blackjack!

Time for three more entries in the 2011 Wrap Battle from Paperie Boutique and HB Photo Packaging—sponsored by Artsy Couture, Bad Sass Backdrops, CPQ Professional Imaging & Hardwood Frames?!? (Official rules are here, and a list of this year’s prizes is located here.)

The prize package for our 1st place winner is now worth OVER $2000 – and we have well OVER $4500 in prizes donated total!




We’ve reached Entry #21 from Keki Photography – love how festive it is!

click each Wrap Battle entry photo for a larger pop-up version

“The boxes and elastic bands are from HB Photo Packaging, the ribbons and other accepts are collected from a variety of sources. The base for every customers packaging is the same: red box with silver band…then each package is customized to match the client and season!”

click each Wrap Battle entry photo for a larger pop-up version

“We wanted our packaging to have a earthy and organic feel, but also wanted a bit of vintage and elegance as well. Paying attention to small details such as creating a custom stamped envelope for our ornate shape business cards lets our clients know from the beginning that their photography experience with us will be anything but ordinary. We are passionate about bringing our clients stories to life with wall displays in their homes and wanted that to start with packaging and marketing materials.”

Vendors used:
• Brown boxes – DNL Photo Supply
• Kraft envelopes – Paper Presentation
• Bags and raffia – Beverly’s Crafts
• Ornate cards for brochures – CPQ
• Ornate business cards – Black River Imaging

“We also change the photo on the business card with every 20 cards, so it is always a surprise for the client as to which card they will get in their envelope. Clients are delighted when they see one of their photos has made it to our cards, and are happy to pass them out to friends and family.“

Entry #23 is from Lynette Weber Photography – sure to brighten any day!

click each Wrap Battle entry photo for a larger pop-up version

“I have changed my color scheme but I really loved this packaging!”

Vendors used:
• Boxes – HB • Photo Packaging
• Tissue paper and raffia – Nashville Wraps
• Custom shape stickers – Black River Imaging
• Silver Bag – JoAnn Fabrics

More entries still waiting in my inbox – so check back soon!

We’ll be accepting entries for the remainder of 2011 – the cut-off date / time to enter the “2011 Wrap Battle” is Saturday, December 31st, 2011 (11:59 p.m. EST).

For information on how to enter your own packaging photos, this Paperie post will walk you through it!

See ya’ real soon!
-Robyn & Todd

just one Abe Lincoln

It’s an after Christmas sale that everyone can afford! From today through Friday, December 30th, 2011 (11:59 p.m. EST) the ENTIRE Fit to Print store is on sale for just $5 – including templates available exclusively here at Paperie Boutique!

BONUS: The $5 special also includes FIVE never-released before storyboard template designs. Quotes cannot be changed (but layer can be hidden / replaced). The background layer color can be changed for each design. Three designs are 20×10″ full-storyboard designs, one is a 10×5″ mini-storyboard design, and one storyboard design makes a perfect “grandparent gift” to tuck in orders at 5×3.5″.

The five storyboard templates alone are a great bargain at $5 – but you also get ALL the contents of the Fit to Print store and the following Paperie bonus items:

- PLUS – You’ll receive the contents of the ENTIRE Fit to Print store with your $5 purchase! The “Buy the Store” kit alone is $65.00!

All orders are processed during U.S. Eastern time between the hours of 8 a.m. and midnight. Each “buy the store” kit will be e-mailed to you (with download links) within 6-8 hours of ordering (usually MUCH sooner during normal business hours). If you have any questions, e-mail contact information is located here.

Technical support is limited to download issues and design files from “Fit to Print” only. I do not provide support for other vendors, products I do not sell, and resources linked in the “achieve this look” section of each download. Other vendors will need to be contacted directly to support their own products and / or answer any questions you may have before you make a purchase from them. Thank you for your understanding!

YOU CAN ONLY BUY IT FOR $5 ↓ HERE ↓ ON PAPERIE!

Sorry – the $5 deal has expired! But you can still get it all for $65 at Fit to Print!




Ready for more entries in the 2011 Wrap Battle from Paperie Boutique and HB Photo Packaging—sponsored by Artsy Couture, Bad Sass Backdrops, CPQ Professional Imaging & Hardwood Frames?!? (Official rules are here, and a list of this year’s prizes is located here.)

