Get Clickin’!

The response to our ClickinMoms affiliate contest (and FREE giveaway to everyone who signs up through Paperie) has been amazing on day one! Now it gets even MORE amazing – a bigger discount and a ClickinMoms lifetime membership giveaway!

If you sign up with the code PAPERIE2011 through midnight on January 31, 2011, you will now get 20% off your ClickinMoms membership. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!

If you sign up through Paperie by January 31st, you also get the following items as our ‘thank you‘:

See this post for more information on how to sign up with ClickinMoms, write Robyn, and collect your goodies!




Did I mention that’s not all? Now ClickinMoms is also giving away TWO FREE LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS to our Paperie readers. How do you enter to win? You have four chances!

1. Tweet the following on Twitter (and tell us where you did it):
There’s a @clickinmoms contest @paperieboutique / PaperieBoutique.com and YOU get the fabulous prizes! Go here for more: http://is.gd/ksNuQ

2. Post the following to Facebook (and tell us where you did it):
Paperie Boutique is in a contest with ClickinMoms and YOU get the fabulous prizes – visit PaperieBoutique.com for more!

3. Like / Friend us on Facebook: facebook.com/paperieboutique

4. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/paperieboutique

Then come back and comment here that you’ve done so – each entry requires its own separate comment. (In simple terms: If you want FOUR chances to win, you have to do all four things listed above, and then make four separate comments telling us how you did them.)

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, January 13th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page, posted to Twitter (with link), and / or posted to Facebook (with link) – in separate comments 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.

You can enter / post up to four total times – one entry each for the four options listed above.

You have four 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 24-48 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Good luck and thanks to ClickinMoms for the great prizes!

UPDATE: We have our two winners and they are Pavei Photos and Liz Thomas Photography:

Congratulations to our two winners, thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks once again to ClickinMoms for the two lifetime memberships!




Last but not least, did you know ClickinMoms has a store?

Find great items like Lightroom presets, charity packs, keychains, the new Inspire book and more!

Check it out!

Get Clickin’!
-Robyn

are you ready to ROCK?

The annual ClickinMoms affiliate contest is on and we want to prove Paperie readers are #1. If we sign up the most new members, we all win – we get cool referral prizes and SO DO YOU (in addition to 10% now 20% off any ClickinMoms subscription using the referral code PAPERIE2011 at checkout) through midnight on January 31, 2011.

First up, if you sign up for a ClickinMoms membership through our Paperie link you will receive a copy of my “Portrait Care Card” and “Product Guarantee Card” – wording included. These are designed to be printed through WHCC as 5×5 and 4×5 prints.

If you sign up for a ClickinMoms membership through our Paperie link you will also receive my referral program card, a referral program wallet-handout, and referral program terms for your website – all with wording included. The first two are designed to be printed through WHCC as 5×5 and wallet prints. The website file is designed to upload to your website so clients and prospective clients can read the full terms of your referral program.

I adhere the 5×5 print to a Paper Source petal envelope, and then adhere a group of wallet-handouts (held together with a bow) to the 5×5 print as shown above. I seal the petal envelope with a 1.5″ circle sticker from Zazzle – you can find a free template download for this sticker on Paperie here.

These five layered, editable .psd files are everything you need for a referral and print care / customer satisfaction program. And you can get them by just signing up for a new ClickinMoms membership through Paperie. These highly-sought-after templates have never been available for download or purchase before!

We are notified by e-mail of each new membership signup through our referral link so here’s what you need to do to receive the five files:

1. Use THIS LINK to sign up for a new ClickinMoms membership (and use the referral code PAPERIE2011 at checkout for 10% now 20% off)

2. Make a note of the member name you sign up with – we will need this

3. E-mail robyn@paperieboutique.com with the subject “ClickinMoms Bonus Files” – include the date you signed up for a new ClickinMoms membership with the Paperie Boutique referral link – and let us know what member name you signed up with

4. As soon as we receive confirmation from ClickinMoms that you have signed up, we will send you the zip-file with the five files above as our ‘thank you‘

Please note, this is a contest and we are competing for prizes with other websites. The ones with the most new memberships win. Thank you for helping us in “the cause”! I have been a proud ClickinMoms member since July 2009 and would not recommend the forum if I didn’t use and love it!

