totally sweet

Since The Album Cafe did their last feature here at Paperie, I get multiple hits in my stats daily looking for their products and coupon codes. So I contacted them again to see if they’d be interested in doing another guest post / promo. Luckily we all win because they said “yes!” Read on…


Hi everyone! We just wanted to share with you a SUPER CUTE new product we recently announced – Accordion Mini Book templates! These little books are the hottest thing out right now, and I can certainly see why – they are adorable! Our mini book templates are designed for printing at White House Custom Color, and we’re offering 20% off the entire store until Valentine’s Day so that you can try them out!

While you’re over checking out the new mini books, why don’t you grab our newest freebies!!

Don’t forget to grab the code at the bottom of each image to receive your “20% off entire order” through Valentine’s Day! And huge thanks to The Album Cafe for this promotion!

If you’re interested in having your own business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment).

P.S. Paperie Boutique was featured in the latest moo.com February 3rd “Photography special: Ideas to fall in love with!” Moosletter. Did you catch it?

Heather, be thy name

I am so excited about this guest post—it has really inspired me to change things up a bit and add a few new items to my packaging arsenal. Sit back, take five, grab and drink, and prepare to be wow’ed by Heather of Heather Garland Photography!

“Wow, I feel like it’s Christmas and I just got handed the most beautiful present under the tree.” When a client told me this one day, I knew why I put so much work into my package. It wasn’t just because I loved packaging, it was because my clients loved it too and it made them feel special. Of course, I do love packaging too. It is so exciting to me and I am always working to improve my packaging. Most people think it is silly to put so much investment and work into handing clients who have already booked you their prints. I think that is quite wrong, our clients that have had sessions are photographers MOST important marketing tool. Every one of them has friends, family, and co-workers who get married, have babies, and want family portraits. Making my clients happy is my biggest goal, not just for referrals but because I genuinely consider them friends after our sessions. Because of this, when I hand them their prints, I want them to feel like I handed them something worth the hundreds of dollars they paid for it.

First off my amazing marketing products and logo are from Amy Grace at candyapplestudios.com. She is absolutely incredible. I already had my logo done before and just switched to her to give me a somewhat new look. She made me feel so professional and amazing. Every design she handed me I was in awe because they were so incredible.

Above is my packaging. I have 3 different sizes of bags (one for sizes up to 5×7, one for prints up to 8×10, and one for sizes up to 16×20), a few different sizes of boxes (wallets, 4×6, & 8×10), and multiple shipping boxes (4×6, 8×10, and DVD sized).

My bags, boxes, tissue paper, and shipping boxes are all from papermart.com.

My tags are from cpq.com, are tied with raffia from bagsandbows.com.

My 8×10 boxes (apparel boxes), which I place inside the bags, have ribbon from Hobby Lobby and are secured with a 2 inch sticker I made myself. (I am probably going to start an etsy store eventually, just because there aren’t a lot of places to get quality round stickers. I’ve tried tons of places like Zazzle and can’t stand the shift.) I also have a 2×3.5 inch sticker from whcc.com on the bottom of my boxes and in the middle of my bags.

Inside my boxes I put the prints, an envelope with a copy of the contract, a business card, a referral post card with referral cards, and usually a little post-it note with a note to the client.

Here is a close-up of the envelopes with the contract. They are from vistaprint.com.

I include referral cards that share my referral program, along with a baggie from clearbags.com with 5-10 referral cards. The large postcard is from whcc.com and the business cards are from gotprint.net.

These are the post-it notes from 123print.com.

My prints are secured with the appropriate bag from clearbags.com and have white backing board.

I also have little wallet boxes and 4×6 boxes (jewelry boxes) that are inside the bag (if applicable).

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They have small 1 inch stickers on them, which I use on a lot of my products. I also make these myself.

If clients order a gift card, I package them the same as prints but in a 4×6 box. Here is a close-up of my gift cards.

