Dash of Inspiration: July Design Challenge
Our winner for July is once again, Barbara Schreiber with PID 1387816
Our runner up this month is Julia Bryant with PID 1387680
Yes, Barbara won the June challenge – and Julia has been in the winning circle before as well, but we want to assure you once again that the judging panel has no idea who created these entries. It’s a ‘blind’ jury panel (anonymous entries which the judges see); and only when the winners and participants are revealed to you, do the judges know the names of the artists belonging to the entries. Barbara and Julia taking winning placements more than once in these challenges, is purely due to their attention to detail, skill and creativity. Well done ladies, we should all inspire to reach your level!
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This month’s challenge is all about creating something new by using various elements to create a new derivative work from vintage and how important, as well as inspiring, it can be to do research for a new idea. To help convey what we’re after this round, below I show you the elements I used in my example to help you visualize the possibilities. …………………………………………………………………………
July Design Challenge
Theme: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue.
Requirements:
Something Old = Vintage: Choose a vintage piece of art or element (must be in Public Domain) – keep in mind, when using vintage elements, you should be ‘restoring’ areas which are unpleasing, this includes repairing scratches, improving tonal and saturation values, correcting color cast, etc.
Something New = New to the Vintage Piece. Add at least one element to the vintage art to create something new and different. The element should add to the ‘theme/message’ you wish to convey. Bows, ribbons, text frames, etc. are not alone considered added value for this challenge.
Something Borrowed = Words in Public Domain. Choose words from a song, poem, verse, or quote in Public Domain. You can use as little as one line and add your own to it like I did, but it should be a ‘recognizable borrow’.
Something Blue = Add something blue to your new design. Small or large, no matter as long as it’s visible and a different element than any of those above. Here you can see what I worked with and what my end result was: 
Doreen Erhardt©2015 – July Challenge Example
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Entry Deadline: July 29th, 2015 (ending on a Wednesday this month) ……………………………………………………………….
How to Enter: Post the PID (card number) and the URL (public storefront link – please WAIT for the card to be available in the public marketplace, 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 / Any Occasion
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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: July 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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BLIND Judging: Entries will be submitted anonymously for judging by the GCU Challenge Jury with results posting on the Community Blog – with results being posted by August 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 17,000 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 the Greeting 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 might be helpful in this month’s Challenge.
Tips and Tricks: Public Domain Images
Tips and Tricks: Public Domain Quotations
Dash of Inspiration: DIY Public Domain
Dash of Inspiration – Finding CU Elements
Dash of Inspiration: Blending of Elements
Dash of Inspiration – Clean Background Removal
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GCU wants our vintage creations to stand out from all the other sites where people simply slap the vintage image on a card without adding value as a designer. If you are a painter or illustrator, you can use the vintage as your reference in a new piece and add the other elements to meet the challenge. If you’re like me, a digital designer, then this challenge will test (and hopefully improve) your digital art techniques. Have fun!
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Additional participants were:
GCU Community 
This is going to be a good one!
Hope you have fun, Julia!
Doreen,
Here’s my submission for the July Challenge. The elements that I used:
Something old: Thanksgiving painting by Ellen H. Crabsaddle
Something new: I added the turkey
Something borrowed: Bible verse
Something blue: I added the blue gravy bowl on the table
PID:1387680 http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holiday-cards/thanksgiving-cards/religious/vintage-thanksgiving-blessings-with-praying-1387680?aid=269112
This was really a fun challenge! Thanks!
Julia
You have indeed met the requirements list, nice job! Really glad you had fun with this one. Your entry has been officially received. Good luck!
Julia, your card is wonderful!
Thank you Betsy!
A quick note:
It came to our attention this challenge, that we’ve never informed our artist community that the entries for these challenges are submitted anonymously to the judging panel. The judges have no idea who created the entries when they are judging.
Should any artist win a challenge more than once, it’s purely based on their ability to meet the requirements and capture the judges attention with their creative mind and skills. So if you love the challenges every month, then go for it – every month – and if you win more than once, well we should all applaud your creativity!
Hi Doreen,
I’ve become addicted to these challenges 🙂 The team who invents these monthly themes should get 1st prize in inventing creative stuff ! The ideas you guys come up with are all awesome!
Here is my entry : card pid 1387816
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/encouragement-cards/dream-big-follow-your-dreams/encouragement-let-your-dreams-lead-1387816?aid=289338
Something old: the head of the lady – a 16th century painting by Jacopo Negretti
Something new: Dove and the body of the ballerina
Something borrowed: an inspirational quote in the public domain
Something blue: blue butterflies
Julia, I just love your card !