Now, get Clickin’…
-Robyn

P.S. Win one of two FREE lifetime ClickinMoms memberships here!

first post of the New Year

I recently posted a FREE template for a folded pocket-calendar (inside-spread only, 6 months included). I have them printed as folded-bookmarks at ProDPI, with a regular business card front / back on the opposite outer side. My new ones for 2011 just arrived yesterday and here’s a peek:

If you missed the big after-Christmas sale for the entire “Fit to Print” store, don’t lose heart! You can now buy the entire store for $65.00. See “Fit to Print” for more details…

Have an amazing 2011!
-Robyn

save the date

Last summer I posted a free download for the inside of a folded business card that doubles as a 6-month calendar for your clients. (Perfect for tucking in their checkbooks!) The months included on the calendar were July – December, so it’s time to update things again for 2011.

You’ll have to come up with the front and back design. (I used a regular business card front/back design for mine – see an updated photo of the finished product here.)

This download is only for the inside-spread that includes the calendar. I have included the crop-guide layer. You’ll have to add your logo and contact info if desired. 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). However, the background color and bar-stripe colors 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)

Hope this helps you start off 2011 with a bang!
-Robyn

P.S. Don’t forget – you can still get the entire “Fit to Print” store on sale (for $40.00) through January 1st, 2011! Get over $300.00 in products (including the binder template) for $40.00 – an 87% savings and some designs retire in 2011!

And I’ll be posting more “business packaging / holiday packaging contest“ entries tomorrow so stay tuned!

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

Joyeux Noël de Fit to Print

Sorry you missed the big after-Christmas sale for the entire “Fit to Print” store. But if you missed it, don’t lose heart! You can now buy the entire store for $65.00. See “Fit to Print” for more details…

Happy Holidays!
-Robyn

dashing through

I have been MIA around here for far too long. Our family went down like dominoes to the flu last week, then as I started to recover I had a mountain of work and shooting / editing to catch up on, and these days seems like the alarm has just sounded in the morning and it’s time to crawl back in bed again at night.

I promise I haven’t forgotten about y’all over here – or the “business packaging / holiday packaging contest“ – which still has several entries yet-to-be published (and a winner to pick). But until I can quit packaging client card and print orders, shooting sessions, and proofing sessions, and filling the orders…..most everything else in my life is on a temporary hiatus. Thank you for your patience!




To show you how behind I am, the digital edition of the December 2010 Professional Photographer Magazine was released last week – and I’m just now remembering to take a peek at it, much less post it here.

For this month’s article, I reviewed photography jewelry selections from BRAGaLittle.com, Isabelle Chase Studios, Kathy Lo Rocks, Kimbra Studios, Kimtown Boutique, Kotori Photo Jewelry, Marye Street Studio, and PlanetJill.

Click the magazine page above for a larger version. You can find the article on page 50 and page 51 of the print-version as they start hitting mailboxes.

And you can also download the digital edition now if you’re a PPA member or digital subscriber.




Last but not least, a quick-peek at some of the holiday gifts I’ve been assembling for my early-in-the-season Buttons and Bows holiday clients. I’m still waiting to get everything together for the later sessions, hence another reason for my lack of free time. But this should give you an idea (click top image for larger)…

Several will receive a dozen gift tags as one of their prezzies. These are made from Moo mini cards. The back has a small B&B logo and my URL, plus a decorative “To:” / “From:” section for them to fill out for their presents. I use a decorative hole punch and thread mini-ribbon through each tag. Since Moo allows you to submit up to 100 images for the front of their mini cards, they make it very easy to split up a pack into multiple gift tags for multiple clients.

The ornament shown is by Zazzle. I ordered these during a half-off promotion on November 9th. They did not arrive until December 6th, so you’ll most likely need to upgrade your shipping method if you opt to use them. It is not a rush-operation! I was very happy with the quality (both image and product) of the premium metal designs. The quality on the ceramic ornaments left little to be desired – however, you can add your logo to the back of the ceramic ones.

Are we there yet?
-Robyn

the hunt for green October

The digital edition of the October 2010 Professional Photographer Magazine was released today.

