I’ll have what she’s having

The digital edition of the November 2011 Professional Photographer Magazine is now online for digital subscribers.

For this month’s holiday-themed article I contacted everyone’s favorite photographers and asked, “What are YOU giving your clients this year?”

Those who answered the call include:
•  Michele Anderson (pinkletoes.com)
•  Lena Hyde and Design Aglow (designaglow.com)
•  Beth Jansen (bethjansenphotography.com)
•  Beth Forester (foresterphoto.com)
•  Alycia Alvarez (alyciaalvarezphotography.com)
•  Kelli France (francephotography.com)
•  Shannon Holden (shannonholden.com)
•  Lori Nordstrom (nordstromphoto.com)
•  Jamie Schultz (jamieschultzphotography.com)
•  The Boudoir Divas (theboudoirdivas.com)
•  Heather Lickliter (stylizedportraiture.com)
•  Sarah Petty (sarahpetty.com)
•  Kelley Ryden (kelleyryden.com)
•  Clark+Walker Studio (clarkwalkerstudio.com) -and-
•  Me / Robyn L. Pollman (buttonsandbowsphotography.com)

There’s also a bonus-supplement on holiday cards featuring designs and kits by Design Aglow, Jamie Schultz Designs, Simply Color Lab, The Album Cafe, Designs by Taz, and My Lil’ Creations.

Click the magazine pages above for a larger .pdf version. You can find the article on page 42, page 44, page 46, page 48, and pages 50-51 of the print-version when it hits mailboxes. And you can also download the digital edition now if you’re a PPA member or digital subscriber.




I just put together my own charging station / valet using a much less expensive desk organizer from Amazon.com – I saved half of the Pottery Barn counterpart.

You can read more plus pricing comparisons at Pinterest if you’re interested.




Don’t forget Wednesday is the last day to win an album box full of ECO CHIC goodies from Rice Studio Supply:

Happy November everyone! Check back this week for MORE fun giveaways!
-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!

mod squad

Boudoir Business Boutique is back for a guest / vendor post and giveaway – up for grabs is one of their new 24-piece business sets in Mod Pink or Mod Blue!

New 24 piece business set in Mod Pink or Mod Blue:

• Beautiful Charcoal and Pink papers (also available in Mod Blue)
• Everything you need to get your business up and running
• Coordinated Branding
• All items are completely layered PSD files
• Free or standard fonts used
• Easy to use clipping masks
• Instructions included
• Available for immediate download

Templates Include:

Business Card
Boudoir Information Trifold
Investment Guide Trifold
Marketing Post Card
Image Box and Proof Borders
CD/DVD and Case Template
Session Reminder Card
Thank You Card
Referral Plan and Rep Cards
After Sale Add-On Marketing Card
Receipt
Packaging Sticker
Client Information Trifold
Gift Certificate
Blog Post Template
Facebook Profile Template
Digital Negative Trifold
Wording for FAQs
Wording for Website/Literature

New Mod Pink and Mod Blue Product Templates:

• 10×10 Album
• 5×5 Album
• 4×8 Accordian Album
• 3×3 Accordian Album
• CD and Case Template
• Image Box and Proof Borders

So how do you win a 24-piece business set? It’s easy!

1. Tweet the following on Twitter (and tell us where you did it):
Win 24-piece business set from BoudoirBusinessBoutique.com / @BoudoirBusiness at PaperieBoutique.com / @paperieboutique http://is.gd/pkpM3A

2. Post the following to Facebook (and tell us where you did it):
Win a 24-piece business set from BoudoirBusinessBoutique.com over at PaperieBoutique.com – http://is.gd/pkpM3A

3. Like Boudoir Business Boutique on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boudoir-Business-Boutique/160993427277932

4. Follow @BoudoirBusiness on Twitter: twitter.com/BoudoirBusiness

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

Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page, or followed the Twitter stream, or posted to your Twitter or Facebook account(s) – with a link to where you did it – 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 Tuesday, June 28th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have met all four requirements in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to four times total – one entry each for 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!

And just because they’re awesome, Boudoir Business Boutique is giving all Paperie readers a 30% discount until Saturday, July 23rd using the coupon code PB30. (And heads-up: Paperie readers can always receive 20% off using the coupon code PB20.)




And don’t forget that we have two other giveaways currently going on with StudioThoughtSauce.com and The Designer’s Mix.

More features and giveaways are on tap, so stay tuned!
-Robyn

target market

As promised, a giveaway and guest / vendor post is on tap to start the week!

