pick a color – any color!

My recent aqua / aqua photo boxes from HB Packaging have caused quite the Internet stir. The company is actually considering offering that combo as an option now. Raise your hand if you’re interested in the comments!

HB Photo Packaging would also like to know, “Is there a color or packaging item you want for your business but can’t find?” If so, please post about it here in the comments – they are listening! If your branding is centered around colors like grey or orange that are impossible to find photo boxes to match, this is your chance to speak now or forever hold your peace.

HB does offer “print your own” packaging that you can design from scratch using blank templates—but these color suggestions on Paperie Boutique would be for their Standard, and Boutique, and Prestige packaging lines.

So dream it and post it! They’re waiting to hear from you…




And now the follow-up to yesterday’s guest post / photo teaser by Photoumbra Studios. Everyone loves the packaging posts here and this one will not disappoint!

Inspired by so many posts on the Paperie blog, I set out a few months ago to give my packaging, marketing, and price menus a good dose of consistency, simplicity, and of course some pretty! I didn’t venture far from what I had already been giving my clients, but I felt like I could vamp up my look and information a little better. I didn’t change my color scheme nor my logo, which I do think is important because as we all know, it is so crucial to be consistent and it was very important to me to incorporate my website and blog branding into my print and packaging.

Besides staying true to our current branding, it was also very important to me to be able to design tools that could help my clients make smarter and hopefully larger purchases by providing them with an easy to navigate price menu, a wall display design guide, and the ability to choose a portrait collection or build their own. As with any project, there are things I would do differently next time, but also things that I learned work great and I will continue to implement.

First lets start with the packaging. I’ve been using Kraft products to package with for some time, but what was new was some new little cards that I made up that I now include in every order. The cards include a blank “Thank You” card where I can hand write a message, a “Portrait Care Tips” card that is included with any enlargements, a “Spread the Love” card that talks about our referral program, and a “Copyright Info” card.

(If you are interested in purchasing the templates or a copy of our “Portrait Design Guide”) see the bottom of this post.

Our packaging includes:
• Boxes from Rice Studio Supply
• Stickers from WHCC (but I will soon be trying out
  Black River Imaging’s die cut stickers)
• Bags, Tissue and Ribbons from Nashville Wraps
• Little stickers from MOO
• Thank You, Copyright Info, Referral Info, and Portrait
  Care Tip Cards printed by Overnight Prints

Next up is our “Portrait Boutique Catalog”. The version that I give to each of my clients is 5.5×11 folded press printed card with a 5×5x8.5 insert. The Catalog outlines each of our print and product lines with brief descriptions of each and standard size pricing. The insert features our “Portrait Collection” on one side (5 to choose from) and a “Build Your Own Collection” option on the other side. The BYOC has been very popular and I have found that most of my clients are enjoying the freedom of it.

Our Catalog and insert cards were printed by Overnight Prints.

Finally, is our “Portrait Design Guide”. This guide is given to select clients who are interested in investing in wall portraits. It includes a cover, an introduction to the guide, 14 inspiring designs for wall displays, a card for them to record measurements throughout their home where they would like to create a wall display, and a card where they can jot down any notes, or draw ideas. The cards corners are rounded an they are bound by a single hinged silver ring. Also included along with the guide is a 60″ measuring tape that we had custom branded for our studio with the tag line “Design Away – Photoumbra Studios“, they also receive a pen branded with our studio name and website. Each of these items fit into a nice 5×7 box decorated with our studio logo and a ribbon.

The “Portrait Design Guide” vendors are:
• Cards printed by Overnight Prints
• Wall Display Design purchased from Gradybug Designs
  but altered to reflect our studio colors and I also included
  some other design elements and text into these
• Tape Measures from American Bridal
• Pens from Ink Spot

If you are interested in receiving a digital or hard copy of our “Portrait Design Guide” we are offering them for sale for Paperie Boutique readers.

** Please note that I will not include the actual wall display templates in the sale of the digital copy because I purchased those from another vendor. However, I will include the cover pages I designed myself along with a digital copy of our Thank You, Copyright Info, Referral Info, and Portrait Care Tip Cards. You can order yours HERE. If you say you are a Paperie reader you will get $20 off the digital download price ’til July 4th – making it just $29 instead of $49.**

Huge thanks to Monica Burby and Photoumbra Studios. I learned of new vendors myself with this post, and have a lot of fun ideas swirling around in my head now! Don’t forget to stop by Monica’s website and blog to say “thank you”, too.