(P.S. Keep reading for a special discount from Sassy Designs, Inc. Plus a new packaging feature and the winner of the Paint the Moon contest!)

For this month’s article, I reviewed several press-printed “client gift idea” products by Moo.com, Miller’s, WHCC, CPQ and ProDPI.

Click each of the magazine pages above for a .pdf version. You can find the article on pages 54, 55, and 56 of the print-version when it hits mailboxes. And you can also download the digital edition now if you’re a PPA member or digital subscriber.

And to celebrate her templates being featured in the above article – Sassy Designs, Inc. is offering 50% off a purchase of $25 or more – today through 10/31. Just use the code PBPPMAG.




Today our guest post / green packaging feature is by Heather Armstrong Photography. If you’ve been wanting to go green with your business, this is an excellent resource!

I live on the west coast of Canada, the Gulf Islands, in a very green-conscious city. We have a fantastic recycling program, lots of eco initiatives, and government sponsored programs to help homes cut cost and live more environmentally friendly. As both a business owner and a parent it’s important to me to honour the Earth and do my part to keep as much garbage as possible off it.

Over time my packaging has evolved to become more Earth-friendly, producing less and less less waste as I find better companies to do business with. My brand is all about being organic: my style of portraiture is very natural and easy-going, and I want my packaging to reflect that…but not at the expense of the planet. I do not put in client “welcome packages”, medallions, advertisements or samples in the mail – packaging is about showcasing and protecting your print, and the more your client has to dig through to get to it, the worse it looks.

All invoicing, information and pricing communication is done electronically. If something does need to be printed, I print on renewable hemp paper and encourage my clients to recycle after they are done. I even use biodegradable pens and pencils for signing forms!

I work only with labs that will ship and package in the most environmentally friendly way possible. I understand that some products may require bubble wrap, but in the last year (thanks to some pushing and inquiring with the heads of various companies) I’ve only received four packages that included it…which was then reused. 99% of the time my labs ship to me in cardboard packaging with either shredded paper as a buffer, or corn-based packing peanuts (completely biodegradable with exposure to water). I recycle all boxes and bags that come to me; our local recycling depot will take plastic sheeting if you drop it off directly, and yours might too! Be sure to check with your city!

When my clients receive their prints, they’re packaged in unlaminated boxes with matching photo folios and CD sleeves. All are made with post-consumer recycled materials, and fully recyclable themselves.

Inside they’re wrapped in recycled tissue paper and sealed in a biodegradable corn-based bag (the PH level is not friendly to photos when kept inside for a long period of time, so tissue paper must be placed as a buffer between them). Instead of stickers, I use a custom rubber stamp with wooden handle and earth-friendly inks. Instead of cloth or plastic ribbons, I use biodegradable “crinkle paper” ribbon or wraphia. Instead of laminated thank you cards, I print my own messages on hand-crafted plantable paper and thank my client for choosing a green company. (Plus, it gives them the extra gift of wildflowers in a few weeks’ time!)

I even print my business cards with a company that uses only vegetable-based inks, post-consumer recycled materials and energy efficient printing techniques.

The completed packaging: 100% biodegradable and recyclable – nothing needs to be thrown away, and anything that accidentally does can break down easily in a landfill. And the waste I produce? Just one tiny piece!

In the last six months my business has produced less than one pound of non-renewable waste – both in my home, and my clients’. I keep a compost, have my recycle picked up twice a month, do research into the companies I purchase from, and keep tabs on my power meter to ensure that I’m using as energy efficient business practices.

It isn’t hard, nor that expensive, to be a green company. We can all do our part by caring about the environment and going the extra mile to find green products: every step counts. You don’t have to sacrifice style, brand or presence, and your clients will thank you for the effort you put into preserving our planet for their children to enjoy.

My products are purchased from:
1. http://www.greenprinteronline.com
2. http://www.ricestudiosupplies.com
3. http://www.goodplanet.com
4. http://clearbags.ca (look for their corn-based, biodegradable bags!)
5. …And local businesses committed to providing earth-friendly products




And the big winner in the Paint the Moon contest is…Kaley Lein!

