Come visit on our Ning forums, CLICK HERE to be redirected.
Starting at 8pm est (7pm cst) we’ll be online to chat, answer questions, etc

Hope to “see” you there!
~Tracy & Gina

If you have ever heard the term “honey” in a post process technique, then you already know Lilyblue Actions and if you haven’t before you will now and I promise you will want it!! Many have tried but Leah has mastered it….her honey action (part of her color set one actions) is number one and the best of the bunch! But that is just the beginning!

Leah Zawadzki, the creator and owner of Lilyblue Actions and AMAZING photographer, has mastered the art of actions and post process technique. She is an all-time favorite and her sets are breathtaking. You can’t believe how a simple action of hers can take a photo from good to WOW!

From the basics to flowers to chocolate, with the click of a button you can turn your photographs into true works of art! Combine Leah’s RAW presets with her PS actions and your possibilities are truly ENDLESS!!

I have been drooling over Leah’s brand new Waterplay set, and if you haven’t laid eye’s on it yet, get ready to want it!

The new Waterplay set is one of a kind and a complete combination of plays with color, photo enhancement and finishing styles that will rock your socks off! Each action and preset is non-destructive and completely customizable. From sweet styling to vintage looks, to super cool borders and clarity sets (available for CS4 and Lightroom 2.0), your photo’s will take on looks you never imagined possible.

Grab a snack, settle down at your computer and get ready for HOURS of photo playing. Once you have used one of Leah’s actions, I promise you will not edit another photo without playing with these actions first!!

Leah has been kind enough to offer a special PI discount to all of you!! Head over to the special promo purchase page to get all of Leah’s action sets at a special PI price!!

$39 sets $5 off
$70 sets $10 off
$135 sets $20 off

Be sure to use the code: PROPINSANITY (all caps) at check out to receive your automatic discount! The discount will expire in one week…so grab your set now!!

Keep checking back for a special Guest Photographer spot featuring Leah’s work very soon!

*Waterplay Presets require either CS4 or Lightroom 2.0

We created this little community called Prop Insanity as a way to bring you all cool props, great gear and tidbits of knowledge. The best part of starting Prop Insanity is how many friends we are making along the way in this little journey of ours!

And today we introduce some really cool, new friends! Now I know you are all stalking a ton of blogs, add one more to your list.

Introducing The Maternal Lens. As Tracy and I did (way back when) these ladies connected through the wonderful world wide web. Getting to know each other and finding that even though hundreds of miles seperates them, their visions and passions were very much the same and they wanted to share them with the world.

The Maternal Lens Blog is a great little place to visit for little inspiration, tips, tricks, giveaways and some laughs along the way. Jen, Meg, Meghan, Sarah and Shannon each have their very own style but each is so super talented.

Check it out today, follow them, join there flickr group, check out their work…and make a new friend!

MIQUE!

Your lucky number 21 was randomly picked, and Debi from Charity Calendar for Photogs will be in contact with you!

Thank you to EVERYONE who entered in this giveaway… this is really an amazing prop that can help not only your business grow (beyond expectations!), but also help grow your favorite charity and make awareness for your cause

… and dont forget, she is offering EVERYONE at Prop Insanity $35 off!!! By using code: iloveprops you will receive $35 off your calendar package – until the end of April.
CLICK HERE to visit the website for purchasing and details

so today is a reminder day!!

1. Make sure to get your product emails in for the Garage Sale!! Store opens this Thursday!! Don’t forget to join us for our first ever “Ning Night In” on Thursday as well!! Chatting starts at 8:00 p.m. EST!! Make sure to join us for the fun at www.propinsanity.ning.com

2. Get your questions in for the Kelley Ryden Q&A Session!! You don’t want to miss out on this!!

Help to support and spread the word about Prop Insanity!!!
Really… it’s simple… if you love our product reviews, and appreciate our constant obsession with bringing you every single cool & unique prop we find… and just plain LOVE US… then do a lil PI bragging
In fact… we’ll PAY you to do so! Well… pay you with props that is!
(see end of post for details)

Brag about Prop Insanity
by adding our button to your blog!

HERE IS THE HTML FOR OUR BUTTON (as seen below)
<a href=“http://” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv322/propinsanity/PI-125×125.gif” border=”0″ alt=”PropInsanity“></a>
(just copy and paste into your text area/html on your blog or site)www.propinsanity.com

And here is the button it’self, if you wanted to save and make your own html code:

OR… if your one of our vendors, or a just a great blog or site we’ve bragged about… add our link to your site, http://www.PropInsanity.com ,
and help US -help to promote more great prop artists like YOU.

