it’s my bag, baby!

I’m happy to introduce a guest / vendor post today that I use and love – Jo Totes.

I have the “Missy – Pink” bag and it’s too adorable for words! As shown above, it’s long / deep enough to hold my camera body, an 80-200mm with lens hood, an extra lens and speedlight – plus personal belongings.

You can also see my review of one of last season’s bags in the July 2010 “Professional Photographer Magagazine“.

Jo Totes are the perfect bags for carrying your camera and an extra
lens or two with your purse items while out and about. They allow you to safely carry your gear on a daily basis, at photo shoots, and while traveling.

The padded interior can be custom fitted not only to protect a camera and lenses, but also to accommodate and organize items like a wallet, music, phone, keys, cosmetics and more. Padding is sewn directly into the interior lining on all four sides and the bottom of the bags. The bottom is also equipped with four metal feet to guard your bag from rough, dirty, or damp surfaces.

Inside of each Jo Tote are removable pads which are completely customizable — you can use as many or as few pads as you wish, arranged in the way that best suits your camera, lenses, and other items.

Each bag also includes pockets, strong and comfortable shoulder straps, a top-zippered closure, and a removable cross-body strap.

And Paperie readers are in luck. This week Jo Totes is giving away a bag – color and style of the winner’s choice! How do you win? It’s simple! You have four chances:

1. Follow Jo Totes on Twitter

2. Like Jo Totes on Facebook

3 & 4. Add the following to Facebook and / or your Twitter account:

I want to win a Jo Totes / @jototes / jototes.com camera bag – my choice of color & style – over at PaperieBoutique.com by @shutterblog

Then comment here (up to four separate times) that you have Twitter-followed, Facebook-liked, and / or the link(s) to your Twitter / Facebook posts in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 1st.

ATTENTION: The links you post must direct to public 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 page or request permission to see it, you will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter / post that you have followed or ‘liked’ the above Jo Totes accounts, and / or add the links to your entries, up to FOUR times total. One entry each per person, per option – links must direct to public, non-private Facebook and / or Twitter accounts.

You have four chances to win but only one chance per option listed. Post what you have “followed”, “liked”, or posted in separate comments here. 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 numbers will be chosen by Random.org, and the winners will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prizes.

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

GOOD LUCK to everyone and thanks so much to Jo Totes for the fantastic prize!!!

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

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.

you spin me right ’round

So you saw the My Funky Camera party invitation below – but did you drop by Facebook to try and win a FREE camera strap and get the discount code?

If you follow my Flickr stream, you’ve seen the Verbatim vinyl hub-printable CDs I recently product-tested.

As a birthday gift for everyone, I’m putting a template up for download for the Verbatim #94550 CD-R. You’re on your own to change the colors – but text can be edited in the layered .psd file. I designed it to print on the HP Photosmart C309a printer (but you’re more than welcome to try it with yours). Please note I do not provide product support for free downloads. Template was designed for use with Photoshop CS2 and above.

For more info on the CDs, printer, and packaging please see my Flickr stream.

Thanks for a great first year! I’ll see you back here SOON!
-Robyn

the party just got Funky

If you didn’t believe me that it was worth it to check back often you’ll be sorry!

My Funky Camera is throwing a Paperie-party over at Facebook today. Paperie readers get 10% off on all orders through Saturday, July 17th (see here for more details, and go here to order) – and one lucky commenter will get a free strap!

So go there, but don’t forget to check back here! Happy birthday to us!

Priddy awesome

Today is the appetizer to next week’s main course.

That’s the only hint I’m giving, but with that hint (and a heads-up that you’ll be kicking yourself if you don’t check in every. single. day. next week) comes an awesome giveaway from Priddy Creations!

Two lucky Paperie readers will win a camera strap cover from Priddy Creations. (Paperie Boutique already has the straps in our possession so they will ship next week.) All Priddy Creations fabric creations have finished seams, re-enforced stitching and are topstitched where necessary for a lasting item. Camera straps are designed as slipcovers to dress up your existing nylon camera strap. They will fit most existing Canons, Nikons and other SLR camera straps. To ensure the giveaway items will fit your camera, please measure your camera strap. Strap covers are padded and lined for added comfort.