Congrats to Kaley, thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks to Paint the Moon for yet another amazing giveaway here at Paperie!

Happy October everyone! Have a great weekend!
-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.

can you catch the moon?

I’m really excited about today’s guest / vendor post! Paint the Moon has been a long-time advertiser here at Paperie, and now Annie is offering up a giveaway, and a special promo for Paperie readers.

Plus read ’til the end for FREE Moo holiday sticker template downloads!

Paint the Moon offers Photoshop actions to help bring new life to your images and take hours off of your editing time. Offering professional editing tools that help you do everything including extensive retouching, essential workflow edits, and beautiful and unique artistic processing. Using Paint the Moon actions will make complicated processing amazingly quick and are a breeze to use. Paint the Moon actions are also highly customizable for just the right look.

Also offering vintage and fine art textures to add a unique and high end look to your final images. Included with every texture purchase is my exclusive “Textures Rock” action set that makes applying textures and customizing the final look super easy.

Paint the Moon also offers video tutorials to help guide you through the editing process (new ones are now being added weekly) and beautiful free actions and textures to try before you buy.

And now you can win the NEW “Whole Shebang Action and Texture Bundle” from Paint the Moon!

Also included in the giveaway prize is Paint the Moon‘s newest set, to be released this week, “Picture Perfect {mega portrait package)”. Here are a couple sneak peeks of before and afters using the new sets:

So how do you win? You’ve got four different ways to try!

1. “Like” Paint the Moon on Facebook

2. Follow @paint_the_moon on Twitter

3. Post about Paint the Moon on Facebook

4. Tweet the following on Twitter:
Win the new “Whole Shebang Action and Texture Bundle” from paintthemoon.net / @paint_the_moon over at PaperieBoutique.com / @paperieboutique

Then come back and comment here that you’ve done so – each entry requires its own separate comment. (In simple terms: If you want FOUR chances to win, you have to do all four things listed above, and then make four separate comments telling us how you did them.)

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, September 30th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page, followed on Twitter, posted to Twitter (with link), and / or posted to Facebook (with link) – in separate comments 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.

You can enter / post up to four total times – one entry each for the four options listed above.

You have four 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 24-48 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner has been announced here – check it out!

And right now all Paperie readers can use the code paperie15 for 15% off at Paint the Moon until October 15th!

Thanks so much to Annie and Paint the Moon for today’s guest post, giveaway, and reader-discount!




Today’s Moo.com newsletter announced that sticker books are now available in the U.S.! Up until now, they had to be purchased through the European store.

To celebrate, I’m making two holiday sticker templates available for FREE download – these coordinate with two Moo mini card templates I put on Paperie for download last year. Here are what the stickers look like:

→ download link ←  ¤  “elf-inspected” sticker (right-click, save-as)
→ download link ←  ¤  “(HO)³” sticker (right-click, save-as)
    UPDATE: third FREE Moo holiday sticker template now here

Both stickers are flat .png files sized for print at Moo.com. Visit this old Paperie post for information on purchasing additional Moo sticker templates.

New Moo.com customers can get 10% off their Moo orders through 9/30 with the code W9K55V.

The stickers above match these Moo mini card template FREE downloads (click the images for download links / info):

Be very merry!
-Robyn

These 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.

my I don’t have to run day

A surprise freebie this weekend from Farrah Braniff and thedesignersmix.com, recently featured here.

“This is a template for a personalized thank you card. I love giving these to my clients and they love them too! I talked about these in my PPA webinar. It’s great marketing! These are the layered files. Paperie readers can customize them to their heart’s content. It is templated to be printed at WHCC as a folded 4.5×5 with a blank-inside. I made it using elements from the Designer’s Mix set!”

1. → download link ←   •   thedesignersmix.com thank you card front
2. → download link ←   •   thedesignersmix.com thank you card back

Thank you so much, Farrah!




The Fit to Print sale has been so successful I’m going to extend it further through 3:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, September 27th, just in case readers didn’t get a chance to check in over the weekend. But that’s less than 24 hours so hurry up!

