gimme an F !  R !  E !  E !

Hello, would you like free shipping with MOO?

We’ll just assume the answer is yes, which works out rather nicely – because for the next 48 hours, that’s what’s happening! Simply place an order within the next 48 hours using the code SHIP2012 at checkout – whether it’s Business Cards, MiniCards, Stickers or even Luxe Business Cards – we’ll ship it to you absolutely free*.

So, if you’ve never made any MOO products, it’s the perfect time to give us a try. What are you waiting for – get on board!

*This offer is valid until midnight PST Friday 30th March 2012 and applies to the cheapest shipping option only.

(Don’t forget to look through the Paperie free downloads archives for Moo templates ready to customize, upload, and print!)

Don’t forget we also have a giveaway going on through Friday for your choice of a Pebbles Inc. Ribbon Iron or the i-magicut ribbon cutter:

Click here for more details – and good luck!
-Robyn & Todd

deux années – giveaway 24

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

Winner announcements start on Monday, July 25th…

Another popular Paperie vendor, Go{4}Pro Photography Business Templates and Tools, is back for an amazing “gift pack” giveaway! Included are: Ultimate Marketing Kit, Newsletter Templates, iPhone Template Collection, and a FREEBIE available on the Facebook Page. This gift pack is valued at $300.00!

So how do you win? It’s simple!

1. Go to your Facebook and Twitter accounts and post the following on either or both (then tell us where you did):
Win a HUGE Go{4}Pro / @go4ProPhotos / go4prophotos.com gift pack at @PaperieBoutique / PaperieBoutique.com – http://PaperieBirthday.com

2. Like Go{4}Pro on Facebook.

3. Like Go{4}Pro on Twitter.

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

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

ATTENTION: All links you post must direct to public-access accounts. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item. If we have to subscribe to your feed, a website, or forum – or request permission to see them – your entry will automatically be disqualified.

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, July 25th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have met both requirements in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to four times total – one entry each for both 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 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 48-72 hours of the winner-announcement to claim their prize.

Good luck!

Thank you Go{4}Pro Photography Business Templates and Tools for this terrific prize package. Don’t forget that Go{4}Pro for our Paperie birthday celebration!

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

catch a falling star – and put it in
      your pocket

Sorry for the LONG gap in posting and returning Paperie-related e-mails! My last client cards and packages have finally been shipped and hand-delivered, so now I can get back to the fun stuff. Like the final entries in the “business packaging / holiday packaging contest“!

I’ll be posting these as I can individually. Please make sure you scroll to the previous entry each time you visit so you don’t miss anything!

Up next is Erin Durband of Dirty Laundry Photography…

I made these cute little mini-card holders for my spring and summer clients and included them with a thank you card. All supplies were purchased at Michael’s craft store: stiff felt, embroidery thread, whimsical buttons, and ribbon. I just measured out a piece of felt a little wider than the cards as well as a piece a little shorter and whip stitched them together forming a pocket, then I did the same stitch to a smaller piece to form a flap. I then sewed on a couple of fun buttons and attached a piece of ribbon to one of them. After the cards are placed inside, I closed the flap and wound the ribbon between both buttons securing the contents. My clients loved having these little packets to carry around in their purses containing various images that they could show off and share.

I adore these Erin – thank you for sharing them!

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! It’s a savings of 87% off and some designs retire in 2011!

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

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!

I see France!

Today brings back one of my favorite features of this site – the packaging!

Thursday’s guest post is courtesy of Kelli France of {France Photography}. It’s no big secret that I’m a Francophile so Kelli’s entire “theme” and packaging line just makes me swoon. From the logo, to the colors, to the blog name (“Ooh blog la“), not even the tiniest of details was overlooked by Kelli. It’s a solid, beautiful branding scheme and sheer perfection. Enjoy!

Logo image for Francypants Academy is also the front of a Miller’s rep card.

The bags, tissue paper, and ribbon are from Nashville Wraps. The bag tag is a rep card from whcc.com with die-cut corners.

The stickers are from WHCC and then hand cut. The black boxes are from NPD Box Company.

The slip-in mats are from J.Lee Albums.

The pink, polka dotted pillow boxes are from paper-source.com.

And the last two collages are a teaser of more to come…

Make sure to check out Kelli’s website and blog – and her mentoring site Francypants Academy (“teaching photographers how to create a brilliant boutique business and powerful portraits that STAND OUT in a digital world“). Thank you, Kelli!

(P.S. Paperie Boutique was recently featured on The France Photography Blog so if you missed it, go have a look-see. There’s a hidden surprise from yours-truly!)

Don’t forget to enter the new La Pomme Design contest (open until 11:59 p.m. EDT) if you haven’t already!

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).

If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. Check the sidebars – even more new advertisers were added last night!

go 4 it!

