Swanky Stitch | Lens Friends

Are you always looking for a fun and easy way to get the attention of the kiddos you shoot?
Always find yourself shaking a silly toy in their face, and leaving only one hand to your camera?
Well junkies… come over and meet Swanky Stitch | Lens Friends!!!

Starting at $14 each, these lil baby pleasers will be sure to do 2 things..
1) get you some great smiley shots!
2) leave your hands free to zoom and snap away!
3) Lens Friends also come with squeakers {FREE upon request}! So you can stop making silly noises yourself! hehe

Simply pop them onto your lens at body… and wiggle away!

Smiles will be coming your direction…
and your hands are free to zoom!

WOOT WOOT!

Did I mention… they also make DSLR strap covers???

WHO WANTS TO WIN?!

One lucky PI reader will win a LENS BUDDY and a matching STRAP COVER!!!!!!!!

To enter, simply visit their facebook page and LIKE them>>>FB: http://www.facebook.com/SwankyStitchFanPage
Then come back HERE and leave a comment that you did so…

Want an extra entry… visit their Blog: http://swankystitch.blogspot.com/
then come back HERE and leave a 2nd comment that you took a peek around, and let us know what you liked!

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Filed under: Contests & Giveaways, PROPaholic by Tracy Joy
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Today’s confession: My Frame LOVE AFFAIR.

I must admit. I’m a lover of all things funky. So when I found Organic Bloom it was like a match made in Heaven. Curvy, spunky, and elegant designer frames sold wholesale exclusively through professional portrait photographers. They’re unlike anything else out on the market and a true crowd pleaser.

Organic Bloom is bases out of  Tulsa, OK and is the brain child of MR. and MRS. Bloom as they like to be called.

As a photographer/wholesaler you’re entitled to one set of 10- 8×10 or 10×10 studio samples at a discounted price. You pick the colors and sizes you want. When you receive your frames it will truly feel like Christmas. This big brown box will arrive on your door step. Ok… now this is where I go all “CHRISTMAS STORY ON YOU”.  You know the scene. The one where they open the package and start digging through all the stuffing?  Yeah.. you’re going to have to work to find them all because these guys go out of their way to be sure your new little pretties are safe.  Every frame is wrapped like a gift. My first package was like getting my very own Red Ryder BB gun. Pure glee.

Each Organic Bloom frame has:
A rubber stopper (one on each corner)  and two hangers so that you may hang vertically or horizontally.

and rubbed edges

(Easel backs and glass are not standard but available upon request.)

As a PROPaholic I love re-purposing items so that they can work in several ways. I’ve used them for many of my sessions and even in my home for decor with and with out pictures.

Here are two in my entry I’m using as St. Patrick’s Day decorations…

I’ve also used them for engagement sessions as well as Maternity.

Just for fun I made a chalk board out of one of the backings.  This is a fun way to make a honey do list, write a note  for a loved one or just make a statement. Here’s a brief tutorial on how I make them.

First remove the backing from the frame and place on news paper or a protected surface in a well ventilated area. This is where I might recommend you use a primer. I didn’t the first time I made mine and now wish I had because the wood back sucked the paint right up.

You can buy chalk board paint as a spray or in a can. This time I used the spray version from Rust-oleum.

Using long even strokes cover the entire surface.  You may want to do several coats.

Let dry over night  and then place back in frame.

Pull out the chalk and have some fun!

Organic Bloom frames currently come in over 50 colors …

and 11 shapes (Johnny not shown)

So now for the fun part. Head on over to Organic Bloom on Facebook and become a fan on their page. Then come back here and post a comment that you’ve done just that.  This will be your one and only entry into this give away. You may also want to check out their BLOG. Mondays are a blast when they do their fun frame giveaways.

When we close entries we’ll use Random.com

So I guess you want to know what you get?

One lucky winner will get 1-8×10 frame from Organic Bloom. You get to pick the  style and color.

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Filed under: Contests & Giveaways, Featured Shops, Fix It's and How To's, PROPaholic, Uncategorized by Carina Olsen
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Exciting announcement!  Backdrops and Floordrops by ImaJen is releasing their new COMPANIONS line. And you’re the first to get in on the action!

I was very lucky to test COMP-001 in this new line… Don’t you love it?!