Everything in the store combined is worth over $260 so this is an amazing savings. Items included are:

1. “design one” information packet and matching Moo thank you template
     (color customizable)
2. “design two” Special Delivery / Do Not Open ‘Til tags
3. “design three” information packet (2 different front designs, color
     customizable)
4. “design four” 5×7 flat postcard promo / mailer / announcement (2 front
     designs to choose from)
5. “design five” information packet with “bonus pack” matching postcard /
     business card
6. “design six” CD / DVD cover design (for use with Epson Stylus R380)
7. “design seven” 5×5 trifold for cards or promo pieces
8. “design eight” Moo sticker templates
9. “design nine” Moo thank you card templates
10. “design ten” Moo business card templates
11. “design eleven” press-printed card client paper sample pack template
12. “Moo mini templates” (two) you can only get here

Heads-up! New Moo.com customers can get 10% off their Moo orders through 9/30 with the code W9K55V.

You must purchase this special deal on Paperie only using the purchase button below – not through “Fit to Print”!

Not much time left, so take advantage soon!




The winner in the recent Design Aglow Fine Art Overlays contest is… Rick Najdzion:

Congrats to Rick, thanks to Design Aglow, and thanks to everyone who entered!

Check in often this week for more great surprises 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.

fit to print

For this weekend only, starting now through 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, September 26th, 3:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, September 27th, the entire Fit to Print store is on sale.

Everything in the store combined is worth over $260 so this is an amazing savings. Items included are:

1. “design one” information packet and matching Moo thank you template
     (color customizable)
2. “design two” Special Delivery / Do Not Open ‘Til tags
3. “design three” information packet (2 different front designs, color
     customizable)
4. “design four” 5×7 flat postcard promo / mailer / announcement (2 front
     designs to choose from)
5. “design five” information packet with “bonus pack” matching postcard /
     business card
6. “design six” CD / DVD cover design (for use with Epson Stylus R380)
7. “design seven” 5×5 trifold for cards or promo pieces
8. “design eight” Moo sticker templates
9. “design nine” Moo thank you card templates
10. “design ten” Moo business card templates
11. “design eleven” press-printed card client paper sample pack template

I’m even kicking in the following two Moo mini templates you can only get here:


Heads-up! New Moo.com customers can get 10% off their Moo orders through 9/30 with the code W9K55V.

You must purchase this special deal on Paperie only using the purchase button below – not through “Fit to Print”!

Happy shopping!
-Robyn

welcome mat(erials)

Recently on an entry by Courtney Reece Photography, we had a couple of requests to show how to put together a “client welcome kit” (and to list what typically goes in one). Although I can’t speak for everyone, as photographers and photography-genres can all vary quite a bit, I did recently take step-by-step photos of what goes in mine…

First I include a paper sample kit (featured previously on Paperie here and here). Most of my packages include announcements or holiday cards (or the ability to purchase cards as an add-on) so I like to give each client a better idea of the paper and envelope choices available from the various print labs I use. Every card a client sends has my logo and URL on the back, so they are wonderful advertising for my business, and a ‘status symbol’ of sorts that Buttons and Bows Photography was their photographer. As such, I want them to select their personal preferences for the product rather than me just choosing the paper and envelope types for them.

Each paper and envelope choice is clearly labeled. I purposely use the color red in the card samples because not all card stocks start off as “pure white”. Some can have a blue cast, and others yellow. Red really highlights the differences in the final products. They can easily see how the same images change hues when printed on different papers.

Since my clients order online, I feel the only way to guide new parents through this process is to give them something to hold and feel when picking out announcements and cards. It’s simply too much to remember from the prior in-person consultations, and easier on them also means easier for me.

You can purchase my paper sample kit template at my site “Fit to Print“.

Next I include a “wall design” mini-booklet. You can see this featured previously on Flickr here.

I designed my wall gallery booklet with the help of a Pinkle Toes 4 Photographers template. If you are not a member of PT4P, other options are:

1. Photographer’s Wall Display Guide (featured on Paperie)
2. Gradybug Designs (set 1, set 2)
3. Design Aglow (Portraits I, Portraits II, Canvases)
4. Melissa Davis Designs (Wall Display)
5. The Savvy Photographer (Savvy Size Guide)
6. Simply Walls
7. Jamie Schultz Designs (Ordering – Wall Display Brochure)
8. Kori and Kate (Portrait Wall Displays)
9. Pink Ink Studios (Order Form with Wall Displays)

The pages of my mini-booklet are 4×5 photo prints that I adhere back-to-back with Tombow MONO Permanent Adhesive. The final page is a press-printed card and includes a ruled-lined page for client note-taking. I hole punch the top left corner of each page, place them together on a binder ring, and hot-glue my trademark button & bow on the ring-top. The completed booklets are placed inside envelopes from Paper Source.

