birthday – Full / Album / Kraft

HEADS UP: Paperie’s Birthday is a crazy time of year and our inboxes overfloweth. Please follow us on Facebook for frequent announcements!

Welcome to Paperie Boutique’s FOURTH BIRTHDAY celebration – sponsored by HB Photo Packaging, Kelly Moore Bag, Animoto, Click Magazine, Sassy Designs Inc., Artsy Couture, Prairie Sweet Boutique, Black River Imaging, Clickin Moms, Simply Color / Simply Canvas, Kraft and Jute, Modern Album Designs, Full Color Lab, CPQ Professional Photo Lab, Photographer Cafe, Nations Photo Lab, Paint the Moon Photoshop Actions and Textures, Hardwood Frames, and Birdesign. The party runs from July 19th – July ??!

During the celebration our U.S. readers can win thousands of dollars in prizes and merchandise directly from our incredible sponsors and vendors! Our family of merchants will also provide several discount codes and promotions for our audience that will be posted at PaperieBirthday.com throughout the week-long event. All of these giveaways and special offers will be posted multiple times each day during the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. EDT – so you’ll want to check back, and check back often! Thanks for four great years and Happy Birthday Paperie!

P.S. We’ll also do flash giveaways on our Facebook page – “Like” us there!




In case you missed the announcement, we’re here for another week handing out birthday goodies ’til the very last giveaway has been awarded! NOT including the complimentary “50 Business Cards from MOO.com” for everyone – we’ve made it possible for our vendors and merchants to give out almost $6500 in prizes to our readers! And believe it or not, that’s not even HALF of it!

Check back throughout the week for more giveaways, pop-quiz prizes, and Facebook flash giveaways – and you DON’T want to miss the “grand finale“!

Curious what prizes we have left? We put up this sampling on Facebook!

Right now we have an amazing prize pack combo from Full Color, Inc., The Album Cafe, and Kraft & Jute—the combined items are worth over $400.00!

The Album Cafe has a $200 gift card up for grabs. Make sure you check out their limited-time offer on “The Wedding Album“! At $5, this gorgeous album is a steal!

Completing this prize pack is a $100 gift card from Kraft & Jute! Did you know that Kraft and Jute drew a lot of inspiration from Paperie Boutique when creating their product line? Kraft and Jute promises a “Naked” organization & products.

Naked Products – “Many of our products are made from recycled materials. Waste from product development is either reused in new product creations, shredded for packaging material or given to a local school for art class. Because we love all things simple & beautiful, our products will continue to be free from the process of over-embellishment.“

How do you win this bundle? It’s easy!

U.S. RESIDENTS: All you have to do is post in the comments here and tell us what your favorite product is from Full Color, Inc. -OR- The Album Cafe -OR- Kraft & Jute. For one chance to win, that’s all there is to it!

For up to two more BONUS chances to win: Go to your Facebook and / or Twitter accounts and post the following (then tell us where you did):

I want to win a photographer’s prize pack from @fullcolorlab / @thealbumcafe / @kraftandjute at @PaperieBoutique / PaperieBirthday.com!

You can also follow Paperie Boutique on Facebook, and Full Color on Facebook, and Album Cafe on Facebook, and Kraft and Jute (or state that you follow each of these already in up to four separate comments here) – giving you up to four more chances to win.

Each entry requires its own separate comment here. (In simple terms: If you want SEVEN chances to win, you have to do all seven things listed above, and then make seven separate comments here telling us how you did them.) You create as many (up to 7 comments) or as few chances to win as you prefer.

Comment that you have 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 Thursday, August 1st. You can enter up to seven times total. Post that you have met each of the requirements in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to seven 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 seven 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. See official rules for more details.

HUGE thanks to Full Color, Inc., The Album Cafe, and Kraft & Jute for this incredible photographer’s prize pack! Good luck to everyone who enters!

