seeing is believing

Today we’re in full-on catch-up mode here at Paperie. Since our Chinese drywall ordeal, we literally have no immune systems to speak of in our family. And now that the weather is changing, once again we’ve been down for the count for a few days with horrible colds. If you’re waiting to hear from either of us, please be patient – we do apologize!

But couldn’t let the weekend start without a big giveaway / guest / vendor post — some new packaging photos — contest winner announcements — and a big Halloween sale from my favorite packaging vendor. So read on and make sure you don’t miss anything…

Hi everyone, Ariana here from Photographer’s Wall Display Guides. If you aren’t already familiar with us, we create stylish, fresh and modern wall guides that use REAL room backgrounds to help your clients “picture their pictures” on their walls!

What happens when you SHOW your clients how amazing the images you took look on the wall instead of just talking about it? A huge increase in sales of large wall prints and canvases course!

And now, Photographer’s Wall Display Guides have teamed up with the Organic Bloom, to bring you Organic Bloom frames for the Photographer’s Wall Display Guides!

If you didn’t already know, Organic Bloom is the premier company creating beautiful, whimsical frames sold exclusively through photographers.

We think it’s a match made in heaven, and think you will too once you see this little video (click to launch Vimeo player):

The Organic Bloom frames can be used with ANY of the 15 Photographer’s Wall Display Guides rooms and it’s loaded with features:

•   Includes ALL 16 Organic Bloom frame styles in 10 different sizes from
    a 5×7 to a 20×30
•   Cross organized by both style and size for easy reference
•   Includes an incredible 101 (yes, you read that right!) designed
    groupings!
•   Includes both swatches AND a Color Book of Organic Bloom frame
    colors that makes showing your clients ACCURATE frame colors a breeze!
•   Actions for glazing, resizing and inserting your images
•   Create Double and Twin Double stack frames automagically!
    **{Stacking only supported in Photoshop CS3-CS5}
•   Use images of your client’s home as a background if you wish!
•   Easily create custom sizes and groupings not included with the product.

Although the Organic Bloom frames look STUNNING in all of the wall guide rooms, we did create a special new “Kid’s Pack” { Girl’s Room, Boy’s Room, Baby Room, Playroom } to coincide with the release of the Organic Bloom frames pack that can be purchased separately or as a bundle with the Organic Bloom frames.

Right now through midnight Eastern on November 4th, all Paperie readers will receive 15% off from Photographer’s Wall Display Guides with the code paperie.

And now the best part – we are giving the WHOLE thing away to one lucky reader! That’s all 15 Photographer’s Wall Display Guides rooms with the Organic Bloom frames pre-installed, currently a $385 value.

Ways to enter:

1. Like the Photographer’s Wall Display Guides Facebook page

2. Follow the Photographer’s Wall Display Guides on Twitter

3. Sign up for the VERY occasional Photographer’s Wall Display Guides newsletter (by occasional we mean maybe 2-3 times a year when we release new products!)

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

Comment that you have followed the Twitter and/or Facebook account(s), or already follow them – and / or have signed up for the newsletter – 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 Tuesday, November 1st. You can enter up to THREE 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 three 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 THREE 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.

That’s it, thank you! Good luck to everyone who enters!

And thanks Ariana / Photographer’s Wall Display Guides for the amazing prize!




I’ve posted a couple of my own photos to my Pinterest “Pretty Packaging” board recently, in case you’ve missed them:

We have a winner in our Hardwood Whimsical Frames contest and it’s…mhs Photography!

And the winner of our mini-camera magnet set giveaway is…Jammie Lopez!

Congrats to our two winners, thanks to everyone who entered, and a special thanks to Hardwood Whimsical Frames for the fantastic prize pack!

Winners, you’ll be hearing from me this weekend with information on how to claim both of your prizes.




Last but not least…guess where Paperie is this week? New York City!

We have a photo in a beautiful Organic Bloom frame at the HB Photo Packaging booth for WPPI NYC @ PhotoPlus.

If that isn’t scary enough, they’re also having a Spooktacular Halloween sale!

Happy Haunting, everyone!
-Robyn & Todd

it’s in the bag

Two posts in one day…I think it’s time to play the lottery, girls and boys!

I just realized (almost a month later!) that my “Web Exclusives” column about Loktah’s LifeStyle Bags had gone live. Read more here.




And before I head back to Photoshop, a bit of product envy from Kelli France:

Photo by pure7studios.com (via Facebook), product by The Organic Bloom.

It’s beginning to look a lot like…
-Robyn

too much time on my hands

Recently we featured the new Specialty Shaped Metal Prints from Black River Imaging. Here’s a great example of what you can do with them!

