PicFlips – the mobile flipbook studio

My love of reading was cultivated when I was young.  I’ve always been an avid reader, and even now when I want to relax, I curl up with a good magazine or book.   That’s why I think it’s great that the Fort Worth “I Have a Dream Foundation” holds the Reading Rocks Brunch each year to raise money for the non-profit organization.  The Ridglea Country Club is transformed into a land of stories that literally pop off the pages.  Each of the 50 or so tables are sponsored and decorated with the theme of a story book.  Dan Yaccarino’s book, The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau, was the theme of the 2011 Reading Rocks.  Watch the video and see for yourself:

…Isn’t it magical??  I think the adults enjoyed the event as much as the kids!

Each bride has a different vision for her wedding.  If you envision your guests having a blast and talking about what a fun time they had for years to come, the PicFlips flipbook studio might just be the answer!

• Gets guests moving around the room and interacting with each other instead just sitting around bored at their tables
• Fun, interactive, custom wedding favor!
• The flipbook captures 7 seconds of fun at the wedding reception that can be played over and over
• It’s quick!  Each flipbook only takes 90 seconds to create!  So, no waiting around – back to the dance floor!
• The excitement of the wedding lives on – guests take home the flipbook and show friends, family and co-workers
• Optional Keepsake CD available, so brides and grooms can watch their guests let loose in front of the camera…see Granddad spin Granny around and plant a BIG KISS on her cheek or check out your co-workers dancing around in feather boas…these videos are priceless!
• PicFlips brings props that match the event – feather boas, hats, sunglasses and signs – it gets guests into a party mindset!
• Easily fits inside a small purse but packed with memories!

Custom flipbooks created at the wedding in under 90 seconds!

Ahhh…2011….the beginning of a new year and fresh starts.  One of the things I look forward to with the new year is the influx of requests we get for the flipbook studio from newly-engaged brides-to-be (and a few groom-to-be that are helping in the planning as well – you go, guys!).

Sure, we exhibit at the Dallas Bridal Show (bridalshowsinc.com) and carefully choose placements on the internet, but the majority of our work comes from referrals and word-of-mouth from guests who have seen us at other parties.  (That’s when you know you are doing a great job!) Our teams are outgoing, friendly and professional.  At PicFlips, we pride ourselves in a quality product and creating a fun environment for attendees. Check it out:

Want to experience the fun yourself!? You are in luck! Come see us at the end of the month at the Dallas Bridal Show, January 29-30th – 10am to 6pm each day at Dallas Market Hall. And, before I forget…Congratulations!!

Four brides. Four weddings.  Four dreams of the perfect wedding.  And four different opinions of “what makes a wedding perfect.”  The premise behind TLC’s hit show, Four Weddings, is that four brides agree to attend the weddings of the other brides as guests and rate them on the following categories:  dress, food, venue and overall experience.  Sara, Amy , Tanisha and Rikki brought attention to Texas weddings through the TV series this past Friday night.

Each bride had their own great ideas to make the event personal.  I loved the fact that Rikki Dea and Brad gave their last kiss as a single person to the first person who kissed them when they came into this world – their moms.  I love that Sara and Wes incorporated “Texas country chic” in a classy, beautiful way but still added personal touches to make it fun.  I love that Tanisha and Jermaine and their dance troupe from Grapevine performed a number at the reception.  I loved that Amy and Lauren picked a motif – Dripping in Diamonds – and carried it from the invitations to the place cards to the decor.

Of course, we were secretly cheering for Sara White, since she was our bride!  Sara and Wes got married at The Parson’s Table in Aledo, TX – a cute church-turned-event-venue complete with wooden floors and a chic Texas atmosphere.  Sara wowed her guests with delicious food stations, a creative newlywed game, gorgeous cakes from Fancy Cakes by Lauren, breath-taking floral decor from Out of the Garden and the fun, interactive PicFlips Flip Book Studio.  The other TLC brides and many guests had not seen the flipbook studio before and had a great time making their videos for the flipbooks.  To make the props even more personal, Sara and Wes provided us with boxing gloves (Wes is an Ultimate Flighter), a pink cowgirl hat (perfect for Sara) and fun props that their friends would get a kick out of, including a Flavor Flav clock.    They were right – the extra props were a huge hit!  The custom covers for the flipbooks were designed by Orange Spot Pink Nose, as was all of the printed material – it was beautiful!  Glenn Roush kept the party hopping with his tunes – the dance floor stayed crowded.  Meredith Commender of Significant Events of Texas orchestrated the vendors and details to produce a overall amazing event.    And, yes, the Texas heat was at its finest that August day, but everyone still had a great time!

Want to see the episode yourself?  You’re in luck!  The show airs again this Friday, 10/8 at 6pm and Saturday, 10/9 at 1am (I am assuming Central time – check your local listings).  It’s the episode titled, “…And a Pickup Truck.”  Grab your popcorn – we’ll see you there!

Even the best employee-boss relationships can get trying at times.  To put a fun twist on this concept, the Todd Events team created a game for their employee party by creating a wall of balloons with Todd Fiscus’ smiling face and handing the staff darts to pop the balloons and win prizes.  “Does Todd know about this?!” I overheard one team member ask.  “Yes, it was his idea!” came the reply.

There’s a reason Todd Events is top of mind in the design and event industry when it comes to creativity.  In my opinion, anything Todd Fiscus touches turns to gold.  Check out some other pictures from the evening and enjoy the video!

Here are a few highlights from the July 2010 Dallas Bridal Show!  Thanks to everyone who stopped by!  See you at the next Dallas Bridal Show in January!