Paperie Boutique recently did a packaging feature by Julie Rollins Photography. It was so popular, I added a follow-up post to let readers know where Julie purchased her marketing materials. And this could be your lucky day because one of those vendors (Go{4}Pro) is giving away an “everything / ultimate marketing kit” to one Paperie fan! I’m going to introduce Leah Stimmel now for this guest post and let her say the rest!

I created Go{4}Pro as a way to document my journey as I made my effort to do just that, go for pro. I quite literally started from scratch! I had seen an image by Mark Lee and fell instantly head over heels in love with contemporary photography and thought “that’s what I want to do“. So I figured I should probably start with getting myself a camera. When you decide you’re going to be a photographer and you’ve never owned more then a point and shoot, you have a pretty steep learning curve. But I didn’t care—with every part of me I just had to do this. I was smitten with this idea of capturing the genuine.

But of course the journey can be lonely when you feel that you know nothing and no one who does. You can feel quite lost! After several less then enthusiastic responses from my husband when I’d wake him up at 2 a.m. because I’d just stumbled on something amazing I decided to start blogging about these amazing finds instead. And so Go{4}Pro was created. A very happy side effect of Go{4}Pro was realizing the effect I was having on others. And although technically I still may not be the sharpest lens in the bag, my business background has given me a fabulous opportunity to teach and inspire which have always been deep passions of mine. As I grew so did my vision for Go{4}Pro. It’s become a place to learn, grow, find inspiration and of course great freebies!

With a DSLR came the need for Photoshop. The more I learned Photoshop the more I started to realize the potential past just editing images and that I enjoyed creating and designing. Thanks to my business background I love me some branding and marketing. No seriously, my idea of a fun book is in the business section! So combine my love for the business side of things and a soft spot for design and I started realizing that I wanted to create the ultimate marketing kit. I originally only intended to make it for myself and started writing down every single thing I could think of that I might want. Well I quickly realized I wouldn’t be the only one wanting such a kit, so I designed it to be easily customizable so that it could be properly branded to any photographer’s style.

I have created two kits. Both include the same content but with a different style. I wanted any photographer to be able to look past color palette and be able to see a style that would match with their current one. The Paysen Kit is retro and modern at the same time. Julia Rollins was recently featured on PB and she did a fabulous job taking the Paysen Kit and tailoring it to be the perfect fit for her!

The Adi Kit was my second project and very fun as I designed what I might have wanted had I not gone the mustard yellow route. (Which I’m obsessed with, by the way!) I created The Adi Kit with the idea of a classic and/or contemporary feel.

Both kits are packed with fully layered, customizable .psd files that anyone can use to enhance their business. And now both kits have contract and model release wording as well! I’ve seen a lot of marketing kits out there now—and don’t get me wrong, while the designs are often gorgeous they’ve never had even close to all of what I wanted. Add to that wanting to fully brand to MY business, and I realized that I had to create something different… Something that had EVERYTHING that I actually needed, and a few things that I only wanted. *wink*

I would love to give one kit, winner’s choice, to a Paperie Boutique reader.

I’d also like to let everyone know that right now the kits are $149. But when this giveaway ends, so does the price. Next Monday the kits will be going up to $199. (If the winner has already purchased the kit, I will gladly refund them!)

So how do you win? It’s simple!

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

I want to Go{4}Pro with @go4ProPhotos / go4prophotos.com – visit Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com to see how you can win, too!

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 Sunday, March 21st.

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 everyone!

What a great way to close the week – thank you so much Leah! Don’t forget to add Go{4}Pro to your daily reads!

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).

peek-a-boo, I see you

[ Psssst... Read to the end for multiple chances to win a 5x5 tri-fold template! ]

Another guest post today, this time by Lizette Barbour of Peekaboo Studio Photography. I just adore her Boo logo and color scheme. Everything is so bright and cheery. If you have the winter doldrums, this post should definitely lift your spirits! Take it away, Lizette…

When I first started my photography business, I was completely clueless about branding. I was trying to do everything cost effectively and ended up buying 500 brown kraft paper bags. Years later, I still have a ton of these and was desperately wanting to get rid of them to make room for my new packaging created around my new branding.

After giving it A LOT of thought I finally figured out a way to incorporate these into my new look, in fact, it became the main idea of my packaging.

My little owl (nicknamed Boo) represents a nature earthy feel, so I decided to add in more recycled kraft products to tie in with the bags, meshed it together with my vibrant red and voila, my new look was born. I describe it as Nature meets Modern.

My bags and tissue are from Mayers Packaging.

The bag tags shown are what I use when I’m in a pinch. The rectangular tag on the small bag are mini Moo cards. The reverse has all my info so it also acts as my biz cards too. The owl on the large bag is printed on a 4×6 photo. I just cut it out, hole punch it, and tie it on. I have a few on hand at all times. (It is a bit time consuming, but it’s only used as “Plan B”.)