Good luck to everybody!
🙂 Barbara
Thank you Barbara! Yours is excellent. I love the originality 🙂
Hello Barbara,
Requirements for the challenge were beautifully met and your entry has been received. Good luck!
Thank you very much, Julia. If I would celebrate Thanksgiving, I would order your card immediately, it is so adorable – but here in Germany we do not celebrate it …
LOL.. Well I guess they wouldn’t celebrate it in Germany! 😀
Barbara, You have created such a lovely card!
Thank you very much, Betsy 🙂 🙂
Happy Tuesday Everyone!
I would like to offer this design into the challenge, please. Thank You.
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/holiday-cards/valentines-day-cards/gay-lesbian/relationship-specific/valentines-day-lesbian-themed-vintage-1390106?aid=145102
Soooo pretty!
Thanks so much, Julia!
Hello, Betsy – Would you please list the elements as both Julia and Barbara have done. Makes it easier for the team that validates entry to verify all requirements for this complicated challenge were met. Thank you!
LOL, Doreen! I felt like I was missing something when I added the link to the card!
Something Old- I took part of an 1864 painting by Simeon Solomon.
Something New- I added the cherub.
Something Borrowed- The love quote by Aristotle.
Something Blue- I added the blue feather.
Perfect, Betsy, thank you! Your card has been officially entered, good luck!
Very beautifully done, Betsy!
Thank you so much, Barbara!
My submission for this challenge, PID# 1391120, wanders off into a bit of a (far) easterly direction: http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/animals-pets-birthday-cards/cats/cat-and-plum-blossoms-with-1391120?aid=179654
[b]Something Old:[/b] a 1906 painting by Hishida Shunso, [i]Cat and Plum Blossoms[/i]
[b]Something New:[/b] two butterflies, part of the plum blossoms, and the border
[b]Something Borrowed:[/b] a quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne
[b]Something Blue:[/b] the third butterfly
Julia, Betsy, and Barbara, such gorgeous, well-composed cards!
Entry received, thank you, Cristi. Good luck!
Learned something today – what works in the forum does NOT work here….
Word Press is notorious for it’s ‘lack’ of acceptable formatting 🙂
Christi, Thank you. Your design is so pretty and delicate!
Beautiful card, Christi, serene and peaceful – and you’re really good with words!
Thanks for the kind comment 🙂
Here’s my entry for the July Challenge PID#1391552 . Boy, I didn’t think I was going to make it. This is my Granddaughter’s Birthday Card. http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/granddaughter-birthday-cards/general/grandaughter-birthday-vintage-girls-1391552?aid=222657
1. Something Old: The vintage forest background and girls swinging
2. Something New: The flowers
3. Something Borrowed: The Quote from an Unkown Author
4. Something Blue: The butterfly
Hope you like it. good luck to everyone, This was an interesting challenge. I was stuck for while on the quote, but I finally figured it out,
It;s only 7:05 pacific time.
Received and entered, Sherry. Good luck!
Thank you, Doreen, I was really sweating. 🙂
Sherry, I am so glad you made it into the challenge. Your design is beautiful!
Thank you, Dragonfire Graphics, that’s so sweet. I really like yours too.
Sherry, a wonderful card with a wonderful, warm message!
Congratulations, Barbara and Julia! The winners are posted at the top of this post – well done everyone! Tune in August 3rd as we kick off the next challenge.
Lovely cards from everyone on this challenge and congratulations to Barbara and Julia for their winning designs.
Thank you very much, Liz 🙂
Thank you Liz!
Congratulations, Julia, your card is absolutely adorable, the design and message/text go so well together! I’m sure that it will warm the hearts of the card recipients coming Thanksgiving.
Thank you for the kind words Barbara! I really love your card too; it’s such an original and lovely design 🙂
Thank you very much, Julia 🙂 🙂
Fabulous win ladies! So well deserved! Congratulations, Barbara and Julia!
Thank you very much, Betsy 🙂 🙂
Congratulations Julia & Barbara! Great designs by both of you, as well as everyone else who entered the challenge!
Thank you, Rycky Creations, for your very nice comments 🙂
Excellent job to both Barbara and Julia for stepping outside of their comfort zones! The results are shining examples of what’s possible when you challenge yourself. 🙂
Thank you, Mindy 🙂 That’s the reason I love the design challenges, because they make me think in new ways! 🙂