on display

The Photographer’s Wall Display Templates were created by photographer Ariana Falerni also known as mommy / photography blogger “becoming-mom“. Ariana brings us today’s guest post.

The Photographer’s Wall Display Guide is a Photoshop template system that uses clipping masks and images of real room interiors to help you create amazing examples of wall displays for your clients:

I was inspired to create this guide when my friend Sara commissioned me to take images of her daughter for her retail store. She wanted to order several images for the store walls, but had no idea how many or what size so she asked me for help.

And you know what? I had no idea either until I sat down and cropped and arranged the photos and saw with my own eyes exactly what photos worked together in what grouping and at what size. Which got me to thinking…

If WE as photographer’s don’t know without seeing it, how can we possibly expect our clients to have the imagination to see the possibilities on THIER walls?

How can they know unless we SHOW them that an 8×10 over their fireplace mantle will be practically invisible:

But a 30×40 will look this fabulous?:

Or that this three piece grouping would look amazing over their couch?

Or in their hallway?

There are several other wall display guides on the market, but there are none (that I know of) that use real room interiors.

There are some guides that are incredibly pricey and others are just flattened jpgs so don’t offer the ease of use of these templates which use clipping masks to make placing and resizing your images a snap. And, even better I’ve made these incredibly affordable!

There are so many possible uses for these templates, here are just a few:

• Create a visually stunning framed or canvas grouping to add to the end of your client galleries to encourage large size print sales
• Create a page on your website about canvas displays using your own images as an example for your clients
• Create a page on your website or blog showing the difference in impact between an 8×10 and a 30×40 in a REAL ROOM!
• Use to prepare for or during in person client ordering sessions to nail down the perfect scale and arrangement of an image grouping or even a single image
• Show the difference in terms of ratio and cropping that an 8×10 vs an 11×14 has on the same image.

Read about more of the product features or watch a behind the scenes tour of the templates here!

If you don’t know how to use clipping masks, don’t worry because I have created a video tutorial to explain it all.

I have priced these at $50 each for the couch, the chair or the fireplace template, but for a limited time am offering an introductory price of $40 each or $85 for all three.

Even better, I’m giving one away right here! But if you just need to have these RIGHT NOW, I’m also creating an additional 25% discount for Paperie Boutique readers that ends at midnight EDT on Saturday, July 24th! Use the code “paper” (without the quotation marks) at checkout.

To enter for the free giveaway, you can do one (or all) of these three things:

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

2. “Like” Ariana Falerni Photography’s “Facebook fan page”

3. Follow becoming-mom on Twitter

Then come back and comment here that you’ve done so – each entry requires its own separate comment.

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 23rd. You can enter up to three times total. Post what you have “liked” or “followed” in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

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

UPDATE: The winner has now been announced in the comments – congrats to her, thanks to everyone who entered, and huge thanks to the Photographer’s Wall Display Guide!

Huge thanks to Ariana and Photographer’s Wall Display Guide for this giveaway!

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.

c’est tout

All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately our week-long birthday celebration is no exception. However, we’re giving you one more chance to win this week with a pop quiz and this one is on us!

So one last pop-quiz. Winner takes all. First person to Google away and post all the correct answers in the same comment wins. Good luck…and GO! (WE HAVE A WINNER!)

1. What city were Robyn and Todd married in?

2. What 2 pages was Robyn / Shutterblog.com featured on
    in the book “The IT Girl’s Guide to Blogging with Moxie”?

3. What was Robyn’s first DSLR?

4. What phobia / irrational fear has Robyn had since childhood?

5. What retailer is the inspiration behind Robyn’s entire branding
    and packaging “look”?

For those who are curious and speed-readers, here are the answers:

1. New Orleans / French Quarter
2. 107 and 169
3. Nikon D70
4. mariachi bands
5. Tiffany

And a huge thanks to each vendor that made this week’s amazing parties possible!