Cindy Irene Photography is having a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive her new “FRENCHY” Marketing Business Kit for Photographers, packed full of over 80 items needed for branding.

The winners will receive forms, templates, tips, business card template, thank you cards, contracts, receipts, forms, cd layout, photo card templates, bookmark, and much more in their choice of pink and black or green and black, featuring papers by Sassy Designs, Inc.! (Not all items included are listed on the photo.) This is great for those just starting out or those that want to revamp their existing Photography business! Most items are easily customizable to your business, as most are Photoshop layers.

All you have to do to enter, is 3 things:

1. Visit her Facebook page at facebook.com/cindyirenerogers and LIKE it.

2. Comment on her Wall at facebook.com/cindyirenerogers and say Paperie Boutique sent you for the giveaway.

3. Tell her what freebies you would like to see her offer at her other Facebook, fabphotogfreebies.com. (For a short time she’s giving away one template from her new kit, for LIKERS!)

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

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 8th. You can enter up to three times total. Post that you have met all three requirements in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to three times total – one entry each for 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 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 48-72 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Good luck!

Thanks so much to Cindy Irene Photography for the great giveaway!

sweet soul

As promised, we’re back today with another of our popular packaging posts.

Today’s guest entry is by Kristen Hines of Anima Dolce Photography. Packaging like this makes me swoon, and I know you’ll love it as well! Read on (and click the packaging photos for larger pop-ups)…

Anima Dolce is Italian for “sweet soul” and I really wanted the concept of my brand to be reflected by those words and how they make you feel. I wanted to make sure I carried that over to my packaging and after refining it for quite some time, I think I have finally achieved my vision.

My brand was developed around three words: soul, warmth, and happiness. I chose the colors for my brand from a digital paper pack (Spice) that I bought from Sassy Designs, Inc. The warmth of the plum color is the base for my branding. I worked in the kraft color to keep the materials down to earth and I finished the look with a crisp cream to brighten it up.

In every package is a thank you card with a hand written note. The note is printed on a luxe card in the scalloped square shape from Miller’s Lab. I love the variety of shapes they offer. I use black photo corners to adhere my folded business cards to the back. I place them in a fig envelope with a kraft paper liner from Paper Source.

For the digital images, I have custom DVDs printed at Blank Media Printing. I write the session and the date on the front and put them in an enclosure from Kraft and Jute.

To add a sweet touch, I include a kraft pillow box with Jelly Belly’s inside and finish it off with a plum ribbon from Michael’s. I use an envelope from Paper Source for the prints in the stardream opal color to add some shimmer to the package.

Everything is wrapped up in a kraft suitcase and I place a luxe sticker from Miller’s Lab on top.

I hope I have inspired you to bring some soul to your packaging! It has been a lot of fun for me to put it all together. Here are the vendors that I used for the materials:

• Kraft suitcase: Kate’s Paperie
• Luxe Sticker and Luxe Card: Miller’s Lab
• Envelopes in Stardream Opal and Fig,
  and Kraft liners: Paper Source
• Custom DVDs: Blank Media Printing
• Folded business cards: MPix Pro
• DVD enclosure: Kraft and Jute
• Photo corners and plum ribbon: Michael’s

Thanks so much to Anima Dolce Photography for the beautiful feature! Have a great weekend everyone!

-Robyn

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

just my type

Today we have a vendor / guest post by Design Aglow. They’re announcing the release of the adorable new “You’re My Type” cards.

You’re My Type: Multipurpose Cards
Perfect match

Although pictures are worth a thousand words, it doesn’t hurt to use a few once in awhile! This set of multipurpose cards uses cutting edge typography in a variety of styles to let your loved ones keep track of your life’s milestones. To satisfy all your design needs, this set comes with six different and fully customizable designs that announce everything from your new bundle of joy to your high school graduation, to your engagement!

PERFECT FOR:
• Birth announcements
• Event invitations
• Marketing materials
• Thank you notes
• 5×7 note cards
• Holiday Cards
• Save the Date

PRODUCT DETAILS:
• 6 distinctive two sided designs
• Fully layered PSD files for unlimited customization, including color changes
• Designed using WHCC’s flat 5×7 card templates for easy printing
• Cards can be customized to be flat or folded
• Compatible with CS2 and newer, Photoshop Elements 6 and newer, Windows and Mac

Click here to check it out in the shop with special introductory pricing through May 5th!

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.

we’re back, baby!