My shipping boxes are new for me, I figured if I was professional in my other packaging I should have the same look for my shipping too.

I get my shipping labels from 123print.net and use a 2 inch sticker to seal it.

I include a tag (unpunched), the pictures, and tissue paper. This a 4×6 sized box with 4×6 prints and wallets.

For my wedding clients, I have my contracts printed and put in a folder from Office Depot. My folders are the only thing I am changing soon. I am looking into brown folders from paperpresentation.com. I put a 1 inch sticker in the corner and a business card in the slot inside.

When they book I send them a copy of the contract, a thank you card, and a candle. The thank you is from whcc.com and the candle is from Bath & Body Works.

I also include a link to a personalized site. This site has dates their payments are due, a copy of the contract & model releases, a get-to-know-you email form, and special tips for the wedding. If you want to see an example you can check it out here: http://heathergarland.com/bridesite/

Here is a close up of the thank you cards, referral cards, and business cards again.

The only thing not shown is my DVD cases, they are from jewelboxing.com and designed by my amazing designer. They are personalized with pictures from the shoot, along with a print release, and a panel explaining cropping of the photos and recommending Mpix.com.

My marketing materials change all the time, but I feel like now finally my packaging is established and I will only be adding on new and more exciting pages in the future. I am so excited to be able to share my packaging and hope it can inspire someone. This blog has definitely inspired me in my packaging and I love Robyn’s packaging and every person featured on the blog. So I hope I can pay back in a way, what has inspired and helped me so much. Thanks!

Love, Heather

Did I tell you that you would be wow’ed or what? Please stop by Heather’s blog and / or leave a comment to tell her “thanks!” What a way to kick off the new week!

If you’re interested in having your own business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment).

let’s be Petty

Paperie Boutique has hit the marketing jackpot! Today’s guest post is by none other than Erin Verbeck for Sarah Petty’s Café Joy from the Joy of Marketing.

Café Joy was named a PPA 2009 “Hot One Award” winner in the educational resources category!

Here’s a little background info… Café Joy is going up to $59 for the mailed version (will stay $35 for a downloadable version) on February 1st. So this is the last chance for Paperie Boutique readers to join Café Joy to lock in the $35 / month rate for the mailed version of Café Joy.

Here’s the additional info.

Some of you may have heard of Sarah Petty’s The Joy of Marketing from the FREE Websummit and Telesummit events we recently had for photographers. That’s right, we put those on. At the Joy of Marketing, we teach marketing! But not just any kind of marketing. BOUTIQUE marketing. What¹s boutique marketing? It¹s a philosophy that teaches you to grow your business by focusing on building your brand and strong relationships instead of relying on price discounts to create sales. At the Joy of Marketing, we draw from our 30+ years of marketing experience, successful photography studio ownership, ad agency backgrounds and MBA’s to teach you how to grow the business you want without having to work so hard!

One of the ways we teach photographers is through our monthly subscription program, Café Joy, which we¹re giving a free sample of to all of your readers! Yay! Unique in the industry, Cafe Joy is a hands-on subscription program that takes much of the guesswork out of planning your marketing. Follow us, month by month, as we guide you to success. Cafe Joy provides you with gentle reminders and consistent deadlines to achieve amazing goals for your business throughout the year. Café Joy is what I wish I had access to 10 years ago when I started my photography business. It¹s filled with the marketing inspiration, ideas and secrets I¹ve learned over the years in growing my multi-million dollar boutique photography studio. And the best part is it¹s not overwhelming. Each month as a Café Joy member, you receive a proven, actionable, practical marketing lesson from an expert, a promotional idea, or professionally designed piece. Café Joy will save you valuable time spinning your wheels trying to figure out what works for your boutique business.

