It's no mystery...

everyone loves a party and everyone loves adorable party invitations. Let me design an invitation to fit your birthday party theme.

This little girl loves Scooby Doo, so when it was time to design her invite, it was a no brainer.

...for all your most important moments!

That's Sarah Ra'anan's current advertising campaign. Sarah will be sending her future clients these postcards in order to show them each facet of her photography.



Looking for a great way to reach many current and future clients? Look no further than postcards!

Thanks, Sarah, for the great compliment on your blog. You are an awesome person to work with and I hope that our business (and Scrabulous) relationships last for a long time!

Pay It Forward!

Enjoy this new Christmas Card template and my thanks to you for checking out site, complimenting my designs, purchasing my templates, etc. You guys are great!

(Just click on the picture to download the template. This template is for personal use only. You can design cards for your clients with it, but please do not resell this template!)

"Pay It Forward"...what does this mean? It means, if you take advantage of this free download, you need to turn around and do something or give something to someone else...pay the kindness forward to those around you!

A bit of SPARKLE!

It's that time of year...time to be thinking about sending Christmas cards out to your clients. Need some help with your holiday card designs? Here's one I just did for Blooms - actually an invitation to her Holiday Open House.

Custom cards for your business - designed for only $80 for the month of November!

"Who's that?"..."Is that someone famous?"

If you had seen this gorgeous girl being followed around downtown Springfield by a bunch of photographers, you might have been like the other people that spotted us...trying to figure out why she had a paparazzi of photographers following her...Who was she? She was none other than Emily, our Senior model that Kim lined up for us for our final day of Smootfest 2007. She was awesome. Never complained once and did everything that was asked. Isn't she beautiful?

So, for those of you who don't know, this weekend I spent some time with several great photographers from all over the area. Even though I haven't been doing as much photography as of late, I learned tons of great stuff and cannot wait to incorporate it into future photography sessions. Thanks everyone for sharing your techniques, knowledge and talent with everyone, I cannot wait for Smootfest 2008! Thanks, Kim, for putting up with all of us and for everything you do!
Also, a special thanks to Jana for a wonderful dinner and for showing us all the great things that have come out and are coming out! Hope everyone had a safe trip home and gets rested up...see you next year!

Out of Town...

Just an FYI for any clients...past, present, or future...I'll be out of town from this Friday, October 26th, until Sunday, October 28th. I'll be checking e-mails and returning phone calls on Monday.
Until then, hope you all have a great weekend!

taking a look back!

www.glasfordbaptist.com

This year's theme for the Glasford Baptist Ladies' Christmas Tea is "It Was a Simple Gift of Love Commanded the Course of the World." The ticket is Glossy coated on a smooth card stock, but appears to have a texture on it, giving it a scrapbook feel. And I'll be the first to tell you that the online version of this doesn't do justice to how awesome it looks printed!

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at all the tickets from the Ladies' Tea over the past several years. Enjoy!

Toddler Style...?

While taking Caitlin's senior pictures, I happened to catch this moment while Bella was posing.

and this one of Lili Jo...



Hmmmm...Daddy's gonna be in BIG trouble when they get older!

Senior Style...

Let me just start out by saying that it's going to take me a bit to get through all your pictures...but if you can't find a picture that you like, I'll be shocked! Anyways, so far, this is my fave. Although it was VERY hard to pick. Enjoy...and g'night!

B.O.G.O. Sale!

Starting today and ending on Thursday, October 11th, everything on my site is

Buy One, Get One 1/2 Price

If we reach 8 buyers, the sale will change for the benefit of everyone...everyone gets their items as Buy One, Get One FREE instead of 1/2 price! Post your request in the comments below (please be sure to add your contact information).

Invoices will be sent out on Friday, October 12th or once we hit 8 buyers, whichever comes first. Don't you just love B.O.G.O. sales!!!
Discount Code: BOGO10

The small print...

1/2 price or FREE item must be of equal or lesser value. This sale includes, but is not limited to, templates, borders, overlays, logo design and other design services. This offer excludes all printing prices. Due to the nature of the products and services I offer, there will be no refunds offered, so please ask in advance if you have any questions.

This sale is open to anyone and everyone, so feel free to share this with any of your friends on any forums. The sooner we reach 8, the sooner everyone can start getting their purchases! Happy shopping!

Pick of the Patch...Punkin that is!

Inspired by my daughter's favorite Halloween movie, Spookley the Square Pumpkin, this 5x7 card template is sure to please square and round punkins alike!

Font used is Sketchy Times

Spooky Halloween Card

A new card template, just in time to show off your favorite ghost or goblin!

This is set up as a 5x7 card template, text can be easily changed or moved around.
Fonts used are Inspiration and Love Letter Typewriter

Don't forget to check the website for more Halloween templates!

Mail Server Upgrade

I will be unable to send and receive e-mail from my orangegeckodesigns.com account from 7:30pm - 2:00am on Tuesday, October 9th. If you send one during those times, it will be sent to me after 2am, so I won't be responding to it until Wednesday morning. Just wanted to let you know.

A classic take on a new logo.

Rachel Cohara e-mailed me the other day to say how much she loves the different designs I've done for logos and to see if I would be interested in working on her logo as well.
After finding out a bit more about Rachel and her business, we worked on a few concepts. Here's the one she ended up deciding to use.


If you're in the area of Brunswick Hills, Ohio, give Rachel a call to schedule an appointment 440.724.9569.

Thanks for being such a great client. I enjoyed working on your designs!
Good luck with your business!

Last night's senior session...

Shot some pictures of Dannyel on the railroad tracks here in town for her senior pictures. I think they all turned out great, but this is my favorite.

You have to kiss a few frogs...

to find your prince charming...

...just make sure they don't pee on you!

Something fun for you...

no, I didn't design this, but I wish I had. I just thought I'd post it here for all my friends, family, and clients to enjoy as well. I think all parents (and kids) can relate to it!

Here's the link to the Pachelbel Bedtime song on youtube

I would so buy these on cd!

And one the moms can relate too as well...

Bold, fun and funky!

Michelle was looking for a fun, funky logo in all different colors - I think we succeeded with that.

michelleevansphotography.com

In her words...

..."Oh my gosh, love, love, love the logo. Thanks SO much!!!!!"

Do you think she likes it?

If you're in Pennsylvania and looking for a photographer, look Michelle up and give her a call!

Michelle...just wanted to say thanks for giving me a shot in doing your logo design.
It was fun! Good luck with your biz!

Who needs a TWEAK?

What's a logo tweak?

Several people have contacted me to design a logo for them for full price, but in reality, they already have one or more ideas they liked from playing themselves - but the designs just weren't quite "there".

Some of my clients already have a logo that they love, but it needs to be "freshened up" a bit. Sometimes all that's needed is a fresh pair of eyes and a bit of tweaking to make the logo design perfect and so I've added the "logo tweak" to the services I offer.

logo tweak ~ $60

Need an example of what I'm talking about?

Kristin had her logo in mind, but wasn't sure it was "complete". She was thinking it needed something, just wasn't sure what.

What she had to begin with:Not bad and could have been used as is, but it needed some tweaking to make it perfect.

And with some minor adjustments:
That's a tweak, nothing major, just enough to give it some "pop"!

One Year Sweet...

In celebration of dear little Kaylee Jo's 1st birthday, I created this card for her mommy to use for a thank you card.

Front

Inside

Back

This template now available....watch for more non-holiday templates to come!

...and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet Kaylee Jo...love ya, sweetie!

It should be illegal...

to use such a snazzy looking logo! LOL Just kidding.

Stacey Steel contacted me about designing a logo for her business, Steel (a play on her last name, ha ha) the Moment Photography. After a few tries, we finally narrowed it down to this one.

If you're in California and looking for a photographer, don't forget to check out Stacey at www.steelthemomentphotography.com.

Good luck with your business, Stacey. Thanks for making me a part of your design process. I wish you the best!

a sleek, sophisticated logo

Last week I received this e-mail from Kia Hinz:

"I recently came across your work and love what I saw. I am starting a business in Chicago as a children's contemporary portrait photographer, and wonder if you would be able to help me create a logo? I have been looking forever for someone to create my vision of a sleek, sophisticated and timeless logo (to be used for website, business cards, stationary, etc) but have yet to find exactly what I am looking for."

So, after finding out a bit more of what she was looking for in a logo, we finalized her logo today and in her words, "...it is p e r f e c t!..."

Without further ado, here's the winning logo:

www.kiahinzphotography.com

If you're in the Chicago area and looking for a photographer for your kiddos, be sure to give Kia Hinz a call! 312.492.6777 or 773.510.0821

Thanks, Kia, for allowing me to work along-side of you to create this beautiful logo.
You were a pleasure to work with. I wish you the best!

The wait is over!!!

And the winner, drawn from a bowl by my daughter - she thought it was quite fun and drew everyone's name before it was all over, but since it doesn't work that way...the winner is

northpte@lighthouse.net

(Sorry, didn't have your name.) You need to let me know if you want the prize package or not by Sunday, September 16th at 6pm Central time.

For those who didn't win, keep checking out the blog, I will be posting a no-purchase-necessary contest in the next week, I'm just thinking of some fun guidelines.

ROYALTY FREE music at a great price

Looking for that perfect song for your website or slideshow?

Just thought I'd share a site with you that I've used in the past and been very happy with...Stock20.

They have a large assortment of music and their prices are great (all selections are $7) - best of all, it's free to join so you can look around and see if something catches your ear!

YAY for me...and you!

The site move/update/clean-up is DONE! Did you hear my huge sigh of relief?

The site is now up and running (hopefully smoothly!)

Thanks to all of you for your patience during all of this!

As a token of my appreciation, I've got a special offer (good for three days only) for everyone...

Sorry, this offer has ended. Please check back soon
to see any new discounts or contests.

...and for the cherry on top...

I will take the names of everyone who took part in this special offer and one person will win the entire kit and caboodle (and their money back)...yes, that's right, every action, all the storyboards, the border sets, and the holiday 2007 card templates! What more could you ask for???

This purchase is limited to one "complete" purchase per person - no signing up to buy each item separately to raise the number of buyers. Discount not valid on the purchase of printed items. This offer ends at 6pm central time on Friday, September 14th. (To make it easier to keep track of how many we have taking part in this offer, please enter your name in the comments below, even if you e-mail your request or purchase online.) Discount Code:OGD-YAY

Do I see a light???

I'm sure nobody is near as anxious as I am for the site to be up and running...completely done...well, it's getting close - all the links are working now, except my sample galleries for the business pieces and the ads, my border sample gallery and a few of the client proof galleries that need to be cleaned up and reposted. YAY! I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel!

In celebration of the update completion I will be offering a special deal on a few things, so check back soon for the details!

New web addy, same great designs...with style!

Sorry to anyone who is trying to visit my website right now - I'm switching my site from trisharobertson.com to orangegeckodesigns.com and since I have to reupload everything anyway, I'm reorganizing my files and stuff as I do it...all that to say - my site will be down for a couple days while I do the cleaning. I'm still available for design work, so don't hesitate to e-mail me with any questions. I will post on the blog when my new site is up and running!

Thanks!

Something to tide you over...

My website will be going down very shortly, as I'm in the process of changing my web address, but thought I'd post a few recent designs to tide you over until it's up and running again!

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Jaime specializes in children and family portraits and was looking for a fun logo that centered around a beach theme. Watch the blog for the rest of her design pieces.

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Lindsay needed an ad that featured various samples of her work and that could double as her business card. This ad was designed for use in a local school's yearbook.

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Andrea was looking for a simple, eye-catching logo with clean lines and simple fonts.

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This business needed something high-tech that had great contrast that made the
logo really pop. He was looking for something that would look sharp embroidered
on shirts as well as on stickers and business pieces.

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Family Picture Time!

A special thanks to Kimberly Smoot who made an almost 2 hour drive to come and take our family pictures. If anyone is in the Springfield area, this girl ROCKS! Check out her website and blog! www.kimberlysmoot.com and then give her a call! 217.793.2167...what are you waiting for?

Dog Days of Summer Sale!

The dog days of summer are officially here, with temps in the 90s, heat indexes in the 110s and super high humidity...all we can do is try to stay cool and come up with things to do indoors...so, here's something for ya! I'm having a

Dog Days of Summer Set Sale!

This sale has ended. Sorry! Check back soon for upcoming deals!

Just having fun!

It's Sunday...a day to relax, go to church, spend time with family and have fun before going back to work on Monday. So, that's what I did. Just thought I'd show a progression of this photo using some actions and borders that I've created. Please let me know what you think!

The final photo, shown larger below uses the enchantment action,
the vignette action and a swirly-grunge border.

A "Snappy" new postcard...