After a brief hiatus (our 15th wedding anniversary vacation to the Keys, a visit with my mom in from Oklahoma, Easter weekend with my boys, and shooting…shooting…and more shooting), I’m happy to say Paperie is online and running once again!

Today I’m joined by New York-based wedding photographer Jenny Ebert who has discovered the perfect answer to that very popular question from your clients: “Where can I purchase photo products online?”

Beautifully Simple Photo Products: Pinhole Press
by Jenny Ebert

As a wedding photographer, no detail is too small to be photographed because I know gorgeous detail shots and stunning portraits alike help to tell the story of the big day. It’s this same attention to the little things that are always on my mind: before the shoot, during the shoot, during post-production and even when my customers ask me where they should go to make photo products with their digital prints.

I’ve been oh-so reluctant to recommend any online vendor because the quality associated with these vendors has been questionable, but now I am so excited to have a brand I can confidently recommend to my clients: Pinhole Press!

The quality of the paper, the chic designs and the array of unique products are in line with my photography brand and I know I won’t have to worry about the integrity of my photographs in any of these products.

The best part about this new brand is that they recently launched a new online platform for photographers called Pinhole Pro. Pinhole Pro allows professional photographers the ability to make money off of the products our clients make. Now how does that sound? All you have to do is visit PinholePro.com to create a photographer’s code and you can start making money off of the products your clients make with YOUR photos.

The Panoramic Photo Book is quite lovely, and with the lay flat pages no member of the bridal party gets stuck in the crack!

What friend or family member wouldn’t want one of these? Your clients will find many uses for this Photo Pad – I promise!

This small Brag Book has the beautiful ability to tell the story of your client’s big day with just eight photos.

Your clients are going to be on the hunt for Thank You Cards and these cards say “Thank You” in a chic and memorable way.


One lucky Paperie reader will have the chance to win $100 worth of beautifully simple Pinhole Press products. All you have to do is sign up for Pinhole Pro (for free!) and then post a comment on Pinhole Pro’s Facebook page.



Thanks so much to Pinhole Pro for such a fantastic giveaway, and Jenny Ebert for her article! Good luck to our readers!

If you’re waiting for an e-mail from me, please be patient! Between Paperie, Buttons and Bows, and my freelance work, I’m trying to return to ‘business as normal‘ as quickly as possible. If you don’t get a reply in the next couple of days, please check in again and make sure I received your original communication. Thanks for your understanding and patience! -Robyn

perfect design

Excited to have another guest / vendor post with giveaway today by Design Aglow! Yes, I said Design Aglow!

Design Aglow’s Ultimate Album Builder is all your studio will ever need to create amazing albums time and again with ease. In addition to breathing any type of album into existence, this generous, 302 pages of album templates and five optional background textures is also fantastic for marketing, holiday cards, portfolios, slideshows and any application your studio can dream up.

Simply select your desired layouts and create an album or project with as many pages as needed by simple drag-and-drop for the easiest workflow yet! A seriously stunning tool for serious studios, don’t hesitate to incorporate this robust product into your arsenal. Build your best albums today with our instant download.

PERFECT FOR:
• Photographer’s portfolio
• Unique and flexible client album
• Baby album
• Studio marketing
• Card or postcard (one page), a tri-fold card (three or more),
  or more for a studio brochure
• Show one page at a time for a DVD slideshow product
• Frame several pages for a wall display
• Holiday cards
• Thank you notes

PRODUCT DETAILS:
• 302 pages, 12×12 square design
• Fully automatic. Bundled actions make inserting images a breeze
• Five optional background textures
• Suitable for any album company
• Includes bonus InDesign version of the templates for a speedy
  drag-and-drop workflow
• Compatible with Photoshop CS and newer, InDesign CS3 and
  newer, Photoshop Elements 6.0 and newer (templates will work,
  actions will not), Windows and Mac

*Special thanks to Anna Mayer Photography, Sarah D Harper, JG Photography, Angela Weedon Photography, Paul Johnson Photography & Untamed Heart Photography for the lovely images.

Click here to check it out in the shop with introductory pricing through March 29th at 5 pm EDT.

To celebrate the release of the Ultimate Album Builder, Design Aglow is giving away a $100 gift certificate to one lucky Paperie reader! How do you win? Easy!

1. Like Design Aglow on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Design-Aglow/100326373364376?ref=ts

2. Follow Design Aglow on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/designaglow

3. Post the following to Facebook or Twitter (and tell us where you did it):
I want to win a $100 gift certificate to DesignAglow.com / @designaglow over at PaperieBoutique.com / @paperieboutique – http://is.gd/heq8QX

4. Leave a note in the comments here saying what your favorite Design Aglow product is.

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

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, March 28th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have met all four requirements in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to four times total – one entry each for 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 24-72 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Good luck!