Subscribe today for a monthly subscription fee of $35*, and you’ll receive a BONUS recipe tin, starter recipes for success and marketing samples. Each month, for a minimal $35* investment, you will receive more recipes, an audio cd or dvd of marketing ideas and strategies, printed samples, design templates plus so much more. This monthly program was created by demand for niche photography business owners who desire more specialized marketing support. The emphasis is on building your brand by focusing on beautiful promotional pieces that encourage client interaction while also paying attention to the important details in your business. For less than the price of a skinny, triple grande latte, your marketing will benefit from this monthly shot of caffeine… without the jitters.

*International rates apply.

To get your FREE Café Joy sample, an hour-long Promotional Planning movie that our Café Joy members received in January, chock full of ideas to get you started on the right foot in 2010, go to:

https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:67167/acctId:11781

To sign up for Café Joy just go to:

thejoyofmarketing.com/product/cafe-joy-monthly-jolt-marketing-caffeine

It’s your last chance to lock in the $35 rate for the mailed version of Café Joy. On February 1 the price goes up to $59 / month*

So hurry – there’s not much time to take advantage of this amazing offer! And big thanks to Erin and Sarah for hooking up the Paperie readership!

If you’re interested in having your own business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment).

calendar girl

The very first year I was in business in Tampa, Karen Leslie (of KarenLeslie Photography here in Orlando) shared a client desk calendar template on a forum I was on – the members there were always trading ‘gifts’ back and forth as a ‘pay it forward’ kind of thing. My 2007 calendars using Karen’s template were such a hit, I made them again for 2008 with my own design after we’d moved to Orlando. By 2009 they were ‘expected’ by my clients as an annual tradition, and they are honestly the only real form of mass-marketing that I ever do.

They have brought me so many referrals, and the word of mouth based on them is incredible. Everyone wants to show off their little Miss or Mister [insert month name]. The front and back covers have become a sort of ‘bragging rights’ with my clients. (View the above image larger.)

I decided to switch things up a bit for 2010, and instead of doing the 5×5 prints in a CD-style case, I went with landscape cases (style SF22) and 4×6 images. Although I’m very happy with how they turned out overall, I’m not very happy with the cases. They were sold as being able to hold a 4×6 photo. Actually they can hold one 4×6 photo if it’s slightly bowed. Multiple 4×6 photos at full size? Well not so much. Once again my paper trimmer became my best friend, because I have nothing but time right?

I created an original 4×6 image template for my calendar pages with a .20″ solid black bar down the left hand side. That black bar was my trim-guide and I just lopped it off and voilà! Suddenly the images would fit in the case, no problem. However, where the square cases would hold up to 22-23 images / calendar pages inside the plastic “lip”, this particular landscape case design only holds about 16 pages max. The “lip” on the landscape SF22 cases is much thinner than its square counterpart.

Since I’ve been so busy over the holiday and through the New Year, my client calendars are going out a couple of weeks later than usual this year. I included pages for January and February 2011 to compensate for this. I made a separate little packet for these extra pages plus my alumni program, my referral program, and the spring Stylized Portraiture fairytale event here in Orlando which I’ll be sponsoring for the second straight year.

If you view the above collage larger you can get a better look at the pages in the 2010 B&B client calendar that’s just now hitting the streets.

Hey, I found something that just might be your bag, baby! The cool kids over at Photojojo are launching a brand new SLR Sloop camera bag.

“Weary, sick, and tired were we of the drab camera bag, trapping our dearest of friends in black nylon drag. (It nigh made us gag.) So we sailed a strong breeze across the seven seas, to summon an SLR chum, second to none. (Plus, much more fun.)“

“A part time camera satchel, full time stripey sultress, the SLR Sloop is the siren song to any camera’s heart. With five adjustable and padded compartments for your camera plus a wallet, keys, cellphone (er, compass), windbreaker, flash, and extra lenses.“

“Fashioned from the same super-durable material used for boat sails, she’s water repellent, never fades, and is a cinch to clean. She slings across your back like a messenger bag, saving your neck and shoulders from the hardships of long voyages. And with zippered pouches inside and out, she’s a terrific tackle tote for all types of bait.”

The bag dimensions are 11×14x5″ – stop by the site for details & color options!