1. Moo
2. The Album Cafe
3. Francypants Designs
4. HB Photo Packaging
5. ProDPI
6. My Funky Camera
7. Clickinmoms
8. Photographer Cafe
9. GO{4}PRO Photography
10. Photographer’s Kick Start
11. Color Inc.
12. Loktah
13. MPixPro
14. Jamie Schultz Designs
15. iProof Pro
16. La Pomme Design
17. Pixel2Canvas
18. The Designer Concept
19. Sassy Designs
20. Pepper

Many of their birthday-related sales extend through the weekend so make sure to check the birthday party archives if you’re getting here late – including the ProDPI sale which runs the 18th – 24th of July.

And last but not least, a huge thanks to each one of you! Not only would this week not have been completely amazing without your participation – neither would the last year!

…and one to grow on!
- Robyn and Todd

duckin’ awesome

So remember I said there would be a pop-quiz coming up? How does the following FREE VEGAS SAMPLE PACK from Pixel2Canvas sound?

No. 2 pencils out. Search engines locked and loaded. First person to post all the correct answers in the same comment wins. (WE HAVE A WINNER!) And go!

1. What U.S. holiday weekend did Pixel2Canvas move their business
    to Las Vegas?

2. Robyn appeared in “Self Magazine”. What American Idol judge was
    next to her name / write-up?

3. What’s the name of the Pixel2Canvas blog?

4. What years was Barry Switzer the HEAD COACH for the
    OU Sooners?

5. What does Pixel2Canvas include with every order?

What happens on Paperie stays on Paperie…good luck!

(WE HAVE A WINNER in the comments! Check back soon for more goodies and don’t forget you get 30% off with the above code at Pixel2Canvas through Sunday at midnight – thanks P2C!)

For those who are curious and speed-readers, here are the answers:

1. 4th of July
2. Simon Cowell
3. What’s Up Duck?
4. 1973–1988 (or 1973-89, both accepted based on
    season or resignation)
5. A rubber ducky.

an apple a day

The last day of partying is now well-underway and up next is La Pomme Design:

Did you catch the “win the ENTIRE store” part up there?!? You bet! Check out the La Pomme Design blog for more details!

UPDATE – The winners have been chosen!

And I’m giving you a fair warning that there’s another pop-quiz coming up here in a bit. So put your favorite search engine on standby and check back soon! You snooze, you lose!

goin’ Pro

This one might be worth leaving work a little late to win… Another pop-quiz, this time the birthday presents are courtesy of MPixPro:

So grab your keyboard, fire up Google, and get ready because the first person to post all the correct answers in the same comment wins! (We have a winner in the comments!)

1. What was the title of the June 16, 2010, entry on MPixPro’s Blog?

2. What date (month / day / year) were Robyn and Todd married?

3. What link / URL did MPixPro “Tweet” at 9:46 AM on June 16th?

4. What University did Robyn and Todd graduate from?

5. What date (month / day / year) was Paperie Boutique’s very
    first post?

Be quick and good luck! (We have a winner!) Thank you MPixPro!
-Robyn

For those who are curious and speed-readers, here are the answers:

1. Introducing Gallery Wrap Collections!
2. June 1, 1996
3. http://blog.mpixpro.com/index.php/06/introducing-gallery-wrap-collections/
4. University of Oklahoma
5. July 18, 2009

pop quiz!

One of our party hosts today is Clickinmoms – and they have an extra special surprise for the goodie bag. Make sure you keep reading!

How does a free lifetime membership sound? The winner will be the first person to correctly answer all 10 questions (done!) in the following quiz. You’ll need to dig around this blog, the main Clickinmoms website, the Clickinmoms blog, the Clickinmoms Facebook fan page, the Clickinmoms Twitter stream, and maybe even Flickr and Google if you have trouble with a few of them. But the answers are readily available online if you look!

So ready…set…go! (UPDATE: We have a winner in the comments!)

Quiz for a free free Clickinmoms lifetime membership

1. Clickin Moms has over ______ members.

2. Robyn owned a wedding site for several years. It’s now owned by Christine Tremoulet. It’s located at www._ _ _ _ _ _matrimony.com.