P.S. From the Design Aglow Twitter account today: a Facebook fan and a Twitter follower will win a $75 gift certificate today…tell your photog peeps! (nothing to do, just join us)

Check it out!

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

blue Christmas

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 Jennifer Alderman of Alderman Photography…

I’m a stay-at-home mom to 3 kids under 6 and a photographer. I keep a pretty small client base so that I can provide a lot of individual attention, and also so I can handle it all without hitting the Chardonnay at 11 am!

My marketing colors are red and aqua, and I maintain the same packaging theme all year long. Cards go in the big aqua boxes, mini books go in 8×10 white boxes. Prints are in clear bags then in properly sized white boxes. CDs are printed on my home printer and then packaged in silver tins. Jewelry & small items go in the mini aqua & kraft polka dot bags. Everything then goes in red or aqua bags and tied up with a toy camera and tag.

You can also see a peak of the 5×5 2011 planner I designed as a thank you to clients (middle photo, bottom row). I just delivered an order to a client yesterday, and she squealed when she saw everything, “Wow! I feel like Christmas is here already!“.

How to achieve this look:

1. large aqua boxes & ribbons = Michael’s
2. white photo boxes = npdbox.com
3. fabric flowers on boxes = handmade by me
4. round thanks stickers and tags = printed on home printer
5. business cards used as stickers = nextdayflyers.com
6. CD tins = sks-bottle.com
7. toy cameras = kipptoys.com
8. 5×5 planners = cpq.com
9. bags & tissue = clearance aisle at Target (I cleared out every store
    in a 20 mile radius when the aqua bags went on sale last year)

Everything looks so high-end yet whimsical Jennifer – love it!

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!

biggest things – small packages

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 Carrie Novak of Carrie Novak Photography…

This summer I was packing up an order for a client and ended up only having a beat up old box to put it in and crossed out all the old info on it with a big black marker and put some extra tape on it and hand scribbled the address on it and sent it off to my client. Not long after, I came across Paperie Boutique. I was horrified. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die after looking at your packaging. All I could think of was my poor client who spent several hundred dollars receiving her beat up from the street up package I sent her.

From that day forward I vowed to NEVER AGAIN do something like that!

Even though I am not rolling in dough, I decided I can still go to JoAnn’s and buy some clearance ribbon, I can wrap my my old boxes with brown paper and print my shipping labels. For customers I hand delivered to, instead of using my old Wal-Mart bags, I bought some fun bags at the dollar store that sort of matched my logo and colors. ANYTHING had to be better than what I was doing!

So after business started getting a little better I was able to place an order with HB Photo Packaging, bought their basic kraft boxes pre-filled with tissue and some ribbon. I was so excited!!!! Along with my Moo mini business cards and some snowflakey extras I got at JoAnn’s I am now able to be proud of my packaging! I enclose a handwritten thank you written on my WHCC greeting cards I had printed up with my new logo (which was created by Terry Cutlip from Sassy Designs, Inc.). I am now getting clients commenting on my packaging telling me what a nice touch it is and I owe it all to Paperie Boutique!

This post is truly what this site is all about Carrie! You don’t have to spend big to ‘look’ big. Congratulations on beautiful branding and packaging!

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!

Joyeux Noël de Fit to Print

Sorry you missed the big after-Christmas sale for the entire “Fit to Print” store. But if you missed it, don’t lose heart! You can now buy the entire store for $65.00. See “Fit to Print” for more details…

Happy Holidays!
-Robyn

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

my I don’t have to run day

A surprise freebie this weekend from Farrah Braniff and thedesignersmix.com, recently featured here.

“This is a template for a personalized thank you card. I love giving these to my clients and they love them too! I talked about these in my PPA webinar. It’s great marketing! These are the layered files. Paperie readers can customize them to their heart’s content. It is templated to be printed at WHCC as a folded 4.5×5 with a blank-inside. I made it using elements from the Designer’s Mix set!”

1. → download link ←   •   thedesignersmix.com thank you card front
2. → download link ←   •   thedesignersmix.com thank you card back

Thank you so much, Farrah!




The Fit to Print sale has been so successful I’m going to extend it further through 3:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, September 27th, just in case readers didn’t get a chance to check in over the weekend. But that’s less than 24 hours so hurry up!

