how Sweet is this?

One of our favorite vendors, Prairie Sweet Boutique, wanted us to let you know about their amazing “Cyber Monday Sale” – it starts at 12 a.m. CST and ends at 11:59 p.m. CST. Use the code CYBER60 to receive 60% off everything!

Some Black Friday sales collected here are still going on – so check the list!




We’ve had several contests end recently and the winner in our Prairie Sweet Boutique gift card giveaway is…Yvette!

We have a winner in our ONA Brixton camera messenger bag giveaway…and it’s Alyssa Lang!

And we have three winners in our Black River Imaging gift card giveaway…the $250 gift card goes to Paula Dias! The two $100 gift cards go to Pamela Davis and Kari S!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and congrats to our winners – we’ll be in touch soon with information on how to claim your prizes! We’d also like to thank Prairie Sweet Boutique, ONA Fine Camera Bags, and Black River Imaging for the super-cool prizes for our readers!




Win the GO{4}PRO Photos Product Guide Look Book ($175.00 value) here.

The 2012 Wrap Battle kicks off in one more week on Monday, December 3rd. Make sure to take photos of your client orders and holiday gift packaging!

We’ve got great merchants like HB Photo Packaging, WHCC, Chic Critique, Sassy Designs, Inc. / Bad Sass Backdrops, Miller’s Professional Imaging, and MORE, all lined up and the prizes will be amazing! You won’t want to miss out!

Here’s one more holiday giftwrap photo from Pinterest to get you inspired!

The photo was posted to Pinterest from ZsaZsa Bellagio. (There are several more beautiful Christmas packaging ideas at that link – go and look!)

‘Til next time…
-Robyn & Todd

playing favorites

It’s time for another one of my “favorite things” posts – this is the 2012 holiday edition! Here are a few things I love and wouldn’t want to live without…




First up is the Silhouette Cameo. I am constantly using this for package design, school projects, and general “once you get it you can’t stop playing” fun.

The Silhouette Cameo Starter Kit is an amazing value! It includes:

1. The Silhouette Cameo electronic cutting tool ($229 stand alone)
2. two cutting mats (normally $14.77 / each)
3. two Silhouette cutting blades (normally $11.20 / each)
4. Silhouette Metallic sketch pens (normally $11.99)
5. Silhouette Pick Me Up tool (normally $12.16)
6. 50 exclusive cuttable designs
7. $10 gift card to the Silhouette Online Store

And here’s an example from Pinterest that shows just some of what you can do with the Silhouette sketch pen feature:

The Silhouette Cameo is “great for Scrapbook layouts, cards, custom apparel, vinyl decor, etched glass, sketch designs, and paper crafts”! This is a good Pinboard to give you even more ideas of all you can do with a Cameo.




Once upon a time B.C. (“before children”) I had that elusive thing called “free time” to play with toy cameras. Now I get a chance once again with toy camera lenses for my DSLR!

This is the Holga 60mm f/8 Lens for Nikon DSLR – the lens “provides you with Holgaesque images, with, or without, the use of filters or other lens accessories”! (They also make a Holga Lens for Canon DSLRs as well.)

You can also get the dreamy Diana F+ Lomography 38mm Super Wide Angle Lens for your DSLR with a Nikon or Canon lens mount!

If you’ve been looking for a new “twist” on your photography, these are an inexpensive way to have fun and step outside of your comfort zone!




My favorite camera bag…can’t pick. Seriously. Love ‘em all for different reasons.

But right now I find myself constantly switching between Kelly Moore Bags – especially my Kelly Boy, Chapel, and Libby! And if you hurry, you can snag a $25 off Black Friday deal!




I love to collect camera-shaped office supplies. This pencil sharpener from Paper Source is too cute!

And last but not least, something from MOO.com that I love to give as gifts (and even made one for myself) – the Mosaic minicard frame. These were also featured in my March 2011 column.

You can find these under “More Moo / Accessories / Moo Frames“. Through 11:59 p.m. PST on November 27th, they are on sale for $27.99! (Cost of the Mosaic Frame does not include MiniCards.)




Win the GO{4}PRO Photos Product Guide Look Book ($175.00 value) here.

We will update soon with the winners in our Black River Imaging, Prairie Sweet Boutique, and ONA Brixton Camera Bag contests – so please check back!

Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend!
-Robyn & Todd

a Black celebration

The following is a list of Black Friday sales collected from our favorite sponsors, online labs, and merchants. This list will be updated and expanded as new Black Friday deals are announced, so check back often!

Click each Black Friday sale image below to view a larger version/more details. Links to take advantage of each merchant’s Black Friday offer are also provided.

From Black Friday through Cyber Monday (November 26 at 11:59 p.m. EST) the ENTIRE Fit to Print store is on sale again for just $5 – including templates available exclusively here at Paperie Boutique!

Included in the “Buy the Store” sale are:

1.   5×5 portrait care card with wording
2.   4×5 product guarantee card with wording
3.   5×5 referral program card with wording
4.   2½ x 3½ referral program wallet with wording
5.   referral program terms for your website
6.   10-panel pano Client Welcome Kit
7.   three 20×10 storyboards
8.   10×5 mini-storyboard
9.   5 × 3½ mini storyboard
10. Press-Printed Card Supplement Packet / Press-Printed Card Release
11. two Moo minicard templates
12. 5×7 wide format promotional piece / client information packet
13. “Special Delivery” tags
14. postcard birth announcement / mailers
15. 5×7 wide format promotional piece / client information packet
16. matching business card / postcard for “design five”
17. Moo sticker templates
18. Moo folded holiday / Christmas card templates
19. Moo business card promotion templates
20. press-printed paper sample kit
21. Zazzle custom ring binder templates

You can find more details—and the “Buy Now” button to purchase—here.

Step 1 – go to my mentoring blog and choose your class date
Step 2 – add your class date to your shopping cart around midnight
Step 3 – at 12:01 mountain time zone enter the code BLACKFRIDAY

Even more Black Friday sales for photographers can be found at:

http://thesavvyphotographer.blogspot.com/2012/11/salessalessales.html

http://businessofboudoir.com/2012-black-friday-specials-for-photographers/

http://www.iheartfaces.com/2012/11/photography-holiday-gifts/

http://rachelbrenke.com…hottest-photography-black-friday-deals…

http://www.picturecorrect.com/…black-friday-cyber-monday-deals…

http://www.themoderntog.com/black-friday-photography-deals…

Stay tuned for our Black River Imaging and Prairie Sweet Boutique contest winners!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
-Robyn & Todd


P.S. Would you like your Black Friday offer here? Just contact Todd with details!

I wanna publish ‘zines

We’re excited to have GO{4}PRO Photos back for another fantastic GIVEAWAY and guest / vendor post! They’re here to debut their new Product Guide Look Book – Paperie readers get a $50 discount, and one lucky Paperie viewer will walk away with a Product Guide Look Book of their very own!

The Pricing Product Guide
THE PRICING PRODUCT GUIDE is designed to solve two problems that photographers face. The first being that we want to inspire our clients to do something amazing with what we’ve created for them. What we don’t want to see, is them framing an 8×10 and calling it “huge”.

The second struggle that I know many photographer’s face is getting consistent good sales. You have bills to pay and your time is valuable. When one sale rings up at $100.00 and the next rings up at $1,000.00, It’s pretty hard to plan a monthly budget.

Your personal Pricing Product Guide can be shared with clients as an online magazine or a PDF. So you can share a digital version with clients through your email correspondence.

In addition to sharing it as e-magazine, it can also be shared as a book! So when you get into that ordering appointment, you actually hand over this beautiful BOOK for your clients to peruse, and it happens to be identical to what they saw in your online version!

INCLUDED:
   ○ All product photography
   ○ Wall art examples (showcasing canvases, frames & large prints)
   ○ Thirty pages, each can be customized for your brand / pricing
   ○ Fully layered PSD files with simple clipping masks
   ○ Instructions for creating your PDF
   ○ Instructions for preparing Pricing Product Guide as e-magazine
   ○ FAQ for ordering in book, magazine & digital magazine
   ○ Instructions for all fonts used
   ○ Information for all of the vendors showcased
   ○ Grey masks indicate clipping masks to drop your images

PRODUCT COMPATIBILITY:
This product has been designed and developed for professional photographers. A basic understanding of Photoshop clipping masks is expected. Compatible with all version of Photoshop CS.

Through Tuesday, November 27th all Paperie readers can get $50 off the Product Guide Look Book with the code PAPERIE50.

And scroll below for details on how one lucky Paperie reader can win it all!