Now the fun stuff… we are business women here, so we know how to market & keep an eye on our beloved site… we watch closely where all our readers come from and what sites have referred new readers to us…

For the month of May, we are going to run a contest here on Prop Insanity… geared towards our loyal readers and thanking YOU for spreading the insane word about our prop infested site!
By adding our button or link to your website, …blog, ….Etsy store, ….or ALL OF THE MENTIONED, you will be automatically entering yourself in our FREE PROP GIVEAWAY!!!!

How does it all work????
1ST PLACE WINNER
On JUNE 1ST, the website owner with the MOST traffic directed to Prop Insanity.com will receive an INSANE PROP PACKAGE… full of props from some of our unique vendors… and beyond.  Up to $100 in props!!!!

2ND PLACE WINNER….
And a lucky runner up (site that generated the 2nd most traffic to PI) will receive a NUTTY PROP PACKAGE, worth up to $40 in props!!!

3RD PLACE WINNER
Yes yes yes…. and a 3rd finalist (once again, who directed the 3rd most hits towards PI), will receive a surprise prop in the mail as well…

SO WHAT AT YOU WAITING FOR!!!
Blog us…
Brag about us…
Tell your Grandmother about us!!!!
Hey… even review US if you’d like

~Your Prop Junkie Girls~

*(stats are all counted/generated by google analytics, a trusted and very convient way to watch our/your website statistics)
**Props will be chosen by us crazy girls, and supplied from our various creative vendors. They will be randomly chosen, and a “surprise” to the winner(s)

cuz it was my very FIRST photography prop I ever purchased… an man-0-man has this tiny prop done it’s fair share of work!
These tiny beanies get used in EVERY newborn shoot I have… EVERY…

The one, the only…PDX Beanies (aka Portland Beanie Co)!

PDX Beanies has been a long time favorite of mine, as I mentioned it was my FIRST (and most popular) newborn prop. Not only are her hats DARLING, but they fit PERFECT on a newborns precious noggin!

Cozy, comfy, soft and PRECIOUS are easy words that come to mind when I think of PDX Beanies… plus,when I bring my props to a shoot, the PDX beanie is the FIRST they pick.
Well…I shouldn’t say only newborns, cuz I actaully own PDX Beanies in a plethora of sizes, styles & colors…. as seen on my daughter (at 6m old) below.

PDX Beanies photograph GORGEOUS as well! The color combos that they offer are a gorgeous mix of natural and color popping jewel tones.  I really cant say enough about my PDX beanies…and not only do I refer them to all my photography friends, but all the new “mama’s” in my life recieve a PDX beanie at their baby shower

So… I suggest you pick yourself up a PDX beanie PRONTO!
Yeah, can you tell I’m excited about this one?

And even more exciting, Nili from PDX Beanies is offering 2 great deals to all PI readers!!!

GIVEAWAY!!!
PDX Beanis is offering a free childs hat (sized 0-3m through 5t), of your choice, to one lucky PI Reader.  All you have to do to win is 2 things:
1) Tell us what your very first photography prop was (leave a comment here)
2) in that same comment, tell us which PDX Beanie you think is the “sweetest” (click here to visit PDX)

DISCOUNTS
PDX Beanies is offering a 15% discount to all PI Readers thru the month of May!!! Just enter PROPINSANITY.COM in the message to seller on check out. She will review your invoice to show a 15% discount WOOT WOOT!
I know I’ll be taking advantage of this discount. lol

CLICK HERE to visit PDX Beanies today… and snatch up one (or a plethora, like my stash) of these darling beanies…. you won’t regret it, and every new mama you shoot will THANK YOU!

~2 Beanie Junkie Mama’s

We are so excited to announce that we will have a super cool, out of this world, legend in her own time, photographer extraordinaire visiting us here at PI, all for you guys!

Here’s a couple of hints:

1. I said she already, so you know its a wonderful lady.

2. If you are a compulsive Flickr photostream stalker, you MUST know her work.

3. She is always hanging babes from things you would never imagine you could even put a human being in, but it works….oooh boy how it works!

4. Her work is so breathtaking….I can actually no longer speak about it as it has taken my breath away.

Are you ready (*drum roll*) Ms. Kelley Ryden!