The birthday party is now in its second week and started on Friday, July 19th – it will run until we run out of prizes on July ??!

The Jo Totes / Camera Bling / Abie Camera Straps giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. EDT tonight – make sure to enter if you haven’t already!

Check back soon – we’ll be here!
-Robyn & Todd

P.S. If you’re a vendor who would like to sponsor the event, donate a prize,
        and / or provide a discount code for our readers please contact Todd:
        todd AT paperieboutique DOT com – we’d love to have you join us!

Ready? Set? Wrap!

We’re excited to announce the vendors participating with prizes and giveaways for contestants in the 2012 Wrap Battle from Paperie Boutique and HB Photo Packaging—sponsored by Sassy Designs, Kraft and Jute, Bad Sass Backdrops, Prairie Sweet Boutique, Go{4}Pro Photography, and Simply Color Lab! (Official rules here.)

Other vendors donating prizes and discounts this year include Miller’s Professional Imaging, Rice Studio Supply, WHCC, Boudoir Business Boutique, Flourish by Nichole Van, MOO.com, Chic Critique Forum, 2 Lil Owls, The Savvy Photographer, Birdesign Art, Kotori Photo Jewelry, Bittersweet Design Boutique, Hazy Skies Designs, My Funky Camera, M4H Photography, Artsy Couture, Jo Totes Camera Bags, Wildly Sweet Designs, Nations Photo Lab, MadiLu Designs, EW Couture, and Handmade Paper Boxes.

This year our first place prize winner alone will receive nearly $10,500 in prizes and merchandise!

If you are interested in participating this year by becoming a sponsor and / or donating a prize or providing a discount code / sale for our readers, please contact Todd: todd AT paperieboutique DOT com

(Last year our 2011 Wrap Battle grand prize winner walked away with over $2000 in prizes, and over $4500 in total prizes were awarded!)

It can be your everyday packaging, something special for Christmas, or both! Your three photos can be of totally different packaging if you have separate for different session types (baby, seniors, weddings, etc.) or use a different packaging scheme for the holidays. Or you can do pull-back shots and zooms of the same packaging. It’s up to you! Vendor / assembly information on how you achieved “your look” is optional – you can include as much, or as little, information as you are comfortable with – some choose to share where they purchased the individual pieces but it is not required.




So grab your point-and-shoot while packing up those holiday orders and send us a pic, or three…

Don’t forget to look through our 2011 Wrap Battle and 2010 Wrap Battle entries for inspiration!

Official rules, prizes, and judging information all located in the posts here. One of the grand prizes is a $500 store credit to HB Photo Packaging!

Submissions will now be accepted through 11 p.m. EST on Friday, January 4th and winners will be announced on Tuesday, January 22nd.




Check back soon for our GO{4}PRO Photos Product Guide Look Book winner!

Can’t wait to see everyone’s entries!
Good luck -
-Robyn & Todd

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

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

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

stuck like glue

Here’s another bow tutorial – also designed to survive the pack’n’ship process!

You will need to have the following items on hand:

1.   Wide ribbon (1½” or wider)
2.   Thin ribbon (½” or wider – light wiring looks best)
3.   Accent ribbon (½” or wider – optional)
4.   Glue gun
5.   Xyron 150 “X” Create-a-Sticker Machine
6.   Jolee’s Boutique Santa Hats (optional)
7.   Jingle bells (optional)
8.   Christmas buttons (optional)
9.   Holiday floral picks
10. HB Photo Packaging 5×7″ boxes (wedding white & kraft)

First, take your widest ribbon and cut at 14″ long for a 5×7 (½” wide) box. Wrap around the box and hot glue the ends together. (I insert a postcard under the ribbon before gluing to make sure the box is not damaged.

Next, take the thinner ribbon and also cut a 14″ piece. Run the ribbon, top side facing up, through the Xyron “X” Create-a-Sticker. (The Xyron machine allows you to take any embellishments – ribbon, paper, chipboard, etc. – up to 1½” wide and turn them into “stickers”.)