The prize package for our 1st place winner is now worth OVER $2000 – and we have well OVER $4500 in prizes donated total!




Entry #19 is from Aric Becker Photography – love those ornaments!

click each Wrap Battle entry photo for a larger pop-up version

“This a picture of our normal picture packaging. Clients really enjoy unwrapping every day of the year!“

“This is the how we packaged the pewter ornaments that we bought from Kimbra Studios for our wedding clients for their first Christmas together. The boxes are from HB Photo Packaging, stamped with our logo and wrapped with wraphia from Michael’s Arts and Crafts.“

More entries are still in my inbox waiting to be processed so check back soon!

We’ll be accepting entries for the remainder of 2011 – the cut-off date / time to enter the “2011 Wrap Battle” is Saturday, December 31st, 2011 (11:59 p.m. EST).

For information on how to enter your own packaging photos, this Paperie post will walk you through it!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday week!
-Robyn & Todd

oh, Mr. Postman

A few days ago I linked FREE Moo holiday sticker and minicard template downloads for the holidays / Christmas. Moo asked me to create new 2011 templates for their sticker labels and round sticker lines. I was happy to oblige and I’m passing them on here as well!

Below you will find two FREE sticker label templates (one is a holiday-themed mailing label, the other a holiday themed gift label) and FREE coordinating round “postmark” stickers.

UPDATE: There are now separate links for U.S. and UK downloads for those of you who prefer the date (“25″) before the month (“12″) in the design postmark. The flag icons will help direct you to the download-version you prefer.

  → download link U.S. address label ← (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)

  → download link UK address label ← (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)

  → download link U.S. gift label ← (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)

  → download link UK gift label ← (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)

  → download link U.S. circle sticker ← (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)

  → download link UK circle sticker ← (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)

Templates are ©Robyn Pollman, 2011. All rights reserved. Templates may not be copied, resold, made available for download or given away elsewhere, or redistributed without my written permission.

Don’t miss this chance to connect with our readers! The Paperie new advertisers sale ends October 15th.

Another giveaway going up later today so check back!

-Robyn & Todd

hurry Christmas – hurry fast!

As promised yesterday (TWO posts here and here if you missed them), we’re kicking things into holiday-gear here at Paperie over the next few weeks. Today’s FREE downloads will help you do the same!

I recently tweaked a free holiday / Christmas card template from last year for the new ProDPI Mod Card line.

This design is for a flat 5×7 “Mod” holiday card (front and back for “Roundedcorners01″) for print at ProDPI. (The ProDPI Mod Card flat 5×7 “Roundedcorners01″ crop / bleed guide is included as a hidden layer — in addition to the regular ProDPI flat 5×7 crop / bleed guide, also included as a hidden layer.)

The files are .psd files (front, back) and the layers can be hidden. However, the text and colors were not designed to be altered.

If you choose to have these printed at another lab, please check the design in that lab’s template guidelines first!

→ download link – front ← (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)

→ download link – back ← (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)

Templates are ©Robyn Pollman, 2011. All rights reserved. Templates may not be copied, resold, made available for download or given away elsewhere, or redistributed without my written permission.




And just in case you missed the original 5×7 flat card posted last year…

This was designed as a flat 5×7 holiday card (front and back) for print at ProDPI. (The ProDPI crop / bleed layer is included as a hidden layer.)

The files are .psd files (front, back) and the layers can be hidden. However, the text and colors were not designed to be altered.

If you choose to have these printed at another lab, please check the design in that lab’s template guidelines first!

→ download link – front ← (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)

→ download link – back ← (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)

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




While we’re on a trip down memory lane, don’t forget that Moo is having a 25% off sale on EVERYTHING and the sale ends today. (No codes needed – prices already marked down on the Moo website.)

@overheardatmoo recently Tweeted: Stickers, Business Cards, MiniCards, Postcards and Greeting Cards – 25% off until Sunday (in case you didn’t hear) at http://www.moo.com.

This is a great time to use all of these FREE Paperie holiday sticker and mini-card templates to be ahead of the game for your holiday packaging!