Each Companions set will come with a backdrop and floordrop.  The backdrop has pole pockets to make it easier to hang and there are 9 sets to choose from (Sorry no Al a Carte).

Companions will be a permanent part of their product line. New sets will come in the future.

One of my favorite things about these sets is that you can still use them separately. I’ve used a backdrop alone for head shots with beautiful results.

Before I tell you about the GIVEAWAY (..yes I said giveaway..) I wanted to give some tips on using these awesome vinyl backdrops.

Here’s a set up shot of the backdrop/floordrop and lighting. PLEASE ignore the messy studio.

You’ll notice that my main light(on the left) is not aimed right at the backdrop. This helps to prevent glare. It also helps to angel the light and/or backdrop or you may get this…

…Yes the client loved it but the glare is distracting in my opinion.

Clamps from the hardware store (99¢ each) are great in keeping your baseboard up and prevents wrinkle when pulled tight.

I always put my floordrop on a hard surface. A piece of plywood on carpet works nicely. You can see mine behind the backdrop.

I used to hand roll my backdrops/floordrops. I’ve learned first hand the way you store them is very important. It left creases as shown above. Now I simply roll mine onto a piece of PVC pipe and store in the tube it’s shipped in.  Works like a dream.

One last tip.  If you do get a wrinkle or crease in your drop you can simply lay it on a flat surface for a while or if you’re in a pinch the more drastic messure is to pull out your hair dryer and slightly heat it up on a low setting.

(PLEASE DON’T PUT IT TO CLOSE TO HEAT… IT WILL BURN)

From now till February 18th Backdrops and Floordrops by Imajen will run an introductory offer of

10% off all COMPANIONS!

Giveaway details:

1~ lucky PI reader  will get to choose one small Companion Set of their choice! All we ask is that the winner covers shipping ($20.)  There are two ways to enter:

1. Stop by Backdrops and Floordrops by ImaJen’s page on facebook. Become a fan (if you aren’t already) and have a look around. Post a comment to this post that you’ve done so.

2. Tell me what your favorite prop is in your personal collection. I LOVE PROPS!

Our very lucky winner will be announced soon!

Till then…

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Filed under: Discounts & Sales, Featured Shops, Fix It's and How To's, PROPaholic by Carina Olsen
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And the winner is…

YELLOW!!!

After tallying the votes from PI comments, Flickr, email and facebook; yellow was the winner.  Here is a break down of the four main colors nominated by YOU.

Yellow-23

Turquoise-21

Plum/purple-8

Green-5

As you can see it was a close race between Yellow and Turquoise.  Both would have looked great in my opinion.  I think I may have to do a plum colored chair in the future as well.  Now for the transformation…

I started by sanding the entire chair with a fine grit sandpaper.

Originally I picked out a beautiful color called Sunflower. But once I got it on the chair I realized it was a little off. A quick return trip to the hardware store and a can of spray paint later we were back in business.

Once I went over the chair with the spray paint I was pleased with the finished color.

When the paint was dry I took the advice of one of the comments to the previous post. Lets just say that I’m a lover of buttons. There is a rather large stash of them in my arsenal thanks to my grandma. It took a hot glue gun in hand and 14 antique buttons to create this fun accent on the back.

Isn’t that CUTE?!

I love how the final product turned out!

As promised, here’s some shots of my three daughters putting this awesome chair in action.

(Ariana’s favorite color is yellow and was begging me to let her go first. I thing my prop addition may be hereditary. SCARY!)

Till next time…

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Filed under: Fix It's and How To's, PROPaholic by Carina Olsen
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(voting closed)

One of my many obsessions as a PROPoholic is chairs.

I love them and have too many to count.

But this week I fell in love with a new chair that was once loved by someone else.

At $14.99 I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give this chair a makeover and give it a loving home in my studio.

In it’s previous life it had stenciled artwork all over it.

In it’s next life I’d like to give it a fresh coat of paint. (… and this is where you PI readers come in)

So who wants to help????
Please post a comment to this post and tell me what color you think this chair should be painted
(I would like to stay away from red. 5 red chairs is enough …ha ha)
The color with the most comments will be the winner. No questions asked.

I’ll then give this newly adopted chair the makeover it rightly deserves.
Pictures of it in action will fallow.

Till next time…

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Filed under: Cool Finds, Fix It's and How To's, PROPaholic, Props & Stuff by Carina Olsen
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