3. What’s the name of the Clickin Moms workshop that started on Monday, June 21st?

4. What metro area did Robyn’s business “Buttons and Bows Photography” start in, before she moved to the Orlando metro?

5. How many people “Like” the Clickin Moms Facebook fan page at the time of your entry?

6. What magazine published an article about Paperie Boutique titled “How Marketing Spinoffs Help Enhance Your Brand” in May 2010?

7. What did Clickin Moms “Tweet” at 8:02 PM on July 10th?

8. What is the main camera body that Robyn shoots with (brand and make)?

9. Who is the voice behind the Clickin Moms blog?

10. What’s the name of Robyn’s photo-set on Flickr that inspired the creation of Paperie Boutique?

First all-ten correct answers in the comments win!

For those who are curious and speed-readers, here are the answers:

1. 8000
2. wholly
3. “So You Want to Own a Photography Business?”
4. Tampa
5. 3130 (at the time)
6. Rangefinder
7. COOOOFFFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEEEEE
8. Nikon D300
9. Lisa Harrison
10. Fit to Print

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!

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.

drop it like it’s hot

First up before the big giveaway (yes I said “big giveaway” so read ’til the end), I have a freebie download. To celebrate surviving the year being half-over I recently made mini-calendars for my clients. I had them printed as folded bookmarks from ProDPI, and they look fantastic if I do say so myself.

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

The white background color can be changed with one click as shown in the Photoshop background color fill layer in the Layers Palette. The text for the month names, the date text, and the box backgrounds for each month cannot be changed. However, the top stripe CAN be changed and your logo can be added using the included lab crop-guide for ProDPI.

→ download link ← (please note this file was designed in CS2 and you must have Photoshop or Elements and know how to edit a .psd layered file — I do not provide technical support for this download)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another backdrop photo by Chrissy Avila.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned this week. More fun ahead!
-Robyn

P.S. If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. If you are a photographer and are interested in having your packaging featured – or are a vendor and are interested in having your business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured – please contact robyn @ this domain to be added to the posting schedule.

Earthen-wares

In honor of the upcoming Fourth holiday weekend in the U.S., we’re celebrating our independence from boring packaging. Today’s guest post and giveaway is by Loktah. They have products so beautiful you really must see / hold them in-hand to believe!

Loktah is inspired by the natural beauty of the earth, featuring products that recall the planet’s majestic form. Loktah’s essential element is the organic paper, a renewable source in the foothills of the Himalayas.

This green product rises from the earth to showcase your work to your client. Each product is dipped in bee’s wax to preserve the quality of the paper yet allow the product to age with natural beauty. Soft twine encircles the product with an organic bead completing the look. Created by hand, each case is slightly unique.

Portfolio folders feature sleek rounded edge corners on the cover flap and have the ability to hold a 8.5 x 11 size sheet on both sides, and can hold multiple sheets.

The mystery and beauty of the Himalayan region offers inspiration like no other place on earth.

Loktah cases will give your CDs and DVDs a gorgeous presentation that you and your clients will enjoy, and cases have the ability to order a logo add-on.

So now that you’re sold on Loktah, now you have the chance to win some of their products, too! Up for grabs are:

1. Two lucky winners will each win 5 Loktah DVD/CD Cases (any case)
2. One lucky winner will get 2 Loktah Portfolio Folders (any color)

First follow Loktah either on Facebook or Twitter.

Then post the following to either your public Facebook wall or public Twitter stream:

Celebrate your Independence from boring packaging – win from Loktah.com / @loktah 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 Monday, July 5th.

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 / post your links up to two times total – one entry each per public, non-private Facebook and / or 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 separate links 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 numbers will be chosen by Random.org, and the winners will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prizes. Good luck!

UPDATE: The winners have now been posted here.

Big thanks to Loktah for such amazing prizes. Stop by their blog to tell them thanks in person!

Don’t forget you have until 11:59 p.m. EDT Friday to win a “Get it Together Kit“. Have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!