One strap up for grabs is the “Light Pink Brown Damask Camera Strap Slipcover“. (“This removeable camera strap is like a slipcover for your existing camera strap. No need to have multiple straps. Measures approximately 22″ long and 2¼” wide. It has a little extra padding to give your camera strap a more comfy feel.”) The other strap up for grabs is the “City Girl Pink Patchwork Camera Strap Slipcover“. (“This removable camera strap is like a slipcover for your existing camera strap. No need to have multiple straps. This patchwork strap uses fun and vibrant coordinating fabrics from the Park City Girl fabric line. Measures approximately 22″ long and 2¼” wide.”)

So how do you win? It’s simple! There are two different ways to win — each entry requires its own separate comment:

1. Follow Priddy Creations on Twitter – Tweet the following (and then comment here with the link to your Tweet):

I wanna win a free @priddycreations camera strap from priddycreations.com / priddycreations.etsy.com at PaperieBoutique.com by @shutterblog

2. Like Priddy Creations on Facebook – post the following on your Facebook wall (and then comment here with the link to your wall post):

I want a free camera strap from Priddy Creations / priddycreations.com/ priddycreations.etsy.com – enter to win one, too, at PaperieBoutique.com

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

Please note: The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win these items. If we have to subscribe to your feed or page or request permission to see it, you will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter up to two times total – one entry each per public, non-private Twitter and/or Facebook account.

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

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

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 two winners have been announced here – check them out!

Stop by Priddy Creations, the Priddy Creations Etsy site, and the Priddy Creations Blog to say thanks for this fantastic giveaway!

Don’t forget you have until 11:59 p.m. EDT Friday night to enter The Drop Shoppe giveaway. Have a great weekend and be there or be ☐ on Monday!
-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.

bag lady

It has been so hard sitting on my hands waiting for the new July 2010 issue of Professional Photographer Magazine to be released!

This month you’ll find me in good company over in “The Goods” section (pages 60-63) and the topic is one that made me swoon – camera bags. I got to hug, squeeze and call every single one of ‘em “George“. It was amazing. And so are the bags! So keep your eyes peeled for the snail-mail copy, and download the digital edition now if you’re a PPA member.

Big thanks to Epiphanie, *emera, Kelly Moore, Jo Totes, and Photojojo for allowing me to review your bags!

But wait, there’s Moore!

Joshua Smith of Loktah was awesome enough to share this video he shot of the new Kelly Moore bag promo. You know you want to win one now!

So what are you waiting for? Hurry up and go enter! (Thanks for sharing Joshua!)

P.S. New Moo.com customers can get 10% off with the code AS3JC3 through June 30th!

tell me Moore, tell me Moore!

Today’s guest post / giveaway is what those of us in the industry refer to as “hitting the jackpot”. Not only is there a Kelly Moore bag up for grabs (yep, you heard that right) – but the lucky winner also gets their choice of a custom Abie Camera Strap (and they haven’t even hit the market yet)!

Kelly Moore bags sell out almost the instant new stock is replenished and it’s no big secret why. They’re a roomy, stylish, and fashionable way to protect your gear. And with the release of Kelly’s new hobo, there are more choices than ever before.

But wait. There’s more! In addition to their choice of camera bag, the winner will also get their choice of custom Abie Camera Strap.

Professional Photographer Magazine recently featured Abie Camera Straps in a web exclusive. Available soon, they will retail for $145.00-175.00.

You can see one on my Nikon above – they are absolutely beautiful, and I love the suede backing. You can even request a custom design for an additional fee that features your own logo.

To win, go to your Facebook and Twitter accounts and post the following:

I need a camera bag from kellymoorebag.com / @kellymooreclark and Abie Camera Strap from @EllenLeRoy at paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog

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

Please note: The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item. If we have to subscribe to your feed or page or request permission to see it, you will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter up to two times total – one entry each per public, non-private Facebook and Twitter account.

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

UPDATE: If you want two chances to win, MAKE TWO COMMENTS. One comment with your Facebook link to your entry there. And one comment to your Twitter link with your comment there. If you leave one comment with both links, you are only entered once.

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

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. Thank you so much Kelly & Ellen – and good luck!

And don’t miss fADtastic that just kicked off yesterday for vendors and Paperie readers!

noun: illuminating discovery

Today’s guest post should prove to be a very popular giveaway. Maile at Epiphanie bags is donating one bag, your choice, to one lucky Paperie reader!