P.S. If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. If you are a photographer and are interested in having your packaging featured – or are a vendor and are interested in having your business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured – please contact robyn @ this domain to be added to the posting schedule.

weekly wrap-up

When I saw the “Nate Berkus™ 26-piece Gift Wrap Kit” at Apartment Therapy recently, I knew it would make the perfect prize here at Paperie.

It’s minimalist and classic, so if you’re just starting out or haven’t quite settled on a look yet, youy’re not tied down by a color scheme or print – but can still present your clients with something expensive looking and stylish. The kit includes:

•  6 – gift bags 12½” x 10″ x 5″ (3 black stripe, 3 gold stripe, die-cut handles)
•  4 – 10′ x 30″ wrapping paper rolls – 25 square feet of each (4 designs)
•  12 – 3″ x 3″ gift cards with envelopes (4 designs)
•  2 – black raffia 20′ rolls
•  2 – natural raffia 20′ rolls
•  storage box

To win just go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

Win a Nate Berkus™ 26-piece Gift Wrap Kit at Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog and get a FREE Mother’s Day template!

Post the URL(s) to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 10th.

Please note: If you have won a prize within the last 30 days, please sit this one out and give someone else a chance to win please! The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item. If we have to subscribe to your feed or page or request permission to see it, you will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter up to four times total – one entry each per public, non-private blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account.

You have four chances to win but only one chance PER LINK – please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed. And post your 1-4 separate links in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner has been announced! See the announcement here!

Recently I put up a download for a 10×5 inch “mom” storyboard. This morning, I put up a link to download the following 8×8 inch story-art on my Flickr account.

The editing instructions for the 8×8 are the same as for the 10×5.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend!
-Robyn

ATTENTION VENDORS: We tuck business cards, coupon inserts, and promo pieces inside of our prize packages. If you are interested in having yours included, please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment). Also contact me if you are interested in having your business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured on Paperie Boutique.

ATTENTION PHOTOGRAPHERS: Show us your packaging! If the features here have helped you pull together your own look, please share with the class and pay it forward. Contact Robyn (e-mail link in the sidebar / robyn @ this domain) to be added to the posting schedule.

If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain.

The 10×5″ and 8×8″ templates are ©Robyn Pollman, 2010. All rights reserved. They may not be copied, resold, made available for download or given away elsewhere, or redistributed without my written permission.

packages tied up with strings

This is finals and dorm move-out week for the girls that usually assist me with Paperie Boutique, so if you’ve noticed the posting has been rather light, that’s why. So today – just a quick “favorite things” list for you to enjoy!

1. Paper Crave (the name says it all – you’ll be lost here awhile)
2. grosgrain ribbon on Etsy (she’s from Oklahoma, too, y’all!)
3. Tessa Ann – buttons and appliqués
4. washi tape – kick your packaging up a notch
5. Oh Joy! – because it’s pretty – I like pretty

And from the master herself, Martha Stewart’s “how to tie the perfect bow” (three different ways).

Last but certainly not least, a vendor who has been mentioned here several times at Paperie is Nashville Wraps and they have recently updated their blog with information on how the recent Tennessee flooding is effecting their community. Please keep them in your thoughts!

wanna buy 5 copies for my mother

In case you missed the big news on Twitter this weekend, a sneak-peek of the May 2010 issue of Rangefinder Magazine was released online — and Paperie Boutique / yours truly are featured in the “Marketing Mojo” section (along with the photos of a couple of previous Paperie guest posters)!

I’ve had to sit on this news for weeks now and I’ve been bursting at the seams to share it here. Watch your snail-mail boxes because the actual print-magazine should start arriving soon!

It’s been an amazing spring for my businesses. This national print campaign just launched last week. (I knew it would be late spring or early summer but I wasn’t sure exactly when.) The Rangefinder online edition went up Friday. And I’ll get to spill the biggest news of all this June — I got the final confirmation on it this past Friday as well. Strange days, indeed.

To thank everyone for getting us here, we’re giving one lucky Paperie Boutique reader a $20.00 gift certificate to Robyn’s favorite place online – Paper Source.

To win just go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

To celebrate Paperie Boutique / @shutterblog being in May Rangefinder Magazine / @RFWPPI — win $20 to @Paper_Source at paperieboutique.com

Post the URL(s) to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 5th.

Please note: If you have won a prize within the last 30 days, please sit this one out and give someone else a chance to win please! The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item. If we have to subscribe to your feed or page or request permission to see it, you will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter up to four times total – one entry each per public, non-private blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account.

You have four chances to win but only one chance PER LINK – please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed. And post your 1-4 separate links in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. Hope YOU win!

UPDATE: The winner has been announced here – thanks to everyone who entered!