Do you remember our cute FREE client-gift onesies and baby tees template from Christmas 2011? We’ve updated the graphic for use again in 2012!

You can go to last year’s entry for the updated 2012 files. You have the option of downloading the .psd file and adding in your logo first to print on your own, or printing the onesie or tee design without your logo directly from Zazzle.com.

Just visit this entry for more details on how to download, edit, and order!

Last night the vendor e-mail blasts were sent out regarding the 2012 Wrap Battle. The newsletter describes how to become a Wrap Battle sponsor and / or donate a prize or discount code for our readers. If you would like to receive a copy of this e-mail, please let us know!

We are also offering deep discounts for new advertisers just before the Wrap Battle kicks off! This year’s contest is going to be epic – as will the opportunity to reach your target market. We averaged roughly 8 million initial page hits per month between November 2011 and January 2012, and over 737,000 unique visitors during the same timeframe. Last year our grand prize winner walked away with over $2000 in prizes, and over $4500 in total prizes were awarded!

The 2012 Wrap Battle comes hot on the heels of our third birthday celebration where over $16,000 in prizes was awarded in just one week!

Contact Todd if you are interested in a custom advertising plan, a Paperie sponsorship, a Wrap Battle sponsorship, or a prize donation. Or you can choose from one of our standard advertising plans and pay instantly:



click here to order now


Once payment has been made, write todd @ this domain and include a copy of your receipt and attach an image for the ad-size purchased.




Win an ONA Brixton Camera Messenger Bag (color smoke) valued at $269!

Black River Imaging is offering a special giveaway for Paperie readers. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a $250.00 Black River Imaging gift code! The two runner-ups will each receive a $100.00 Black River Imaging gift code!

You can also win a $100.00 gift card to Prairie Sweet Boutique – just click here!

Visit this post for FREE MOO postcard, minicard, sticker, gift & address labels!

Want to win the Product Guide Look Book from GO{4}PRO Photos? Here’s how!

All you have to do is post in the comments here and tell us what your favorite GO{4}PRO Photos product is! That’s it!

You can have an additional – optional – “bonus” entry if you “like” the Go4Pro Photos Facebook fan page – just comment here that you’ve done so, or that you’re already a fan.

And another additional – optional – “bonus” entry if you follow @go4prophotos on Twitter – just comment here that you’ve followed or already follow them.

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

Comment with your favorite GO{4}PRO Photos product here – or that you’ve liked Go4Pro Photos on Facebook – or that you’ve followed @go4prophotos on Twitter – in separate comments here to have multiple chances to win!

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, November 26th. You can enter up to THREE times total. Post that you have met the individual requirements in three separate comments here to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to three times total – one entry each for all of 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! See official rules for more details. Please note that Paperie Boutique hosted events are open to U.S. residents age 18 and over only.

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 to everyone who enters, and thanks to GO{4}PRO Photos for this amazing giveaway!




And here’s one more holiday gift wrapping photo from Pinterest to inspire you! Pinterest user “Our Bower” has a great “wrapping ideas” pinboard!

The original photo is by Charrisa Pomrehn for the Los Angeles Times.

Don’t forget when you’re wrapping up client orders and holiday packages to take photos for the 2012 Wrap Battle!

Gobble, gobble!
-Robyn & Todd

don’t fear the messenger

Today we have an awesome GIVEAWAY and guest / vendor post by one of our advertisers ONA Camera Bags! Up for grabs is The Brixton camera messenger bag in “smoke”, valued at $269.

ONA is a purveyor of fine camera bags and accessories. All of our products are handcrafted using premium materials, such as naturally-milled full-grain leather and waxed cotton canvas.

Handcrafted with water-resistant waxed canvas and detailed with full-grain leather, The Brixton camera bag is designed to protect a DSLR, 2-3 lenses and up to a 13” laptop. Four removable dividers make it easy to customize The Brixton to suit your needs, while two front pockets provide room for your lens caps, batteries, and small personal items. A magazine pocket along the back of the bag offers just enough room for an iPad or Moleskine.

○ Handcrafted with premium Waxwear®
○ Secure antique brass tuck-clasp closure
○ Full-grain leather details
○ Side weather flaps to protect your gear
○ Room for a DSLR and 2-3 lenses or small accessories
○ Exterior dimensions: 13.5″L X 10.5″H X 5″D
○ Interior dimensions: 12.5″L x 9″H x 5″D
○ Comes with protective dust bag

So how do U.S. readers win ONA’s Brixton camera messenger bag? It’s easy!