Calling all brides!  Escape the Texas summer heat and let your imagination go wild at the Dallas Bridal Show this weekend!   350 vendors all under one roof – it’s everything you need to plan the perfect wedding.  Stop by the PicFlips Flipbook Studio and we’ll make you a FREE custom flipbook!  So, bring your bridesmaids and mom, and let’s have some fun!

Come see us July 31st to August 1st at Dallas Market Hall (2200 Stemmons Fwy, Dallas, TX) from 10am – 5pm each day.  For more info, check out www.bridalshowsinc.com.

PicFlips was thrilled to be a part of the Wedding Week stories in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram!  We were featured in the Life & Arts section about Making the Reception Personal with Twists on Tradition.  Alyson Ward was the reporter, and not only did she do her research to get some FANTASTIC ideas, but she has such a gift with words, it was a very enjoyable read.

Check out the Fort Worth Star Telegram article on PicFlips Flipbooks here.  These are the photos they ran with the article:

Guests laugh as they watch the replay of their flipbook video inside the PicFlips booth.

In less than 2 minutes, PicFlips hands guests a custom flipbook of the video they just recorded.

Thanks to Carpe Vita Photography for capturing the fun in their amazing photos!

My head is just spinning from all of the helpful and insightful information I just picked up at Collin County SBDC (Small Business Development Center) and Constant Contact’s event called the Media Circus!  There was so much info packed into a small amount of time, but it was just what I needed to energize my passion in strategic marketing and feed my entrepreneurial soul.  Sometimes I get so bogged down in the day-to-day activities and events that I forget to look up and use some of that energy to further the growth of PicFlips in the long run.

I haven’t been to a seminar or class lately at Collin County SBDC.  We’ve been in our busy season and I, honestly, haven’t been to many networking events or seminars at all.  But when my friend, Denise, told me about it this morning, I finished my work early and zoomed over there.  I just knew it would be worth my time.  …And they didn’t disappoint!

Derick Shaefer and Jerod Morris of Orangecast talked about Taming the SEO Beast and Juggling Social media, respectively.  (This company is I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E.)  Julie Niehoff from Constant Contact spoke about making an impact with the Cannonball Email Blast, while Dane Miller of Azure gave a wonderful overview of Clowning Around with Multimedia.  Carol Thompson of Prism Web Media wrapped everything up for me with a talk about Walking a Tightrope to a Better Website.  Since you probably weren’t able to make it, I am going to give you my 5 favorite nuggets of wisdom:

1.)  When writing content for your social media, find out what you are an expert in and give tips that are valuable to other people.  By providing value and not self-promoting, you will gain followers and repeat visitors.
2.)  Using videos as part of your media strategy helps you connect with your audience and build a relationship, as well as showing off a product or service that can’t always be described in words (hello…flipbooks??)
3.)  However, when starting out with any social media for business, develop a clear strategy of what you want to accomplish, who you want to reach, and the tone you want to take (funny, informational, etc).  When dealing especially with videos, also take into consideration where it will be viewed and the quality you want to have (friend’s help vs. professional).
4.)  New to blogging and need some tips?  Check out www.how-to-blog.tv for step-by-step pointers!
5.)  Just released last week from Constant Contact….*drumroll please*…NutshellMail.com – a free service that takes all of your social media sites and simplifies them into one email message.  I like simplicity.

And in true Collin County SBDC fashion, the details weren’t forgotten.  The participants were treated to cotton candy, large salted pretzels, animal crackers, peanuts, popcorn and drinks!  YUM!   Marta Frey and her team had fun hats on, and you can’t forget the stuffed tiger in a cage on the table as a centerpiece – too cute!  The price for the seminar was a little steep….oh, wait!  Did I tell you it was all FREE?!?  Unbelievable.  If you are a small business like we are or are looking into starting your own business, please, please check out your local Small Business Development Center.  The mentoring is free (thanks, Steve Falldine!), the seminars are free, the classes are free.  Finally, I agree with the way our government is spending our tax dollars   Take advantage of it!

If you check out the Dallas Kids Expo 2010, you’ll be amazed at all of the fun activities they have planned for moms, dads and kids of all ages.  We’re talkin’ tea parties, ‘green’ baby changing stations, talks on how to save money with coupons and so much more.

But I’ll let you in early on a surprise that Gattitown North Dallas has put together…  *are you ready?*  …PicFlips Custom Flipbooks has been sponsored by Gattitown North Dallas to give out a FREE personalized flip book of your cutie-patootie!  Get the whole family in a flip book to send to Grandma and Grandpa, or have your child hold up the I Love You sign and stash it away until May 9th…viola!  A personalized Mother’s Day card!  Every time she flips through that book, she’ll see her child’s photos on the pages and melt with love.  Did I mention it was FREE??

Make your way to Booth 316 and318…this is a hot offer, so don’t miss it!  It only takes a minute-and-a-half to create the flipbook from start to finish, so while you are in the display, check out all of the FUN activities for the whole family at Gattitown North Dallas.  They have games and prizes and a pizza and salad buffet!  YUM!  It’s a  great place for the kids to burn some energy off and for parents to relax or join in the fun.  Did you know that Gattitown gives away FREE gameplay for good grades?  Wow, what a fun treat for those hours spent memorizing spelling words!

The tickets are $7 at the door, but I found a coupon for $2 off from My DFW Mommy!  (She’s the one doing the coupon session – Laura’s AMAZING at saving money!)

Tell your friends!  We’ll see you there!!