oh, baby!

Recently I ran across an Etsy seller – Baby P Designs – I knew I had to feature as a guest / vendor post (with giveaway!) on Paperie. Not only is Jill amazing to work with, her products are even more amazing in person!

Baby P Designs offers adorably stylish newborn hats and photography props.

A bit about me… My name is Jill, and I’m a knit-o-holic. My love of knitting intensified when my little stinker was born. Unable to find a fun, unique hat to protect his little noggin, I decided to bust out the needles and create my own. And so began my addiction.

A bit about my craft… I’m often inspired by the colorful, textured fibers found while wondering the aisles of my local knitting shop. I also love getting suggestions from photographers and enjoy creating custom knits. I recently learned how to spin yarn my own yarn – now another new addiction! This allows me to make my own handspun spun wool which I use for items in my Handspun Luxe Collection.

One of the best parts of my little business is receiving photos of my items in use and hearing such wonderful feedback from all my amazingly talented customers. I am honored that so many photographers worldwide have chosen my items to add to their prop stash.

My hope for Baby P Designs in 2011 is that it will continue to grow and be a favored source for newborn hats and photo props. Look for some new designs in 2011 including baby hammocks and more hat styles. Thanks for checking out my shop and bright blessings to all!

And now one lucky Paperie reader will win a free caterpillar cocoon in raspberry as shown above! You have three chances to win!

1. “Like” / follow BabyPDesigns on Facebook: facebook.com/BabyPDesigns

2. Post the following about babypdesigns.etsy.com on Facebook or Twitter (and tell us where you did it):
I want to win a caterpillar cocoon in raspberry from babypdesigns.etsy.com at @paperieboutique / PaperieBoutique.com – http://is.gd/jmuWaz

3. Go check out the Baby P Designs shop – then come back here in the comments and tell us what your favorite product is – and why!

Each entry requires its own separate comment. (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 Saturday, January 29th. You can enter up to three times total. Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page, posted to Twitter or Facebook (with link), and / or listed your favorite product – 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 three total times – one entry each for the three options listed above.

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

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24-72 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Good luck to everyone who enters, and thanks to Baby P Designs for such a cute, fun prize! (Pssst. We also have a JewelBeat Royalty Free Music giveaway right now, too!)




Last but not least…have you thought about advertising with Paperie lately? Kathy of the Boudoir Business Boutique writes:

“I just thought you’d like to know that I’ve received triple the amount of traffic from your site than any other site I’m advertising on! I’m so pleased with choosing to advertise with you!“

Stats don’t lie! Contact todd @ this domain if you are interested in joining our advertising family. And 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 got the beat

This vendor / guest post is jam-packed with giveaways, a coupon code, prize winners, and more… Read on, starting with JewelBeat Royalty Free Music!

JewelBeat Royalty Free Music has over 1000 free royalty free music, sound effects and musical effects. The best part about it is it is free. Yes, FREE to use in any projects including advertising, video, web, film, commercials for TV or radio, product placement and more. All that is required is that an active link to like this “Royalty free music by Jewelbeat.com” with a hyperlink to JewelBeat Royalty Free Music.

What is important to note is that music from JewelBeat Royalty Free Music is true royalty free music and completely free from any future royalties. JewelBeat owns all copyright and produces their own music. They are not members of any performance rights organizations so it is royalty free worldwide.

Since everything on JewelBeat Royalty Free Music is free now, all of you are already winners!

But to make things a little sweeter, JewelBeat Royalty Free Music is giving away a CD / DVD set which holds every free royalty free music and sound effect – plus musical effects – on their site. This makes it much easier to search for the perfect piece, plus it saves you time as all their music is in high quality uncompressed native WAV format. With that you can convert it to any format you require for your project.

Here’s how to win…

To win this special CD/DVD set with all the free high-quality royalty free music for your projects, simply comment on this post telling us you did one of the following:

1) Retweet the following (and tell us where you did it):
Win CD/DVD w/ royalty-free music & music / sound effects from JewelBeat.com at @paperieboutique / PaperieBoutique.com – http://is.gd/WmtyNc

2) Facebook “Like” us at: facebook.com/jewelbeat

3) Link to JewelBeat Royalty Free Music from your website or blog about us (and let us know where to find it)

Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, January 28th. JewelBeat Royalty Free Music will be selecting two random winners. So be sure to add your comments and enjoy using the free royalty free music!