I’ve been lucky enough to review one of these bags in person and Epiphanie storage seems to extend all the way down to China! And compared to the materials used in my Jill-e small bag, well there is no comparison.

There’s a great review and interview already over at “Beyond Snapshots“—so rather than reinvent the wheel we’re going to send you there to brush up on your Epiphanie history. To win a bag here, simply follow the directions below.

To win, first either fan or follow Epiphanie on Facebook or Twitter.

Then go to your Facebook and Twitter accounts and post the following:

I want to win an Epiphanie camera bag from epiphaniebags.com / @EpiphanieBags at Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog

Post the URL(s) to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 6th.

Please note: The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item. If we have to subscribe to your feed or page or request permission to see it, you will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter up to two times total – one entry each per public, non-private Facebook and Twitter account.

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

UPDATE: If you want two chances to win, MAKE TWO COMMENTS. One comment with your Facebook link to your entry there. And one comment to your Twitter link with your comment there. If you leave one comment with both links, you are only entered once.

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

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. Thank you so much Maile and good luck!

what happens in Vegas

Yet another guest post from WPPI in Las Vegas last week. I love getting all the different perspectives. So many neat things to look at, and it seems something different caught each attendee’s eye. This next amazing summary is provided by Lydia Shannon. I’ll let her take it from here…

(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!)

Wow! If you didn’t go to WPPI this year, you CANNOT miss out next year. Start saving up, it is so worth it. I’m going to give you a rundown of some of my favorite items at the tradeshow. Make sure you check my blog for some fun photos from WPPI.

In no particular order…

Planetjill Jewelry
What a great investment for your business. For only $20, you can be a wholesale retailer, and they give you a sample, brochures, and a jewelry holder. It is super chic that they use only B&W images! Love it. Also, I met Jill, the owner and designer, and she is wonderful too! Make sure you tell them Lydia Shannon sent you!

MPixPro
Of course, I had heard of them before, but after looking at their products I was much more impressed. I especially loved this larger accordion book.

Oh and I loved the fact that their new mini accordion albums have magnets to close them up tight and you can buy just one if you want!

WHCC
I’ve always been a big fan of White House. This year I was especially impressed with their new Stainless Steel Standouts. It gives their old standouts a super modern, high end feel. Love it!

ProPhotoBlogs
I don’t have a picture to go with it. But I have to tell you how much I LOVE mine. I bought it last year at WPPI and I couldn’t be happier. Best, easiest way to blog, EVER! You can use my promo code for $10 off, LYDSHA432. I think there was a WPPI code floating around, but I don’t know it.

Kelly Moore Bag
It is even more beautiful in person then it looks online!

Canvas on Demand Pro
This is just such a brilliant idea! What a modern twist on a traditional signature frame.

H-B Packaging
These custom boxes are prefect for branding. You can either get your logo put on them or you can create a huge statement by custom designing your entire box.

Michael Chinn
I was in love with these exquisite folios the second I saw them. They are so classy looking. Also, there albums and DVD folios are beautiful too.

Pixel2Canvas
I know they have been featured on here before, but I have to tell you, Roxanne {the owner and creative director} is absolutely one of the sweetest and most enthusiastic people you will meet! They just came out with the most beautiful new product, ChromaLuxe Storyboards. AMAZING. Not only are they fabulous, but the price cannot be beat. I will be ordering a bunch of these.

Snaptotes
When I was going in to a class, I saw the coolest purse ever, and it happened to be Roxanne’s from Pixel2Canvas. Roxanne is teaming up with Snaptotes and creating incredible designs to go on their purses. Here’s the one that caught my eye on my way into class.

This is her personal purse, with an adorable picture of her son. I can’t wait for my clients to be carrying around amazing purse with wonderful designs.

Well there you have it, my favorite items! WPPI was absolutely amazing and I encourage everyone to go next year! I will be speaking at a tradeshow booth, I’m just not sure which one yet! hehe

Thanks! Lydia

Thank you so much for the amazing recap, Lydia! For more on her trip to Vegas, go here.

All of the 2010 WPPI Vegas recaps on Paperie Boutique can be found here.

Contest winners in the Photographer Cafe promotion and Hello Kitty Photographer window decal will be announced shortly on Thursday morning so stay tuned! I’m about to fall face-first into my keyboard so I’ll be on it first-thing when we’re up and around in the AM – promise.