The cool kids over at Photojojo asked us to share one of their new products with you – the Shinjuku Photo Scrap-Kit. If you’re stuck on what to get your mom for Mother’s Day, this might be the perfect solution!

They discovered this kit on a recent trip to Japan and imported it just for you. It’s vintage / retro. It’s hip. It’s acid-free. And it has pretty vellum, photo tape, and cinema film sticky notes.

I think I’m turning Japanese. I really think so!




Miss all the packaging features? We can’t post them if you don’t send them! If you would like your packaging featured, or would like to nominate someone for us to contact and request they submit their packaging for a feature, please write Robyn (e-mail link is in the sidebar or you can type it out – robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment).

’til Tuesday

Recently I posted a storyboard collage on Flickr that I made for one of my clients.

With Mother’s Day rapidly approaching, I thought you might like to do the same for your clients – so I’ve modified my design above into a 10×5 “mini-storyboard” you can add photos to, edit as much or as little as you’d like, and give to your clients.

I suggest having the image lustre-coated, fine-linen textured, and mounted to styrene or double-weight matboard. You could even add in a cute tabletop easel as an extra special touch.

You will need to add three vertical / portrait images that are 750×1050 pixels, 300 dpi. You will see three folders for each of the images (left, middle, and right) – and inside each of the folders you will see the image frame on top, and another layer on bottom that you will hide after adding your image on top of it.

The white background color can be changed with one click as shown in the Photoshop background color fill layer in the Layers Palette. The text for the word “mom” and the pronunciation cannot be changed. However, the text for the definition CAN be changed. The font used is Garamond.

→ 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)

I recently ran across this marketing set on Flickr (in the “Promote This!” pool) and immediately asked Cindy Irene Photography to feature her work here on Paperie. Her presentation is just so unique. I had never seen anything like it!

“I have been in business for close to a year now, just recently branding my business thanks to all the wonderful ideas here at Paperie Boutique! But, when I first started I didn’t care for the non-personalized choices so I created my own.

I made these client packets for 8×10s out of card stock. The front pocket is another decorative card stock to hold the low resolution CD that my clients receive with their prints. I used a bone scorer around the edges for added effect. I cut another designer cardstock to create a ribbon on the front (real ribbon could also be used) and leave a spot for my sticker or business card to be placed.

I also have these on hand now as gift packaging that the clients can purchase when they give prints to family and friends. Different sizes are available for wallets all the way up to 8×10s and can be created for Christmas, weddings, birthdays, etc.”

Don’t miss Cindy’s marketing set on Flickr – there are a couple of additional photos for ideas and inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing, Cindy!

Recently Paperie Boutique was a featured sponsor at “Photographer’s Kick Start | Guides and Products for Professional Photographers“. If you’re a fan of “Hey Girl, Nice Shot” you’ll definitely want to check out Jessica’s latest venture! (And not just because Paperie will be a part of the ‘virtual swag bag’…) It’s a great training program to help photographers teach other moms how to use their DSLRs. The pre-release is available on April 30th.

Last but certainly not least, don’t forget you have until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 28th, to win a $100.00 gift certificate to LCH Design here on Paperie Boutique. Check out yesterday’s post for more details!

ATTENTION VENDORS: We tuck business cards, coupon inserts, and promo pieces inside of our prize packages. If you are interested in having yours included, please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment). Also contact me if you are interested in having your business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured on Paperie Boutique.

ATTENTION PHOTOGRAPHERS: Show us your packaging! If the features here have helped you pull together your own look, please share with the class and pay it forward. Contact Robyn (e-mail link in the sidebar / robyn @ this domain) to be added to the posting schedule.

If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain.

The 10×5″ storyboard 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.

the monster mash(up)

Normally I don’t post on the weekends because I’m shooting, but this past week has been anything but normal. And since I finally have a weekend off and a mountain of stuff to catch up on post-flu, today is a Paperie Mashup of photos, guest posts, and fabulous prizes. (Make sure you read ’til the end for the chance to win a little summin’-summin’!)

After 2½ months of non-stop, back-to-back shooting (including 6 babies born 4-6 weeks ahead of schedule), I finally have a few weekends free thanks to the early births to try and catch up on life (and work, and more work, and even more work) again. I’m surprised some of my clients haven’t started chasing me through town with pitchforks and torches. But before I could unclutter my to-do list, I had to get some sense of order back in my office. And I finally got the 33-year old portrait of me and my mom restored and up on the wall, so for the first time, the room looks as complete as I always envisioned it in my mind.

You can see more of my office / wrapping station over at Flickr in the post and in the comments.

This portrait of me and my mom (including the frame) hung above the wrapping station in my grandmother’s (maternity / infant / toddler / child) clothing store from the 70s to the late 80s. Now it has been restored and hangs above mine.

