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!

joyeux anniversaire

Hard to believe, but this week Paperie Boutique celebrates one year online!

Rather than throwing one small party here, several of Paperie’s favorite vendors have stepped up to make you the VIP and throw a huge, exclusive internet block party in our honor. And they’re bringing presents! This means you don’t want to miss a single day of posting this week. (And you don’t want to check in just once a day because more surprises will appear when you least suspect it!)

Without further adieu…here are your “invitations” to the first two vendor private parties to kick off this big Paperie birthday bash! Read each of the party invites, and their websites, closely for more details!

Thanks to Moo (order here) and The Album Cafe (gift details here – including amazing free promo) for kicking things off in style! Check back soon!

And many more!
-Robyn

get it together

Today’s guest post is designed to help you “get it together”. Take it away, Millie!

In the Get It Together Kit, I share the systems, workflow and strategies I used to grow my business from a one-photographer studio that had me feeling constantly overwhelmed to a seven-person studio that has enjoyed exponential growth.

The kit is divided into six main sections (which follow an introduction). They are:

Brain Dump: In this section, I share my methods for clearing my mind, setting goals for the business, creating effective to do lists, and finding ways to accomplish those important goals that aren’t urgent, but are extremely important for growing a business.

Love Your Systems: Here, I give detailed examples of the day-to-day systems I’ve created to run my studio. I cover everything from office organization to tracking workflow to storing archived discs for clients.

Email (I Hate You): I get a few hundred emails per day. At one point, it seemed that email was controlling my life. I found a way to win the battle against my overflowing inbox, and I’ll tell you how. There are examples of how to automate your email, specifics on how to organize folders and subfolders in your email management system, and dozens of tips and ideas that will save you time!

Leadtracker: In this section, I cover my methods for tracking and converting leads. I discuss specifics on everything from the questions we ask future brides to the way we keep in touch with prospects to how we set reasonable expectations with a client once a contract has been signed. Even better, I’ll show you how we continue the sales process after the wedding and boost sales and referrals from our vendors.

Flowstand: What’s a flowstand? One of my proudest inventions. It’s an efficient fool-proof way to organize contracts, travel arrangements, payments, wedding details and more. I show you exactly how I created this system (there are even x-rays of my folders!) so that you can create your own.

Break it Down: This chapter takes you through my workflow step-by-step. I’ll explain the editing and production system we use to edit so many weddings at one time. The process is completely scaleable—it worked when I booked 15 weddings per year and it still works with a studio that handles 90+ weddings. We cover backing up files, rating files, editing, using actions, blogging, designing albums, and assigning tasks to team members to create a workflow chain.

But Wait, There’s More: Throughout the kit, I also share extra tips, resources, discount codes for my favorite tools and equipment, and worksheets that will assist you in starting to….Get It Together.

The Disc: In addition to our 100-page book, you’ll also receive a disc that includes the exact wording we use for simple client communications, the expectations sheet we send to brides, and a 90 Day plan to get you started on goal-setting for your own business.

If you think when you purchase the kit that you’ll just get a 100 page book then think again! The Get It Together Kit Disc has everyone raving about the kit even further. Some have said the information provided on this Disc is worth the price of the kit alone (as if there was not enough in the book itself). Take a peek at what you’ll find on the disc!

I’ve set up a discount code for $20 off the Get It Together Kit (the code is “paperie“). The code is good until July 16th, 2010.

But one lucky reader at Paperie can win the Get It Together Kit! Here’s how to win:

First, follow Get It Together Kit on Twitter.

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

Get it together now→win “Get It Together Kit” from @GITKIT / getittogetherkit.com 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 Friday, July 2nd.

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 four times total – one entry each per public, non-private blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account.

You have four 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 1-4 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 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 posted here – check it out!




And don’t miss our latest offering…

For years, we could not find an attractive dry erase board for the studio. Being a visual person, I work best when I can see everything laid out in grids or patterns. I wanted to see EVERY single client’s job in process at a glance. It was important to me to be able to know when every wedding was shot and where each one was in our workflow process. I also wanted to know just how much work we had left to do.