Please check out helpingheartsphotogs.org and follow on Twitter – it’s a small, grassroots effort by photographers to help in their communities and in the world.

If you’re interested in having your own business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment).

an apple a day

This has been a week of giving and freebies here at Paperie Boutique. Now with the next gift, in that spirit, it’s time to pay it forward and lend a hand. Please welcome Stacey Duncan of Goldapple Photography and La Pomme Design for today’s guest post.

It’s so great to be back on Paperie Boutique! I loved showcasing my boudoir packaging a few months ago, and its such an honor to get to introduce my new venture to Robyn’s loyal blogstalkers!

I started La Pomme Design a couple months ago when I was designing lots of cards and storyboards for my photography clients. I had photographer friends ask me to share my templates, I had a couple photogs ask me to design a logo for them, and I was developing new papers and my own textures to use to enhance my images. So I decided a great way to use these templates and things I was spending so much time designing would be to share them with others!

I simply can’t decide what type of design I love the most – simple and elegant, grungy and urban, fresh and modern, bright and colorful, or the so many other fabulous types of design. It is a curse and a blessing, because I don’t have a cohesive look that defines me, but that means I get to play all over the design spectrum, and I don’t feel backed into a design corner!

I am constantly working on new designs and templates, and I am still in portfolio-building mode in terms of custom design, but I am loving it! I offer card templates, album templates, storyboards, textures, digital papers, premade logos, and I am working on releasing more templates and expanding my offerings.

Until January 23, I am donating and matching all sales from La Pomme Design to the Red Cross to benefit the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Also, I designed a digital paper set based on and inspired by the Haiti flag colors, and I am offering it for free to all the Paperie Boutique readers. I hope you enjoy the papers (view here larger), and thank you so much for helping me save lives in Haiti by shopping in my shoppe!

Thanks for reading, and Robyn, thanks for taking the time to do this blog – I adore it, and am such a blogstalker! Thank you letting me be a guest!

{much love} stacey

Thank you so much, Stacey! There’s no better excuse to shop ’til you drop while getting an awesome freebie in the process! Please drop by Stacey’s blog and show your appreciation.

Just seen on The Savvy Photographer…..Photographers for Haiti: “Photographers for Haiti is a collaboration of photographers across the United States who are pledging to donate proceeds from one day of mini-sessions to one of four relief organizations to help with the destruction in Haiti.”

Also, if you haven’t heard about it yet – switchcities.com has photographic prints up for auction – the proceeds will go toward the relief efforts in Haiti. Word was just posted on their Twitter account that they’ve broken the 2K barrier!

More new guest post features are currently in the works! If you’re interested in having your own business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment).

P.S. In case you missed it, Paperie Boutique made the PPA / Imaging USA “What a great show!” newsletter this week – click here to see!

sticky? sweet!

I recently ordered custom post-it notes from VistaPrint and was very pleased with the quality when they arrived today. Sometimes I want to send clients ‘official’ communication, but it might not be ‘important’ enough to use a press-printed card or thank you note. These totally fit the bill and look fantastic.

I’ve altered my own template design for you to download (for FREE!) and create yours. The official VistaPrint crop and bleed guides are included in this .psd layered file. You can also change the colors of the pink and brown stripes, as well as the colors (box and border) of the square at top left. To change colors, click the color fill layers for each section — just double-click each box and you can change to any color you’d like. The content to alter is located inside folders. Make sure to open them so you can see what to edit. The pink arrow in this sample image shows where you click to change the colors.

You can either leave the little camera-icon and text I have there (which you will not be able to edit) — or hide that layer altogether and add your logo inside, or in place of, the square (dimensions provided in the file).

Don’t forget to hide the crop guide layer before printing! Once you go to save your work, these are VistaPrint’s accepted file formats. The font I used is Futura Medium Condensed.

