You may remember that during our birthday celebration, Paperie readers get a special Moo discount. I have it straight from the cow’s mouth that not only are MiniCards, Postcards, Greeting Cards and Stickers on sale for 30% off during this 48-hour sale – but you can also use your Paperie birthday code for an ADDITIONAL 10% off these items through Thursday, July 15th at 11:59 p.m. EDT! (The Paperie code is good through Sunday, July 18th at midnight.)

And just because we love you, the first 15 people to comment (all gone! check back for more goodies soon!) will get the download link to these two Moo mini-card templates:

If you don’t make it in time to snag the above cards, never fear! You can dig around in the archives for free downloads – a special delivery “gift” mini card template, and two holiday mini card templates (1, 2).

What are you waiting for? Get the extra Paperie code and get Moooving before the sale expires!

If you publish or spy birthday wishes for Paperie, please make sure to e-mail me (link in sidebar) or leave a comment so I can share with the class!

And a small birthday gift from me to you – the first five people (all gone but go here for more goodies!) to comment will win Fit to Print “design seven” 5×5 tri-fold templates (shown below).

Catch up on all this week’s festivities, vendor promos, and birthday fun here!

You’ll have to come up with the front and back design (I used a business card front/back for mine), but I’ve attached a download for the inside-spread that includes the calendar. I have included the crop-guide layer. You’ll have to add your logo if desired and the month names, calendar dates, and month box background colors are not customizable (unless you delete the layers and add your own in their places) – but the background color and bar-stripe are easily changed with the click of the mouse.

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 month names, the date text, and the box backgrounds for each month cannot be changed. However, the top stripe CAN be changed and your logo can be added using the included lab crop-guide for ProDPI.

→ 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)

And now as promised…the big giveaway by Heather Green of The Drop Shoppe! Heather has stopped by for today’s guest post…

The Drop Shoppe (thedropshoppe.com) sells thick, matte, high quality vinyl backdrops in large sizes that are affordable for photographers. You can use these with studio lighting or natural light. Each image is created in Photoshop or Illustrator to be the absolute sharpest possible when it’s printed in large format. Currently we sell two sizes; 5 feet by 8 feet and 10 feet by 8 feet. The 5′x8′ drops are $90.00 and the 10′x8′ drops are $150.00 All prices include free shipping to the continental United States. If you are out of the country you do have to pay shipping, but we work hard to find you the fastest and most affordable shipping solution. Each backdrop has an extra 1/2″ white border around the outside, which is perfect for you to clamp to your backdrop stand. This way you’re not clamping directly onto the backdrop image.

Here we have a simple set up of hooks screwed into the wall, a metal pole and three large clamps holding the backdrop.

There’s a variety of ways to hang these backdrops. You can just clamp them to your horizontal pole on your backdrop stand (with large clamps you can purchase at a hardware store), or you can hang hooks on your wall with a pole and clamp to that. We used the hooks/wall method in our small office since we couldn’t fit my larger backdrop stand in there. A quick Google search will also turn up quite a few do it yourself backdrop stands that you’re able to make at home for very little cash.

We have all sorts of patterns and styles for you to choose from. There’s plenty of grunge, messy paint, realistic background photos, wallpaper, doors, floors and much more. The possibilities for these backdrops are endless. Use them in your studio, use one for the popular ‘photo booth’ set ups at weddings, even hang them outside for big parties or family get togethers. The backdrops arrive in a shipping tube, which we ask you to keep so that you can store your backdrop in it when not in use. The best ways to store these are either rolled up, hanging or laying flat. If you should wrinkle them, usually laying them flat in a hot room or outside in the shade will remove the wrinkles. These also wipe clean with mild soap and water. No worries about that baby or toddler making a mess, just wipe it up!

I’ve also included a size chart for the 5′x8′ drops, showing the size of an adult woman and the size of our backdrops – a good way to show how big these drops really are:

Here’s an example of our backdrops in use! The following photo was taken by Holly McCaig with our Aged Red Doors backdrop.

Another backdrop photo by Chrissy Avila.

The backdrop I want to give away here on Paperie Boutique today is our Aged Copper Wall, sized 5′x8′. It’s one of my favorites and works well when shooting just about any subject…from kids to women to men.