My red and Tiffany suitcases are no longer sold, but try Land of Nod for ones very similar.

A quick peek at my closet storage system. I also have 1-car of our 3-car garage. Will work for props!

And if you didn’t get quite enough office pics from me, here’s one more from Heather of Stylized Portraiture in Athens, GA.

“In our studio we have a sliding door with about 2-inches of wall clearance. It hides the door when we’re gone or during appointments and slides open when we’re open to the public. We needed a wall to show various print sizes and decided to put it behind that door. With only 2 inches of clearance, we couldn’t use frames. Originally, we were going to use vinyl stickers that looked like frames, but the least expensive place that we found ended up costing almost $300 for all of them – an amount we just weren’t prepared to spend. So, we bought designer thumbtacks at Hobby Lobby and used those instead! They’re paper over wood, but designer pushpins come in all kinds of materials, even glass! Just check on Etsy or your local stores.”

Recently Paperie had a Design Aglow “Studio Look Book” giveaway sponsored by one of our readers Tosha Francis of The Captured Life Photography in Washington D.C.

Tosha just finished her own “Wedding Look Book” (featured last week on the Design Aglow blog) and welcome packet (using vendors and resources seen here). It all turned out PERFECT – check it out!

Congrats Tosha and thanks for sharing – your clients are going to be blown away!

I didn’t forget my promise of “fabulous prizes” – here’s the latest giveaway – the “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” packaging collection courtesy of Paperie Boutique & HB Photo Packaging.

The “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” packaging collection includes:

• two 5×7½”-deep Wedding White / Paragon Brown photo boxes from
  HB Photo Packaging (a photo box look styled by Paperie – Wedding
  White box tops which are a gorgeous pearl-white and pale silver
  stripe pattern, and Paragon Brown box bases) — each box has a
  brown Tissue Fold and brown Stretch Ribbon Loop included
• two 8×10½”-deep Wedding White / Paragon Brown photo boxes
  from HB Photo Packaging — each box has a brown Tissue Fold
  and brown Stretch Ribbon Loop included
• two 6×4×2½”-deep Wedding White / Paragon Brown 250 Proof
  boxes from HB Photo Packaging
• four 3×4″ Clean Edge Card “Style H” Tags in Aqua from
  Envelopperinc.com
• two mini-frame + brad photo-charm packaging embellishments
  (as seen on my own packaging here)
• two rolls of “Aqua Essentials” (88146 & 88148) Elements 3/8″
  ribbon by American Crafts
• four aqua, white and brown thank you cards with white envelopes
• four 1.5″ round sticker seals in Pool from Paper Source
• one HB Photo Packaging “Professional Photography Presentation
  Packaging” guide (shown here)

Want it? Go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

I want Breakfast at Tiffany’s packaging set by HB Photo Packaging / h-bphoto.com & @shutterblog ’s Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com

Post the URL(s) to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 20th.

Please note: The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item.

You can enter up to four times total – one entry each per public, non-private blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account.

You have four chances to win but only one chance PER LINK – please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed. And post your 1-4 separate links in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. Good luck everyone!

And check back often this week – more great posts are already on the schedule!

UPDATE: The winner Rachel Allison has been announced! Thank you to everyone who participated!

ATTENTION VENDORS: We tuck business cards, coupon inserts, and promo pieces inside of our prize packages. If you are interested in having yours included, please contact me (my e-mail is in the sidebar and is robyn @ this domain – or you can leave a comment). Also contact me if you are interested in having your business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured on Paperie Boutique.

ATTENTION PHOTOGRAPHERS: Show us your packaging! If the features here have helped you pull together your own look, please share with the class and pay it forward. Contact Robyn (e-mail link in the sidebar / robyn @ this domain) to be added to the posting schedule.

If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain.

fine art

I’m so excited to share this guest post by Ana Brandt. In addition to being an amazing maternity and newborn / baby photographer, she runs the theartofpregnancyandnewborn.com website, myLIFE workshops, and TAoPaN Magazine. (Oh and by the way, there’s a free download at the end so don’t just skim!) Now without further adieu…

I love this site. The eye candy is so great and it’s fun to be featured on here!

As photographers we all know how important it is to develop your niche and create your brand. That’s what theartofpregnancyandnewborn.com is all about.

As we speak I am revamping many of my websites but even as is, they still mark who I am. One of my main passions is pregnancy aand newborn photography. I LOVE newborns! Don’t we all? But I LOVE pregnant women even more. I know many photographers just shoot the maternity session in anticipation for the newborn session, but I love pregnancy and capturing it is a must.