Angela Spieker (of Artistic Impressions Photography & Design) combined Black River Imaging‘s 5” round metal prints with a Karlsson Wall Clock for this stunning, functional wall display. (Frames shown are by The Organic Bloom.)

Angela made the clock as a personal project, but will offer it to her clients upon request. Thank you so much for sharing with our Paperie readers, Angela!




If you’re looking for hosting, Hosting Matters is offering a special deal for Summer 2011. I’ve mentioned here before that I have been a Hosting Matters customer for almost a full decade, and I can’t imagine going anywhere else!

The summer special offer currently running through Labor Day (with discounts for quarterly, semiannual, annual, and bienniel contracts) is just $8 USD per month. You’ll receive unmetered resources to allow you to do what you need with your site without worry. Blogs, photo albums, mailing lists, and content management systems are just a sampling of what can be installed with one click using your account’s Control Panel – no programming knowledge or uploading required! You’ll also receive 24/7 technical support, and if you already have an established site, Hosting Matters will move it to their servers for you, saving you the time and effort involved in completely reuploading everything. Check out their unmetered plans special for more details!

P.S. Don’t forget there’s just under two hours for the “See Jane Work” gift card giveaway – it ends at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

cute as a button

Jenny Jacob of HGW Photography just threw her glue gun into the ring and entered our best business packaging / holiday packaging contest (running now through November 30th).

I am in love with these two (regular and holiday) looks – and not just because of the button accent!

Click the images above and below to see larger versions of HGW Photography‘s classic and very-merry looks.

Vendor list to achieve the above holiday look:
1. boxes – HB Photo
2. ribbons – Hobby Lobby
3. homemade paper flowers – paper from my local scrapbook store
4. frame ornament – Hobby Lobby
5. snowflakes accents for flower centers – from my local scrapbook store

Bravo, Jenny! *two snaps in a circle*

If you’d like to enter the contest – the awesome prizes are a $20 gift certificate to Paper Source and a $100 gift certificate to HB Photo Packaging – send in one (or more) photos of your business packaging. It can be your everyday packaging, something special for the holidays, or both!

Happy wrapping! Send photos to Robyn [robyn AT paperieboutique DOT com] thru Tuesday, November 30th.

it’s a nice day for a white wedding

It’s been a great week at Paperie and I’m very excited to wrap things up on a high note with one of my favorite things — the packaging features. Not only is Gail Werner Photography‘s work and presentation absolutely stunning, there’s a double-bonus because I learned about a couple of new vendors myself! So grab a Coke and a smile, kick your feet up because it’s almost the weekend, and enjoy today’s guest post!

(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.

viva Las Vegas

Today I thought I’d start off by getting right to the good stuff – the freebie! One of my most prized possessions is my Hello Kitty photographer sticker on my car.

I recently bought another one and it came in a set of two. Since I only need one, the second one (shown here) is up for grabs!

Here are the details about the sticker:

• Outlasts and outshines regular vinyl
• Water Resistant: Designed to withstand all types of indoor and outdoor weather conditions
• Clear transfer tape for easy peel-and-stick installation
• Clear tape allows you to easily see where you want to stick the decal
• Intense look at night and stands out
• Appears silver/metallic white in daylight, but glows brightly at night when light hits it
• Sticks to any smooth clean surface: Cars, Notebooks, Windows, Walls, Mirrors, Laptops…

To win, you know the drill! Go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

I love photography and I’m not ashamed to admit I ♥ Hello Kitty, too – visit Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com to win both-in-one!

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

You can enter up to four times total – one entry each per public, non-private blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account. Post the URL to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 17th.

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!

And if you just can’t wait to win one, you can buy one on eBay!

UPDATE: The winner has been announced here! Thanks everyone!

Now on to the good stuff! We have another guest post / 2010 WPPI Las Vegas recap, this time provided by Ursula of Sweet Shots Photography.

The photos submitted with this entry are so good, I didn’t want you to miss any detail. So each one can be clicked on for a larger pop-up!

And away we go…

Being that I live in Las Vegas, there was no way I was going to miss attending WPPI. Sunday through Tuesday consisted of classes and more classes which left Wednesday to do nothing but stroll the Tradeshow and let me tell you, Wednesday could not come fast enough! Not because I didn’t enjoy the classes, but because I was so excited to see the Tradeshow.

There were hundreds of fantastic vendors and here are some of my favorites:

Photo Flash Drive
• Huge variety of USB flash drives with free logo engraving
• Coolest part? No minimum order!
• Get 50% off any custom iPod case, Lanyard, Pen or USB Flash Drive. Code: CSPPAS5

Planet Jill Photo Jewelry
• Nice selection of jewelry and a wide variety of photo key chains, charms, etc.

Metal Mural
• They specialize in printing metal murals that are assembled with 4”-12” sized metal tiles.
• What caught my eye? The Mini Metal Mural Stand. This would make a great display for your studio.