I usually use the tag shown in the center above. It’s printed out on a 4×6 photo as well, and I customize the name and pic to correspond with my client. Sometimes I forget to print one with my client’s order, and that’s where the other tags come into play.

All my press printed products are from my local printers. I’m so lucky to have them literally 5 minutes away from me! Shown below are my client reminder cards that I mail out the week before, my “what to expect next” tri-fold and my gift certificates that I package in a kraft envelope bought from Crystal Clear Bags and placed in a 5×7 red box. The sticker on the envelope is from Moo.

My boxes are from HB Photo Packaging. I went with HB for their prices, but I am definitely staying for their CS – so fantastic! I have them in sizes 5×7, 8×10, 11×14 and 4×6 proof boxes for announcement cards. I wrap the boxes in recycled twine that I purchase from my local hardware store. The “stickers” on the bottom right hand corner are actually my mini Moo cards. I cut off the orange part and use a glue gun to adhere them to the boxes. (So many uses for them.) I would love to be able to do foil embossing, but because of my multiple colors it just isn’t affordable.

I had to search high and low for these CD cases, and finally found them at ReBinder. In the left pouch is a copyright card, and printing instructions. Both are double sided press printed cards (once again from my local printers). The CD was printed at CD Print Express and I have to say their quality is awesome!

I really could go crazy with more printed brochures like welcome/info/pricing packets. I just love the look and feel of beautiful paper. But I am trying hard to stick with my nature / environmentally friendly packaging and instead have created a password protected online “client lounge” that I call the Tree House. It’s a great place for my clients to get all the 411 on what Peekaboo studio has to offer.

Not shown are my referral cards. I hand out 5 cards to each client, personalized with their photo. Also not shown are my thank you cards. I also like to personalize these with the client’s picture and a nice handwritten message inside.

Well there you have it. My packaging that seemed to take forever to create. It’s unbelievable to have this weight lifted off my shoulders of finally having everything put together AND to love all the elements. (I’m so indecisive sometimes!)

My inspiration for all this has definitely been the Paperie Boutique, so it was only fair that I share my packaging in return.

Thank you so much for sharing Lizette—your hard work has definitely paid off! For more info on Peekaboo Studio Photography please check out the website and blog.

And because everyone likes a little something for free, I’m giving away five (plus one) Fit to Print “design seven” 5×5 tri-fold templates (shown below).

How do you win? It’s simple… Cut and paste the following to either your Twitter stream or on your Facebook wall (two separate entries maximum per person, one per Twitter / Facebook account):

I start my day at Paperie Boutique by @shutterblog — you should, too! Visit and win a free trifold template: paperieboutique.com

Come back and post the link to your Tweet / post in the comments for this entry. The first five people to post will automatically win (so please leave a valid e-mail address). Never fear though! If you miss out on the “top 5″, tomorrow at noon (12 p.m. EST on Friday 02.26.10) I will use Random.org to select one more winner! So you’ll still have a chance to win!

UPDATE: Final winner is announced here – thanks for participating!

By the way, I highly suggest setting up a pop-up reminder or iCal appointment to come back to Paperie Boutique tomorrow. I’ve been holding something BIG for the end of the week, and you won’t wanna miss this one! Trust me. See you then!

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).

but wait…there’s more!

The last 12 hours have been incredible for me. First I found out I’d got a little “ProDPI Love!“. Then it was announced I’m the “February Guest Photographer” over at Prop Insanity.

And just because I care, if you head over to Prop Insanity this little surprise is available for (FREE!) download from Paperie Boutique—a Moo MiniCard template I hole punch a corner of and use as a gift tag.

Anyone out there going to WPPI in Vegas? If so, and you’re interested in posting a recap for the rest of us (similar to this one from Imaging USA), please get in touch with me!

And in case you missed the last entry, this week there’s a chance to win a fabulous (free, year-long) prize from Clickin’ Moms*!

Clickin’ Moms* is one of my guilty pleasures these days during that rare thing known as free time. Directly from the website: “We are a community of women who have a passion for photography. Some of us are amateur photographers who just want to take better pictures of our family, some of us are hobbyists, and some of us are seasoned pros. We learn from each other and help each other…this is a safe place to share your photos and chat about photography. Our forums and galleries are closed to non-members. Our site features great and easy to understand tutorials, lessons and challenges. All of the contributions are from fellow members who are more than happy to help and give advice to one another. We host amazing photography vendors who offer us discounts and group buys on their products…we have great bunch of women that enjoy hanging out with people that have a common passion – photography!”

* Clickin’ Moms is hosting an affiliate referral contest and the link I am posting will help this site in the contest.