Thanks so much to JewelBeat Royalty Free Music for this great giveaway – what a great product!

The Boudoir Business Boutique has a lot of great sales going on. As a special treat for Paperie readers, you can save an additional 20% off with the coupon code PB20.




We have a couple of contests who need winners announced! First up are the two $25 gift certificate winners to the WHP Designs Shop – Silver J Photograhy and Lynette Weber Photography.

Next up is the winner of the brandsushi Complete Album System – sara wilde: design + photography.

Congrats to all of our winners and thanks to brandsushi and WHP Designs Shop for the amazing prizes!




Last but not least…have you thought about advertising with Paperie lately? Kathy of the Boudoir Business Boutique writes:

“I just thought you’d like to know that I’ve received triple the amount of traffic from your site than any other site I’m advertising on! I’m so pleased with choosing to advertise with you!“

Stats don’t lie! Contact todd @ this domain if you are interested in joining our advertising family. And 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.

cure for the winter blues

So you’ve seen the new HB Photo Packaging value packs and color selections here, and the new “Print Your Own” packaging line here. So now why don’t you go and fill your closets and shelves with boxes once and for all because HB is having a sale! And it’s a good one!

HB Photo Packaging is doing a “Winter Blues” promotion this weekend, offering 10% off to their e-mail subscribers & Facebook fans.

But…..they wanted to give a special 15% off discount to their Paperie favorite customers. You can find the promo code below. But hurry! The coupon turns back into a pumpkin on Sunday, January 23rd at midnight.

Don’t forget – if you signed up for a new ClickinMoms membership with the code PAPERIE2011 by midnight on January 31, 2011, you received 20% off your ClickinMoms membership. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!

If you signed up through Paperie by January 31st, you also got the following items as our ‘thank you‘:

Write Robyn if you still need to collect your goodies!

my assistant can answer that

So excited for yet another guest / vendor post from Design Aglow to promote their new Studio Email Assistant.

Struggling for the right words when writing to everyone, from future brides to disgruntled clients, vivacious vendors and hopeful assistants? Design Aglow has partnered with professional photographer and wordsmith extraordinaire Heather Rivlin to create this extensive collection of 20 professionally crafted letters to deliver the perfect prose for any situation while establishing your studio’s solid business policies. Whether you draw from this complete catalog of correspondence for emails, phone scripts or mailed content, you’re sure to appreciate these time savers while your clients and contacts appreciate your customer service and attention.

1. Email response to price shoppers. This welcome email aids you with responding to price shoppers/hagglers and provides a strong education in the value of wedding/portrait photography.

2. Style and Session. This email explains the photographer’s shooting style, the session, the ordering process and payment.

3. Pre-session email. This email sets the rules for the shoot and reminds customers via key bullet points what’s included in the session fee.

4. Second Photo Shoot Rescheduling. This email sets forth studio policy regarding rescheduling for a second time.

5. Second Order Appointment Rescheduling. This email sets forth studio policy when rescheduling for a second time.

6. Photographer as client. This email shares how to approach a local photographer who wants a shoot with you.

7. Addressing post session digital files and sticker shock. This email shares how to handle a miscommunication regarding digital file inclusion, or when a client experiences cost concerns after the session.

8. Economic concerns post session. This email covers how to address reticence in ordering after a session when a client asks to postpone ordering.

9. Unauthorized internet use of an image. This email addresses how to approach a client who has scanned/copied your images to or from the internet without permission.

10. Mentor request. This email shares how to address a request from a local photographer wishes to be mentored by you or wants to assist you

11. Client order session preparation. This email prepares clients for the upcoming order session.

12. Client session clothing choices. This email outlines practical suggestions regarding clothing choices for the upcoming photography session.

13. Difficult client returns. This email shares how to respectfully handle a difficult former client who wishes to hire you again.

14. Vendor barter request. This email addresses a vendor who has requested a free shoot in return for future referrals/word-of-mouth in lieu of payment.

