t wait to get started crafting your art!

Modern photo display techniques are no longer reserved for New York lofts and high end galleries in Miami and Los Angeles. Our passion here at Bumblejax is to bring modern photo mounting to the masses with unparalleled customer service. It’s never been easier to transform your digital photos into stunning, gallery quality art using unique materials such as bamboo, acrylic (plexiglass) and raw aluminum. The past was all about traditional wooden frames and canvas wraps, while the future is modern, frameless photo mounting. Now your photo is the star beautifully enhanced with Bumblejax photo mounting. Whether you’re a pro photographer looking for a new product line, a business owner wanting to spruce up the white walls or you want a unique photo gift idea, we’re here for you.

Why BumbleJax?

• Experienced. Our in house craftsmen have years of experience in the industry
• Gallery Quality. We are meticulous about making sure your print is perfect.
• Free Image Consulting & Color Correction. We won’t nickel and dime you for quality service, we just want you happy.
• Passionate. Your art is our passion and we pride ourselves on outstanding customer service.
• Quick Turnaround. Your art will ship out within a week!
• Ready To Hang. Comes with wood slats and easy hanging hardware.
• Superior Customer Service. We pride ourselves on offering the kind of support that isn’t matched in this industry.
• Hundreds of 5 Star Reviews. See our testimonials page to see what our customers have to say.

 

We chose to have this photo printed in size 15×10 on acrylic.

This has been one of our favorite photos ever since it was taken during his first Disney World trip and I love how the print came out. The colors are so vibrant and everything in the photo is so crystal clear.

Can you believe the photos above and below are of a photo of the print? It’s that crystal clear and vibrant!

The print comes with the tools for you to hang it on the wall, making it that much easier.

Seriously, you can hang this print with one hand. Just find the spot on the wall you want to hang the photo and push the hook into the wall…

Twist it up…

and then push it in until just the end of the hook is showing…

Then hang the photo on the hook.

It looks like the photo is floating off of the wall. I definitely recommend printing to acrylic from Bumblejax for a vibrant and unique photo that will stand out among your photo collection. The order processing and shipping were super fast too!

If you’ve never heard of acrylic photo mounting, here is some info:

Not All Acrylic Prints Are Created Equally! What Are The Differences?

Whether you have your beautiful prints mounted in a traditional way with glass and frame or in a more modern way with our acrylic frameless photo mounts, it’s important to know the differences in how it’s made because it can affect color as well as durability.

Direct Print vs Face Mount: There are many companies printing directly onto the acrylic out there right now. It’s a cheaper option if price is an issue, but it’s important to know that you will lose some color vibrancy and accuracy. Here at Bumblejax we print to high quality paper and then face mount your image to acrylic for the absolute greatest color quality and vibrancy.

Stand Off Bolts: Most companies will use stand off bolts in each corner to provide a way to hang or attach two acrylic pieces. We believe this is distracting and takes away from the center of attention, which should be your image!

Dibond vs Sintra vs No Backer: This is real important particularly for larger pieces. The backing material is very important to stabilizing your acrylic photo mount over time and there is no better material than Dibond. ALL our pieces ship with a dibond backer and we wouldn’t consider using anything else (we switched to Dibond from sintra very early on). Lots of companies use either Sintra which is cheaper and offers less stability or no backer at all if they are printing directly. We will never sacrifice quality for cost cutting measures here at Bumblejax and we pride ourselves on perfection.

 

Visit Bumblejax.com to see all their offerings.

Connect with Bumblejax:

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

YouTube

Never miss a post, photo or video…follow us!

 

I was given this product in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own. Thanks for reading!

I’ll admit I was a little late to the Instagram game. I just joined a few months ago and am glad I did, as I think Facebook can be weird with sharing photos…you don’t always see what everyone shares, but on Instagram you can see all the photos they post!

I also love how many of the photos on Instagram are spur of the moment times when something cute/funny/awesome happens and you only have your phone nearby to capture it. Unfortunately, many of those photos often go unprinted or formally framed. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Thanks to Printstagram from Social Print Sudio, you can print your Instagram photos in a variety of formats!

We Print Your Instagram Photos

Instagram is the lovable photo-sharing app. We make your photos physical, with wonderful products that match the quality and magic of the app itself.

Created by Instagramers, we work out of California or wherever else we find ourselves.

Printstagram is still in its early phase, with updates and new products rolling out frequently, we are having fun while fulfilling your Instagram fantasies.

I had a difficult time choosing which products to try, but I ultimately decided on two: The tiny books and square prints.

These tiny books are adorable!

The Tinybook needs little introduction, is there any cuter way to show off your pics than this? The photo quality is surprisingly great, and Tinybooks even magnet together or to your fridge. Each book has 24 photos and you get 3 books with each order. If you choose 24 Instagram photos, you’ll get 3 of the same book, choose 72 images for 3 unique books.

Since I didn’t have enough photos on my Instagram to get 3 separate books, I chose to get 3 of the same book and give two of them to family members. What a great little gift to a grandparent! They are also magnetized to keep them closed that allows them to be displayed on the refrigerator.