Here’s a few sample photos taken with that Aged Copper Wall backdrop – first by Chrissy Avila Photography:

And one by me using more of a cross processed/vintage technique:

Winner will receive one Aged Copper Wall size 5 feet by 8 feet backdrop with additional 1/2″ white border around it. Backdrops do not come with any kind of rods, clamps or pockets to hang them – you must supply your own way to hang it up. Backdrop will be shipped to the winner 3-7 days after the contest ends.

There are three different ways to enter between now and 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 9th – each entry requires its own separate comment:

1. ‘like’ The Drop Shoppe on Facebook, come back and post here that you did so

2. post on Twitter (then leave the link here):
I entered to win an Aged Copper Wall backdrop at paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog from The Drop Shoppe/ thedropshoppe.com/store

3. leave a comment here on the blog about what your favorite backdrop is from the shop (thedropshoppe.com/store)

UPDATE The winner has now been posted here – check it out!

And last but not least…everyone gets $5 off their purchase from The Drop Shoppe by using the code paperie at checkout!

Huge thanks to Heather and The Drop Shoppe for such a fantastic prize giveaway! Head to Facebook and tell them thanks ‘in person’!

And to wrap things up for today, I’ve been posting photos of my new office setup over at Flickr as things progress (including info on how to create the wrap station yourself, and the Photojojo poster). Here are a couple of teasers for now.

Stay tuned this week. More fun ahead!
-Robyn

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.

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.

More to follow soon. Stay tuned—you won’t want to miss it! Have a great week!
Robyn

It features marketing kits by Design Aglow, GO{4}PRO, Photographer Cafe, Jamie Schultz Designs, Sarah Q Design, The Polished Photographer, and photoDUDS.

And don’t forget there’s a giveaway to win a cupcake-themed gift wrapping kit!

Hi, everyone! Terry from Sassy Designs, Ltd. again! I’m proud to announce that Sassy Designs is celebrating 8 years of business this month! I knew I wanted to do something totally wild and awesome in honor of that milestone and I knew immediately Robyn was the perfect person to help me make it happen!

I’ve been celebrating all month long already with giveaways and sales but, I wanted to do something completely over the top! So, in honor of Sassy Designs, Ltd.’s 8th birthday I have decided to GIVE AWAY MY ENTIRE STORE to ONE LUCKY WINNER!!!!!

A HUGE THANK YOU to Robyn for hosting this part of my birthday celebration! It is because of people like Robyn and all of you that Sassy Designs is a success! You are all my inspiration to create every day!!!

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

Sassy Designs, Ltd / @sassydesignsltd / sassy-designs.net is having a birthday—win the ENTIRE STORE at paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog

Post the URL(s) to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 12:00 p.m. (noon) EDT on Saturday, May 22nd.

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. 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: Lucky winner has been announced – check comments for details!

I started my photography business about a year ago, and have avidly read your blog for 6 months.

Through you I found Leah Remillet / GO{4}PRO who did my custom logo – and I have learned so, so much about creative packaging and marketing.

Last week was my very first charity auction, and my basket (thanks to all your blog posts and vendor ideas) was the hit of the auction! The ladies setting up the show spent at least 15 minutes “ooh-ing” and “aah-ing” over my packaging, my basket items, and my very own ‘Martha-esque’ bow. Without this blog I never could have created something so special, and set my photography business apart from the rest of the donors. I just had to share.

P.S. – I just got my Zazzle stickers in the mail…I’m in love!

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.

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.

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

This past fall I lost my dog to an unexpected illness and I was devastated since he wasn’t even 2 years old. As we began searching the local shelters for a new pet a couple of months later, I was struck by how much fuller the facilities were since the last time we had been searching. Each person we spoke to at the shelters expressed how very much in need they were for donations this year. With this in mind, I conjured up an idea to do a fundraiser for a local animal charity in honor of my lost pet. Inspired by others, such as V Gallery, I put together a very simple marketing plan for the idea. We chose CAWS (Community Animal Welfare Society) as our local charity and the founder was extremely grateful for the idea. We decided to incorporate the event and branding into a Valentines promotion and call it our PAWS for CAWS fundraiser.