I created a separate site for my pregnancy and newborn titled Belly Baby Love. It has a classic signature black and white look. My standard color palette is browns for studio work, but for the pregnancy and newborn sessions I wanted to keep it simple.

This year I joined a company that delivers gift baskets to celebrity clients each month. I am the sole photographer in their “BUMP basket”, and when they get the call that a celebrity or their spouse is pregnant, my information is included in that basket. I teamed up with a client of mine that creates cards for Envelopments and they helped me come up with something cute and simple to put in the “BUMP basket”. Since we are already a part of the Envelopments dealer program I knew what pieces would work so we developed a promo piece with relative ease.

The main goal was to keep it classic and simple…

• Calendar is by CPQ
• The stickers are by ProDPI
• The trifolds inside are our own design (available on our
  site at theartofpregnancyandnewborn.com)
• Our designer created what we wanted and printed it on
  cardstock from Envelopments and used coordinating
  papers and envelopes – these are great because we
  can change them at will and just print as we need
• The gift card is a two sided wallet from ProDPI (we
  love how sturdy these wallets are!)
• Inside the pocket we have our pregnancy, newborn
  and first-year trifolds printed on pearl paper at WHCC

These have been sent to celebrities such as Bree Turner, Jamie Oliver, Annie Wersching, Mario Lopez, Alicia Coppola, Kevin Costner, and Catherine Bell just to name a few – plus a slew of other celebrities. The baskets usually go out very early, so it takes a bit until we hear from them. But we can’t wait until we get that phone call!

When venturing out and seeking opportunities, make sure you have all of your materials ready. For Pregnancy and Newborn you should always have the following:

• Pregnancy Pricing
• Newborn Pricing
• A package to include both
• A first year plan/option
• Standard pricing

Clients want to know all of their options. Most of our clients choose a package and many come into the plan. The key is to have amazing classic images. In many of our materials we provide stock images for other photographers to use in their material. We also highly recommend you have some very classic pregnancy and newborn images in your hands ready to create material. Our material has information on what to bring for the session, as well as what to wear. We also give clients a list of foods they should not eat before coming in for a newborn session. The more prepared we can make this client the more comfortable they will be.

Remember, you are dealing with the two most sensitive times of a clients life – being pregnant and having a baby. We want our clients to come in and feel they have been prepared for and are being taken care of. They know what clothing we have – we have a large collection of mama dresses from our Thredz line, as well as diaper covers for the baby. Our studio is equipped with water, wipes, snacks, music, a noise machine and a hundred other things that are handy to have around.

To view a list of products to support your efforts and join us in webinars or our online workshop, visit theartofpregnancyandnewborn.com. To view a copy of our free magazine go to taopanmag.com.

Shop for marketing products at the TAoPaN Store. Use the coupon code PAPER to get 15% off everything. The store is being reopened temporarily just for this promotion.

And as a special gift for Paperie readers, you can download a free nursing card from theartofpregnancyandnewborn.com.

→ download link ← (The card is what we give to clients prior to their session. It contains a list of foods to avoid so their baby isn’t fussy and gassy.)

Also visit our Thredz Store for baby, children, and mama.

Thank you so much, Ana! If you don’t subscribe to myLIFE workshops, and TAoPaN Magazine, make sure to do so!

Have a great weekend everyone!
-Robyn

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).

If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. Check the sidebars – several advertisers joined us this week!

I see France!

Today brings back one of my favorite features of this site – the packaging!

Thursday’s guest post is courtesy of Kelli France of {France Photography}. It’s no big secret that I’m a Francophile so Kelli’s entire “theme” and packaging line just makes me swoon. From the logo, to the colors, to the blog name (“Ooh blog la“), not even the tiniest of details was overlooked by Kelli. It’s a solid, beautiful branding scheme and sheer perfection. Enjoy!

Logo image for Francypants Academy is also the front of a Miller’s rep card.

The bags, tissue paper, and ribbon are from Nashville Wraps. The bag tag is a rep card from whcc.com with die-cut corners.

The stickers are from WHCC and then hand cut. The black boxes are from NPD Box Company.

The slip-in mats are from J.Lee Albums.

The pink, polka dotted pillow boxes are from paper-source.com.

And the last two collages are a teaser of more to come…

Make sure to check out Kelli’s website and blog – and her mentoring site Francypants Academy (“teaching photographers how to create a brilliant boutique business and powerful portraits that STAND OUT in a digital world“). Thank you, Kelli!

(P.S. Paperie Boutique was recently featured on The France Photography Blog so if you missed it, go have a look-see. There’s a hidden surprise from yours-truly!)