1. All you have to do is post in the comments here and tell us what your favorite ONA Camera Bags product is! That’s it!

2. You can have an additional – optional – “bonus” entry if you Friend / Like ONA on Facebook and come back here and let us know (or tell us you’re already a fan).

3. And another additional – optional – “bonus” entry if you ONA on Twitter and come back here and let us know (or tell us you already follow them).

4. And up to two additional – optional – “bonus” entries if you go to your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts and post the following on either or both (then tell us where you posted one or both entires here):

Win $269 Brixton messenger camera bag from @onabags / OnaBags.com at PaperieBoutique.com / @PaperieBoutique – http://is.gd/5e0uYA

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. Entrants must reside in the U.S. and be at least 18 years of age or their entries will also be disqualified.

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

Comment with your favorite ONA Camera Bags product here – or that you’ve liked ONA on Facebook – or that you’ve followed @onabags on Twitter – or that you’ve posted to your Twitter and / or Facebook pages – in separate comments here to have multiple chances to win!

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, November 23rd. You can enter up to FIVE times total. Post that you have met the individual requirements in five separate comments here to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to five times total – one entry each for all of 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 FIVE 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! See official rules for more details. Please note that Paperie Boutique hosted events are open to U.S. residents age 18 and over only.

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 to everyone who enters, and thanks to ONA Camera Bags for such a wonderful prize!




Black River Imaging is offering a special giveaway for Paperie readers. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a $250.00 Black River Imaging gift code! The two runner-ups will each receive a $100.00 Black River Imaging gift code!

You can also win a $100.00 gift card to Prairie Sweet Boutique – just click here!

Visit this post for FREE MOO postcard, minicard, sticker, gift & address labels!

Stay tuned for more goodies ahead!
-Robyn & Todd

need a little Christmas?

Here is a FREE holiday-themed postcard download for print at MOO.com (check below for more FREE holiday minicard and sticker downloads):

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

The font used is “American Typewriter“. Drop-shadow edge not included in download.

Christmas tree design is ©all rights reserved by another artist and is available for use when included in this free postcard design only. It cannot be copied, resold, made available for download or given away elsewhere, or redistributed. No exceptions.




Here are a couple of our previous FREE holiday-themed minicard downloads for print at MOO.com (check below for matching sticker downloads):

→ download link (HO)³ ← (please note this file was designed in CS2 and is a .pdf—MOO will print .pdf files—I do not provide technical support for this download)

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

They are designed to be used as a bag-tag or gift tags. Just punch a hole in one end and run thin ribbon through it. (I also used a corner punch.) Instant cute!

The fonts used are Annabelle and Myriad Pro. You can change the background color but I don’t recommend it, as the candy cane graphic won’t appear properly. Drop-shadow edges not included in downloads.

The Paperie Boutique minicards available for download above – and stickers available for download below – were recently featured on The MOO Blog (“Too pretty to open – creative packaging with MOO“) in October 2012.




The stickers below match the MOO minicard template FREE downloads above:

→ download link ← “elf-inspected” sticker (right-click, save-as)
→ download link ← “(HO)³” sticker (right-click, save-as)

Please note this sticker .psd file was designed in CS2 and you must have Photoshop or Elements and know how to edit a .psd layered file to alter it — I do not provide technical support for this download. The background color may be changed. The text layer can be hidden and replaced.

And last year MOO asked me to create templates for their sticker labels and round sticker lines. I was happy to oblige and I’m sharing them here again as FREE downloads – they have now been updated for 2012.

Below you will find two FREE sticker label templates (one is a holiday-themed mailing label, the other a holiday themed gift label) and FREE coordinating round “postmark” stickers.

PLEASE NOTE: There are now separate links for U.S. and UK downloads for those of you who prefer the date (“25″) before the month (“12″) in the design postmark. The flag icons will help direct you to the download-version you prefer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don’t forget to check out our FREE downloads pages for even more goodies!




All templates are ©Robyn Pollman, 2010-2012. All rights reserved. Templates may not be copied, resold, made available for download or given away elsewhere, or redistributed without my written permission.




Hey guess what? MOO.com is offering 25% off Holiday Cards right now!