15. Money past due. This registered letter shares correspondence for money owed on a session or order when the client is unresponsive.

16. Creating potential bride interest. This email illustrates how to respond to potential brides in order to compel them to continue the conversation.

17. Pleasing anxious clients. This email outlines how to reassure excited clients whose continued queries regarding the status of their order are drawing your attention away from processing orders and handling other business in your studio.

18. Session Follow-up Email. This email shares gratitude to a client for a wonderful session and shares an incentive program for referrals.

19. Client Questionnaire. This email shares a sample questionnaire to send to clients to get to know them and their needs before the session begins.

20. Client Reshoot Request. This email shows what to say when a client requests a reshoot for reasons that are not due to studio negligence (clothing choice, hair not brushed, child not cooperating, etc.).

Click here to check it out in the shop.




If you missed it on Flickr and Facebook, Todd and I made a brief pop-in at Imaging USA 2011 in San Antonio, TX. We only had two hours so I didn’t get to do as many meetings as I’d hoped (or take photos other than the one you see here of me with my products at the Moo booth):

But what little time we did have there was a blast, and it was extremely cool getting to meet so many of my favorite vendors (like ProDPI and Moo) – plus photographers – in person. Not to mention to catching up with old friends and making new ones! Hope everyone will plan on being at Imaging USA 2012 in New Orleans!




P.S. We have a few ongoing contests here, so don’t forget to scroll down to enter!

appletinis for everyone!

Rare weekend post for an even more rare sale opportunity – the one-year birthday / anniversary of La Pomme Design! Read on for the incredible offer in today’s guest / vendor post and giveaway…

It has been such an exciting year for La Pomme Design! LPD opened on January 15, 2010, and had our first sale that day! We started out selling card templates and storyboards, and throughout the year have added digital papers, album templates, accordion album templates, business cards, phone skins, textures, designed textures,marketing supplies, business forms, pre-designed logos, custom logos, custom marketing design, and so much more! It is only because of our amazing fans that we have grown and flourished so much, and I cannot tell you the sense of awe I feel when I read the emails and notes of appreciation I get, and when I see photographers using LPD’s products in their marketing and client products! It is incredible, and I love each one of my fans!

So, on to the celebration! To celebrate our One Year Anniversary, La Pomme Design is having a sale that is bigger and better and more incredible than any sale we’ve ever had – and will ever have! La Pomme Design has over 100 fantastic products in the Shoppe, and if you were to buy them all at the regular price, you would spend over $1000 stocking up!

But for one week – from today, January 15th, through Saturday, January 22nd, you can buy the entire Shoppe – EVERY SINGLE PRODUCT – for a grand total of $49!!! This is such a phenomanol deal, and it is the perfect time to stock up on everything you need, in one fell swoop! And for one incredibly low price!

So what do you get? You get holiday card templates, birth announcements, boudoir templates, marketing collections, textures, designed textures, actions, Dream album templates, accordion album templates, canvas templates, storyboards, digital papers, ornament templates, bookmarks, business cards, stickers, Moo minicard templates, phone skins, and more!

And because this week wouldn’t be complete without at least one fabulous contest – at the end of the week, I will draw one order number from everyone who purchases the whole Shoppe, and the order number I draw will receive their purchase FOR FREE! I will send the winner a refund of the Shoppe – and they will get the whole Shoppe FREE!!!!

Thank you to all of our loyal fans who have brought LPD to where we are today. Enjoy this sale as a huge “thank you” (and if you know me, you know I’m big on hugs) and a hug from La Pomme Design.

Happy birthday, La Pomme Design from Paperie! And many more!




P.S. We have other contests going on right now, so don’t forget to scroll to enter those as well!

And one to grow on!
-Robyn

time to get Wild

No better way to kick off a weekend than a guest / vendor post and giveaway! Welcome back Wild Hearts Photography and the WHP Designs Shop!

Wild Hearts Photography is proud to introduce our new site WHP Designs Shop! This is a completely redesigned site / shopping cart format that allows you to quickly and easily find what you are looking for. Along with the popular Print & Blog Templates and Vintage Grunge Templates, you will find that many fun, new designs have been added! Be sure to check out our latest offerings-custom and premade logo designs! Become a fan of our Facebook page for fun giveaways and to stay up on the latest news.