Everything in the store combined is worth over $260 so this is an amazing savings. Items included are:

1. “design one” information packet and matching Moo thank you template
     (color customizable)
2. “design two” Special Delivery / Do Not Open ‘Til tags
3. “design three” information packet (2 different front designs, color
     customizable)
4. “design four” 5×7 flat postcard promo / mailer / announcement (2 front
     designs to choose from)
5. “design five” information packet with “bonus pack” matching postcard /
     business card
6. “design six” CD / DVD cover design (for use with Epson Stylus R380)
7. “design seven” 5×5 trifold for cards or promo pieces
8. “design eight” Moo sticker templates
9. “design nine” Moo thank you card templates
10. “design ten” Moo business card templates
11. “design eleven” press-printed card client paper sample pack template
12. “Moo mini templates” (two) you can only get here

Heads-up! New Moo.com customers can get 10% off their Moo orders through 9/30 with the code W9K55V.

You must purchase this special deal on Paperie only using the purchase button below – not through “Fit to Print”!

Not much time left, so take advantage soon!




The winner in the recent Design Aglow Fine Art Overlays contest is… Rick Najdzion:

Congrats to Rick, thanks to Design Aglow, and thanks to everyone who entered!

Check in often this week for more great surprises ahead!
-Robyn

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

fit to print

For this weekend only, starting now through 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, September 26th, 3:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, September 27th, the entire Fit to Print store is on sale.

Everything in the store combined is worth over $260 so this is an amazing savings. Items included are:

1. “design one” information packet and matching Moo thank you template
     (color customizable)
2. “design two” Special Delivery / Do Not Open ‘Til tags
3. “design three” information packet (2 different front designs, color
     customizable)
4. “design four” 5×7 flat postcard promo / mailer / announcement (2 front
     designs to choose from)
5. “design five” information packet with “bonus pack” matching postcard /
     business card
6. “design six” CD / DVD cover design (for use with Epson Stylus R380)
7. “design seven” 5×5 trifold for cards or promo pieces
8. “design eight” Moo sticker templates
9. “design nine” Moo thank you card templates
10. “design ten” Moo business card templates
11. “design eleven” press-printed card client paper sample pack template

I’m even kicking in the following two Moo mini templates you can only get here:


Heads-up! New Moo.com customers can get 10% off their Moo orders through 9/30 with the code W9K55V.

You must purchase this special deal on Paperie only using the purchase button below – not through “Fit to Print”!

Happy shopping!
-Robyn

image is everything

Today we have a gorgeous packaging / guest / vendor post feature by Farrah Braniff Photographs. From the PPA Website, “Farrah Braniff is a Houston, Texas-based photographer, specializing in contemporary portraits of babies, children and families. Recognized for her unique design approach, she has earned numerous awards, including winning PPA’s AN-NE Marketing Awards for the last three consecutive years.”

And you’re in luck! At 2 p.m. EDT today (Thursday, February 23rd) you can participate in a PPA Webinar with Farrah Braniff:

“Become an Image Marketing Dynamo”
Creating a unique and cohesive image marketing campaign is vital in today’s world. But our clients are being bombarded by marketing messages every day…so how do you make yours stand out? It’s not “magic,” as you’ll see. In this webinar, Farrah will explain how she creates her own award-winning marketing materials and websites, walking you through the steps needed to create your own dynamic campaign (including how to keep your designs unified and cohesive). Open your eyes to find your visual inspiration, and get ready to wield that inspiration with true effectiveness.

This is my newest piece- a folder that will house my welcome pack of info. I am designing that now. This folder is about 8×8 and printed on pearl paper.

I am big on thank you notes and these are a few of the ones I send out. The second one is a personalized thank you note. I take an image from the client’s session, pop it into this template that I have made and send it off to White House to print. I make a pack of 25 cards for them. They go crazy and love it! The best part is that they send these out to their friends, which is a little bit of extra marketing for you!

I also love making fine art cards. I use images from my travels and personal photography. I include these as freebie gifts in people’s bags when they pick up. I think it is a great way to elevate your work and show your clients another side of you.

These are my print boxes and the laminated tags that I make for them. My clients LOVE the tags!

I also make great use of the White House Custom Color stickers. They can be used for everything!

Every year I have a batch of cute onesies and kid T’s made. I give them away at sessions. Clients love them! I get pictures emailed back to me of my client’s kids in the T’s. It’s fun and different and helps you stand out!

This is how we package up our gift certificates. I use 5×7 boxes, my logo ribbon and 5×7 flat printed cards from White House Custom Color.