“We know what it’s like. You have all these good intentions of sending all your festive cards early, and then out of nowhere – you don’t. So perhaps a season-long Holiday Card sale will help get you organized… How about 25% off Holiday Cards?”




Black River Imaging is offering a special giveaway for Paperie readers. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a $250.00 Black River Imaging gift code! The two runner-ups will each receive a $100.00 Black River Imaging gift code!

You can also win a $100.00 gift card to Prairie Sweet Boutique – just click here!

The Prairie Sweet Boutique website is running a 75% off sale until 12 p.m. CST on Monday, November 19th – just use the code THANKS75!




We’re just getting started this week! Check back soon…
-Robyn & Todd

totally Sweet!

One of our new advertisers—Prairie Sweet Boutique—is here for a GIVEAWAY and guest / vendor post. Right now they’re having a huge THANK YOU sale to thank all of their fans for a wonderful first few months of business! From now until 12 p.m. CST on November 19th they are having a storewide 75% off sale! This is their biggest (and last huge) sale of the year!

Prairie Sweet Boutique specializes in fresh, vibrant, clean high-end designs for the photographer and paper crafter. Prairie Sweet offers a large selection on designer digital papers that are super popular as well as holiday cards, marketing templates, calendar templates and a whole section of client gift templates!

Let Prairie Sweet do your designing this year! NOW is the time to stock up!

Treat your clients to Prairie Sweet!

Sign up for our newsletter to get special sneak peeks and promotions:
www.prairiesweet.com

Join us on Facebook for up to the minute news and sale info:
www.facebook.com/prairiesweet

And now one lucky Paperie reader will win a a $100 gift card to Prairie Sweet Boutique! How? It’s easy! All you have to do is post in the comments here and tell us what your favorite Prairie Sweet Boutique product is! That’s it!

You can have an additional – optional – “bonus” entry if you “like” the Prairie Sweet Boutique Facebook fan page – just comment that you’ve done so, or that you’re already a fan.

And another additional – optional – “bonus” entry if you follow @prairie_sweet on Twitter – just comment that you’ve followed or already follow them.

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

Comment with your favorite Prairie Sweet Boutique product here – or that you’ve liked Prairie Sweet on Facebook – or that you’ve followed @prairie_sweet on Twitter – in separate comments here to have multiple chances to win!

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, November 21st. You can enter up to THREE times total. Post that you have met the individual requirements in three separate comments here to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to three times total – one entry each for all of 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! See official rules for more details. Please note that Paperie Boutique hosted events are open to U.S. residents age 18 and over only.

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 to everyone who enters, and thanks to Prairie Sweet Boutique for such a wonderful prize!




Black River Imaging is offering a special giveaway for Paperie readers. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a $250.00 Black River Imaging gift code! The two runner-ups will each receive a $100.00 Black River Imaging gift code!

Hey guess what? MOO.com is offering 25% off Holiday Cards right now!

“We know what it’s like. You have all these good intentions of sending all your festive cards early, and then out of nowhere – you don’t. So perhaps a season-long Holiday Card sale will help get you organized… How about 25% off Holiday Cards?”

Pssst… You can download our FREE Moo holiday postcard, minicard, sticker, and gift/address label templates here!




Stay tuned for more goodies in the days to come!
-Robyn & Todd

LOFTy ideal

Recently we gave a sneak-peek of a new product by one our sponsors Black River Imaging – The LOFT Line! We’re excited to have them back for an incredible GIVEAWAY and discount code – plus vendor / guest post!

Black River Imaging, a photo finishing lab for professional photographers, introduces The LOFT Line, a truly luxurious press printed card.

The LOFT Line of cards is printed on a 51 point paper, creating a substantial thick card that will impress even the harshest critic. Loft paper has a hint of warmth in the white tone as well as a soft cotton texture. All Loft products include 6 color printing for added depth and clarity.

The LOFT Line includes Greeting Cards, Shaped Cards, Ornaments, and Business Cards.

LOFT Greeting Cards are offered in 5×7 and 7×5 aspect ratio. They are sold individually with a minimum of 4 cards. LOFT Shaped Cards are offered in 5 shapes specifically designed for the LOFT Line. These cards are sold individually with a minimum of 4 cards.

LOFT Ornaments are available in 6 holiday themed shapes and include a white ribbon. The LOFT Ornaments are sold in sets of 4 with the option of choosing 4 different designs per set.

