Dash of Inspiration: March Design Challenge
A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen March Design Challenge 
Congratulations to our Winners and to all who participated in our March Design Challenge! Some really great entries were made this time around. Keep it up, folks!
1st Place WINNER is:
Congratulations to our February Winners and participants! What fun it was to see how inspiration and imagination took each of you in a different direction; and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing that many of you who participated really pushed outside of your ‘comfort’ zone – and had fun too! Now let’s get ready for this month’s Dash of Inspiration Design Challenge!
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MARCH Design Challenge – Theme: MOM
Requirements: Using gray-scale (full range from true white to true black and everything in between) PLUS one additional color for impact (variations in Tint and Shade only) – Express what Mom means to you. Original verse is key to this challenge. What we’d like to see for this challenge is for the artist to bring to life the vision that comes to their own mind when they think of Mom. ………………………………………………………………
Entry Deadline: March 30th, 2015
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How to Enter:
- Post the PID (card number) and the URL (public storefront link, please DO NOT post a link to your Manage Cards area) as a post in the challenge blog. We’ll forward your entry to the jury.
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Category: ANY category for Family Relation >> Mother/Mom ……………………………………………………………….
Rules:
- Submission must meet GCU’s Submission Guidelines and be Approved through the usual Review Cycle – Fast Track your submission with this in the Notes to Reviewer: February Design Challenge Submission here is the link to the blog post: (include THIS blog post URL)
- Only ONE card per artist per challenge.
- Submissions must be NEW, no existing designs.
- Your entry must meet the Challenge Requirements and Theme or it will not be included in the challenge.
- Stock Card Creations entries will not be accepted.
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Judging: Entries will be judged by the GCU Challenge Jury with results posting on the Community Blog the week of April 3rd. The jury will judge the entries on the following criteria:
- How well the card meets the Challenge Requirements and Theme.
- How well the card speaks to the Category the artist chooses for the card submission.
- Creativity, Execution and Marketability.
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Winners: 1st Place:
- The winning designer’s card and store will be featured on the GCU Public Blog – the blog which customers view and follow.
- As well as featured on the GCU Public Facebook Page – nearly 13,000 followers, now THAT’S exposure!
- The winning card will be Design of the Day following the announcement of the winners (within 48-hours).
EXCEPTION: Horizontal (landscape) cards can not be DOD due to GCU Home Page space restrictions. In these cases, GCU will choose a different vertically oriented card from your store to feature as DOD. Thank you for your understanding and apologies for this limitation.
- The winning card will be added to the Greeting Card Universe Design Challenge Winners Pinterest Board – currently over 800 followers.
- The winning card, should the artist choose, may be referenced in a new series by the winning artist and he/she may Fast Track all cards in the new series (being sure to give the Challenge URL and winning card PID in your Notes to Reviewer for each card in this series).
- Winning card will be included in a marketing email to over 100,000 customers!
2nd Place:
- Your submission will be Design of the Day the following week of announcing the Challenge winners (within 7-days).
EXCEPTION: Horizontal (landscape) cards can not be DOD due to GCU Home Page space restrictions. In these cases, GCU will choose a different vertically oriented card from your store to feature as DOD. Thank you for your understanding and apologies for this limitation.
- Your card will be added to theGreeting Card Universe Design Challenge Winners Pinterest Board.
- Winning card will be included in a marketing email to over 100,000 customers!
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Tips:
Check out these tips, tricks, freebies, and tutorials from our own GCU Community Blog which would all be helpful in this month’s Challenge.
- How to Write Greeting Card Verse
- Writing Verse
- What’s in a Verse
- Tinting and Toning
- Color and Contrast
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This month’s Dash of Inspiration Design Challenge is meant for you to draw on your own memories to create a vision and verse with originality, that expresses what Mom means to you. In my example for this month’s challenge, I expressed how I remember my own Mom, who died twenty-five years ago. Yet to this day when I think of her, this little woman of 4′-11” was a bright light in a dark room, that put a smile on every face as soon she entered. So dig deep this month and create a wonderfully marketable card for Mom! Let the creativity flow and good luck! ………………………………………………………………………
Using yellow (and tints/shades of yellow) and a gray-scale pallet, this is how I see my own Mother – she was my sunshine, even on the cloudiest of days. ©Doreen Erhardt
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Participants for this challenge in addition to the above 1st and 2nd place were:
I have submitted one for fast track. PID#1364992 Storefront: http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/Tam_Moody_Greeting_Cards
Hi Tam,
Glad to hear it! You can not be officially entered until your card has been approved by the GCU Review Team. So, when that is the case and you have a public marketplace link to your card, please stop back by and leave it here – I’ll gladly enter you in the challenge at that time.
Okay, thanks! The card has been approved. It doesn’t show up yet when clicking on the link, but it is in my storefront. PID# 1364992 Storefront: http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/Tam_Moody_Greeting_Cards
Hi Tam – okay I found your card. For future challenge entries, please wait until the card becomes available to the public marketplace and add the link to the card, not your store.
Thanks and Good Luck!
Hi Doreen – Ok, here’s my entry. PID#1365272 The URL to the card is: http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holiday-cards/mothers-day-cards/for-mom-mother/general/mothers-day-mom-beat-1365272?aid=222657
The wording on the card is a direct quote from my mother. She lost my sister at birth and a kidney, four years before I was born. She wasn’t supposed to have more childen, but was determined to have one, so I was born. I meant the world to her. My entire life she would tell me, “You are the beat of my heart.” Her words still echo in my ears fourteen years after I lost her. She was MY heart! I love and miss her everyday.
I hope you like the card.
Hi Sherry, received and entered. What a great memory for you. I understand the bond, I was an only child of a single mother and my mom wanted me more than anything in the world – so we too were very close until I lost her.