If you don’t know her, be prepared to fall in love. Kelley has this “way” of working with babies that is just awe inspiring. Her sister Tracy (who rocks a camera just as well as Kelley) makes these… “things” literally “things” to cradle babies, hang babies, and wrap babies and when you put it all together with the perfect lighting, impeccable skin tones…..aaaaahhh pure perfection!

Take a cruise through Kelley’s Flickr stream (check out Tracytoo!). You might want to make sure you are alone, otherwise be prepared to hear ”What are you ooo”ing” and aaaahh”ing” about?” or  ”Why are you crying?” (these pics can bring on some serious tears of sweet joy!)

Not only is Kelley’s work so amazing, she is a super sweet and cool lady. A refreshing burst of knowledge and so willing to share tips and tricks as best she can without bringing you a baby to show you how its done. One of these days (ok maybe months) I am promising myself that I am going to attend one of Kelley and Tracy’s newborn workshops.

Since I have two kids attached at my hip, a full-time job and a hubs who works way too much, I can’t get out to NE just yet. Instead Kelley has been kind enough to answer some PI reader questions right here on this very blog. We will give you the weekend, ok a whole week to really think it over. Think long and hard…make each question a good one!

When you think you have narrowed down the 3,567 questions you have into one good one, simply post a comment with your question to Kelley and in about a week (or maybe a little more, she’s a busy lady) Kelley will pick 5-10 questions to answer right here on Prop Insanity.

Get to stalking, get to thinking and get to commenting!!

~The Breath Taken Chicks of PI

Check Out Kelley Ryden’s Work:

On the Web

On Flickr

Check Out Tracy Raver’s Work:

On the Web

On Flickr

We’re changing up Friday’s a bit to bring our favorite blog readers so super cool freebies from around the web.

There are some awesome tips, tricks and useful goodies just waiting to be snatched up out there, your PI girls are on the hunt and will bring these little treats right here to you!!

First up is a new action that I can NOT live without. A creation of Dustin Francis, an admirable and inspiring photographer from Ann Arbor, MI. Take a peek at his work and be prepared to be blown away. There is a certain look to his photo’s, a crispness like non other, a sharpness that is tack sharp without being over the top.

There is a whole lot more that goes into get super sharp, crisp photo’s but this little tool that Dustin has posted for all to share sure helps!!

His df-sharpen action is a whole set of 25 different ways to sharpen…from blogging to print, he has included a sharpening action that can take your pictures from good to great in one easy click.

Here are a couple examples and the actions I used from this awesome set!

I adore how natural these actions are, they just add that litl bit of wow! I did not add any blog sharpening to any of the above pics to try to show you the actions as they are…you have to use them to get a really good idea of how well they work!

Grab your copy of df-sharpen here!!

Thank you Dustin for creating and sharing this awesome tool!

~We like it Sharp at PI

Got some gear you’d like to sell?? A prop you bought, love but just don’t use it as much as you thought…maybe all the newborns stopped coming and you havea trunk full of beanies??

We have the answer!! We will be opening up a Prop Shoppe “Garage” in our online store. A place where YOU can list any gently used items you would like to sell!! A lens, a camera, a prop or two! The “garage” will be open on Thursday, April 30th. To kick off the grand opening we invite you all to join a PI Chat session in our Social Network. We will be hosting a “Ning Night In” where you can chat with other PI Readers, share ideas and ask Garage Sale sellers instant questions about their sale items!! Our online party will start at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Here is how it works

1. Make sure you have pictures of all the items you would like listed, were giving you one week to gather up all your little treasures. There will be a small fee ($1 per item) to list an item in the garage, you can sell your item or whatever you think it is worth.  We will do all the leg work getting your item listed and looking snazzy in the shop. The garage will remain open as long as there are items to be sold there and items can be added even after the shops big grand opening. Your item will remain for sale (no additional fees) until it sells or unless you request it be removed.

2. Drop us an email at admin@propinsanity.com or gina@propinsanity.comfor more information on how to get setup and we will make sure your items are all “stickered” and ready to go when the store opens.

3. Make sure that you are signed up at the PI Social Network especially if you plan to sell some items, so that you can be in instant contact with potential buyers…Buyers make sure your signed up so you can ask all those important questions!

4. Get ready to have some fun! Log in to the Ning Night In on or before 8:00 p.m. EST. Not looking to buy or sell, no worries…Join us for the chat and get in contact with fellow photog’s and ask questions. How did you get that shot? What gear are you using? What did you have for dinner?

We’re super excited about our first “Online Party” so please join us!!