My studio branding wasn’t lending itself too well to the Valentine’s/pet idea, so I quickly created a new branding set for the event which was a huge hit. To completely brand for the event I only had to purchase 1 pack of 50 stickers from WHCC ($12). The rest of the items I found on clearance at IKEA from their Christmas decor line with hearts. I just recreated the heart design in Photoshop, added text, my logo, and a damask background and voilà, we were on our way!

Of course most people had no idea that the matching hang tags, thank you cards, napkins, and wooden heart decorations that we hung all over the studio, were from IKEA. We got loads of compliments about how nice our branding looked from the bottles of water we passed out (whcc sticker on a bottle of water) to the pricing menu and ordering sheets to the goodie box they went home with. The trick here was keeping our costs LOW, because I wanted to donate as much money as possible to the organization and I knew this was a 1-day event.

For the goodie box, we contacted all the vendors who are partners with CAWS and asked them if they would like to donate anything to the fundraiser. We had 5 other companies donate items to put in the box which made it a pretty sweet deal for everyone. We had one of the volunteers for CAWS bake up some all natural doggie treats in the shape of bones, hearts, and cupids to keep with the Valentines theme.

Keep your eyes open for good deals at your favorite stores for unique products that you could use to help promote a mini-session or special events such as our PAWS for CAWS fundraiser. This isn’t something I would recommend for your regular studio branding as you may have difficulty finding the items in the future, but I think this can be a great way for you to put together something really impressive for a limited event. One last thing I should note is I did not change my logo for the event. I simply applied it to design of the event branding to keep things somewhat consistent with my studio branding.

This event was a blast to put on and I think I’ll do it every year. We raised a few hundred dollars for CAWS, met a lot of great people and pets and mostly just had fun!

Thank you so much for sharing this Monica! The packaging looks fantastic, and with the cause behind it, makes it just that much more special! Make sure to stop by Photoumbra Studios and the Photoumbra Studios Blog.

And don’t forget you have until 11:59 Monday night to win the Nate Berkus™ 26-piece Gift Wrap Kit! Check back often this week – more goodies on the way.

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.

(P.S. Don’t forget there’s a contest going on — there’s just over 12 hours left to win a slot in the “503 Photography Workshops for Kids & Teens“!)

Like everyone else here on this site, I’m a big believer in the power of a positive brand experience. But it wasn’t until I felt comfortable with the brand I’d developed for myself late last year that I began to want to invest in marketing materials that reflected it.

When I started researching online to find resources on where to go for those materials, ooh boy, was I confused! Then a photographer I follow, Heather Garland, blogged about being featured here on Paperie Boutique and I couldn’t believe how awesome both Heather’s marketing products were – but also what a resource there was to be found here on this site!

First I wanted to make sure that when my clients opened their package from me they had a second, more beautiful package waiting for them inside.

I ordered these boxes from The Container Store, with each ranging in cost from $4-$10, depending on size. They are heavy and glossy white.

The ribbon is from from Hobby Lobby. The stickers are from Zazzle.

[Note from Robyn: Paperie has a free template for Zazzle stickers available for download here.]

One of my latest inspirations for my business is sharing my clients’ stories in a new and unique way that reflects my past as a journalist, so with each order, I’m including a copy of their story with their digital files / prints, etc. Here is the story of Michele and Eric. (Theirs is the story you can see pictured here in a frame — also bought at Hobby Lobby.) These frames are $4 each, and perfect for this little personalized touch to their package (I wrap everything up in black tissue paper before it goes in one of my Container Store boxes).

My thank you cards feature a quote I found online about giving thanks. Simple and, in a way, a reflection of me, because I am a quote NUT. My copyright releases were printed up on 5×7 cards from WHCC. My letterpress business cards were made by a letterpress / design company called The Mandate Press. At Mandate, if you are making black and white letterpress cards only, it’s $95 for 250 cards. They are gorgeous! My DVD cases come from DNL Photo and my DVDs (which I love because they have such a great polished look to them that’s so professional) were printed by Discmakers. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Discmakers‘ customer service. Every time I emailed them with a question, I had a response within hours. SUPER company to work with!

