Technology for the New House

Since we got possession of the new house today (!!!), the very first things on our to-do list are to get the technology set up. All pictures are linked! 

The Nest

I've posted before about the nest and our love for it still runs deep. The hard part about this new house? We need two of them. Le sigh. The upside? Upgraded Nest!

Bluetooth Deadbolt

In that same previous techie post, I posted about our Kevo Lock. We still love that one, but we are going to give this bad boy a try this time. Kevo appears to only work for i-phones that have downloaded the Kevo app. With the new lock, we are hoping to have a numerical code that can be given out to non-techie folks too (and then changed when needed). 

Nest Cameras

We have had three of these for over a year now and I love them so much. Besides the security video that they provide, we get to capture fun family moments that otherwise might have been missed. Lyla rolling over for the first time is one example. The biggest use they get though is the answer to the ever-asked question of, "What time did she go down?" We can pull up the video and look to see when the last motion was. We use this in her room along with a traditional monitor. It's great. We love it. (The most cost effective way to buy these is in a three pack for $500. At $200 each, you save $100 with the bundle pack.)

HUE Lighting

This one is brand new to LB and I, but he got a crazy deal on a starter kit of these and I am pumped to try it out. "Set the room to relaxation mode." Yes please! I will report back with how they work/if we use it ASAP. 

What techie things do you use to make your home more functional? I can't imagine life without a nest thermostat or techie deadbolt. #realtalk

PS: While not technically, technology for the home, I started a new pinterest board to keep track of all our new house purchases so you can get a feel for the visualization. Once on the new furniture starts be delivered/put together/put in place, I will link directly from that post/page/house tour to the furniture source so that you can "shop our house."

Camera Bling: Artisan Obscura and Preston Utley

I don't know a lot about a lot. But I do know these three things about photography:

  1. I like taking, keeping, sharing, printing, hanging, looking at, and enjoying pictures.
  2. I am NOT an artist or a photographer (let me reiterate: I just LIKE taking pictures).
  3. Preston Utley is a genuis photographer artist.

I am not saying that there aren't other good photographers out there. In fact, there are tons of incredible picture taking people. But in our world, in our lives, Preston beautifully captured everything about us that means anything in life on our wedding day. This gets him epic status for life and this status will probably get him into the hottest clubs around the world too. #checktheepicstatus.

Preston also happens to be half of a "side business" (I say "side" because it consumes a ton of his time) that makes beautiful buttons for people who love beautiful cameras (the people are probably beautiful too).  Camera bling, if you will. Here's what Artisan Obscura says is their mission:

We here at, Artisan Obscura, are all about falling in love with photography, specifically, ones camera.

Our goal is to create products that serve both form and function. Products that exude your passion for photography and make you fall ever deeper in love with the medium. Shutter buttons that increase the functionality of your camera, by heightening the shutter action; and (soon to come) Hot-Shoe covers that protect the delicate electronic components. By using the choicest materials we can merge all the function you need with unparalleled style and class.

I presumed that only the fanciest pants camera folks (aka, not me) could use the camera bling, but I WAS WRONG. Artisan Obscura is now making buttons for lowly camera owning folks like me!

I ordered the day after this revelation. And then this gorgeous box of packaging goodness showed up. I have a THING (a serious thing) for packaging. If you take your time and do it beautifully, it stays with you. Case in point:

IMG_2045 IMG_2050 IMG_2048

I got the hot shoe cover and the sticky shutter release button because my camera is not fancy and you can't replace the shutter button with a whole button like the other fanciest cameras can (that sentence made no sense). Whatever, look how fancy my camera is now!

camera

I also like having the bigger shutter button and it fits incredibly well around my trigger happy little finger. #ohthesmallthings

Funnily enough, the same day my camera bling arrived, our box of joy showed up from Preston as well.

 

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He must have printed about 100 4x6s and put them in this box along with the most amazing looking USB I have ever seen. IMG_2058

Business folks take note (especially those that are in creative lines of business): packaging is EVERYTHING. Being a genuis doesn't hurt either.