All new Clickin’ Moms registrations sent from Paperie Boutique though midnight March 31, 2010, will receive 10% off new member subscriptions by using the coupon code FRIEND at checkout.

Clickin’ Moms has also donated one free year’s subscription to a Paperie Boutique viewer.

To enter, go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

Get your cameras clickin’ with paperieboutique.com & @clickinmoms / clickinmoms.com – pass this on and win a year’s subscription!

You can enter up to four times total – one entry per blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account. Post the URL to your link(s) in the comments for the last entry (NOT this one). Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EST this Sunday, February 21st.

Comments on the last entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the prize code will be e-mailed to that person within 24 hours of contest’s end.

More prize giveaways are in the works for this month so stay tuned… I want them for myself!

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).

a moment like this

Just in time for Christmas, a new guest post that comes bearing gifts!

Hey, I’m Moon! I am an 18 year old photographer who is very interested in graphic design, photography, and art in general. I’ve just started a small business called “Moments Photography“. I have done most the designing myself and was working on digital papers for albums, business cards, etc. So I thought I might as well share them here!

I also do custom logo designs, headers, and basically anything graphic-based thing needed for photography.

Thank you so much Moon! Please visit her website Moments Photography and don’t forget to download your (FREE!) gift!

This weekend I finished these cute holiday-themed birth announcements for a client’s baby who decided to make his debut about six weeks early. The artwork is by Holly Brooke Jones at twopeasinabucket.com, commercial license available.

Last but not least, one final look at my “Christmas wrapping 2009“. You can see my two Moo mini-card free template downloads (one, two) – recently featured at the Moo blog – in action.

I’m taking another break for the holidays so Merry-Happy! See you next decade… Thanks for making the 2009 Paperie Boutique debut a smashing success!

tag – you’re it.

Sorry it’s been really quiet around here lately. Most photogs are up to their eyeballs in “holiday” right now which means I haven’t put out the call for guest features so as to not impose.

That goes for me as well…so… I’m trying to keep the content new here. Promise!

I packed these up to ship tonight and thought I’d share. It’s a holiday gift for my newborn clients. A photo of their baby on the front, and graphics to make it into a gift tag on the back. I had them printed as square business cards by ProDPI.

The background “papers” and frame element on the back of the gift tag are by Sassy Designs, recently featured here at Paperie Boutique.

To complete the look, I rounded opposite corners and used a heart-shaped hole punch to create a “tag” — then finished each one up with ribbon. I’m very pleased with them. Can’t wait to hear the client reactions later this week!

Christmas came early this year

This (FREE!) Moo mini card template is designed to be used as a bag-tag or gift tag for the holidays. Just punch a hole in one end and run thin ribbon through the hole. Instant cute! You can also download a matching sticker template (FREE!) and you’ll have yourself a set. (HO)³ – a.k.a. “HO HO HO”. Get it?

You can see how the card printed from Moo in this photo below.

The red candy cane mini has also been featured recently as a (FREE!) download.

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

Here’s another photo of other Moo mini cards / bag tags I’ve had printed recently. LOVE these things!

P.S. Check out my Moo stickers on display at Moo’s recent trade show booths!
http://www.moo.com/blog/2009/11/03/…events-trade-shows…

This template is ©Robyn Pollman, 2009. All rights reserved. It may not be copied, resold, made available for download or given away elsewhere, or redistributed without my written permission.

elfin magic

This (FREE!) Moo mini card template is designed to be used as a bag-tag or gift tag for the holidays. Just punch a hole in one end, run thin ribbon through the hole, and ba-da-boom, ba-da-bing!

→ 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)

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

As luck would have it, Moo is currently running a mini-card special through midnight EDT tonight (9/27)—as part of their 3rd birthday celebration they are 15% off. So no excuses. Go make some and play.

This template is ©Robyn Pollman, 2009. All rights reserved. It may not be copied, resold, made available for download or given away elsewhere, or redistributed without my written permission.

your daily infoMOOcial

I made these “mommy / playdate cards” during the holidays last year as a nice little surprise to tuck in my clients orders. They are MiniCards by Moo.

The price is $19.99 / pack of 100 and you can upload up to 100 different images per pack. I had mine printed for 5 clients per mini-card order, so it cost me roughly $4 per client gift. Each received 20 cards. You can see a close-up of the way I presented them here.

The new MoosLetter came out today and featured a blog post about the same Minis being used as referral cards. The presentation is fantastic!

I instantly recognized that referral mini card design as the same (FREE!) template by dawn(m) that I used. You can still find the (FREE!) template up for grabs here.

(Don’t forget that through July 31st, readers of Photojojo get 25% off Moo orders of $20 or more!)

Also spied in the MoosLetter…right now Moo is offering a (FREE!) pack of 50 business cards. You just pay S&H. Find out more at their website.