My Post-It notes are from 123Print and I LOVE them. Who doesn’t want personalized Post-Its for their business, right?

[Note from Robyn: Paperie has a free template for Post-It notes from VistaPrint available for download here.]

I made my initial client packets using folders and envelopes from Paper Presentation. On the outside of the white folders, I adhered a custom-designed branded sticker, printed by WHCC. This was more cost-effective for me than getting something custom made but still a nice personalized touch! The black mailing envelopes have my branded mailing sticker on them as well. These stickers were also printed by WHCC and custom designed by me. Inside each of the presentation packets, I include my pricing information, sheets with tip information (varies for portrait or wedding client) and a copy of the contract / model release. I wanted to keep these packets as print-outs for now as I’m at a point in my business where my prices will continue to change in the months to come and I didn’t want to invest in printed pricing booklets for that reason.

I hope you all were able to take away a few ideas for your own marketing from this post. Once I finally decided on what I needed and what companies I’d order from, it was a pretty quick process (a few hours) to get all the items you see here ordered and taken care of. So if I can do this, I promise you anyone can!

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful packaging and resources Gail! Everything looks amazing! You can also catch Gail at her blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

You have until 11:59 p.m. EDT tonight Friday, April 30th to win a spot in the 503 Photography Workshops for kids and teens! Check out Wednesday’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.

Today we have Leah of LCH Photography & Design stopping by to offer just that in a new guest post…

So excited to do a guest post today! Thanks so much Robyn for inviting me — I truly appreciate it!

What is better than sitting down with a client and handing them pictures from a photo shoot that turned out perfectly? How about using those images in beautiful baby announcements, custom albums, wall collages and more?!

LCH Design offers templates, actions, and marketing tools for photographers.

Delight your clients with:
• Baby Announcements
• Holiday Cards
• Cutting Edge Senior Products
• Custom Album Templates—Family, Children, Seniors & Weddings
• iPod Skin Templates
• Marketing Tools
• Wedding Album Templates and Guest Albums
• …..and MORE!

LCH Design began 5 years ago as I anxiously awaited the news of the pending adoption of our daughter from Taiwan. Waiting on the process seemed like FOREVER! An outlet was needed as we finished the paperwork for the adoption and waited to receive the news that we were able to travel to meet our daughter for the first time.

So…I began creating art (with the help of Photoshop!) for photographers to have elegant products to offer their clients. I never dreamed that the business would grow the way it has over the past 5 years. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to combine my passion for photography and my passion for creating.

It is my hope that these templates will benefit your business as they have others. A new online store was just launched early this year with a new storefront, easy to find-navigation, PLUS instant downloads! There is a wide selection of items. So take your time, enjoy, and please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Below is a sampling of some of my designs. Please check out the store at lchdesignstore.com to see all the goodies!

A new popular line at LCH Design is the Pressley Senior Collection including CD templates, iPod skins, image boxes and album templates…..

So excited about the new iPod Skin templates now available in the store! Perfect for your Seniors, advertising your business and showing off your images!

Another iPod skin example:

Babies, Babies, Babies……templates for announcements and albums!

Expressions Frames v.1 have been a hot seller! They are perfect to add to albums, splash pages, blog posts and gallery mounts! These make great ‘thank you gifts’ to clients as well. Layer a frame on a Vintage Paper and order a mini gallery mount or a desk-sized standout from ProLab Express.

Now…for the giveaway… (Gotta love giveaways!) The winner will receive a $100.00 gift certificate to LCH Design!

¤ STEP ONE (REQUIRED) — To win the $100.00 gift certificate, first become a LCH Design Facebook fan! Join here!

¤ STEP TWO (REQUIRED) — Post the following to your Facebook wall, your Twitter stream, or your blog:

Win a $100.00 gift certificate to LCH Design / lchdesignstore.com — details how at Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog

¤ STEP THREE (REQUIRED) — Post the URL to your link with the above text in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 28th.

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 once per person using a public, non-private blog URL, Facebook, or Twitter account. Please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed.

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!