LOFT Business Cards are truly unique with 2 distinctive modern sizes available. The Mini is a sleek 1.325″ x 3.5″ card. The Full is an impressive 2.5″ x 3.5″ business card. LOFT Business Cards are sold individually with a minimum of 16 cards.

“The LOFT Line of cards is a wonderful addition to our press printed greeting card product line”, says Roy Dameron, president of Black River Imaging, “The discerning photographer will fall in love with the rich look and feel of The LOFT Line.”

Black River Imaging helps professional photographers and those who love photography bring their creativity to life in hand made photo albums, professional photo printing, press printed greeting card, gallery wraps, metal prints, and other beautifully crafted photographic products. You can learn more about their products and services at blackriverimaging.com.

Dying to try out the new LOFT Line? (Trust me, it’s amazing!) Black River Imaging is offering a promotional offer just for Paperie readers! Code PB2BRI will grant everyone a 25% discount on your next order of LOFT products.

Black River Imaging is also offering a special giveaway for Paperie readers. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a $250.00 Black River Imaging gift code! The two runner-ups will each receive a $100.00 Black River Imaging gift code! These codes can be used to order your own LOFT products for the holidays, or anything else from Black River Imaging.

To enter, go to their website and “pin” your favorite LOFT product to your Pinterest board and tag Black River Imaging – then post your pin link here.

- OR -

If you don’t use Pinterest, you can Tweet out something great about LOFT products using @bripro in the Tweet – then post your pin link here.

Black River Imaging will randomly draw a Grand Prize Winner and 2 runner-ups. Links must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, November 21st.

Thanks to Black River Imaging for the great prizes and good luck to everyone that enters!




Hey guess what? MOO.com is offering 25% off Holiday Cards right now!

“We know what it’s like. You have all these good intentions of sending all your festive cards early, and then out of nowhere – you don’t. So perhaps a season-long Holiday Card sale will help get you organized… How about 25% off Holiday Cards?”

Pssst… You can download our FREE Moo holiday postcard, minicard, sticker, and gift/address label templates here!




Through 12 p.m. CST on November 19th, Prairie Sweet Boutique is running a 75% off sale – just use the code THANKS75!

We’re thankful for YOU!
-Robyn & Todd

cornucopia

Here’s a product spotlight on one of the albums featured in my November Professional Photographer Magazine column—Little KISSes by KISS Books!

While some companies provide “brag books”, or small copies of a larger album, there aren’t many who allow you to purchase just the smaller book. KISS doesn’t limit their photographers! You can order the cute, 4×4″ Little KISSes for any occasion—without needing to order a larger book.

The Little KISSes can be ordered with leather or linen covers, and are photographically printed—which is infinitely superior to the standard, press-printed options most companies offer. They sport the same lay-flat binding, beautiful printing, and top-notch quality as their bigger siblings. Little KISSes are perfect for surprising your clients! What better way to say thanks than sending them a mini copy of their album that they keep in their purse? What better tool can you give her to show all her friends your work? Since Little KISSes are ordered and constructed in sets of 2, there’s a spare copy for mom or a wedding planner to carry as well.

The KISS System is the rejection of our option-obsessed world.

Design:
Create beautiful album layouts in minutes instead of hours with the revolutionary cloud-based Designer. Too busy? We’ll do it for you: Design for $49.

Share:
A click shares your album design on Facebook—or on your client’s wall. You can even share designs made in other apps. Clients can leave comments on each page of the slideshow so their changes are easy to understand.

Order:
After your clients approve their design online, you don’t export, or upload—just click the order button and you’re set.

Deliver:
The fit & finish, leather, printing, and packaging of a KISS Book will reflect your professionalism to your clients for a lifetime.

“We know what it’s like. You have all these good intentions of sending all your festive cards early, and then out of nowhere – you don’t. So perhaps a season-long Holiday Card sale will help get you organized… How about 25% off Holiday Cards?”

Pssst… You can download our FREE Moo holiday postcard, minicard, sticker, and gift/address label templates here!




We have a winner in The Album Cafe giveaway…and it’s Jordan Hoppes!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and to The Album Cafe for such a wonderful prize for our readers! Congrats Jordan!

Great news for everyone – this week The Album Cafe is holding a 40% off sale right now through November 18th! No coupon code is needed.