I also tuck in my 2010 Client Information Kit. You can see the 2009 version here on Flickr. (And you can purchase the 2007-2008 “wide-format 5×7″ version here on “Fit to Print”.)

The 2010 accordion-version includes a pocket with business cards, cards for my referral program, and any promotional items. Each panel of the accordion provides information and tips for the various types of sessions included in client packages, and also explains my shooting style and business philosophy. The kit also has a section that gives each client their username and password for their personal Buttons and Bows Photography website.

I print these accordion cards at Miller’s. The outer envelope is from Paper Source, and the card pocket envelope is from Action Envelope.

At the end, everything is gathered into a 2-pocket folder by Envelopper Inc. (You can see an older photo of this posted to Flickr here.) In the left-side slit, I include a self-addressed, stamped #10 business envelope (printed at Vistaprint). In the right-side slits, I include “appointment reminder” business cards with the dates of their scheduled sessions. The left pocket includes everything that needs to be returned to me (and this is noted in a sticker placed on the pocket) — this includes all contracts and adult / minor model releases. The right pocket includes their copy of the contract (to keep), relevant session information ‘tip sheets’, and four envelopes (paper sample kit, wall gallery booklet, information kit, and a handwritten thank you card for booking with me). Envelopes are sealed with my cute little Moo stickers – new Moo.com customers can get 10% off their orders through 9/30 with the code W9K55V.

I add my signature button & bow to the outside of the folder, and then place these inside of an outer presentation envelope from Paper Source, ready to mail. My clients love having everything organized in one folder for quick access and reference. I shoot primarily maternity and newborn sessions, so life is chaotic enough preparing for a new arrival. I don’t want to add to the clutter and confusion if at all possible.

Other photographers have featured their welcome packets here on Paperie in the past. Make sure to look through the archives for ideas and inspiration! A few of note are:

1. Julie Rollins Photography
2. Carrie Small Photography (and a follow-up post)
3. Heather Garland Photography
4. Denton Boudoir Photography
5. Stylized Portraiture
6. France Photography
7. Gail Werner Photography
8. The Captured Life Photography

You can find more vendors I use and recommend here. So what are you waiting for? Get started on yours! (And then send us the photos and share with the class!)

And totally unrelated…but In Character Costumes are on SALE at HauteLook right now. The sale ends at 8:00 a.m. PDT on Monday the 20th. Don’t miss it!

The Kotori Photo Jewelry giveaway ends Saturday, September 18th, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Happy (almost) weekend!
-Robyn

P.S. NEW! Please follow our brand new Twitter and Facebook accounts!

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.

very vintage

Free downloads, a giveaway, and a prize-winner announcement…crazy Monday on tap!

First up, it’s beginning to look a lot like… I’ve been busy getting my 2010 Holiday card collection together for my clients. And now here’s one for you.

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

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

→ 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.




Next up is a vendor / guest post by Shannon of Vintage U Creations.

My name is Shannon Johnston, I am a full time mommy, wife and photographer. My daughter Angelina is 2 years old and inspires me everyday to try new things and put my ideas to creations. My husband is amazing and definitely supports my every dream. I have been a photographer for a little over 2 years now and I just love it.

I’m inspired by so many amazing people. Like many photographers I am a PROP FREAK! I love the hats, pods, diaper covers, headbands – EVERYTHING! I decided to start making my own vintage inspired headbands. My style of photographer is different, I love the vintage look with the old stacked suitcases and damask backdrops with that vintage tint to the picture.. What better to top off that sweet newborn then a vintage headband!

I have been open for business for about a month or so and really wanted to get the word out about my new creations at “Vintage U Creations“.