Ready-made dry erase boards available at office supply stores didn’t serve my needs and looked too institutional. I even tried customizing them: I purchased black tape and made my own grid lines, but the final product was an eyesore in my otherwise cute studio. Because I didn’t like it, I didn’t want to use it. Enter the “Flowboard“. We provide you with a downloadable PSD (Photoshop) file complete with a video link once purchased to walk you through making the Flowboard for yourself for just $75. This will allow you to create multiple copies of the board, print them as large as you would like and frame them however you wish. The options are limitless since you are in control of the finished product.

Thanks so much to Millie Holloman and the Get It Together Kit for such an amazing promo and contest!

Don’t forget HB Packaging is taking photo box color suggestions in yesterday’s post comments! This is your chance to talk them into boxes and accessories that will match your branding and color scheme!

And check out the new MOOsLETTER—my candy button bags are featured!

If you purchase MiniCards through Sunday you will get free shipping on your order with code A2MEEH.

pick a color – any color!

My recent aqua / aqua photo boxes from HB Packaging have caused quite the Internet stir. The company is actually considering offering that combo as an option now. Raise your hand if you’re interested in the comments!

HB Photo Packaging would also like to know, “Is there a color or packaging item you want for your business but can’t find?” If so, please post about it here in the comments – they are listening! If your branding is centered around colors like grey or orange that are impossible to find photo boxes to match, this is your chance to speak now or forever hold your peace.

HB does offer “print your own” packaging that you can design from scratch using blank templates—but these color suggestions on Paperie Boutique would be for their Standard, and Boutique, and Prestige packaging lines.

So dream it and post it! They’re waiting to hear from you…




And now the follow-up to yesterday’s guest post / photo teaser by Photoumbra Studios. Everyone loves the packaging posts here and this one will not disappoint!

Inspired by so many posts on the Paperie blog, I set out a few months ago to give my packaging, marketing, and price menus a good dose of consistency, simplicity, and of course some pretty! I didn’t venture far from what I had already been giving my clients, but I felt like I could vamp up my look and information a little better. I didn’t change my color scheme nor my logo, which I do think is important because as we all know, it is so crucial to be consistent and it was very important to me to incorporate my website and blog branding into my print and packaging.

Besides staying true to our current branding, it was also very important to me to be able to design tools that could help my clients make smarter and hopefully larger purchases by providing them with an easy to navigate price menu, a wall display design guide, and the ability to choose a portrait collection or build their own. As with any project, there are things I would do differently next time, but also things that I learned work great and I will continue to implement.

First lets start with the packaging. I’ve been using Kraft products to package with for some time, but what was new was some new little cards that I made up that I now include in every order. The cards include a blank “Thank You” card where I can hand write a message, a “Portrait Care Tips” card that is included with any enlargements, a “Spread the Love” card that talks about our referral program, and a “Copyright Info” card.

(If you are interested in purchasing the templates or a copy of our “Portrait Design Guide”) see the bottom of this post.

Our packaging includes:
• Boxes from Rice Studio Supply
• Stickers from WHCC (but I will soon be trying out
  Black River Imaging’s die cut stickers)
• Bags, Tissue and Ribbons from Nashville Wraps
• Little stickers from MOO
• Thank You, Copyright Info, Referral Info, and Portrait
  Care Tip Cards printed by Overnight Prints

Next up is our “Portrait Boutique Catalog”. The version that I give to each of my clients is 5.5×11 folded press printed card with a 5×5x8.5 insert. The Catalog outlines each of our print and product lines with brief descriptions of each and standard size pricing. The insert features our “Portrait Collection” on one side (5 to choose from) and a “Build Your Own Collection” option on the other side. The BYOC has been very popular and I have found that most of my clients are enjoying the freedom of it.

Our Catalog and insert cards were printed by Overnight Prints.

Finally, is our “Portrait Design Guide”. This guide is given to select clients who are interested in investing in wall portraits. It includes a cover, an introduction to the guide, 14 inspiring designs for wall displays, a card for them to record measurements throughout their home where they would like to create a wall display, and a card where they can jot down any notes, or draw ideas. The cards corners are rounded an they are bound by a single hinged silver ring. Also included along with the guide is a 60″ measuring tape that we had custom branded for our studio with the tag line “Design Away – Photoumbra Studios“, they also receive a pen branded with our studio name and website. Each of these items fit into a nice 5×7 box decorated with our studio logo and a ribbon.