 

I also chose the square prints.

Our Square Prints are the perfect way to enjoy and share your Instagram photos. With two size options you can’t go wrong! We simply cannot decide which ones we like more, cute little Mini Squares, or bold full sized prints. Printed on quality paper with a matte finish, our squares have just the right amount of weight to them.

The square photos come in two sizes. I opted for the larger size, as I thought they would be perfect to finally complete a project on my to-do list…putting something on the walls next to our window in the living room! We already have art on one wall, a clock on another and display boxes on another, so we’ve been wanting to put up some sort of framed photo(s).

I selected 24 4×4 squares and they arrived in a neat little package.

When we were in WDW, we made a quick trip to IKEA (quick = 2 hours) and purchased 2 large frames.

All I used for the project in addition to the photos and frames was a glue stick and a pencil. I included tape in the photo, but I never used it.

The frames were already matted, so I picked out 9 squares for each photo, which would fit perfectly in the non-matted area. I lined them up how I was going to place them before actually glueing them in.

Using a pencil, I outlined where I would need to place the photos.

Then, I glued each photo onto the paper.

I put a bunch of glue on the outer square and then pressed the matting board down on top, making sure just the photos were visible and not any of the paper in the background.

I repeated the process with the other frame. I love them!

Those walls have been empty for almost 4 years and just after a few minutes of them being up there, I told Brett that it felt cozier in the room. Trent’s a fan too!

And thanks to the folks at Social Print Studio, you can win a $30 gift code to Printstagram, so you can get your own prints…or choose from any of their other offerings!

Giveaway!

Up for grabs: A $30 gift code to Printstagram

How to enter: We’ll be using Rafflecopter for this one, so there are multiple ways to enter…pick one or pick them all!

This giveaway ends on Sunday, November 17th, 2013 at 11:59 pm EST. OPEN TO RESIDENTS OF ALL COUNTRIES. I will contact the winner the next day by email and will announce the winner as an update to this blog post. Good luck!

{If you are viewing this post in an email or RSS feed, please click over to the blog to enter the contest using the Rafflecopter form }

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Never miss a post, photo or video…follow us!

Two Christmases ago, my job at the time provided all of us employees with a little bonus “gift”: an iPad 2. Pretty fricking awesome, right? We all were at my bosses house (about 20 of us and significant others) and there were a bunch of small wrapped boxes of the same size underneath the tree. We were all handed a box and told to open them at the same time. We all kind of looked at each other in disbelief when we saw the iPad box and proceeded to open the box just to make sure there was indeed an iPad in there and not just a gag gift within an iPad box. It was like our own little Oprah moment…”And YOU get iPad! And YOU get an iPad! iPads for EVERYONE!”

I was so excited to have one.

However, that iPad was quickly taken over by Brett and now has been taken over by Trent. But I don’t mind because that iPad has been so beneficial for him and us. He has been using it since he was just a few months old. We put a few apps on there and one of his favorites is Old MacDonald. It’s been so fun watching him learn how to use it and interact with it. He was pretty quick to learn that touching the screen makes the animals move, even if he used his entire hand to do it at first.

Another big benefit is to watch movies and shows, especially while traveling. We purchased a season of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and used our digital downloads from our Blu-Ray movies and between them, Trent is entertained during the long car rides.

You may think this is a big promotion for the iPad, but the real reason for this post is to share another product that has been helpful while using the iPad…a good iPad case. We’ve used several since first getting the iPad, but we recently started using a Gumdrop iPad case and it has been our favorite so far.

Here is a little info about Gumdrop Cases.

Fashion Meets Protection.

Gumdrop Cases is a premium fashion brand that targets the sophisticated, fashion-savvy yet practical Apple user demographic. We are experienced, but we also bring a fresh perspective, innovative designs and fast execution to the business.

What makes Gumdrop Cases unique? Not only do our cases offer premium protection, but our designs are exceptionally eye-catching and functional. With production infrastructure designed to get our products first to market, we also focus on giving our resellers an edge over the competition.

Building Opportunities with Speed to Market.

The recent release of new Apple products, such as the iPad Mini and iPhone 5, has created a niche for mobile electronics accessory manufacturers to satisfy the demands of a growing number of consumers seeking protection and personalization for their devises. Gumdrop Cases is always first to market, which means we get to consumers first and give our resellers opportunities to break ground.

100% Hassle Free Returns

They offer more than just iPad cases…they also offer cases for:

iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One

Macbooks

Other tablets, such as the Kindle.

Letting your toddler take control of your expensive piece of electronics can be scary. Using the right case can make all the difference. I have seen Trent throw the iPad, stand on it, bang on it, sit on it, kick it and even bite it. I truly am surprised it hasn’t broken yet. I attribute it to always having a good case on it. And being lucky.

This is the exact Gumdrop Case we use: http://www.gumdropcases.com/boskforip2ip.html

It did not come with a screen protector, as we prefer the feel of touching the iPad glass directly. We used to have a screen protector and didn’t particularly care for it, but we know plenty of people that prefer using one. It’s a personal preference. Gumdrop offers cases with and without screen protectors, so you still have plenty of options.