Sarah Ra'anan asked me to create a postcard for her to hand out in celebration of the Jewish New Year...and just to keep me on my toes, she asked me to add a few lines in Hebrew. The colors were chosen because one of the themes of the Jewish New Year is apples & honey - which would also explain the pictures.

www.sarahraanan.com

The lines in Hebrew read: "A quiet year, a beautiful year, a tranquil year. A year of peace, a year of dreams and love." The translation was so beautiful that I felt I had to share it...hmmmm...maybe I'll have make another card that says that in English as well.

One more template...

This one will replace the 4x8 that was in the embellished holiday set.


This is a 5x5 press-printed bi-fold card. It can also be easily printed as a 5x5 2-sided flat card.

Fun & Whimsical Logo

Angie was looking for a scrapbook style logo, something flourishy and textured, for a new forum that she was starting.

Angie - good luck with your new forum, I wish you much success!

I was framed!

Oh, wait...no...I guess my daughter was framed...in the borders below! I already have a grunge set of borders, but have been working on a grunge-flourish set as well. Well after much trial and error, here's my first few flourish borders...

Keep watching, I'll have more soon!

More templates and a slight change...

I just finished this card...
...which I will be adding to my Holiday 2007 collection. Several people have asked specifically for 4x8 cards, so I will be pulling all the 4x8 cards from the other sets and adding a couple more to it to create a new 4x8 holiday set. Keep your eyes out for it very soon!

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This card is the new Milano Grunge 07 that will replace the 4x8 in the grunge collection. It's a 5x7 press printed card, shown here with the special back for it and a sample text for the inside.

Are you making your list and checking it twice?

Action Group Buy

Sorry...This group buy has ended!

You can view the actions on my website by clicking here!
The group buy ends Friday, August 10th, so sign up today!!!

Thanks to Tiffany J. from 2peas for organizing this group buy - she will get 50% off
of her purchase if the minimum participants for one of the buys are met.

Do you belong to a different forum that you'd like to set up a group buy for?
Let me know and we get it worked out!

Actions are compatible with PS7+

Fingerprints of God...

Lindsay Vinson of Bell City, Missouri just had me design this logo for her business...

www.fingerprintsofgodstudios.com

Lindsay style is fun with a sophisticated edge to it, so we needed a logo to match. This logo incorporates a fun handwritten text with a clean cut font to give it just that touch of sophistication. The logo style also allows for easy customization of the colors for use on any type of print piece she would need.

If you're in the Bell City area and looking for a photographer,
call 573-733-4477 or e-mail fingerprintsofgodstudios@yahoo.com

Thanks Lindsay for letting me put my "fingerprint" on your logo design. You've been great to work with and I hope we can work together again in the future. Good luck with everything!

And the winners are...

1. Daphne J
2. tania (tai on 2 peas)
3. susan robichibaud
4. margie @ smiles forever photo and
5. catherine dillberg

Do you see your name in that list? If so, send me an e-mail to t.l.robertson(at)trisharobertson.com and let me know what template you'd like for free of if you want me to apply the amount to a set!

Not that you'll probably wait this long, but you have until Wednesday, August 8, 2007 at 9pm Central time to send me your request.

Thanks to everyone who posted! Be sure to check back again for future contests and discounts or sign up with feedblitz to receive my blog updates by e-mail!

Did someone say free?

So, here's the deal, I'm seeing everyone else doing it (no, not jumping off of a bridge) and I have to try it myself . . . I'm having a contest!

When does it start? If you're reading this post, it has already started!

When does it end? 9:00pm CDT on Sunday, August 5, 2007

How do I enter? Post a comment about my 2007 Holiday card line-up...it's that easy!

How does it work? Shortly after 9pm on 8-5-07 I will be picking the names of 5 winning entries and posting them here on the blog.

What will I win? One Holiday 2007 template of your choice...(or you can choose to put the cost of the template towards the purchase of a complete group or the entire set.)

Ok, so the contest has started...tell your friends...get to posting!!!

BONUS...

If you're the "organizer" of a group buy, you get an added bonus...

The organizer of the group buys will receive a 50% discount on their purchase for any of the parts of the group buy that meet the minimum buyer quota!

Also, if people sign up and fill the minimum requirement for all sections of the group buy, you'll receive the entire group buy offered sets for FREE!

...just as a thank you from me.