The “Portrait Design Guide” vendors are:
• Cards printed by Overnight Prints
• Wall Display Design purchased from Gradybug Designs
  but altered to reflect our studio colors and I also included
  some other design elements and text into these
• Tape Measures from American Bridal
• Pens from Ink Spot

If you are interested in receiving a digital or hard copy of our “Portrait Design Guide” we are offering them for sale for Paperie Boutique readers.

** Please note that I will not include the actual wall display templates in the sale of the digital copy because I purchased those from another vendor. However, I will include the cover pages I designed myself along with a digital copy of our Thank You, Copyright Info, Referral Info, and Portrait Care Tip Cards. You can order yours HERE. If you say you are a Paperie reader you will get $20 off the digital download price ’til July 4th – making it just $29 instead of $49.**

Huge thanks to Monica Burby and Photoumbra Studios. I learned of new vendors myself with this post, and have a lot of fun ideas swirling around in my head now! Don’t forget to stop by Monica’s website and blog to say “thank you”, too.

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.

she’s kraft-y

You might remember the recent “PAWS for CAWS” pet packaging guest post by Monica Burby of Photoumbra Studios. Now Photoumbra is back for a gorgeous quick-teaser of their new design guide along with a teaser-peek of the amazingly elegant Photoumbra Studios packaging.

More to follow soon. Stay tuned—you won’t want to miss it! Have a great week!
Robyn

Small wonders

Make sure you read ’til the end because there is another AMAZING (yes, AMAZING) give-away!

But since I’m a firm believer in “dessert first, main course later…” here’s another great packaging feature. Today’s guest post is by Carrie Small of Carrie Small Photography in Fayetteville, NC. You might remember that Carrie was featured here last August. She recently updated her packaging and it’s visual proof that lightning can strike the same place twice!

Appointment Reminder – sent out to clients after they send in their deposit to hold a session. The template came from Pink Ink Studios and is printed at my print shop as a folded bookmark.

Avery Notebook – holds my signed model releases, frames examples, and receipts. Purchased from avery.com [Note from Robyn: for more information about, and photos of, the Avery organizers see this previous Paperie entry]

“Flair for your Fridge” – used to seal the ribbons on my presentation boxes for my clients, I purchased them from somethingbluestudios.com. They are really magnets.

Copyright and Print Release – printed front and back press printed 5×7 card from my print shop. I add one to each presentation box. I purchased the template/wording from thepolishedphotographer.com.

High Resolution CD/Case – CDs are printed from CPQ, enclosed in a trifold 5×5 card from my print shop. The template/wording was purchased from thepolishedphotographer.com and includes copyright info, a signed print release, and printing recommendations. The CD hub was purchased at shop4tech.com.

Low Resolution CD/Case – I print the label for these CDs myself, and they are included free of purchased files. They are added to the presentation box with the clients images. Included is a the copyright information and terms of use for the photos. The CD hub was purchased at shop4tech.com.

Client Info Packet – includes a 5×5 Trifold Contract, Model Release and Price List (printed as a sell sheet from MpixPro) and 2 business cards, enclosed in a presentation envelope purchased from Paper Source.

Referral Packet – added to each client order. Includes a 5×5 flat press printed card containing my referral information. I print wallets of each order with my website information and referall information on the back of the wallets, and include them tied in a ribbon to the referral packet. They are then enclosed in a petal envelope from paper-source.com and sealed with custom stickers from Moo.com (not pictured).

Presentation Boxes – I purchase my boxes from Rice Studio Supply and enclose all prints in clear bags from clearbags.com. The box is then wrapped with a ribbon matching my branding and sealed with a flair for your fridge magnet from somethingbluestudios.com.

Calendar – printed from CPQ, I use this as my calendar for scheduling.

Thank You Card – this is a 5×5 print that I print after editing a favorite photo from the session – I try to do this the day after the session. It includes a thank you to the client as well as information on viewing the gallery when it is ready. I mail this in a 5×5 envelope from paper-source.com.

Thank you so much for coming back to share a follow-up, Carrie! Your work, and your packaging, are nothing short of perfection. You can catch Carrie to say thanks at her blog here.

Still with me? Good! Because here’s the amazing give-away coming up for one lucky reader!