H & H Color Lab – Professional Photo Lab
• Hot item: the 2×2 Square Minis. Every card can have a different image on one side and the same text on the other. These would be awesome for marketing cards and even to give your business cards a new look.

The Boudoir Divas
• A workshop in Paris, France! What, what!! April 29-May 2, 2010 Full of shooting, sales and everything in between. Oh, how I would love to check this out!!

Bayphoto
• A full service printing company offering prints, albums press printed and more. One of my faves, metal prints in almost every size, from a 4×6 to 30×40.

StudioCloud
• Need business management software? Check out this company for FREE business software that will help with Client Management, Scheduling, Bookkeeping and more. This is a definite check out!

Triple Scoop Music
• Awesome place for royalty free music for your website. Want to save 10%? Discount code Awesome2010 within the next 30 days for 10% off.

Scenes from the MPix Pro booth…

One of Robyn’s (paperieboutique.com owner) promo pieces spotted at the ProDPI booth.

The Finao booth…

The Wild Sorbet Frame Company booth… (UPDATE: It has now been noted twice in the comments that the frames shown above are Whimsical Frames by CPQ, and not by Wild Sorbet.)

Here are some other miscellaneous Coupon Codes:

WHCC – Save 25% on focused templates (Code WPPI2010)

ACI American Color Imaging – Existing customer? Get a free 16×20 print (Code: W1620A)

ClearBags – 10% off (Code: WPPILV3)

All in all, WPPI was AWESOME! Next year if you have to choose between buying a lens and attending WPPI…..attend WPPI. The people you meet, the classes you can attend, and the experience you will have gained—priceless!

Ursula Valmore
Sweet Shots Photography

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with everyone, Ursula! Please drop by her blog and tell her thanks, too! And don’t miss our other Vegas recap from last week with even more vendor codes!

And don’t forget to enter the contest up above. You have until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 17th. Hope you’ll have some Luck o’ the Irish!

If you’re interested in sending reviews / photos of WPPI 2010, or 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).

the dotted line

(Psssst…read to the end of this post for a chance to win fabulous prizes!)

Last fall I featured an amazing guest post by Heather James Photography. In it she shared her accordion price guide. She’s now designed that guide for you to use as well, and provided an amazing discount to Paperie readers. I’ll let Heather do the talking from here…

Last summer I found myself with a dilemma: I had an inquiry from someone who didn’t have internet. I found myself scrambling as I had built my business on an eco-friendly format and had nothing to send the potential client. I needed something that showcased my best photography, my pricing and most of all my passion for my work. I also needed a product that wouldn’t break the bank and was easily reproduced in small quantities. And so, the accordion price guide was born!

I love this piece and have had so many compliments and inquiries on what’s exactly inside that I’ve decided to release it as my first template in my shop for my new project, Brand by Heather James. This 10- panel accordion offers places for you to showcase images, provide information about you as an artist and your sessions, as well as a large section dedicated to pricing, packages and products. The photoshop template is both a fully editable and multi-layer and includes sample text direct from Heather James Photography’s guide that we currently use to help you get started.

I love this product so much that I want you all to have it as a part of your business brand. That’s why from now through March 31, 2010, take $10 off the purchase price of the template with offer code pbmarch2010. Be sure to visit our design site at thebrandproject.com and our shop at thebrandproject.com/shop for more details on this template and all of our other design offerings!

Thank you so much for sharing these, Heather! They look fantastic!

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

The “Pink Boutique Packaging Set” includes:

• two sets of 2 still-shrinkwrapped 9x9x3″ boxes (4 total) by Making Memories (includes photo corners on top to hold 4×6″ photo – you can see it in use in my own packaging here – great for announcements, prints, and session albums 8×8″ and smaller)
• one 5×7 1/2″-deep Paragon Brown photo box from HB Photo Packaging
• one 5×7 1/2″-deep Pink Pearl photo box from HB Photo Packaging
• one 5×7 stretch ribbon loop in brown from HB Photo Packaging
• one 1.75×2.75″ photo frame by All Tied Up
• three 24″ strips of brown ribbon with pink polka dots / gold edging
• 1.5-yards of Martha Stewart Crafts decorative ribbon tape
• three .5-yard strips of 1/8″ stitch grosgrain ribbon in deep-brown/white, beige/brown, and white/chocolate
• one 25-yard roll of 1.5″ Bella Terra paper ribbon in chocolate from HB Photo Packaging
• one HB Photo Packaging “Professional Photography Presentation Packaging” guide

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

I NEED the “Pink Boutique Packaging Set” from Paperie Boutique & HB Photo Packaging / h-bphoto.com – visit paperieboutique.com for more!

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

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

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

UPDATE: The winner has been announced – check the comments for details!

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).