I’m so sorry for your loss. Mothers are so special.
My parents divorced when I was twelve, and I didn’t have a relationship with my dad until after my children were born. Mother and I became even closer after the divorce. She was a very caring woman. My high school friends even wanted her to join us all the time. She later took in ten teenage boys and three girls who didn’t get along at home, and helped straighten them all out. My husband is one of the boys. Mother played matchmaker. I’m still in touch with two of the “boys” after 45 years.
Doreen, I created another card, but since we can only enter one, I couldn’t fast track it. Obviously that means it won’t be available for awhile. Once it’s approved I’ll put it up on the place where we can show other cards. Hope that’s ok?
Yes, please do put it on the Challenge Inspired card thread when it’s approved so we can all see! http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/forum/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1423150457
Sherry, not only is your card beautiful, and your story made me cry a little. I hope you win this challenge.
What a lovely story behind your card, Sherry. I just love the quote so much!
Doreen, here is my submission: http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holiday-cards/mothers-day-cards/for-mom-mother/general/pink-stripes-and-heart-gift-1366464?aid=269112 PID 1366464. I chose pink for my color to represent sweetness. My mother was the perfect example of a sweet person 🙂
Entry received, Julia, good luck!
Here is my entry. I was inspired by my Mom and how she always stood out from all of the other Moms! I was a lot younger than my siblings as she had me at age 37. She called me her bonus baby! Anyway, I spent a lot of time with just her and she was always so kind and even tempered, involved in all sorts of activities, and always doing something creative or to help other people. She just turned 90 and up until about 2 years ago she still volunteered at the hospital, and worked for hospice!
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holiday-cards/mothers-day-cards/for-mom-mother/general/mothers-day-to-mom-brightest-1367280?aid=145102
Very nice card. What a nice memory of your mom. Enjoy her everyday. It’s very hard when they are gone,
Thank you Betsy! Entry received and entered – good luck!
As a child growing up in the 1950s and 60s, I enjoyed watching my Mom getting ready for an evening out. She always wore pretty hats, black or white gloves, jewelry, and she carried a sequined purse with a lace handkerchief scented with Chanel No. 5. (I can still remember that wonderful fragrance!) I loved to snoop in her special dresser drawer where she kept her finery and I would try on her pearls and gloves, pretending to be on my way to an elegant party. At 94, Mom, still loves to dress up fancier than I ever care to. We are so different! But in the things that matter, I hope that we are alike. These memories of Mom and the treasures in her dresser drawer inspired me to create this card for the March Design Challenge. Here’s my submission:
Product Id: 1366904
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holiday-cards/mothers-day-cards/for-mom-mother/from-daughter/happy-mothers-day-from-daughter-1366904
Your card is really beautiful!
Entry received, Ramelle, thank you and good luck!
As it turns out, my entry doesn’t remind me of my mom at all. It had started out that way as I found an inspiration piece on the internet with a redbird (cardinal); and boy, did my mom love those birds! But instead of using a bird, I ended up using a brick border and ribbon inspired from that piece, found a quote that I liked and went from there. The card turned out a little grittier than my usual style, which is nothing like my late mom … or me for that matter!
Robin
PID#1367510
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holiday-cards/mothers-day-cards/for-mom-mother/general/mothers-day-for-mom-1367510
Robin, Amazing card!
Thanks Betsy! Your card is great as well. BTW, my mom also worked as a hospice volunteer … what a great organization! Good luck to you!
Robin
Doing something different is what these challenges are meant to inspire 🙂 Delighted to hear that was the case for you Robin. Good luck in the challenge!
I’ve enjoyed seeing the variety of cards for this challenge. Cisillia’s “gritty” brick and ribbon card is just perfect for those moms who may not be a fan of lace and roses like my mom. There’s something to suit every mother’s taste. The new cards created for this challenge will be a nice addition to GCU, just in time for Mother’s Day. I love Sherry’s heartbeat card! That design could be beautifully adapted to make a Valentine’s Day card for mom, too. Good luck, all!
Thanks Ramelle. Interesting idea. I’ll consider it.
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holiday-cards/mothers-day-cards/for-mom-mother/from-daughter/mothers-day-from-daughter-poem-1368036?aid=180150
Giving this a go!
Good luck, Cisillia! Consider your card entered.
Oops . . . I meant Robin’s card, with the brick wall. Cisillia’s is great, too. Loving them all!
Sneaking an entry in just in time — thank you to the reviewer for a truly fast-tracked approval!
I lost my mother the day before Christmas in 2000, so while she had one of my paintings in her living room and stained glass in a window, she never saw any of my cards. I wish I could give her this one:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holiday-cards/mothers-day-cards/for-mom-mother/general/daisies-for-mom-on-mothers-1369842?&aid=179654
Plenty of time, Christi, your entry has been received. Good luck!
This month’s challenge is now closed for entries. GOOD LUCK participants! Winners will be posted later in the week. Your cards are now off to the judging panel 🙂
Congratulations to Ramelle and Robin! This was a very close running with all submissions being very competitive and individually shining. Congratulations to all participating artists for some strong designs and stepping outside of your comfort zone! These are wonderful and fresh contributions to the Mother’s Day category. Thank you!
I neglected to include that March’s winning cards can now be seen on GCU’s Design Challenge Pinterest board:
Congratulations Ramelle and Robin! Your designs surely are award winning!
Thank you for your kind words. And Congratulations to Robin, too. I knew that hers would be a winner! I hope all the entries see a boatload of Mother’s Day sales.
Congratulations Ramelle and Robin. Beautiful Cards.
Thanks ladies! And congratulations Ramelle on your well deserved 1st place win! I love your card!
Congratulations to Ramelle and Robin for two very creative, loving and thoughtful Mother’s Day Cards !!!