We like our Gumdrop case for several reasons.

The fit: The case fits the iPad like a glove. No loose spots means nothing for Trent to pull on and possibly ruin.

The feel: The material has such a nice soft rubbery feel to it. It allows you to get a good grip on it without being uncomfortable.

Functionality: Each case is designed specifically for each version of the device you purchase it for. Integrated buttons help a lot so you dont have to dig your finger into a cut out like other cases. Our last case made it difficult to reach the sound buttons, but we definitely don’t have that problem any longer with this case.

Our last case also couldn’t be plugged in to charge while still in the case and this one can.

The only negative is that if you lay the iPad down flat on a cushiony surface, the sound is a little muffled due to where the speaker holes are.

I also like how thin it is. It feels very cushioned even though it’s very thin.

It fits perfectly and easily slides in and out of the iPad car headrest mount for Trent. He can watch his movies and the iPad doesn’t slide around one bit.

So not that we want to promote it, but Trent can be his normal toddler destructive self with the iPad and this case helps protect it. Or he can lay like this while watching the Dumb Ways to Die video for the 112,637,165,846th time…yeah, that’s much better!

Where to Buy:

GumdropCases.com

Amazon

Connect with Gumdrop:

Twitter

xoxo

Lynn

Subscribe by email | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Pinterest | Subscribe on YouTube

 

I received this product in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own and honest.

Brett has taken photos of people of all ages. When it comes to kids, each age range could not be more different. Newborns, with their tiny limbs and super cute naked poses, pretty much stay asleep the entire time and in whatever pose you put them. Although let’s not talk about the risk of uncontrollable bodily fluids (from the baby, not Brett ).

After a few months is when things start getting…let’s say, interesting. Usually kids can move around at this point, but don’t necesarily have the muscle control to stay in the positions you want. Their curiosity is in full force and getting them to look at you while taking a photo turns into a Broadway production Saturday morning cartoon show…Parents will jump up, down and all-around, sing songs, make squeeling noises, dance, you name it…anything to get their child to look at the camera and smile. Or at least one or the other.

Enter Chimpancheez! Instead of holding a stuffed animal up, you could just attach a stuffed animal to the camera to get your baby’s attention and looking in the right spot directly at the camera.

CHIMPANCHEEZ™ has one simple goal in mind: Bringing smiles to children’s faces. The plush green monkey will captivate your little ones when its time for that perfect smile! Hopr, an award winning design studio based in New York City, designed and developed the world of CHIMPANCHEEZ™!

Hopr, LLC is proud to be partnering with Smile Train, the world’s largest cleft lip and cleft palate charity. CHIMPANCHEEZ™ will bring smiles to children’s faces and partnering with an organization that brings smiles to so many children around the world who weren’t smiling, is something our company is extremely proud to be a part of.

For every CHIMPANCHEEZâ„¢ purchased, $1.00 will be donated to Smile Train.

ABOUT SMILE TRAIN

Founded in 1999, Smile Train is the world’s largest cleft charity with over 2,600 partner surgeons operating in over 1,100 partner hospitals, and has helped children in over 80 countries – many of the world’s poorest. Smile Train provides free cleft lip and cleft palate surgery to children from poor families that give a child not just a new smile, but a chance at a new life. For additional information, please visit www.smiletrain.org.

Chimpancheez goes around your camera lens, so you don’t have to hold or wave a stuffed animal or toy.

He does look a little silly, but I think that adds to the entertainment.

The hands and feet light up and blink, further adding to it’s attention-grabbing abilities.

The battery pack is enclosed inside the head with velcro.

I do wish that it would make sounds, like a song or monkey noise…just something else to help grab their attention and hold it longer, since many babies are more likely to respond to sounds. I’m sure parents would like to give their vocal cords a rest, too.

Hopefully (I say hopefully because every baby is different during photoshoots!) your baby will want to look at Chimpancheez and smile! Not only would Chimpancheez be great for photographers, but also for parents that take their own photos of their children!

 

Buy:

Amazon

Connect:

Facebook

Twitter

 

Giveaway!

Up for grabs: 1 Chimpancheez!

How to enter: We’ll be using Rafflecopter for this one, so there are multiple ways to enter…pick one or pick them all!

This giveaway ends on Saturday, August 31, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST. US only please. I will contact the winner the next day by email and will announce the winner as an update to this blog post. Good luck!

{If you are viewing this post in an email or RSS feed, please click over to the blog to enter the contest using the Rafflecopter form }

a Rafflecopter giveaway

xoxo

Lynn

Subscribe by email | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Pinterest | Subscribe on YouTube

 

I received this product in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Today, I bring you a review of littleBits!

I had never heard of littleBits prior to being contacted, but they mentioned that even though littleBits is meant for kids 8 or older (and therefore Trent was too young for them), they still wanted to send one to see what I thought. When I read what exactly littleBits is, Trent wasn’t the child that came to mind…

Nope, Brett was the child that came to mind. This seemed right up Brett’s alley and he was excited to try it out.

From littleBits: