piczillas :: think outside the frame {coupon}

Can you imagine if you could bring your photos to life?  I can and did!  I was given the opportunity to review a Piczillas. What is it you ask?  It is more then just custom wall decals, they are fun and unique decals that you can get created how every you want.  Imagine your favorite photo being printed and then brought to life in the form of a 5' wall decal.

I ordered a large photo of my family and couldn't wait to see what it was going to look like.  I was a little unsure of where I was going to be able to put such a large wall decal, but I moved around some other photos to make it fit perfectly in my living room.  IT is simply gorgeous.  When I received it, I could not believe the quality of this wall decal.  When ordering (which btw is super easy) you have the option of getting a subject cut out or leaving the background. I didn't have the perfect image to get cutout so I chose to leave the background.  After removing the PicZillas from the packaging I was so excited I had to put it immediately.  It was really easy to make sure that it was straight and then I stuck the top down and started peeling the backing off and pressing it down.  The Piczillas was very easy to apply to the wall.

 I just love how life like this wall decal is.  I can't help but stare at it when walking into the living room.  With being a photographer, I wanted to make sure the quality of the image was going to be fantastic with an image being so big. I was very impressed with how it looked! I couldn't believe how awesome it looks on my wall. See for yourself!!  The biggest problem I had was selecting photo to use for it.  It was a huge decision because I could have used so many different ones.

It was so great working with the gentleman at PicZillas.  I will hopefully be offering these to my clients in the near future.  These start at $59.99 for a Small 3' tall wall decal all the way up to Jumbo at 6' tall.

PicZillas Large custom wall decal :: $99.99

A SIMPLE COUPON!
You know you want one of these.  So here is an awesome deal for all our simple readers. You can save $20 off a Large Custom Wall Decal at PicZillas by using the code simple20!

You can also connect with PicZillas on Facebook and Twitter.


*I was provided with a Large Piczilla to conduct this review. These opinions are my own!*

Shutterfly :: For all your photo needs!

I love Shutterfly. I have written about it here on simple (HERE) as well as my personal blog (1, 2, 3, 4 & 5).

Yup, I love their stuff. I am always looking for creative ways to keep my photos. Honestly, the first place I look most times I am looking for ideas is Shutterfly.

AND...hello it's Spring Cleaning time. So...DON'T forget about those photos. I know that if I wait to long, my photos get out of hand and I get overwhelmed - then it takes me way too long to decide what to do with them. I do a photo book for each occasion in the girls' life as well as a yearly re-cap for each of them too. Here are some other ideas for you:

Photo Books!

Thank You Cards!
And don't forget, Father's Day Cards! It's not too soon to prepare for this. It will be here before you know it!
What do you do to organize your photos? Do you have any tips for ME??? :) Also, do you have a blog? Sign up for a chance at 50 free cards from Shutterfly.

Follow Shutterfly on Facebook and Twitter to hear about great specials they have going on!

*I like Shutterfly and wanted to share this on my own accord. I am trying to get 50 free birth announcements, but if you are a blogger you can do the same! The opinions expressed are my own.*

snapfish :: mother's day photo gifts {giveaway}

Did you know Mother's Day is THIS WEEK SUNDAY! I know, kinda snuck up on me too. Have you gotten your momma anything yet? No? That's ok, I havn't either.

Know what my Mom has always loved? Photo gifts. I don't blame her, I too love getting keepsakes and treasures that remind me of a certain place and time.

Snapfish has a few super fun gift ideas that you can get on the speedy because they can be created and picked up at your local Walmart.

Ok, a couple quick ideas of what to get on the speedy:

Photo Books :: I love photo books because they are super easy to create, are easy on the pocketbook, and everyone seems to love them! You can create and purchase a photo book while doing your grocery shopping at Walmart. Instant Photo Books in sizes ranging from 4x6 to 12x12 (product availability varies by store).

Photo Greeting Cards :: Waited until the last minute to get Mom a card, but don’t want to settle for the picked-over selection at the store? Create a custom photo greeting card in-store at Walmart, it's so much more special than anything generic you might find.

And let's just say you hadn't procrastinated so much (there's always next time), here are a couple other cool photo gifts mom will love:

Keepsake Box :: Perfect for keeping all her prized possessions in one place, this beautiful keepsake box is made of dark-stained wood and features one glossy photo tile, measuring 5" X 2¼" deep.

Photo Necklace :: Mom's love custom jewelry. Display mom’s favorite photo in a locket that is sealed in a waterproof, UV-resistant coating to protect the image.

A SIMPLE GIVEAWAY!
Snapfish wants to gift a lucky Simple Reader a $50 gift certificate to Snapfish.com! To enter:

• Visit the Snapfish site, shop around and let us know how you would spend your winnings. (Required)
• "Like" Snapfish on Facebook.
• "Like" this post. (click on the thumbs up icon at the bottom of this post)
• Tweet: Visit @simplereviews to enter to win a $50 gift certificate to @snapfishbyHP: http://tinyurl.com/3llaqo
• Vote daily for SIMPLE via Top Mommy Blogs (the blinking logo on our home page - just click it)

Winner will be randomly chosen on May 17, 2011. Please reference Giveaway Rules at the top of the page before entering. Good luck!

a simple photography tip {6 ways to take a better photo}

These are a few tips to help you take better pictures of your family and friends.  You don't need a fancy camera to be able to do these things...that's what so great about it!  Try it...Post on your blog and link back here...we would love to see them!

1. Get down on their level. Hold your camera at the subjects eye level to capture the power of magnetic gazes and mesmerizing smiles. For kids and pets, that means getting down on their level to take the picture. They don't have to look directly into the camera, the eye level angle by itself will create a personal and inviting feeling.

2. Move in Close. To create impactful images, move in close and fill your picture with the subject. Move a few steps closer or use the zoom until the subject fills the viewfinder. You will eliminate background distractions and show off the details of your subject. For small objects, use the camera's marco or 'flower' mode to get sharp close-up pictures.

3. Use a plain background. Before taking a picture, check the background behind your subject. Look out for trees and poles sprouting out of your subject's head. A cluttered background will be distracting while a plain background will emphasize your subject.

4. Move it from the middle. Bring your picture to life simply by placing your subject off-center. Imagine a tic-tac-toe grid in your viewfinder. Now place your subject at one of the intersections of lines. Since most camera's focus on whatever in the middle, remember to lock the focus on your subject before re-framing your shot.

5. Watch the light. Great light makes great pictures. Study the effects of light in your pictures. For the people pictures chose the soft lighting of cloudy days. Avoid overhead sunlight that casts harsh shadows across faces. For scenic pictures, use the long shadows and color of early and late daylight. (I think this photo could be lightened a little bit as well...LOL) But just look at how the light is even on the overall picture.

6. Use Natural light - don't use those on board flashes :: turn them off and go find a window with gorgeous light coming in.  I took this with my front door open and the light shining right in. It was perfect.

Jo Tote - Camera bags for Women

You all know I love bringing you the latest and greatest camera bags!

As a professional photographer, I know the importance of protecting my gear.

The days of tossing my cameras into purses unprotected are over.
You just can't risk that!

So with my business growing and my gear becoming like a 2nd limb, I am always looking for great camera bags.

and... I found this one.






Jo Totes brings you not only the protection you need for your camera gear, but also a great looking bag that says a little something more, than a traditional black box camera bag can.

With an assortment of colors and beautiful designs, Jo Totes is the perfect gift for any female photographer.

Like many bags, it gives you the flexibility to remove and insert dividers in the bag as well as attach a messenger strap on for when you need your hands free.

The bag I got was the Rose Raspberry... and I just fell in love with the vibrant color and fun detail on the bag.

GET YOUR OWN: Jo Tote bags cost under $100 - you can't go wrong! This bag can function to hold a small netbook or ipad as well and can be used as an every day purse. It is far more than just a camera bag.

WIN OUR OWN: Jo Totes wants to giveaway a bag! And not just any bag... WINNERS CHOICE!

So here is what you do...

To enter SIMPLY COMMENT telling me what bag you'd like to win.

Grab extra entries by...

1- Following Jo Tote's (aka liking) them on Facebook
2- Tweet: Visit @simplereviews to enter to win an amazing @jototes for your camera gear: http://tinyurl.com/2g9utys

Please be sure to leave me a valid email address to contact you (if you don't have a blog) - winner will be randomly drawn.





GIVEAWAY ONLY OPEN TO USA RESIDENTS
GIVEAWAY ENDS DEC. 8TH




Disclosure:
Jo Totes sent me a Rose Raspberry Bag to showcase and review on SIMPLE.

*Emera SALE

I just had to give a heads up on a great sale going on at *EMERA this coming Monday.
In case you missed my review on it, you can view it HERE.

The sale will run on Nov 29th (monday) from midnight - midnight.

It is for the *Emera Canvas Camera Bags and they will be $129 WITH FREE SHIPPING.

Again the sale IS ONE DAY ONLY, on Monday Nov 29th.
Hope you all can take advantage of it!


Disclosure:
*Emera did not pay me for this post. I was informed of the sale and just had to share :)

kaylee bug designs

As it gets closer to christmas, I always look for templates to share with my clients. It took me a while to find something that I really liked. I was looking for simple and modern cards this year. I also wanted some cards that you could put multiple photos on. kaylee bug Design had the perfect sets for me.
I fell in love with the MOD cards and the simple card sets.



These are so easy to use and come with single sided design files and fully layered for complete custom possibilities.














kaylee bug designs has many other sets to chose from. She also has some great birth announcement templates.

GET YOUR OWN!! Template sets start at $40.00










*I was provided with these digital files free of charge to help facilitate this review*

Shutterfly Holiday Cards

Wow, can you believe that this weekend is Halloween, a month later is Thanksgiving, and then it's suddenly Christmas already!? It feels like just yesterday we were spending lazy days at the pool.

But honestly, the holidays are almost here, and I've heard some of my friends already starting to think about ordering their holiday cards!  Feels early to me, but it really isn't.

This year, I'm choosing Shutterfly for my Christmas cards.  I'm choosing them because they have a great selection, and the price fits my holiday budget.

Here are my top three choices for Christmas Photo Cards:

 Joy oh Joy

I love this one because 10% of the sales go to the American Lung Association, which is near and dear to my heart. Although with 4 photo shots, I'll fill that 4th spot with a pic of the dog.  But that's not wrong.  Or is it...

In Color

I love this one because it's simple and totally modern.  I can grab a candid shot of my kids and call it good.  No complicated posing, just any old everyday photo will look great.

Colorful Joy

This one is perfect because I love the colors, it's simple, and there are 3 spots for my 3 kids.  Nothing fancy, just so lovely.  Don't you think?

I'm excited.  I don't send out that many cards, maybe 50 at most.  But, I love that they capture our most favorite moments of the past year. 

Do you want 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly? Click here to go to Shutterfly for information on how you can get 50 free cards this holiday season, and make sure to select Clever 1000 as the referral source.

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

KNH Designs

Before having Macy, I was looking on etsy (as usual) I came across this gorgeous quilt called a rag quilt. I just knew I had to have one for her. I am so into paisley and pink right now that I knew I wanted a paisley print in it. I picked out the material and she made this for me.

This fabulous rag quilt is made with a rose & gold paisley cotton from the Penny Lane collection, a chocolate minky, hot pink dot minky, and our garden dot flannel. The middle layer is a white flannel to add contrast and warmth. The back of this rag quilt uses the same fabric and pattern as the front. My quilt is a 36 x 36" quilt, but you can have one of these soft rag quilts custom made to your ideal size!
It was great working with KNH Designs, she was very fast and helpful on deciding the material. She has so many to chose from it was so hard. But I am totally in love with this quilt and I had to feature Macy on it.

I also got one of these Minky Rag I Spy Bag. This bag contains 35 items and comes with a laminated item card. The card has the words of the items on one side and the pictures on the other for your child to find. One of these items is a surprise (?)! The card is attached with a buckle so it is easily removed to quiz your child or for two to play!

GET YOUR OWN!! Rag Quilt $74.95 - Check these quilts out. They are fabulous.
Minky Rag I Spy Bag - $17.95 - Penny Lane Paisley, educational toy, quiet game, eye spy bag

NextDay Flyers

Next Day Flyers is an online printing company that delivers top-quality printed marketing materials with one of the fastest turnaround times in the industry. They specialize in full color printing of custom business cards, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, as well as specialty die cuts and other marketing materials.

When they contacted me to review some Flyers, I was excited because I am in need of new marketing material for my upcoming change in my buisness. I decided to get some thank you cards for clients. They turned out fantastic. I love them. Perfect for what I need. The quality is fantastic too.

NextDay Flyers also offers many other services such as, Next Business Day Printing, Easy Online Ordering, Free Design Online Service, Free Specialized and Seasonal Templates,
Next Day Flyers’ Blog with Design and Marketing Tips, and
Customer Care via Phone, Email, and Live Chat.



GET YOUR OWN!! 1/4 page flyer - starting at $30.95 - Full color both sides for double the impact, 14pt printed with our high gloss UV coating or Matte coating for a flat satin finish, Printed on 100lb bookweight glossy paper

*Emera Bag - Perfect Combination

You all know I am obsessed with bags :-)
Its the one thing I feel you need more than one of [that and baby carriers!] ;-) - after all, there's always so many uses for a good bag.

One thing I have been on the look at for years now is a bag that can work as a camera bag but also a diaper bag. Ive had other camera bags that are beautiful and function great for holding my camera gear... but were either "two big" for an every day bag... or to small to fit all the essentials for a baby in it as well as a camera.

The *Emera Bag honestly hit the nail on the head with its design.

It is beautiful! Sleek, stylish, heavy duty... but also incredible practical for any mom and photographer.

It comes with inserts that can be removed for your needs... that are padded for your gear. It also has a length wise pocket that you can store a laptop in.



The other day I went to church and had my Macbook Pro, Owens Bottle, a burp cloth, a cloth diaper, my keys, wallet, cell phone, lip gloss and still had room for one of my SLR cameras.

As you can see from the above photo, it has become "my all in one bag" :-) with it sporting a raz-baby pacifier toy clip ;-) - inside though gear galore and all Owens needs.


GET YOUR OWN: *Emera comes in a classic "quilted" look - which is what I have. They also offer a "canvas" tote, but it is current SOLD OUT. At $169 you are not only getting an incredible camera bag that is sturdy and built to protect your gear, but also a diaper bag, purse and laptop bag! It really fan function for it all.

WIN YOUR OWN: Oh yes, you read that right ;-) I get to give one of these beautiful bags away!

To Enter all you have to do is COMMENT telling me which bag you like best.

The Quilted or Canvas - View the bag looks HERE.

For EXTRA entries:

- Tell me how many inserts the bag comes with
(no cheating and looking at other peoples answers! - honor system!!)

- Like *Emera on Facebook - and comment on your wall after that, linking people to their facebook: saying something like:

"@*Emera makes one stylish camera bag! Win one at - (www.simple-momreviews.com)"

- Like SIMPLE on Facebook

- Tweet or Facebook/Blog about this GIVEAWAY as well as LINK to *Emera.

- Daily Tweets are acceptable as well!

(Comment for each additional entry you fulfill)

Giveaway HAS BEEN CLOSED - Winner posted HERE

Disclosure:
Emera sent me a Quilted Tote Bag to showcase and review on SIMPLE