Here are two more “inspiration” holiday giftwrap photos from Pinterest – originally posted to the Hege Greenall-Scholtz blog:

Just a few weeks left until the 2012 “Wrap Battle” – are you ready?
-Robyn & Todd

X-Acto knife fight

You might have seen the brief mentions in our last few posts about the annual Paperie Boutique Wrap Battle. In a few short weeks 2012′s will be underway!

Don’t forget when you’re busy wrapping up your client and / or holiday orders to stop for a minute and take photos of your beautiful creations before delivering them to their recipients. The third annual business and holiday packaging contest kicks off on Monday, December 3rd! Last year the first-place winner took away over $2000 in prizes, and we had over $4500 in prizes donated total!

Don’t know where to start? Paper Source always has great video tutorials! And you can comb through our 2010 and 2011 Wrap Battles for inspiration!




Here are a few examples from Pinterest to get the creative juices flowing!

And don’t forget we have a contest going on right now to win The Album Cafe’s entire 2012 Holiday Card Collection (a $279 value)! Just click here to win!

Just 44 more wrapping days ’til Christmas!
-Robyn & Todd

holly jolly giveaway

Apparently Autumn 2012 is going to be The Sickness Season™ around these parts. We’re in a new state for the first time in over 15 years – and lucky us, it seems every strain of every little bug wants to meet us up close and personal…

But plowing forward, there’s no time for NyQuil today because we have several updates and a GIVEAWAY / vendor / guest post! Our good friends The Album Cafe are back and they would like to give away their entire 2012 Holiday Card Collection (a $279 package value) to one lucky Paperie reader!

The 2012 Collection includes a Flat Card, a Folded Card and a Matching Address Label. Most flat cards can also be printed either as a rounded corner card or a standard square corner card. Album Cafe templates are layered, customizable Photoshop files.

Album Cafe also has an awesome new (and FREE!) Photoshop plug-in called “Image Loader” that resizes and insert photos into the templates for you.

Read on below for more details on winning this 2012 Holiday Card Collection!




The digital edition of the November 2012 Professional Photographer Magazine is now online for digital subscribers.

In this issue Robyn featured albums and books by: Finao, WHCC, Graphistudio, Forbeyon, Pinhole Pro, KISS, Artsy Couture, Cypress Albums, BayPhotoLab

Click the magazine pages above to read a larger version of the article. You can also find the article on page 60, page 61, and page 62 of the print-version when it hits mailboxes. Plus you can download the digital edition now if you’re a PPA member or digital subscriber.

Don’t get Professional Photographer Magazine yet? Subscribe here!




Have the new Facebook “Promote Post” pay scales reduced the number of viewers for your business page? Chris Pirillo just posted this mini-tutorial to help all of your audience see your updates.

Using this graphic, simply tell your readers: “Even if you’re already subscribed to me on Facebook, you NEED to turn on Notifications AND add me to an Interest List! This image should help you figure out how to do that from your computer.”

How do you win the entire Album Cafe 2012 Holiday Card Collection shown above? It’s easy! All you have to do is post in the comments here and tell us what your favorite Album Cafe product is! That’s it!

You can have an additional – optional – “bonus” entry if you “like” the Album Cafe Facebook fan page – just comment that you’ve done so, or that you’re already a fan.

And another additional – optional – “bonus” entry if you follow @thealbumcafe on Twitter – just comment that you’ve followed or already follow them.

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

Comment with your favorite Album Cafe product here – or that you’ve liked The Album Cafe on Facebook – or that you’ve followed @thealbumcafe on Twitter – in separate comments here to have multiple chances to win!

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, November 13th. You can enter up to THREE times total. Post that you have met the individual requirements in three separate comments here to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to three times total – one entry each for all of 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! See official rules for more details. Please note that Paperie Boutique hosted events are open to U.S. residents age 18 and over only.

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 to everyone who enters, and thanks to The Album Cafe for such a wonderful prize!




We have a winner to announce in the MCP Actions giveaway…and it’s Photography by Regina Marie!

Make sure to stop by MCP Actions and check out their new Lightroom Template Presets – huge thanks to them for this giveaway! Congrats to Photography by Regina Marie (we’ll be in touch shortly) and thanks to everyone who entered!




Last but not least, we’d like to welcome our newest advertiser – Prairie Sweet Boutique Templates & Products – to the Paperie family! Check ‘em out!

Happy weekend everyone!
-Robyn & Todd