Don’t forget to enter the new La Pomme Design contest (open until 11:59 p.m. EDT) if you haven’t already!

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).

If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. Check the sidebars – even more new advertisers were added last night!

golden ticket

I’m so excited to have Stacey Duncan of La Pomme Design and Goldapple Photography back for another guest post (January 2010, October 2009)! Make sure to read all the way to the end, because one Paperie viewer will get very lucky this week!

It’s a pleasure to be back at the Paperie Boutique! I have received so much inspiration from this blog and from the generous souls who are featured on here, so I love that I get to be part of it!

I have spent several months developing my branding, my marketing materials, and really, my business, and have fallen in love with it. Last year was my first year in business, and I didn’t realize how important it was to really LOVE the business side of my business. I mean, as photographers, we love the photography side of the business, but there is so much more to it! Even if you aren’t a business-oriented person, as a business owner you have to be somewhat savvy (or hire someone who is!), and you can enjoy the business more when you develop it to your tastes.

After determining my ideal client, my market, my business plan, and it was time to let my branding follow accordingly. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted, and I knew how my main competition is branded, so I knew how to NOT brand myself as well! My logo was my starting point.

I developed a brand that is elegant, timeless, and is adaptable to all different types of portrait photography. It is appealing to my ideal clientele, and I am absolutely in LOVE with it – which is the most important part!

When a client books a session over email/the internet, they fill out the info form and contract online and pay online. I then mail the client a welcome packet in an envelope from Paper Source. The welcome packet includes a general information brochure, an investment brochure (which is my full price guide), a client gifts card, a session card that is specific to their session type (maternity, newborn, engagement, etc), a personal note handwritten from me, a fashion wallet guide, a set of paper examples, and a couple business cards.

If a client wants to meet in person for a consultation, I will bring the physical info form and contract for the client to sign. I bring the exact same welcome packet, except I bring it all in a large Paper Source envelope with the forms.

Some of my other marketing materials include a gift certificate, referral card with personalized image wallets, and a personalized 11×17 wall calendar. I also print stickers for my welcome packet mailings, shipping labels for client purchases, and copyright stickers to put on the backsides of image enlargements.

I get so many compliments from clients about my marketing, so I know it is successful in that they recognize it and admire it. I actually did a family session last Sunday night for two graphic designers, and they both were thoroughly impressed with it, which I took as a WIN. It’s like when another photographer admires your work, you take that as a higher compliment than when a client admires it.

Many of you know I am the owner of La Pomme Design, The Photographer’s Boutique. I have taken all of my marketing templates and made them completely customizable, able to work with any branding, and a perfect jumping off point for photographers who don’t have the time, inclination, or knowledge to create a full marketing campaign. I have even included a couple templates that I know other photographers use that I haven’t incorporated yet!

Introducing the Goldapple Photography Premier Marketing Kit! The kit includes unflattened .psd templates of the following:

- Business Card (front and back) (ProDPI)
- 2010 Calender
- Copyright Sticker
- Gift Certificate (WHCC)
- Special Occasion Gift Certificate (WHCC)
- Information Card (ProDPI)
- Investment Card (ProDPI)
- Session Type Card (ProDPI)
- Notepad (VistaPrint)
- Post-it (VistaPrint)
- Paper Texture Wallets (WHCC)
- Referral Card (WHCC)
- Referral Wallet (front and back) (WHCC)
- Shipping Label
- Limited wording is included

The Premier Marketing Kit is on an introductory sale for only $48 through April 30, 2010, only at La Pomme Design. On May 1st, the price will go up to $68, so now is the time to invest in your business and create a solid marketing campaign!

Also through the month of April, use the code “PBROCKS*” in the La Pomme Design Shoppe and get 20% off your purchase – no minimum!

*This discount does NOT apply to the Premier Marketing Kit, but does apply to everything else.

And just because I love getting free stuff as much as you, here is your opportunity to win the Premier Marketing Kit!

Step one to win: Either subscribe to the La Pomme Design newsletter or become a fan of the La Pomme Design Facebook page.

Step two to win: Go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

I want the @goldapplephotos & La Pomme Design / lapommedesign.com Goldapple Photography Premier Marketing Kit – visit paperieboutique.com!

Step three to win: Post the URL(s) to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 8th.

Please note: The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item.

You can enter up to four times total – one entry each per public, non-private blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account.

You have four chances to win but only one chance PER LINK – please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed. And post your 1-4 separate links in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. Good luck everyone!

(P.S. If you win and have already purchased the kit, you will get a refund of your purchase!)

UPDATE The winner Sean Walker Photography has been announced here! Congrats and thanks to La Pomme Design and everyone who entered!