→ download link ← (please note this file was designed in CS2 and you must have Photoshop or Elements and know how to edit a .psd layered file — I do not provide technical support for this download)

There are a million VistaPrint coupon codes and freebies floating around out there, so make sure to hit up Google before you buy to make sure you’re getting the best deal. (And word of warning. They tend to spam. A lot. So you might want to use a secondary e-mail account to place your order just in case.)

This template is ©Robyn Pollman, 2010. All rights reserved. It may not be copied, resold, made available for download or given away elsewhere, or redistributed without my written permission.

be ♥ mine

Today’s guest post is the best kind – pretty with benefits! One of my favorite vendors, Terry from Sassy Designs, Ltd., has dropped back by with Valentine’s Goodies for everyone.

Hi, Everyone! It’s me – Terry from Sassy Designs, Ltd.! Robyn is such a gracious host and offered to have me back a second time! Again, I am honored!

I’ve got some big plans for Sassy Designs, Ltd. in 2010 so I hope all of you will keep up with me! I’ve been so busy that I’m closing up my Etsy shop and focusing my time on my main website shop and of course doing custom orders. Until the Etsy shop is empty everything there is discounted 25% so be sure to check it out before it’s all gone!

The shop at the main website is stocked full – digital papers, design elements, card templates, and has a bunch of new things that have been added over the last few months! I’ve been working on some fun things for Valentine’s Day and as a thank you to Robyn and all of you fabulous readers I’m offering the two newest items to you for free! I hope you do fabulous things with them!

Thank you so much, Terry! When you make good use of these
freebies please leave a note in the comments and share with the class so we can all see. (You can take a peek at how I made good use of Sassy Designs background papers and a frame element in my holiday gift tags.)

More new guest post features are currently in the works! If you’re interested in having your own business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment).

I want it all and I want it now

Last week the Professional Photographers of America / PPA (ppa.com) held their annual Imaging USA convention and expo in Nashville. Well over 10,000 people were in attendance, shattering the previous record. Hundreds of vendors were also showing off their wares at the expo / trade show. Heather Lickliter of Stylized Portraiture in Athens, GA, was kind enough to take photos and post a few quick reviews of her favorite items and just-released products in this guest post. Read on (and click each image for a larger version)…

MpixPro’s cd cases and boxes were not only nice to touch and well made, but they had a lot of different sizes and they had magnet closures.

H&H Color Lab’s jewelry is the best ever. It’s printed on metallic paper inside so the photos really pop, and each of them come with a little ‘made with love‘ dangle on it. SO cute!

Clearbags now offers square baggies.

ProlabExpress had circle prints, although I was not a fan of the finish they used.

White House Custom Color / WHCC has float wraps up to size 20×30, but the canvas ones left little to be desired. The metallic float wraps with laminate finish felt like Moo cards but looked like a metallic print without the gloss. VERY awesome.

Miller’s Professional Imaging had and awesome 12×12 float wrap display and they offer matte laminate finish as well, but the largest size they currently offer is 12×12.

The Gary Fong flipcase was sweet. It comes with the white panels for macro photography or product photography.

Denny Manufacturing’s “Freedom Cloth™ Backdrops” are fantastic. Shove one in a bag and leave it for months, then whip it out—never needs an iron!

Thank you so much for taking the time to share with the class, Heather! New year. New toys. Oh boy!

And now for something completely different… There’s a new group on Flickr titled “Charity Print Auctions” and the goal is to raise money for Haiti Earthquake Relief through photography. (Rules / details here.) I currently have three of my photographs up for bid through Sunday night. Please check them out, bid, and submit your own!

More new guest post features are currently in the works! If you’re interested in having your own business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment).

rfp = really fun packaging

Having chic, custom packaging doesn’t have to cost you 50% of your sale-profits. If you know where to look and have somewhat of an idea how you want it to look—all it takes is a little paper, a little ribbon, and a lot of inspiration. Which brings us to today’s guest post by Tiffany Austin of rfp studio. Read on…

Hi all! My name is Tiffany and I’m the owner of rfp studio in Belmont, WI. I’m here to share my easy-peasy packaging with you!