These are my referrals cards. Almost all of my business is from word of mouth so rewarding my clients for this is really important. Each client gets a set of 50 cards. They give them to friends and, when friends book, both of them get a $100 studio credit. I firmly believe that, if you want to get clients talking and spreading the word, you have to make it worth their while!

I have a set of digital elements that I created and sell. You can see more about that at thedesignersmix.com. The yellow and blue backgrounds on these are from “Volume 1″ of the set.

Stay tuned for a very special giveaway from thedesignersmix.com! Don’t forget to drop by Farrah’s website and blog – and her webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern today!




I’m excited to announce the three winners of the $50.00 gift cards to Photo Card Boutique – Julie Wagner Photography, DeAnna Newsome, and Denise R. Contreras:

Congrats to the winners! Thanks so much to Photo Card Boutique and everyone who entered!

Heads-up there’s still a giveaway from Design Aglow that’s being extended through midnight tonight – so enter fast!

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.

so give the gift you know can’t fail

(Post title is a secret-handshake shout-out to all the Oklahomans out there. Boomer Sooner!)

This vendor / guest / giveaway post was supposed to go up yesterday, but I had to take an unexpected sick day – so here it is finally, a day late – but definitely not a dollar short! Welcome Kotori Photo Jewelry to Paperie!

Hello! My name is Tonya Dalton, and I’m the owner of Kotori Photo Jewelry. I’m a busy mom, like many of you, but creating jewelry for photographers has become my passion. I have a true appreciation for the art of photography – which is why our jewelry focuses all the attention on the images you create. All of our pieces are completely handmade and totally customizable so your clients can mix and match items to create their own unique piece.

We work exclusively with photographers, so everything we make, every process we create is made with you in mind. From the design of the jewelry to the marketing pieces we create for you, we focus solely on photographers.

Most people think of photo jewelry as just another add on to their offerings, but it can be a powerful marketing tool as well. Unlike your traditional prints and albums which sit beautifully inside a clients home, photo jewelry walks around with your clients. It’s like a little walking billboard of your work that goes to the local play group, grocery stores, everywhere. And when people ask about the jewelry, and believe me they do, they will hear your studios’ name. It’s a great referral program.

Many of our partners do mark up the jewelry significantly to generate additional revenue, but we have some who use it as one of their key marketing tools, just marking it up slightly or even giving it away. They incorporate our jewelry into their packages and even use it as a thank you gift.

One photographer gives every bride she shoots one of our charm bracelets with an image from their engagement session to signify the start of their new life. In the future, when that bride has children and wants newborn or family portraits, she’ll go back to the photographer so she can add her growing family to her original bracelet. This can create a strong returning customer base.

Today we’d love to give away studio packages to 2 different winners. One will win our Virtual Studio Package and one will win our Studio Package Lite.

Both come with our welcome kit, brochures, discount code and, best of all, our editable images. These files we’ve created make it easy for you to simulate how our jewelry will look with your own photography for your marketing materials, blog or web site. The Studio Package Lite also comes with two samples so you can see and touch the pieces with your images and show them to your clients.

Good Luck!

So how do you win? You have four chances!

1. “Like” Kotori Photo Jewelry on Facebook

2. Follow @KotoriDesign on Twitter – or – sign up for the Kotori newsletter here

3. Post the following on Twitter:
Win one of two studio packages from Kotori Photo Jewelry / mykotori.com at PaperieBoutique.com by @paperieboutique – http://is.gd/fdmC1

4. Post about Kotori Photo Jewelry and this giveaway just once on any of the following – public-access Facebook account, public-access blog, public-access forum, or public-access Flickr account

Then come back and comment here that you’ve done so – each entry requires its own separate comment. (In simple terms: If you want FOUR chances to win, you have to do all four things listed above, and then make four separate comments telling us how you did them.)

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Saturday, September 18th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page, followed on Twitter, subscribed to the newsletter, posted to Twitter (with link), and / or post the link to your Facebook, blog, forum, or Flickr posts – in separate comments 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.

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

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 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.

Thanks so much to Kotori Photo Jewelry – what fantastic prizes! Can’t wait to see who wins!

UPDATE: The winners have been announced. One more big thank you to Kotori Photo Jewelry for their recent giveaway! They’re offering a special offer to all Paperie readers to say thanks right back – $10 off the purchase of a studio package with the code PAPERIE through Friday, September 24th at midnight.

P.S. NEW! Please follow our brand new Twitter and Facebook accounts!

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.