Thank you so much Stacey – you’ve been so good to the site and I know everyone appreciates it! Drop by and see her work at Goldapple Photography.

Don’t forget to enter the new Design Aglow contest (open until 11:59 p.m. EDT) if you haven’t already!

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).

If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. Check the sidebar – several new advertisers are joining us this week!

wrapper’s delight

First things first… We are ELEVEN comments away from our 1000th published comment! So to say thanks, the 1000th commenter will win the following prize – two 2¾ x 4″ wallet albums (one black, one pink) with peel-and-stick pages.

UPDATE: We have our 1000th comment by raphotographs – thanks so much!

Today’s big giveaway is an “Apples to Oranges Packaging Set” courtesy of Paperie Boutique & HB Photo Packaging. Read on to see what’s included and details how to win!

The “Apples to Oranges Packaging Set” includes:

• one 5×7 1/2″-deep Kraft photo box from HB Photo Packaging
• one 5×7 1/2″-deep Red Ribbed photo box from HB Photo Packaging
• one 5×7 1/2″-deep Copper/Paragon photo box from HB Photo Packaging
• one 5×7 stretch ribbon loop in gold from HB Photo Packaging
• one Event Proof Box in Vanilla Rosebud from HB Photo Packaging
• one medium Earth Friendly Eco-Tote in Kraft from HB Photo Packaging
• 1.5-yards of Martha Stewart Crafts decorative ribbon tape
• one 1-foot acid free ribbon roll in multi-dot
• one Paper Source letterpress orange and red “thank you” note with kraft envelope
• one “To / From” gift tag
• one sheet (six total) metal-ringed circle greeting-tags
• one HB Photo Packaging “Professional Photography Presentation Packaging” guide

To win, it’s simple! Go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

Win an “Apples to Oranges Packaging Set” from Paperie Boutique & HB Photo Packaging / h-bphoto.com – visit paperieboutique.com for more!

Please note: The link you post must direct to a public account. I cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this promotion.

You can enter up to four times total – one entry each per public, non-private blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account. Post the URL to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 a.m. EST on Wednesday, March 31st.

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner was announced on Thursday and it’s Marcia Todd / mtoddphoto! Congrats to Marcia, thanks to everyone who participated, and stay tuned – more goodies on the way!

Thank you for reading, and please make sure you check out our new sponsors in the sidebar!

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).

If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain.

Small wonders

Make sure you read ’til the end because there is another AMAZING (yes, AMAZING) give-away!

But since I’m a firm believer in “dessert first, main course later…” here’s another great packaging feature. Today’s guest post is by Carrie Small of Carrie Small Photography in Fayetteville, NC. You might remember that Carrie was featured here last August. She recently updated her packaging and it’s visual proof that lightning can strike the same place twice!

Appointment Reminder – sent out to clients after they send in their deposit to hold a session. The template came from Pink Ink Studios and is printed at my print shop as a folded bookmark.

Avery Notebook – holds my signed model releases, frames examples, and receipts. Purchased from avery.com [Note from Robyn: for more information about, and photos of, the Avery organizers see this previous Paperie entry]

“Flair for your Fridge” – used to seal the ribbons on my presentation boxes for my clients, I purchased them from somethingbluestudios.com. They are really magnets.

Copyright and Print Release – printed front and back press printed 5×7 card from my print shop. I add one to each presentation box. I purchased the template/wording from thepolishedphotographer.com.

High Resolution CD/Case – CDs are printed from CPQ, enclosed in a trifold 5×5 card from my print shop. The template/wording was purchased from thepolishedphotographer.com and includes copyright info, a signed print release, and printing recommendations. The CD hub was purchased at shop4tech.com.

Low Resolution CD/Case – I print the label for these CDs myself, and they are included free of purchased files. They are added to the presentation box with the clients images. Included is a the copyright information and terms of use for the photos. The CD hub was purchased at shop4tech.com.

Client Info Packet – includes a 5×5 Trifold Contract, Model Release and Price List (printed as a sell sheet from MpixPro) and 2 business cards, enclosed in a presentation envelope purchased from Paper Source.

Referral Packet – added to each client order. Includes a 5×5 flat press printed card containing my referral information. I print wallets of each order with my website information and referall information on the back of the wallets, and include them tied in a ribbon to the referral packet. They are then enclosed in a petal envelope from paper-source.com and sealed with custom stickers from Moo.com (not pictured).

Presentation Boxes – I purchase my boxes from Rice Studio Supply and enclose all prints in clear bags from clearbags.com. The box is then wrapped with a ribbon matching my branding and sealed with a flair for your fridge magnet from somethingbluestudios.com.

