Design Contest: Making Merry (October 25-November 8)
Guess what? We’re holding a Design Contest, and the theme is MAKING MERRY!
We’ve given you lots and lots of tutorials, tips and advice with the help of our guest bloggers, so by this time, you should have all the tools necessary for you to make fabulous card designs.
How does it work? Design a greeting card with a Christmas theme using one of the two color palettes I’ve provided below. You can add any other colors you like, but you must use one palette or the other. You must also make either a Photo Card, or a card with customizable text on the front. If you’ve never done it before, now’s your chance. Other than that, anything goes! Use your imagination.
Traditional Christmas Palette
Cool Christmas Blues Palette
Don’t forget to upload your card to GCU.
Post a link in the comments section of this post on or before November 8, 2011.
On November 9, I’ll make a master post containing all the entries and… if all goes well, I’ll also include a poll so everyone can vote on their favorite card! The winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to Amazon.com, which you can put towards a Christmas present for yourself or someone special.
So get designing – I can’t wait to see what you’ll create!
GCU Community 
When you say using one of the colors only above, does that mean we would only have white and then one other color only..?
Donna Collins
There are 2 color palettes of four colors each – pick one palette and use all four colors on your card.
Corrie
I have never had success with these cards but I keep trying. Can never see the photo after I save and look for preview. I have used png format. help please. I submitted it anyway for hopefully,later editing.product#875949
Sorry, we can’t see anything until the card has been approved. A search for the PID number yields a blank page.
Corrie
I like the idea of everyone voting for their favorite. Like Naquaiya, I never have luck with custom photo cards?
There are plenty of photo cards for you to look at on GCU, and we’ve done articles here on how to make good photo card designs. These things may help you.
Corrie
Hi Corrie,
I thought I would give it a try
Product Id: 876746 in my private gallery.
How many time can you enter?
Can you enter once with each color palette?
I also like the idea of voting for favorite, good luck everyone!
Not yet approved…but here is the info.
Product ID > 876897
Have a great weekend.
Janet Lee
Yeah! I finally figured out my problem, was not defining the transparent area in my png file correctly. So I’ve made a few of these with different colors, this one has a white background. Put it in my private cards #877486. After sooooo many tries, I’m happy!
Hi, I am excited my entry was approved in time to make it into this design contest. Here it is.
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holiday-cards/christmas-cards/photo-cards-your-picture-here/general/snowflakes-in-the-window-happy-875967?aid=145102
BETSY, beautiful
Thank you so much Michele.
Betsy,
Very pretty Card!
Good Luck!
Thanks so much Beverly!
naquaiya,
Adorable Card!
Good luck!
Just had my entry approved: PID# 876204
Robin
Thank You Corrie for running a fun contest!
Cute cards to everyone who submitted!
Here is my card entry using the red and green color palette.
Product ID – 876419
Sher
Sheryl,
Very cute card!
Best of luck!
bev
Thank you Beverly and best of luck to you and everyone else as well. 🙂
Very Pretty card, Robin!
Best of Luck!
bev
Robin and Sher, great cards. Sher I love your birdie and the way you ran the blocks of colors as borders. I look forward to seeing Beverly and Naquaiya and Janet’s cards.
Thank you Betsy, it was fun working with the color palette and trying to decide what to design.
Here is the right card, waiting for approval. Good luck everyone, this was fun.
Product number…878596
I’ve been needing some motivation to work on new cards–thanks for the fun challenge! 🙂 Here’s my card: http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/merry-christmas-polka-dotted-photo-card-876652?pid=876652
Jenny
Hi, I give it a try, here is my card.
Product Id: 876121 Christmas cute socks hanging on a line
It is a card with customizable text on the front,
Thanks for the contest, Dominique
didou,
Very cute card, good luck!
Jenny,
Nice Bright and Pretty Card, Good Luck!
Janet,
Very sweet blue card! Best of luck!
Wow, beautiful cards everyone!!!
In case my card does not get approved in time, it’s in my private gallery #878824.
Thanks for the opportunity to play, I’m glad I figured this out, it’s fun.
Pending submitted, Product Id: 878913 – Red & Green Pallette. Also posted in private gallery. Figured fast tracking was a no-no. http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/greeting-card-878916/?aid=131617
Corrie did say anything goes – the Santa Hats are C2111C. Painting is atop a background graduation F2F7D4 to 156066 and two of the parrots have 73A30A feather highlights.
Now to peek at everyone else’s photo or custom text cards featuring either pallette…. I know I will enjoy. Cheers, Lisa
Pending approval Product Id: 878913
In private gallery at http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/greeting-card-878916/?aid=131617
Corrie did say anything goes so using the red and green palette, I placed a painted frame atop a graduated 156006 to F2F7D4 background, C2111C for Santa Hats and 73A30A green highlights on Budgie feathers. Now to see what everyone else has created using either of these palettes. I know I’ll enjoy. Cheers, Lisa
Sorry for the double post… didn’t think the first post posted. Cheers, Lisa
Can’t wait to see all these in a list. fun. Lisa, what a treat, makes me wish I had a bird.
Hi Naquaiya, I’m looking forward to seeing the variety created all in one fun list of links too (thank you Corrie). Naquaiya, I just took a peek at your use of the red green palette. Very nice! Designing with photo or text editable boxes is new to me too but just for more fun, I think your design would be great with a custom text box on the front of card too. If you were to upload your image again without ‘from two of us lovebugs’ in the art, you could place a custom text box there. That way folks can edit the line below your Merry Christmas to suit any photo they upload, hence broadening the buyer market i.e. (Merry Christmas) love from both of us, (Merry Christmas) to our favorite Aunt, from us two lovebugs and so on. Cheers, Lisa
Good idea and thanks for the tip. I’ll make that change today. Maybe I could use the term lovebugs on the inside, they could keep it or change it. I’ll do it. thanks again.
Ok, I made the changes–so waiting for approval, in the meantime, it’s in my private gallery as product #879108. Hope it’s better. I’m getting the idea but I need a gremlin to make a lot of changes for me.
Hello
I thought I would give it a go too! My card is marked private, and waiting in the queue pending approval. Product ID 879124. My first go at customizable text areas.
regards
Cisillia
Sorry, Cisillia – I had a look at your card, and it is not a photo card, nor does it have customizable text on the front. That was one of the requirements. In order to have a customizable text on the front, you’d have had to define an area on the front of the card using the right tool at GCU so customers can customize that text without contacting an artist. Since that hasn’t been done, I can’t accept your submission. It’s a nice card though. Best of luck with sales!
Corrie