Recently I was contacted by a regular reader, Tosha Francis, of The Captured Life Photography. This site has been a tremendous help to Tosha and her business and she wanted to “pay it forward”. So she is donating the “Studio Look Book – Basic” from Design Aglow ($175.00 value). I already have the download information. All you have to do is win it!

“Professionally written and graphically designed, our fully customizable template is divided into categories to help sell all your fabulous studio offerings, from everything from albums to wall galleries, specialty items, high resolution negatives and more. Our 30 page, 8×12 catalog template makes selling every single product your studio offers an easy and beautiful experience…simply insert your own product photo into our layouts.”

So exactly how do you win? That might be helpful information, no? Go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

Win the @designaglow / designaglow.com Studio Look Book – visit Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog to find out how!

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 Friday, March 26th.

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!

Don’t forget to tell Tosha “thank you” over at her blog, too! I ♥ my readers!

UPDATE: We have a winner! It’s Belinda Olsen Photography!

Congratulations Belinda and thanks to everyone who entered. More giveaways are in the works (including this current one by Photoflashdrive.com that runs through Sunday evening) – so check back!

And just a little FYI, you might want to make sure you check back in Friday. That’s all I’m sayin’ for now!

Last but not least… If you noticed things were a little wonky here earlier in the week, my amazing host (Hosting Matters) has been taking great care of us. They put Paperie over in its own space away from my other business and personal sites to make it even bigger / better / faster. I’ve been with Hosting Matters since 2001 and I can’t imagine being anywhere else. If you need a web host, check them out! You can get quite a deal if you say you’re from Paperie Boutique!

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).

I want candy

Did you happen to catch the Moo blog last Friday? If so, you might have spotted someone you recognize!

There are more details in the blog entry, but recently I was asked to contribute to two workshop “swag bags”. This past Friday our home was turned into a make-shift assembly line of spouse plus sorority girls making sure everything got assembled and mailed out in time!

For one workshop, I had Moo MiniCards printed to top little bags of candy buttons, and also included 4×6″ Paperie Boutique promo postcards from GotPrint.

I bought the candy buttons after seeing a blog entry at Bake it Pretty. (In addition to the idea of bagged candy, they also provide free download templates for print which I later modified for my own use.) Shortly after buying the candy buttons, I received a sample candy bag from “the designer concept” (recently featured here on Paperie) and instantly knew how I wanted to package my own.

I’m extremely happy with how they turned out, but I wouldn’t expect any less from Moo!

For the other workshop, I used ProDPI for the printing.

In included 4.5×5″ Paperie Boutique postcards using their “press promo packs“, heart-punched a hole in the top corner, and attached mini toy cameras (with working shutter button and viewfinder). I also used two separate designs / sets of their “press tent cards“. One was the button candy bag topper – with two surprise photography-related quotes inside. The other was a business / promo card with my photography business card on the outside, and a mini-promo for Paperie Boutique on the inside. Everything was printed on their incredible, thick smooth matte paper.

If you’re interested in making candy bags of your own (they would be perfect to tuck in client orders!) check out the “Confections of a Secret Admirer” sets over at theDesignerConcept.com.

Recently I was also asked to test out the new ProDPI accordion booklets. I modified a new 2010 Pinkle Toes 4 Photographers (recently featured here on Paperie) CD / photo box design into an accordion template.

I ordered the Silk Upgrade Sapphire and Sea Green covers, and the Chrome Upgrade Platinum cover. I think Sea Green is my favorite although I keep changing my mind. It’s definitely the closest to my business colors. (You can view the second accordion photo larger here.) My favorite part about these accordions? They offer something no one else does – ProDPI’s smooth matte paper. In my opinion, it simply cannot be beat. These little books are going to make clients very happy!

Stay tuned this week…more great giveaways planned!

UPDATE: I found my candy at The Rosemary Company. Check them out for themed-candies and client gift-goodies – they even have eco-friendly products!

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).

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).

leaving Las Vegas

Very excited to bring you the first of multiple features by “roving reporters” I asked to cover WPPI 2010 for those of us who could not attend. Give it up for Monica of Photoumbra Studios for providing today’s guest post!