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).

instant gratification

Last fall after purchasing the Bad-Ass Bowler Camera Bag from Photojojo’s Store, I reviewed it here on Paperie Boutique. That review was such a success, Photojojo recently contacted me to see if I’d be interested in reviewing the Fuji Instax Mini Instant Camera. (Don’t miss the coupon code later in the post!)

I believe it took me all of 0.02 seconds to say, “YES! Please!”

It arrived earlier this week and I’ve had an absolute blast playing with it!

Assembly was very easy. Basically you take it out of the box, pop the batteries in, pop the film in, and go. (The Photojojo site has a great animated image that shows you how to load the film into the camera, so don’t miss it!) Honestly the most confusing part was that in my excitement I failed to RTFM and couldn’t figure out where the “power button” was. Turns out, there is no power button. You pull the lens out, “voilà!”, and you’re good to go…

The first day I took a few shots inside and then headed out back. I was amazed you could even see detail in the blades of grass. For an instant camera, it had very good clarity.

My boys were impressed with the “now you don’t see it, now you do” aspect of the photos. It was like handing over a little slice of my childhood to them.

For those of you want all the fine details, I’m more than happy to oblige. The Instax has a wide-angle Fujinon Lens (f=60mm) with a 1/60 second electronic shutter. (Its old-skool Polaroid Spectra counterpart has a 100mm lens.) The focus range is 0.6m to ∞.

It has a built-in auto flash in low light with auto-adjust and manual exposure compensation. There are individual exposure settings for indoor/dark, cloudy/shady, fine, and clear. You can check the LED exposure indicator and press the shutter.

The INSTAX Mini Film comes in cartridges and develops instantly. Each cartridge contains 10 prints – 2 cartridges, 20 prints per box. The prints are about the size of a credit card (2.13″ x 3.4″), making them very easy to take-and-go on a night out since they’ll fit right in a wallet photo holder. The image color is very vivid and bold, as you would expect with Fuji film. You can see here in the comparison shots I took first with my Polaroid Spectra Blitz, then with the Instax, just how much of a difference a few decades of technology can make.

The Polaroid images look so yellow, dull, and and washed out by comparison. Whereas the Fuji Instax images are bright and clear.

Don’t get me wrong – the images are not all tack-sharp. But for an instant camera, they are the best I’ve ever seen and this camera allows you so much control over the settings unlike its predecessors. Yet even with the color-pop the Instax provides, it still retains its roots and the images look remarkably ‘retro’.

Pros:
• very fast point-and-shoot capability
• can be shared by family members
• the instant-film is still in production
• unlike my Polaroid, the batteries are separate from the Fujfiilm Instax film (so if the 4 AA batteries die on the Instax, you don’t lose an entire pack of film in the process like you do with the Polaroid Spectra)

Cons:
• the price of the film (but you can’t really put a price on instant gratification now can you?)
• lack of a macro lens (DSLR shooting has really spoiled me all these years – this camera does not do very well in extreme close-ups)
• getting used to the lens-finder being on the right and the shutter-button located on the front (I’m a natural blonde and I have issues)
• figuring out how to convince my boys that it’s MOMMY’s camera

Now if you’re sitting there thinking, “This is all well and good but the expense doesn’t apply to my business…” Well think again! The photo below is the original reason I bought my Polaroid. You can do a lot of fun, creative shots mixing instant and digital / film. My clients absolutely adored this photo and had it blown up large for their wedding guestbook table.

So what are you waiting for? Not only is there an amazingly fun camera out there to be had, but the fact Photojojo is providing Paperie Boutique readers with a discount is just icing! So enter the code PAPERJOJO at checkout for 10% off the Instax cam until the end of March. You can’t beat that!

And with the money you save, you might even be able to justify getting one of the Bad-Ass Bowler Camera Bags for yourself to carry it in!

Thank you so much Photojojo! It’s been a long time since I actually had an excuse to “play” with a camera! And I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot more excuses in the future.

The first WPPI 2010 Las Vegas recap went live late last night. So don’t miss it! The post includes links to several incredible vendor discounts, only available for a limited time!

Camera mini-strap on the Instax courtesy of My Funky Camera who was featured on Paperie earlier this month.

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).