Also for all you Paperie Boutique fans — save 20% at the store using the code PAPERIE20. Valid for one week only. Use as many times as you would like during the week. Coupon valid until Monday, May 3, 2010.

Happy Shopping!
blessings,
Leah

Thank you so much, Leah! Definitely a prize I’d like to win myself. There’s going to be one very lucky winner this Wednesday! Don’t forget to stop by the LCH Photography & Design Blog and tell Leah thanks as well.

And if you missed Friday’s post, there’s still a few more hours left to win three prizes from LolliPockits!

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.

What’s best for you? Custom or premade design?

I was so excited to hear from Paperie Boutique! Packaging and presentation is something I’ve loved my entire life. Thanks for having me!

There are many design resources for photographers. While some can, and ENJOY doing it for themselves, there are many others who don’t have the time to devote to designing their own marketing materials. It’s great to have so much to choose from, but can be overwhelming!

Many sites will offer premade marketing templates. You basically download the files, pop in your info and you’re finished. Easy peasy! Premades are great for the photographer on a budget or when you need something right away. They are also nice to have when you aren’t sure about your look or style, yet you need something to present a professional image. You’ll find some of my premade sets at Pink Ink Studios. There are many talented designers over there who offer great marketing templates and they are ready to go!

Custom design is beautiful and by far my favorite thing to work on. I recommend going the custom route when you’ve got a good idea of what image you want to portray to your clients and if you’ve been looking at premade sets and can’t seem to find “the one”. Custom work does take longer and is typically more expensive. It requires focus and input on your part, but when you’re finished it’s very rewarding. It belongs only to you and can set you apart from your competition.

I’m sharing a custom logo and set I recently created for Jack and Jane Photography. It was so much fun to watch this come together.

But wait! That’s not all!

One lucky Paperie reader can win this Premade Set from MadiLu Designs! (Premade Set includes business card, gift certificate, thank you, 2” sticker, print care card, copyright card, referral card, #10 envelope, 5×7 card, letterhead and 5×5 digital negative holder. Colors can be customized.)

Another lucky Paperie winner will win a Custom Logo Design from MadiLu Designs! (Custom Logo Design includes logo and watermark.)

Since there are two great separate prizes (and not everyone needs a logo) we’re going to split the chances to win. So to enter one of the giveaways, or both, please make sure you follow the directions closely for each one – as the contests and your entries are separate.

To win the MadiLu Designs Premade Set:

Go to your Facebook account or Twitter account and post the following:

I want the MadiLu Designs Premade Set from @madilu_designs / madiludesigns.com – enter to win at 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 Thursday, April 22nd.

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 two times total for the MadiLu Designs Premade Set – one entry each per public, non-private blog Facebook or Twitter account.

You have two chances to win the MadiLu Designs Premade Set but only one chance PER LINK – please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed. And post your separate links in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

Post your comment in the following format (up to two separate entries per person for this prize):

I posted to win the MadiLu Designs Premade Set on Facebook: [insert your Facebook link here]

  — AND / OR —

I posted to win the MadiLu Designs Premade Set on Twitter: [insert your Twitter link here]

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by random drawing out of a hat, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. Bonne chance!

To win the MadiLu Designs Custom Logo Design:

Go to your Facebook account or Twitter account and post the following:

I need a MadiLu Designs Custom Logo Design from @madilu_designs / madiludesigns.com – enter to win at 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 Thursday, April 22nd.

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 two times total for the MadiLu Designs Custom Logo Design – one entry each per public, non-private Facebook or Twitter account.

You have two chances to win the MadiLu Designs Custom Logo Design but only one chance PER LINK – please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed. And post your separate links in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

Post your comment in the following format (up to two separate entries per person for this prize):

I posted to win the MadiLu Designs Custom Logo Design on Facebook: [insert your Facebook link here]

  — AND / OR —

I posted to win the MadiLu Designs Custom Logo Design on Twitter: [insert your Twitter link here]

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

Thanks so much to Kim Drury and MadiLu Designs for this fantastic prize! Stop by the MadiLu Designs Blog and tell her thanks!

UPDATE: The winners have been announced here. Congrats to them and thanks to those who entered and once again to MadiLu Designs!

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.

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.

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!

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!