Calendar – printed from CPQ, I use this as my calendar for scheduling.

Thank You Card – this is a 5×5 print that I print after editing a favorite photo from the session – I try to do this the day after the session. It includes a thank you to the client as well as information on viewing the gallery when it is ready. I mail this in a 5×5 envelope from paper-source.com.

Thank you so much for coming back to share a follow-up, Carrie! Your work, and your packaging, are nothing short of perfection. You can catch Carrie to say thanks at her blog here.

Still with me? Good! Because here’s the amazing give-away coming up for one lucky reader!

Recently I was contacted by a regular reader, Tosha Francis, of The Captured Life Photography. This site has been a tremendous help to Tosha and her business and she wanted to “pay it forward”. So she is donating the “Studio Look Book – Basic” from Design Aglow ($175.00 value). I already have the download information. All you have to do is win it!

“Professionally written and graphically designed, our fully customizable template is divided into categories to help sell all your fabulous studio offerings, from everything from albums to wall galleries, specialty items, high resolution negatives and more. Our 30 page, 8×12 catalog template makes selling every single product your studio offers an easy and beautiful experience…simply insert your own product photo into our layouts.”

So exactly how do you win? That might be helpful information, no? Go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

Win the @designaglow / designaglow.com Studio Look Book – visit Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog to find out how!

Please note: The link you post must direct to a public account. I cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item.

You can enter up to four times total – one entry each per public, non-private blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account. Post the URL to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday, March 26th.

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. Good luck everyone!

Don’t forget to tell Tosha “thank you” over at her blog, too! I ♥ my readers!

UPDATE: We have a winner! It’s Belinda Olsen Photography!

Congratulations Belinda and thanks to everyone who entered. More giveaways are in the works (including this current one by Photoflashdrive.com that runs through Sunday evening) – so check back!

And just a little FYI, you might want to make sure you check back in Friday. That’s all I’m sayin’ for now!

Last but not least… If you noticed things were a little wonky here earlier in the week, my amazing host (Hosting Matters) has been taking great care of us. They put Paperie over in its own space away from my other business and personal sites to make it even bigger / better / faster. I’ve been with Hosting Matters since 2001 and I can’t imagine being anywhere else. If you need a web host, check them out! You can get quite a deal if you say you’re from Paperie Boutique!

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 candy

Did you happen to catch the Moo blog last Friday? If so, you might have spotted someone you recognize!

There are more details in the blog entry, but recently I was asked to contribute to two workshop “swag bags”. This past Friday our home was turned into a make-shift assembly line of spouse plus sorority girls making sure everything got assembled and mailed out in time!

For one workshop, I had Moo MiniCards printed to top little bags of candy buttons, and also included 4×6″ Paperie Boutique promo postcards from GotPrint.

I bought the candy buttons after seeing a blog entry at Bake it Pretty. (In addition to the idea of bagged candy, they also provide free download templates for print which I later modified for my own use.) Shortly after buying the candy buttons, I received a sample candy bag from “the designer concept” (recently featured here on Paperie) and instantly knew how I wanted to package my own.

I’m extremely happy with how they turned out, but I wouldn’t expect any less from Moo!

For the other workshop, I used ProDPI for the printing.

In included 4.5×5″ Paperie Boutique postcards using their “press promo packs“, heart-punched a hole in the top corner, and attached mini toy cameras (with working shutter button and viewfinder). I also used two separate designs / sets of their “press tent cards“. One was the button candy bag topper – with two surprise photography-related quotes inside. The other was a business / promo card with my photography business card on the outside, and a mini-promo for Paperie Boutique on the inside. Everything was printed on their incredible, thick smooth matte paper.

If you’re interested in making candy bags of your own (they would be perfect to tuck in client orders!) check out the “Confections of a Secret Admirer” sets over at theDesignerConcept.com.

Recently I was also asked to test out the new ProDPI accordion booklets. I modified a new 2010 Pinkle Toes 4 Photographers (recently featured here on Paperie) CD / photo box design into an accordion template.

I ordered the Silk Upgrade Sapphire and Sea Green covers, and the Chrome Upgrade Platinum cover. I think Sea Green is my favorite although I keep changing my mind. It’s definitely the closest to my business colors. (You can view the second accordion photo larger here.) My favorite part about these accordions? They offer something no one else does – ProDPI’s smooth matte paper. In my opinion, it simply cannot be beat. These little books are going to make clients very happy!

Stay tuned this week…more great giveaways planned!

UPDATE: I found my candy at The Rosemary Company. Check them out for themed-candies and client gift-goodies – they even have eco-friendly products!

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).