Once you have run the entire length of ribbon through the Xyron, tear off paper / ribbon / plastic covering from the machine. Before removing the plastic covering, press down on the entire length of ribbon to make sure the adhesive “sticks” to the back of the ribbon. Then carefully peel off the plastic covering. Your ribbon will be adhered to the “sticker paper” and is ready to be removed. Essentially you have just created “ribbon tape”.

Determine the center of your ribbon tape and turn the photo box over, starting on the back. Center the ribbon tape from top-to-bottom and place on top of the wider ribbon, slowly and carefully wrapping it around the box. Go slow and keep it even! Turn the photo box back over and seal ends together on the top / center.

Now it’s time to start on the bow! Take your thinner ribbon and cut three additional strips – one 8″ long, one 6″ long, and one 4″ long. If using a separate accent ribbon as shown, cut that length 2½” long. You can also opt to make the entire bow with the same ribbon, and you would cut a fourth strip 2½” long.

Use your hot glue gun to join the ends of each individual ribbon strip, making a “ring”. Flatten the ribbon-rings (in the 8″, 6″, and 4″ sizes), seam side down, and put one small dot of hot glue in the inside-center of the ring and press together – essentially forming a “figure 8″.

Take the 8″ strip (now in a flat-8 shape) and put a dot of hot glue on the top center. Center the 6″ strip (now in a flat-8 shape) and press together. Put a dot of hot glue on the top center. Then center the 4″ strip (now in a flat-8 shape) and press together. Put a dot of hot glue on the top center. You will now press the smallest 2½” ribbon loop on the top-center of the bow.

I chose to hot glue a jingle bell in the center of the top loop on the bow (as shown). You could also use buttons, peppermints, mini candy canes, or scrapbooking embellishments.

Finally run a 2″ line of hot glue along the thin ribbon on the top center of your photo box. Center your bow and press. Remove the postcard once the glue has dried. If using wired ribbon, you can now “fluff” the loops on the bow. Voilà!

For this box, I cut the end off of a Jolee’s Boutique Santa Hat, making it into a “planter”. Before I hot glued the bow on, I hot glued a red berry floral pick underneath. I put a couple of pieces of craft-moss in the “planter” with the red berry “tree” attached inside the hat-planter (under the moss) – carefully using hot glue to adhere all of the pieces.

For this box, I hot glued a Christmas button in the bottom right corner, and then attached a Jolee’s Boutique Santa Hat on top. My business name is “Buttons and Bows Photography” so this incorporates both elements of that name.

Check out Shelly’s Buttons and More for more package-decoration inspiration! A few of my favorite items are the gingerbread men, holly buttons, snowflakes, and Christmas lights.




We have a couple of recent contest winners to announce! The winner in our WISE Holiday Mini-Portrait Event Sales & Marketing Kit by photoDUDS is…Toni M Photography!

And the winner of our Paperie holiday giftwrap prize package is…Tiffany Hendrickson Photography!

Thanks to everyone who entered, a special thank you to Beth Forester Photography and photoDUDS for the awesome prize, and congrats to both of our winners! We’ll be in touch early this week with information on how to claim your prizes!




Hey, guess what? Our Fit to Print store sale was featured on the Clickin Moms Facebook page on Sunday!

Right now Paperie Boutique is running their annual “Buy the Store” sale…every template “Fit to Print” sells, plus some templates, exclusive to Paperie-only, for $5.00!! Wait until you see everything that’s included in this amazing sale!! Don’t miss it!

http://paperieboutique.com/2012/10/07/fit_to_print_again/

From October 7th through Sunday, October 21st, 2012 (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.

And make sure you follow our Facebook page – we’re giving these templates away at random all week long! The next lucky winner could be you!




Have a great week and check in tomorrow!
-Robyn & Todd