This year’s trip to WPPI was really great. There seemed to be a resurgence of energy that perhaps our segment of the economy is recovering and on the rise. WPPI enrollment was up from last year and the vendors I spoke to said that big budget items were selling like hot cakes! As for myself, I was determined to be “good” this year and limit my spending. It was certainly hard to resist some of the awesome products that were at the trade show, and I did come home with a few things.

If you have ever been to WPPI, you know that the trade show is fun and stock full of companies, products, and people. I only had 3 hours to cover the entire trade show between classes, so I’m sure I didn’t catch everything, but here are some of the companies and products that caught my eye this year both new and old. And since Paperie Boutique is my favorite blog, I will share all of the awesome WPPI discount codes with you. Just visit my blog for a list of the companies and promo codes. Please be aware that most of the codes will expire very soon!

(View above collage larger.) Here are a few of my favorite things!

Priscilla Foster Handmade Books – These books were gorgeous. Covers are made from fine silks, bound with ribbons, and the papers inside were not only fun to touch, they are all archival. In these days where there are a thousand album companies, it was nice to see one that incorporated truly fine materials and craftsmanship.

Freedom Cloth – For all you studio shooters, these guys have some really great backdrops. The coolest thing about their backdrops is that they are wrinkle free, machine washable and BIG! While there is a lot of cheesy stuff on their site, I really like their Retro sets.

After Dark Education – After Dark Education gives you access to 35 top mentors where you will learn directly from your chosen mentor in various settings with hands-on-activities. Looks like they visit many major cities throughout the year and offer some great learning experiences.

Eternal Albums – These luxury albums caught my eye because of their unique cases that not only protected the albums but actually interacted with them as an artistic element. The Sensualle album was my favorite {pictured above}. If you are looking for some new albums and especially some new ways of uniquely presenting them, make sure you check them out. They offer 50% off studio samples, and I have a promo code on my blog for 60% through April.

Jamie Schultz Designs – Jamie was at the Mpix booth displaying her great designs on some of Mpix’s amazing products. I have code for $10 off a $50 purchase from her on my blog.

Triple Scoop Music – While these guys have been around for quite a while, I thought I’d include them on the list because they do offer a a great way to obtain legal music for your websites and projects. They have thousands of songs to choose from that will match your branding or project perfectly. I have a code at my blog for 10% off.

Color Inc. Digital Pro Lab (recently featured here on Paperie Boutique) – I use Color Inc. for a few of my printing needs and I was excited about a few new products that they are offering. The first that caught my eye was their spiral-bound books. While these are not new in themselves, I loved their rounded corners.

Color Inc. is also offering some new boutique packaging services that might be a nice start for someone who can’t quite afford to purchase all these sizes and colors in bulk.

Drop it Modern – You’ve got to love the backdrops from this company. Equally as impressive is their marketing and branding. Very eye catching and inspirational. If you’ve been waiting for a good time to purchase your favorite backdrop, see my blog for a coupon code good through this month.

Photographer Cafe – The Photographer Cafe offers templates, design elements, and even some business and marketing materials. Their blog also provides some great inspiration. Save 10% off your entire order with the wppi coupon code.

DNL Photo Packaging – I love DNL for their beautiful packaging. They offer bags, boxes, cd/dvd packaging, albums, folders, and folios. I have a killer coupon code that can be used on any of their products through the end of the month.

Kelly Moore Bags – This was Kelly Moore Bags first year at WPPI and I hope she had great success. These bags are cute and you’d never guess they were meant for photographers. They are even coming out with a men’s version soon which my husband is actually excited about since his bag strap is currently being held together by duct tape.

Sarah Petty’s The Joy of Marketing (recently featured here on Paperie Boutique) – If you haven’t heard of Sarah Petty, then you really need to get out more. While her Joy of Marketing program is not new, it is neat and I thought I’d mention it on this post because she has a few free things on her site you can enjoy. Also, if you are interested in joining Cafe Joy, you should do so before the end of this month when monthly membership dues will go from $35 to $59. I have a coupon code to get you the rate of $35. Also, if you like free, I know I do, visit HERE to download a free ebook on “The Boutique Experience” and for other goodies!

Barbour Backdrops – I know, I know, another backdrop company. But this one is really different. Their backdrops were of amazing quality and I loved the real texture on them. They also offer nice floor moulding options as well of some classy props. You’ve got to check them out if you haven’t heard of them.