→ download link ←  ¤  “elf-inspected” sticker (right-click, save-as)
→ download link ←  ¤  “(HO)³” sticker (right-click, save-as)
    Both stickers above are flat .png files sized for print at Moo.com.

Please note this sticker .psd file was designed in CS2 and you must have Photoshop or Elements and know how to edit a .psd layered file to alter it — I do not provide technical support for this download. The background color may be changed. The text layer can be hidden and replaced.

The stickers above match these Moo mini card template FREE downloads. They are designed to be used as a bag-tag or gift tags. Just punch a hole in one end and run thin ribbon through the hole. Instant cute!

→ download link (HO)³ ← (please note this file was designed in CS2 and is a .pdf — Moo will print .pdf files — I do not provide technical support for this download)

→ download link candy cane ← (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)

The fonts used are Annabelle and Myriad Pro. You can change the background color but I don’t recommend it, as the candy cane graphic won’t appear properly.

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

Don’t miss our current contest/ giveaway from Crowned Embellishments!



One lucky Paperie reader will win the the crown of their choice!

Ad rates are now up to 50% off (and more!)…get it while the gettin’s good!

Paperie is featured today at the “See the Light!” International Portrait Competition by Jessica Price. We’ve donated a a “Buy the Entire Fit to Print Store” package. Check it out!

Drop by again soon – more goodies on the way!
-Robyn and Todd

capture this!

Excited to have another guest / vendor post for a product I use (and love!) – a giveaway for two camera straps from Capturing Couture!

Capturing Couture is a company founded a little over 2 years ago by two working moms; one with a fervor for design and the other with a profound passion for photography. Capturing Couture breaks out into the accessories market with a collection of fashion forward camera straps, adding color and style to a category that has been, to this point, severely monochromatic. The time has come for fashion, form and function to completely merge.

We create two types of straps: One for the SLR/DSLR camera worn around the neck and a second for smaller cameras worn around the wrist. The straps are designed with comfortable padding in the neck to help distribute the weight of the camera, (SLR/DSLR camera straps only) velvet backing, nylon webbing for durability and adjustable hardware for preferred positioning.

Not only do we have fashion forward straps for women, we also carry a hip men’s line. [ Note from Robyn: Shhh! Don't tell anyone but my Capturing Couture strap is from the men's line! ]

And now two lucky Paperie readers have a chance to win a Capturing Couture camera strap of their very own! The style is the winner’s choice, up to a $39.00 value (shipping included).

1. Go to your Facebook and Twitter accounts and post the following on either or both (then tell us where you did):

Win your choice of camera straps from @CapturingCoutur / CapturingCouture.com @PaperieBoutique / PaperieBoutique.com – http://is.gd/z6j0gV

2. Friend / Like / Follow Capturing Couture on Facebook and come back here and let us know (or tell us you’re already a fan)

3. Follow Capturing Couture on Twitter and come back here and let us know (or tell us you’re already a follower)

4. Post your favorite item from Capturing Couture in the comments here

Each entry requires its own separate comment here. (In simple terms: If you want FIVE chances to win, you have to do the FIVE separate things listed above, and then make five separate comments here telling us how you did them.)

Comment that you have posted to your Twitter and/or Facebook account(s), with a link to where you did it – or that you’ve liked Capturing Couture on Facebook and/or Twitter – or your favorite Capturing Couture product – in separate comments here to have multiple chances to win!

ATTENTION: All links you post must direct to public-access accounts. 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, a website, or forum – or request permission to see them – your entry will automatically be disqualified.

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, September 19th. You can enter up to FIVE times total. Post that you have met the individual requirements in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to five times total – one entry each for all of the options listed above. (PLEASE NOTE: Comments are held for moderation and may not appear immediately. Please be patient! They will show up eventually.)

You have FIVE chances to win, but only one chance PER OPTION – please do not post the same link multiple times. Duplicate links will be removed. Each entry requires its own separate comment 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 48-72 hours of the winner-announcement to claim their prize.

Good luck to everyone who enters and thanks to Capturing Couture for the awesome giveaway!




We have a few contest winners to announce!

The first three winners of the “Fit to Print” giveaway…Susan B, thougham, and Jenn S.

Congrats to all three of you, and thanks to everyone who entered! I’ll be in touch with download information for the winners within 24 hours!