In the picture above (view larger) you can see how my orders get the special treatment before being bagged up for the client.

All prints are mounted so the photos you see in the packages are 5×7s, 8×10s and an 11×14 for the large print.

I wrap in red wrapping paper from Kmart.

The ribbon is simple satin ribbon from Wal Mart. I also wanted to convey a more upscale look so I chose to use real satin ribbon instead of curling ribbon.

The little tags are hang tags from 48 hour print.

Portrait care and copyright info are actually on the same card. Just a pearl flat press printed card from WHCC.

Wallet tins are from containerandpackaging.com.

The stickers on the tins are wallet stickers from ACI.

All of this gets tucked in a bag….again from Wal Mart and fluffed with purple tissue from the Dollar Store. I also add another hang tag and sometimes, as you see here, I include a little key chain with an image from the session.

I love my packaging because I can get so much of the stuff locally and don’t have to keep a large inventory. However, I am looking into Nashville Wraps as a bulk supplier for my ribbon, paper, tissue and bags.

Thanks so much for looking and I hope it gives you some ideas!

Thank you so much for this guest post Tiffany! You do such amazing work! Please stop by her website and let her know how much you appreciate her time.

(P.S. Every wonder how to get those really cool icons / avatars next to your names in the comments? Wonder no more!)

More new guest post features are currently in the works! If you’re interested in having your own business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment).

think pink

It’s no big secret what keeps y’all coming back for more… The guest posts with the pretty, pretty packaging! And as luck would have it, that’s just what I’m about to serve up… Prepare to be blown away by the gorgeous stylings of courtney jade photography!

What would cake be without the icing? Well, it would still be quite delicious, however it wouldn’t be quite as beautiful. The details are so important to me, and beautiful photos deserve beautiful packaging. From the luscious chocolate brown boxes, to the pop of the pink ribbon, nothing goes un-prettied! I’ve recently updated and upgraded my packaging, and so far everyone has loved it!

First of all, I’ve switched from putting my digital images on CDs and DVDs, and now clients will get their images on a USB Flash drive. I’ve decided to do this for a few reasons. 1) Most importantly, the images will be safer for a longer period of time. As time goes by, DVDs and CDs can lose data due to deterioration. 2) USB Drives can be re-used, recycled. If a client prefers, they can back up their USB Drive, and use it for other things. 3) They look nicer. It may be my personal preference, but USB Drives are compact, sleek, and sexy! Here’s a peek at what you’ll get when you purchase digital images from me.

Print orders will come in luscious chocolate boxes adorn with pretty pink bows!

Inside, your precious prints are wrapped in matching pink tissue! All prints are packaged in clear plastic bags inside for protection and easy handling.

Another new thing I am doing for clients is creating “referral cards”. This is a complimentary gift with any print order. Most of my clients are referrals, so what better way to get my name out there, than to give my clients miniature photos from their session with my contact information on it?! Everyone loves a wallet-sized photo to hand out to friends and family, so far my clients love this!!

I’ve also been working on updating all of my client materials. I’m not quite finished yet, but I have a feeling that in this field, there will always be more that I want to create! Here is a taste of materials that I’ve had printed to hand out to my clients and possible clients.

There are still more fabulous materials on the way, but for now I feel like my brand is established, and will only grow from here.

I am so excited to be able to be a guest on Paperie Boutique! I love this blog, and I look to it for inspiration and ideas on a very regular basis. Robyn has been an inspiration to me for years now, and I am so excited to see this blog blossom and grow! Thank you Robyn, and thanks to everyone who reads and participates in this community!

<3 Courtney Jade

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your products with us Courtney! They’re absolutely beautiful and I adore the pink – everything here is tied together so well! You have very lucky clients.

Make sure to visit her blog and tell her thank you for this guest post!

More new guest post features are currently in the works! If you’re interested in having your own business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment).