I like it.

Another installment of “My Favorite Things“…

1. First birthday party hat props from “The Party Poodle” on eBay

2. 60×104″ tablecloths from Target / Amazon that double as inexpensive fall & holiday backgrounds – I got brown, red, and green for $14.99/each

3. In Character child and baby costumes are on sale at HauteLook again until Friday 10/1 at 8:00 AM PDT

4. “Cute as a Button” soaps from LoveLee Soaps on Etsy (my business is “Buttons & Bows Photography“) – tons of adorable themed soaps there

5. Photographer tees from RedBubble, 40/60, and American Eagle (see more photography-related tees at PetaPixel)

Don’t forget we have a giveaway with Paint the Moon that ends Thursday night!

you might be a winner!

The fun is just getting started at Paperie this week! Today we have a new vendor / guest post giveaway by Denny Manufacturing.

The Denny Manufacturing Company is the world’s largest and oldest manufacturer of backdrops, props, and studio accessories.

As always, we continue to deliver top quality products – this year, we bring an even fresher look! Our newest line of Sassy Swank Sets has just been premiered on our website. This includes a line of props and backdrops that were designed with a “shabby chic” look in mind, with whitewashed finishes available in a variety of colors!

We would also like to introduce a very exciting product! NEW Denny Roll up Floors! Our Roll up Floors are rollable, non-slip, lightweight, fast and easy set-up, durable, easily cleaned and extremely realistic! They are available in many sizes and are made just like a giant mousepad!

In addition to our hand painted and computer painted backdrops, we carry several support systems from which you can choose to best fit your needs. These backdrops, support systems, and miscellaneous items can help your photography studio function at its best.

Please visit dennymfg.com or call us at 1-800-844-5616 for more information!

And now one lucky Paperie reader will have the chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Denny Manufacturing Company to use any way you please!

Here’s how to win!!! Please do one (or all) of the following three things…

1. “Like” the Denny Manufacturing “Facebook fan page”

2. Post about Denny Manufacturing on Facebook

3. Post the following Tweet on Twitter:

I want to win a $50 gift certificate from Denny Manufacturing / @dennymfg / dennymfg.com over at PaperieBoutique.com by @shutterblog

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 Thursday, September 2nd. You can enter up to three times total. Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page – or post the links to your Facebook entries or Tweets – in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

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

You can enter / post up to three total times – one entry each for the three options listed above.

You have three chances to win, but only one chance PER OPTION – please do not post the same link multiple times. Duplicate links will be removed. Each entry requires its own separate comment to have multiple chances to win!

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

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

Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner has been announced here – go check and see!

Don’t forget, you can also win the Jo Totes camera bag of your choice through midnight Wednesday!

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.

in full bloom

We’re all lucky enough to have another guest post by Ana Brandt of TAoPaN here at Paperie – and this vendor entry includes a special giveaway at the end!

Announcing our prettiest collection yet. Our newborn blooms are just the beginning of an entire new line. Our very popular baby knit collection is now adorned in flowers.

Each flower and ribbon / bow are hand-sewn into the baby hat and the diaper cover. Tons of flowers are sewn into this “Baby in Blooms” collection and it will truly create an artistic creation your client will love.

Care is needed with these items, and they come wrapped in their own jar to help you preserve them in between sessions. With great care, they should last quite some time.

Covers are true to size. If needing for small babies or preemies, the newborn size will work but it might be a tad big. We do have a preemie size. Covers can be hand washed very gently in soap and water. Then let air dry. We are currently releasing pink and purple, but we will be releasing more items soon.

To purchase, visit theartofpregnancyandnewborn.com. Use code blooms to get 25% off through 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, August 19th.

But wait! One lucky Paperie reader will win a set of “Baby in Blooms“!

To win, you will have two chances.

1. Post a comment here on Facebook about why you love “Baby in Blooms”.

- and / or -

2. Post this comment on Twitter about the new Blooms:

I want to win the “Baby in Blooms” baby hat & diaper cover set by b–studio.com / @TAOPANGROUP over at PaperieBoutique.com by @shutterblog

Post confirmation you’ve posted to the Facebook page and / or link to your Tweet in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday, August 20th.

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. Each entry requires its own separate comment 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 winner has now been posted here – check it out!

Thanks so much to TAoPaN for such a fantastic prize!

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.

and I’ll have more ideas for you

It’s been one of those months. Holiday weekend = good. Entire family battling yet another cold/flu = bad. I’ve been trying to post this entry for the last 8 hours. But finally a bit of peace and quiet to my day and we all win!

Literally.

Because thanks to the fine folks at Clickin’ Moms*, this entry comes with goodies and the chance to win a fabulous (free, year-long) prize!

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!”

* Right now Clickin’ Moms is hosting an affiliate referral contest and the link I am posting will help this site in the contest. All new registrations sent from Paperie Boutique though midnight January 31, 2011, will receive 20% off new member subscriptions by using the coupon code PAPERIE2011 at checkout.

But wait! There’s more! 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 this entry. Comment(s) must be posted by 11:59 p.m. EST this Sunday, February 21st.

Comments on this 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.

But the fun doesn’t stop there because now there are pretty pictures and product recommendations to pass along!

Recently I received this e-mail from catherineamissphotography.com:

I wanted to share the valentines that I made for my son’s kindergarten class exchange.

I chose a picture of my son and my husband and added the following quote about love: “There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.” On the back I wrote “Happy Valentine’s Day! From, Austin.” And then, yes, I [shamelessly] added my website address. The background paper and frame element is from Sassy Designs.

I printed the cards on pearl paper as 4×5 promo cards from Miller’s. I put two Valentine’s per 4×5 card and then simply cut them in half. Then I punched a hole in the corner and tied a little baggie filled with 3 chocolate kisses onto the card with ribbon.

I had considered punching two holes on the side and sticking a lollipop through the card, but I decided that the children’s mothers would be more likely to notice chocolate (and thus my website address).

When my son saw the cards, he loved them! Then he saw the dandelion graphic on the back of the card and exclaimed, “Mommy! It’s the same flower from your logo!” ( I just worked with a designer to come up with a new logo.) Hopefully, the Valentine stood out in a sea of Spiderman and Spongebob and wished his classmates a very “Happy Valentine’s Day” all the same.

Thank you so much for sharing those, Catherine! They’re absolutely gorgeous and as a fellow-kindergartener’s mom, certainly would have got my attention — what a brilliant twist to up the ante and win mommy’s heart through Kisses!

Last but certainly not least… The longer I’m in business, the tighter I get with my prop budget. I allow myself a few splurges each year, but really like to keep things to a minimum if at all possible and keep my profits. I’ve lusted after the Urban Outfitters Distressed and Whitewashed fake wood Trompe L’Oeil Floor Mats for a couple of years now. I just couldn’t stomach the $140.00 pricetag. I’ve also seen links to the Bargain Outfitters Barnboard Fo Flor (by Bungalow who also carries the Whitewash), and links on sites selling the mats wholesale, but they always ran between $99.00 – $187.00. Deep down I had my heart set on the Whitewash version because this portrait of mine (shot on an actual wooden bridge) has always been a favorite. It was just a matter of digesting the pricepoints.

Recently though, I ran across the Fo Flor Mat in Whitewash from Grandin Road.

I Googled for a coupon and ended up getting two 23×36″ accent rugs for $34/each (plus shipping) instead of one large area rug style mat. Together they make a nice-sized 36×46″ faux-floor. My total order was $82.00. Much better on the budget. As you can see, they will work with room to spare for newborn-in-basket type shots and close-up toddler portraits, which are the bulk of my work.

For the planks coming at me instead of going horizontally, I may need to clone the seam line just a bit, but overall they photograph very well. And the white has the added bonus of being a minor reflector.

These are the same fabric-printed-on foamy-mousepad-material you may have seen discussed elsewhere. Very thin, lightweight, easy to roll, and extremely portable.

It really does pay to do a few minutes of extra homework. The 23×36″ Barnboard version at Bargain Outfitters is now on sale for $29.97 and there are tons of coupon codes floating around for that site on Google. I believe their shipping runs about $9.

You can also search for Bungalow Fo Floors at Amazon.com, some of which will allow you to take advantage of their free Prime Shipping option.

With the money you save, you just might have enough to hit Etsy for a cute baby hat or tutu as well… Happy propping!

(P.S. Wondering where I got that cute little cupcake? That one is custom-made, but I got it (and this one) from Shimrit’a cupcakes. I have a lot of “baby’s first birthday” sessions coming up, and I wanted a non-melty-icing option for my outdoor ones. These look good enough to eat in real life and in photos!)