And the winner of the One King’s Lane $25 gift certificate…Larissa pavei! Congrats to our winner, and thanks to those who entered. I’ll have your gift card sent within 24 hours Larissa!




Last but not least, we just finished assembling the first round of goodie bags coming soon to a workshop near you! (The batch after this goes here.)

The toy cameras can be found on eBay. The little bags are from Celestial Gifts on Etsy. And they are stamped with a polymer stamp from Write with Moxie. You can read more detail on the candy bags here.

Check back Friday – another special offer for Paperie readers on tap!
-Robyn & Todd

deux années – giveaway 26

Happy 2nd birthday to Paperie Boutique!
Visit PaperieBirthday.com for all events!

Winner announcements start on Monday, July 25th…

Today through Monday (July 25th) “Fit to Print” items is having a special sale here at Paperie.

But we’re going to give away a few of these Fit to Print “Buy the Entire Store” sets (including the free bonus kit and the two Moo minicard templates shown below) to the first 10 readers to comment.

All you have to do is comment (with valid e-mail address in the e-mail field so we can contact you) and let us know where you found Paperie Boutique for the first time — was it Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, a forum, a blog, a friend, Professional Photographer Magazine, Rangefinder Magazine, Google, etc. (or even, “I can’t remember what I ate for breakfast, much less those details.“) — just let us know something, even if it’s, “You got me!”

So that takes care of the winners for comments #1 – 10.

For the readers making comments #11 – 20, same deal. And they will receive the “Bonus Kit” (which includes the portrait care card, product care card, referral program card, referral program wallet, and referral program terms for your website, as shown below).

And for the readers making comments #21 – 25, again, same deal. And they will each receive the two Moo minicard templates shown below.

Thanks and good luck!!!

NOTE: “Design Thirteen” (10-panel pano welcome kit) shown above is currently available on Paperie only.

This is our popular “bonus kit” (available only on Paperie during special giveaways and promotions, never sold):

And here are the two two Moo mini templates you can only get here:

Please allow 6-10 hours for delivery during the weekend and overnight hours – due to the nature of this giveaway, orders will have to be processed individually by hand. Thank you!




Se y’all later tonight!
-Robyn

it’s time to light the lights!

Kicking off the Paperie 2nd birthday celebration next week a few days early with one of Fit to Print‘s most popular sales!

Today through Tuesday, July 26th you can pick any three items from the store for $15, or any five for $20. It’s an amazing savings!

NOTE: “Design Thirteen” (10-panel pano welcome kit) shown above is currently available on Paperie only.

And for an additional $25 you can buy the ENTIRE “Fit to Print” store for only $45. Normally the “Fit to Print” store is $65 – so this is a HUGE savings! And if you “buy the store” now, our popular “bonus kit” (available only on Paperie during special promotions) will be included FREE with your $45 purchase!

For “buy the store” $45 purchases we’re even kicking in the following two Moo mini templates you can only get here:

click here to order now

(Please allow 6-10 hours for delivery during the weekend and overnight hours – due to the nature of this sale, orders will have to be processed individually by hand. Thank you! Please don’t forget to list the design numbers you wish to purchase!)

Have a great weekend! See you at the party Monday!
-Robyn

P.S. Vendors, if you are interested in being a part of the birthday celebration, e-mail me at “robyn AT paperieboutique DOT com” ASAP!

are you fit?

I’ve ended up with a lot more work this week than expected, so this site had to go on hiatus for a few days as I scramble to find daylight. (I will post all the recent contest winners later today so stay tuned!)

While I’m off developing a third ulcer, you can benefit from my pain! There’s a great new “pick your own” sale from “Fit to Print“…

Right now through March 31st you can pick any three items from the store for $15, or any five for $20. It’s an amazing savings and a sale we’ve never offered before!

(Please allow 4-6 hours for delivery – due to the nature of this sale, orders will have to be processed individually by hand. Thank you! Please don’t forget to list the design numbers you wish to purchase!)

NOTE: “Design Thirteen” above is new and is currently on Paperie only.