I will have several different styles of headbands along with how the actual rosette looks. Some are wrapped, some are twisted, and others are layered and bunched. I like having a variety of looks.

You are welcome to browse my shop on Etsy at VintageU.etsy.com if you’re interested in purchasing one for your upcoming photoshoots! On my Etsy site, photographers who purchase my headbands and send me their photos will get a 20% discount off the price of their next purchase! How awesome is that? Just make sure you send me a message PRIOR to check out so I can adjust your pricing.

And one Paperie Boutique reader is going to get lucky today and win a headband of your choice! You can choose from any one of the pictures posted here. Here’s what you need to do – you have two chances to win:

1. Become a fan of Vintage U on Facebook. This is where I will post some fan only giveaways and promotions.

2. Go to your blog, Facebook, or Twitter account and post the following:

I want to win a free vintage headband by Vintage U Creations / VintageU.etsy.com over at PaperieBoutique.com by @paperieboutique

Then come back and comment here that you’ve done so – each entry requires its own separate comment. (In simple terms: If you want TWO chances to win, you have to do all two of the things listed above, and then make two separate comments telling us how you did them.) U.S. residents only, please.

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 15th. You can enter up to two times total. Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page – or post the links to your Tweet, Facebook entry, or blog post – in separate comments 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 or website – or request permission to see them – your entry will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter / post up to two total times – one entry each for the options listed above.

You have two 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 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Comments are moderated and may be slow to be added today but they will be added by late afternoon or early evening.

UPDATE: The winner has been announced! Check it out!

Thank you so much for such a fun giveaway, Shannon!




And we have a winner in the *emera bag giveaway—it’s Heather-Dailey-Photography!

Congrats to Heather, huge thanks to Nathiya and *emera for the perfect prize, and thanks to everyone who entered!

Stay tuned this week for more surprises 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.

joyeux juillet

One of the most popular features on the site is the combined guest post / packaging displays. With many retailers offering “Christmas in July” specials this week, the timing of this post could not be better! Jeanine McLeod of Cloud 9 Studios in Tampa Bay, Florida, is here to spread a little (pre) holiday cheer!

I look forward to our Christmas in July Open House every year. It gives us a chance to celebrate my favorite holiday twice! Each year in July we build miniature versions of our three Christmas sets and invite our clients to come choose which one(s) they would like to reserve in November. It is great for our clients because they can actually see what their different options are, and it is great for us because it solidifies our November calendar in July when clients pre-book and pay for their sessions. This is a great way to get some momentum in the middle of the Summer and to market to our clients for Christmas before anyone else does!

Since this is our 4th year doing the open house, I wanted to add a little something extra to the celebration. I wanted to create Swag Bags to give the first 25 people to book their Christmas Session. Our premiere limited set this year is “A Peppermint Forest”, so we went with a red/white theme for our bags. Many of the components of the Swag Bag came from different posts here at Paperie Boutique.

I used the free Holiday MOO Tag design … but changed it a bit to fit as a tag for our swag bag. (Purchase mini cards at Moo.com.)

The snowflakes came from Paper Source.

The bookmarks were printed at WHCC and have the 2nd half of the year calendar on them from the free calendar template post last week.

The wine glasses are full of cinnamon candy and we made red/white wine charms for the bottom. The wine glasses I ordered from threadartfl.com and the wine charms we made out of jewelry making materials purchased at Michaels.

The lip balm was custom ordered in a peppermint flavor to fit our theme from threadartfl.com. We ordered enough so that during Christmas we can keep them out on the front desk in a pretty bowl.

Extra items included were a Christmas ornament, tea light candles and a set of 3 blank note cards that preview a greeting card line we will be releasing this Fall.

I hope this helps to inspire you guys to put some “Paperie Boutique” ideas for good use in unique packaging for your next special event.

Thank you so much, Jeanine, for not only sharing your adorable packaging – but also how easy it is to put Paperie’s free product downloads to good use! Stop by the Cloud 9 Studios blog and tell her how much you appreciate it!

Have a great weekend!
-Robyn

P.S. Don’t forget the Photographer’s Wall Display Guide giveaway ends late tonight! Hurry up and enter to win!

double word score + freebie

Those of you on the Moo mailing list might have received this newsletter today:

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!