Do you post on your blog only to hear crickets? Do you sometimes feel like you are talking to yourself (and maybe your Mom) on your blog? Do you need some LOVE?

Chic Critique is here for you, girl. In 2013, we are doing a weekly feature on our blog every Saturday called “BLOG LOVE” where you can showcase your  blog posts on Chic Critique for lots of love.

SWEET BENEFITS:

• Use this as motivation to blog at least once a week
• Boost your SEO: your thumbnail will link back to your own blog for lots of publicity and SEO lovin’!
• Get blog comments from our fans
• Show off your work
• Get published! One of your images might be featured in an upcoming issue of Chic Magazine

It’s so easy! HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

You must be a member of Chic Critique forum to participate 

1. Post some pics on your own blog with a link back to Chic Critique
2. Every weekend, submit your permalink (not your main blog address) from your own blog post to the frog icon (see sample below) to our weekly Saturday “Blog Love” blog post
3. Your image will then show up as a thumbnail on OUR blog and allow our readers to click on your image to check out YOUR blog.

Need a reminder? We’ll help remind you in our weekly newsletter and on Facebook so be sure to become a fan and subscribe to our newsletter.

ENTER YOUR BLOG POST IMAGES FOR THIS WEEK BY CLICKING ON THE FROG BELOW:
Don’t forget to leave a comment on the other entries because that is half the fun! Also, submit your photo early since those seem to be the ones who receive the most comments.

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We would like to give a big congratulations to the photographers who successfully completed our Glimpses 52 project last year. They are:

Marian Rosenthal of http://www.msrphotoart.com/

Ericka Harker of http://www.impressionsphotographyonline.com/

Christine Blaylock of http://www.christineblaylockphotography.com/

Amy Hoogstad of http://hamiltonfamilyphotographer.com/blog/

We would also like to thank Veronica Chapman of Pro Digital Photos for supplying the photographers with credit to her awesome photo boutique. Pro Digital Photos is a fun and creative “Photo Boutique.” They are known for their savvy products and trend setting styles. You can also “like” them on facebook by visiting their page HERE

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by Sandi Gentry | Guest Contributor

Did you know you can print your beautiful images onto fabric?

Well, once I heard this, the wheels started turning.  What could I create?  What will you create?  I found two different methods to do this that worked great.

The first, is uploading and creating your own custom fabric from Spoonflower.  Yup, a whole site where you can create fabric and have it printed up by the yards.  Use your beautiful photographs or some fun graphics.  The sky is the limit.  Last week I received my first batch of fabric.   I had created the image below knowing I could cut it up and use it for four different items.  Spoonflower has all the directions on their site.  It is easy to follow.  Once I had created the image, all I had to do was upload and the fabric was shipped to me.  
I first cut them into four equal pieces.  I decided to make a tea towel out of one.   All I had to do was to hem the edges with a simple straight stitch.  You could easily wrap it up and give it as a gift.   I then started to think of what else I could make out of this fabric.  How about a cute little Easter banner.  Again, hem edges, this time leave ends open on top to run a dowel through.  Add some trim and voila, a fun decoration.   I mentioned there were two ways to print on fabric.  The second way can be done on your own home printer.  You can find this printable fabric on amazon or possibly your local craft store.  
I have a finicky printer and even I was able to print up images on this.  First I printed an image of each of my children out.  
I made this as a Valentine’s Day pennant banner for my mantle.  So the next thing I did was cut the images into triangles.  I then added a red zig zag trim to connect them.  Voila, another fun project finished.  So tell me, what can you create?  Imagine printing out a giant banner for a wedding or birthday party.  Perhaps for some pillows.  The sky is the limit.

Remember, get your images off of your computer and into your life.

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  ABOUT SANDI:

     Sandi is a photographer living in Orange County, California and running Sandi Gentry Photography.  Her love of family and photography convinced her to start a         magazine called The Sandbucket. It is a magazine gathering lovely ideas for lovely families.  

Facebook /blog

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NEW! We have a Monthly Mentor every month who shares expertise exclusively in the forum!

Each Monthly Mentor creates a video just for you and will answer any questions you may have regarding my video & business ALL MONTH LONG…so bring it!

FEBRUARY MENTOR- MEGAN MARLENE OF MEGAN MARLENE PHOTOGRAPHY: 

I am a boutique baby photographer who loves to find ways to combine over-the-top luxury with timeless charm, giving my clients the experience of a lifetime. As the Creative Director for CHIC magazine, I’m able to keep my finger on the heartbeat of the photography industry, discovering the next “big thing” and what clients (and photographers!) really want. Through my website for photographers, Being Boutique, I share what it takes to be a successful boutique photographer.

The real story:
I live in Alaska with my best friend and husband of five years, Micah, along with our two kids, three-year old Caleb and three-month old Samantha. In addition to juggling a full-time boutique studio, CHIC magazine, my website for photographers, an active social life, church work, an addiction to Pinterest, and an occasional bubble bath, I enjoy cooking new recipes, reading, and playing video games. I like to think of myself as a creative soul and love helping other photographers express their creativity and achieve their dreams.

CHIC MEMBERS – WATCH MEGAN SHARE HOW TO CREATE A 5-YEAR BIZ PLAN HERE IN THE FORUM: 

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CHIC CHALLENGES

We also have monthly Chic Challenges in the forum each month.

This month’s prize is a $100 gift card from Jamie Schultz Designs!

Enter HERE in the forum

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By Tiffany Angeles, Teaching Tuesday Contributor

There is really only one way to make more money and keep it. We all want to be a big success, and we start a business to achieve that. But more often than not, your business makes the same or even less than you would make at a day job. Is that a coincidence?

You make the amount of money you think you deserve. No matter how hard you push your marketing, be consistent with your blog, or price your prints, you will always be limited by your mentality on money. So, the only way to make more money is to change the way you think about and treat money.

“It’s not enough to be in the right place at the right time.  You have to be the right person in the right place at the right time.”
-T. Harv Eker

Here are the three best ways I have used to work on changing my mentality:
1. Hear it. Faith comes by hearing. So get those podcasts going while you are retouching, read books on money and finance, do whatever it takes to get comfortable with money and comfortable with having more of it.
2. Take note of those knee-jerk reactions. How you talk about, think about, and treat both money and rich people will determine how rich you will be.
3. Make a decision. Set your mind to make a change.

Obviously, there are practical things you can do. You can mark up your prices or sell more prints. But mostly you have to get more feet in the door if you want to really to see an increase in your paycheck. And of course Stuart Wilde knew the best way to do that. “The key to success is to raise your own energy; when you do, people will naturally be attracted to you. And when they show up, bill ‘em!”

Remember: making money is not a direct relation to how good your images are, but it is a direct relationship to how you think about money.

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ABOUT TIFFANY:
Tiffany Angeles left her corporate cubicle to use her artistic talents in photography instead of Excel.  She is a high-spirited photographer capturing fun & stylish portraiture for hip, modern families.  Recently named top kids photographer in Los Angeles by CBS, she and her photographer-husband have also been featured photographers on Bravo, published in Rangefinder, as well as many other top publications.   She enjoys the challenge of creating fun images of rambunctious kids but considers herself a Renaissance soul as she dips her hands in many interests.  The portal to her photography and various lifestyle interests is at www.tiffanyangeles.com

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We love Celebrity Photographer, Jennifer Tonetti-Spellman from JellyBean Pictures, and are so excited to have her doing a PHOTO CRITIQUE this March!

If you are interested in having Jennifer critique your photos, sign up now! There are only 2 spots left!

Check out this beautiful session from Jennifer:

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