Jolie Wraps – This company is right up Paperie Boutique’s alley! Talk about amazing packaging products and ideas. They offer beautifully designed print and album boxes, some great cloth wraps to house your artwork such as canvases, standouts, and albums. Their slide-out proof boxes are very impressive and they can customize anything for you! I also have a coupon code to save you 10% off your first order.

Moo (frequently featured here on Paperie Boutique) – Well I can’t leave Moo out of my list of favorite things. Moo’s booth was really cute and showed off some of their great products! I picked up a coupon for all Paperie Boutique readers that will get you a free pack of 50 business cards! Just visit my blog for the coupon code.

[Note from Robyn: Check out Shutterbug Portrait's Blog for the "WPPI 2010 Update". You can see yours-truly featured on the Moo booth backdrop!]

I want to thank Paperie Boutique for letting me cover the trade show for the readers. If you’d like to stay connected to my studio for upcoming products for photographers please join the UmbraClique here. You can also become a fan on Facebook and check out my website!

Monica Burby
Photoumbra Studios

Thank you so much for taking the time to share these reviews (and coupon codes), Monica! I know everyone really appreciates it!

Paperie Boutique is featured today on the “France Photography Blog” by Francypants Academy. There’s a special “Easter Egg” freebie if you hunt for it!

Don’t forget there’s just under 2½ hours left to enter the “Pink Boutique Packaging Set” from Paperie Boutique and HB Photo Packaging. Go here to enter!

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).

just a splash of color

This guest post is a double-win – it has a packaging feature and a separate vendor-promo at the end! Jamie Brokus of Color Splash Studio LLC recently contacted me to see if I’d like to feature her packaging? Are you kidding, Jamie?!? I almost want to switch my color-scheme after seeing the photos!

I was so inspired by all of the awesome packaging I saw other photographers put together, so I am sending you what I came up with following Heather Garland’s guest post at Paperie.

After hearing Sarah Petty talk about boutique packaging, bringing your brand together and then seeing all of the wonderful things other photographers have been so willing to share on this blog, I was inspired to put together my own. It is so cool to watch people walk out of my studio with bags with my name on them and tissue and have them feel like their money was well spent on the the prints they just bought.

My kraft paper shopping bags, tissue and raffia are from Nashville Wraps. I also am using their gourmet food shipping box for a shipping box. It fits up to an 8×10 box.

My shipping labels are from 123print.com.

My photo boxes are from Rice Studio Supplies. I am also using their portrait cases for 11×14 and 16×20 prints.

My logo stamp is from Simon Stamp with the big and juicy stamp pad.

My square thank you sized business card tied on the bags is from prolabexpress.com.

My business cards are from overnightprints.com and then I score them myself.

Gift card is from Miller’s Lab on water color paper and trifold brochure is from WHCC.

Circle Stickers are from Zazzle.

Small orange suitcase is from Paper Source, and costs half the price of a custom proof box.

Note from Robyn: It’s harder and harder to get the retro-suitcases from Paper Source. Land of Nod recently started carrying them, so try there as well!

Thank you so much for sending these along Jamie! (Don’t forget to visit her blog.) It should not only inspire others, but also show how quickly you can pull a look together once you decide on the direction.

And now…the promo! It’s no secret this blog is a big fan of Moo. Not only am I excited to find out I’m in “The Moo Ideas Book” (pages 3 and 33 – see the book here on display at a trade show) — I’m also excited to share a new Moo.com promo just for Paperie readers.

Using the code SHUTTER10 will give you an extra 10% off a 200 pack of Business Cards (classic or green stock) OR a 400 pack of MiniCards.

The code:
• is valid for one pack
• expires midnight PDT on March 31st, 2010
• is only valid for one use per customer
• is an additional 10% off the cost of a bulk pack (Bulk packs are already discounted, so this makes it even better value!)

Please note: the code will not work on 4 separate packs of 100 MiniCards. It must be used on the bulk-pack of 400.

Thank you, Moo! If you haven’t already, check out the sidebar to the right for free Moo template downloads from Paperie…

P.S. Don’t forget the My Funky Camera contest is still running through 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 4th!

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).