We are excited to offer two Paperie Boutique readers a $25 gift certificate to the shop! Thanks for taking a look and good luck!

How do you enter to win one of two $25 gift certificates? You have four chances!

1. Tweet the following on Twitter (and tell us where you did it):
Win one of two $25 gift certificates from @WildHeartsPhoto at @paperieboutique / PaperieBoutique.com – http://tinyurl.com/whp-designs-shop

2. Post the following to Facebook (and tell us where you did it):
Win one of two $25 gift certificates from whpdesignsshop.com over at PaperieBoutique.com – http://tinyurl.com/whp-designs

3. Like WHP Designs Shop on Facebook: facebook.com/wildheartsphotography

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

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 Friday, January 21st. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page, followed on Twitter, posted to Twitter (with link), and / or posted to Facebook (with link) – 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 24-48 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Thanks to WHP Designs Shop for another awesome giveaway – hope you win!




P.S. We have other contests going on right now, so don’t forget to scroll to enter!

Have a great weekend!
-Robyn

mmmm…sushi

Today we have a great new vendor / guest post / giveaway from brandsushi. Read on to win their The Complete Album System!

about brandsushi:
brandsushi is here to make your life — and your workflow — easier to manage. With product and marketing templates; custom branding, consulting and design services; and no short supply of inspiring ideas and market trends, brandsushi is a one-stop shop for transforming your boutique photography studio into a full-fledged brand. Our collections are hand-crafted with professional wedding and portrait photographers in mind, and extensively field tested to ensure they’ll be loved by studios and clients alike.

about the designer:
I’m Claire, and I’m the designer behind brandsushi. I’m an East Dallas raised, Art School educated, working pet photographer who left the glitz (and sleaze) of the Advertising industry to pursue my true passion for the marriage of photography with sleek, modern design. My commercial portfolio includes clients such as Neiman Marcus, Toni & Guy, Bergdorf Goodman, and ABC, but what I really love is working one-on-one with photographers and fellow creatives to craft timeless & chic bespoke brands and identities.

about the giveaway:
Now, on to the good stuff! One lucky Paperie Boutique reader will receive a copy of The Complete Album System! From marketing your album pricing and options to completing a customized album just for your client (and everything in between), the The Complete Album System will help you breeze through the entire album creation process — saving you time with layouts, revisions and image selection!

What’s more, every Paperie Boutique reader can enjoy 20% off their total brandsushi product order from now until the giveaway deadline with promo code PAPERIE20!

How do you enter to win the The Complete Album System? You have four chances!

1. Tweet the following on Twitter (and tell us where you did it):
Win the Complete Album System from @brandsushi over at @paperieboutique / PaperieBoutique.com – http://tinyurl.com/brand-sushi

2. Post the following to Facebook (and tell us where you did it):
Win the Complete Album System from brandsushi.com over at PaperieBoutique.com – http://tinyurl.com/brand-sushi

3. Like brandsushi on Facebook: facebook.com/brandsushi

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

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 Thursday, January 20th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page, followed on Twitter, posted to Twitter (with link), and / or posted to Facebook (with link) – 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 24-48 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Thanks to brandsushi for such a fun, fantastic giveaway – and GOOD LUCK!

follow the yellow brick road

Today is your lucky day! Not only do you now have a chance (read on below…) to get the five “bonus items” if you already have a ClickinMoms membership – we also have a great new vendor / guest post / giveaway from Kori and Kate! They are here to introduce their new Photographer’s Pricing Wizard.

Kori and Kate is a team of two women; Kori a graphic artist & designer and Kate, a senior portrait photographer. They combined their talents to create Kori and Kate; a design and Photoshop template resource for photographers.

But their latest product is a far cry from anything design related. They’ve created a pricing tool that will take away all of the blood, sweat and tears usually involved in figuring out your pricing strategy.

Follow the yellow brick road to the Photographer’s Pricing Wizard, where they are giving away two FREE copies to our followers.