You can see my templates in action here – this is a great way to try them out!

everybody’s welcome

For the first time ever, I’m making my 10-panel pano welcome kit available to Paperie readers. You can see a photo here:

And view my pano client welcome kit in action / in more detail over at Flickr…

Wording is not included. (I suggest this product from “The Photo Professional”, and this product from “Wordsmith”, for that.) However, section-title suggestions are included (and can be easily altered). Text layout is also carefully structured to flow seamlessly around the images in the design. You will replace the “filler” text with your own words, and when you paste your text into place, it will be auto-formatted to stay in place within the design. (One small section of text is provided in section two of the back panel – it discusses model releases and print credit use. This text can be kept if desired or replaced with your own.)

I will also include the vendor of the envelopes I use for the business card panel – the final panel on the back is designed to have an envelope holding business cards attached to the panel, with your e-mail address to request more business cards printed on the actual card below.

All colors can be changed with a click of the button in Photoshop. (This is a layered .psd design created in Photoshop CS2 and should work in Elements, but I cannot provide technical support for Elements purchases.)

I have my welcome kit cards printed at Miller’s Professional Imaging.

And if you buy now, you can get this “bonus kit” included FREE with purchase – if you missed it the first time around, here’s your chance to get it with a design that will automatically coordinate:

See this post for more detail about what this bonus kit includes.

As a special for Paperie readers, through Tuesday, March 15th you can get my pano welcome kit and the bonus kit items for only $25. And for an additional $30 you can buy the ENTIRE “Fit to Print” store for only $55. Normally the “Fit to Print” store is $65 – so this is a HUGE savings!

Want to see my templates in action before you buy?

Check out this recent blog entry by Brandi B Photography!

It’s your…welcome!
-Robyn

follow the yellow brick road

Today is your lucky day! Not only do you now have a chance (read on below…) to get the five “bonus items” if you already have a ClickinMoms membership – we also have a great new vendor / guest post / giveaway from Kori and Kate! They are here to introduce their new Photographer’s Pricing Wizard.

Kori and Kate is a team of two women; Kori a graphic artist & designer and Kate, a senior portrait photographer. They combined their talents to create Kori and Kate; a design and Photoshop template resource for photographers.

But their latest product is a far cry from anything design related. They’ve created a pricing tool that will take away all of the blood, sweat and tears usually involved in figuring out your pricing strategy.

Follow the yellow brick road to the Photographer’s Pricing Wizard, where they are giving away two FREE copies to our followers.

This is no ordinary Wizard. It’s the close your eyes, click your heels together and repeat “there’s no pain in pricing” wizard.

Never again will you have to do the math yourself! That’s not a typo folks, it’s true! The Pricing Wizard does all the math for you. Even a scarecrow can use it.

As long as you have access to the costs your lab charges for the products you offer, you in like Flynn!

The Pricing Wizard is a Microsoft Excel based tool. It works on a Mac and a PC, but you must have Excel. (Numbers and Open Office are not compatible.)

The first working tab on the Wizard is where you list your individual products and their cost. There are approximately 75 pre-loaded products with costs to show you how the Wizard works. These can be typed over or removed and new items can be added as needed.

The Collections tab is where you build the collections or packages that you offer your clients. Select the items you include in your collection and change the quantity to the right number for each item. The Wizard does the rest! You’ll quickly see the costs, retail, profit and margin for each collection as you build and change them. Each time you edit the collection, it automatically recalculates instantly.

Simply change the Collection name to whatever you use in your business. It will update on all the tabs within the Wizard, like magic.

The Wizard also tracks your projected sales against your actual sales for both Collections and à la carte items.

The last feature of the Wizard is to bring visibility to your current pricing and how it compares to what the Wizard calculated for you. The pricing on the left hand side is what the Wizard calculated. Change the Current Retail pricing on the right hand based on what you currently charge your clients. The Gross Profit, Margin and Mark Up are automatically calculated. You can quickly see how your current pricing measures up.

If you want to see the full instruction guide for the Pricing Wizard, click here. If you’d like to win a FREE copy of the Pricing Wzard – follow the yellow brick road using these steps to enter and WIN!

1. Visit the Kori and Kate Facebook page and “like” them.

2. Post a comment under the Paperie Boutique logo image on the Kori and Kate Facebook as to why you’d like to win the Pricing Wizard.

3. Two winners will be randomly selected based on the comments received under the Paperie Boutique logo on the K&K page.

4. All comments must be posted within 48 hours.