This is no ordinary Wizard. It’s the close your eyes, click your heels together and repeat “there’s no pain in pricing” wizard.

Never again will you have to do the math yourself! That’s not a typo folks, it’s true! The Pricing Wizard does all the math for you. Even a scarecrow can use it.

As long as you have access to the costs your lab charges for the products you offer, you in like Flynn!

The Pricing Wizard is a Microsoft Excel based tool. It works on a Mac and a PC, but you must have Excel. (Numbers and Open Office are not compatible.)

The first working tab on the Wizard is where you list your individual products and their cost. There are approximately 75 pre-loaded products with costs to show you how the Wizard works. These can be typed over or removed and new items can be added as needed.

The Collections tab is where you build the collections or packages that you offer your clients. Select the items you include in your collection and change the quantity to the right number for each item. The Wizard does the rest! You’ll quickly see the costs, retail, profit and margin for each collection as you build and change them. Each time you edit the collection, it automatically recalculates instantly.

Simply change the Collection name to whatever you use in your business. It will update on all the tabs within the Wizard, like magic.

The Wizard also tracks your projected sales against your actual sales for both Collections and à la carte items.

The last feature of the Wizard is to bring visibility to your current pricing and how it compares to what the Wizard calculated for you. The pricing on the left hand side is what the Wizard calculated. Change the Current Retail pricing on the right hand based on what you currently charge your clients. The Gross Profit, Margin and Mark Up are automatically calculated. You can quickly see how your current pricing measures up.

If you want to see the full instruction guide for the Pricing Wizard, click here. If you’d like to win a FREE copy of the Pricing Wzard – follow the yellow brick road using these steps to enter and WIN!

1. Visit the Kori and Kate Facebook page and “like” them.

2. Post a comment under the Paperie Boutique logo image on the Kori and Kate Facebook as to why you’d like to win the Pricing Wizard.

3. Two winners will be randomly selected based on the comments received under the Paperie Boutique logo on the K&K page.

4. All comments must be posted within 48 hours.

in a real bind

BUMPING BACK TO THE TOP: Zazzle has just issued a new $9 off coupon for custom binders. Read on…

I recently made a post about Zazzle custom binder templates. The Zazzle code BINDERS4SALE for $9 off binders expires on January 31, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST. As luck would have it, my binders using these templates just showed up – so I’m sharing here! (Click images for larger version.)

Happy New Year!
-Robyn

Get Clickin’!

The response to our ClickinMoms affiliate contest (and FREE giveaway to everyone who signs up through Paperie) has been amazing on day one! Now it gets even MORE amazing – a bigger discount and a ClickinMoms lifetime membership giveaway!

If you sign up with the code PAPERIE2011 through midnight on January 31, 2011, you will now get 20% off your ClickinMoms membership. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!

If you sign up through Paperie by January 31st, you also get the following items as our ‘thank you‘:

See this post for more information on how to sign up with ClickinMoms, write Robyn, and collect your goodies!




Did I mention that’s not all? Now ClickinMoms is also giving away TWO FREE LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS to our Paperie readers. How do you enter to win? You have four chances!

1. Tweet the following on Twitter (and tell us where you did it):
There’s a @clickinmoms contest @paperieboutique / PaperieBoutique.com and YOU get the fabulous prizes! Go here for more: http://is.gd/ksNuQ

2. Post the following to Facebook (and tell us where you did it):
Paperie Boutique is in a contest with ClickinMoms and YOU get the fabulous prizes – visit PaperieBoutique.com for more!

3. Like / Friend us on Facebook: facebook.com/paperieboutique

4. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/paperieboutique

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 Thursday, January 13th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have “liked” the Facebook fan page, posted to Twitter (with link), and / or posted to Facebook (with link) – 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 24-48 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Good luck and thanks to ClickinMoms for the great prizes!

UPDATE: We have our two winners and they are Pavei Photos and Liz Thomas Photography:

Congratulations to our two winners, thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks once again to ClickinMoms for the two lifetime memberships!




Last but not least, did you know ClickinMoms has a store?

Find great items like Lightroom presets, charity packs, keychains, the new Inspire book and more!

Check it out!

Get Clickin’!
-Robyn