Nuts and Bolts: Stock Card Creations, Image Offline Decline
October 28, 2016
Nuts & Bolts – Stock Card Creations, Image Offline Decline
For those artists who create cards using GCU’s Stock Card Creations service (aka: Bigstock cards), periodically you may receive a Decline notice like the following:
Declined
GCU has taken this card offline as the stock image it is based upon is no longer being offered by Bigstock.com as part of their Partner Program. Thank you for your understanding.
No need to worry. There is nothing that you have done, nor that GCU has done in error. This is a standard process in which GCU is required to remove images offered via the Stock Card Creations service when the content contributor on Bigstock has either removed the image from Bigstock, or has chosen not to make the image(s) available via their Partner Program.
Tip: If this was a popular card, serving a niche, or maybe one of your favorites, consider finding a different image offered that serves the same purpose and recreate the card. Time saving tips for recreating a card with Stock Card Creations: copy and paste the card data (title, keywords, inside verse, artist notes) from the original card (via Manage Cards) to the new card as you create it.
Note: In your new submission please be sure to include in the Notes to Reviewer, the product id# of the original submission and state that the original image was taken offline, so the reviewer can double check against the original for a speedy and informed review.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: Company / Employee Reunion Invitations
October 27, 2016
Wanted Cards – Company / Employee Reunion Invitations
This is a new category but not a new trend. Family and class reunions are the most common reunions, but company reunions are popular too. A great time for co-workers to gather and reminisce about the times they worked together.
We only have 1 card in this category:
We’d like you to create at least one card for these categories using the Stock Cards function (Bigstock) or your own graphic designs.
Remember, when you’re submitting your new card, add a little note about the intended category in your Notes to Reviewers. Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
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Font Frenzy: Free Be Merry Cut File
October 26, 2016
Craft Bundles has a festive freebee for you this week.
The fabulous Dawn Nicole Designs is offering this free cut file with you, including a commercial license. (In order to get your freebee registration to craftbundles is required).
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Rainbow Connection: Halloween Colors
October 25, 2016
Here are some Halloween color inspirations I found on the internet this week:
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Nuts and Bolts: Invitation Inside Text
October 21, 2016
Nuts & Bolts – Invitation Inside Text
Invitations should have inside text. Shoppers like something to get them started and some structure for the details that they should include. The nuances of setting up invitation inside text takes some thought and planning. Some shoppers will customize the inside online while others prefer to handwrite in their information. It is important that you allowing enough space to accommodate this and at the same time making it pleasing to the eye.
There are a few ways to go about this. DO:
1. Play with the alignment settings (vertical and horizontal) to best display your inside text.
2. Horizontal alignment – left or centered is typically best.
3. Punctuation – consider the punctuation method to use after the field labels. For example: Date: Time: Place: There are other options (Date – Time – Place – ). Just be consistent.
4. Capitalization – field labels can be uppercase, lowercase or upper and lower. For example: DATE: Date: date: Again, just be consistent.
5. Characters as placeholders – you can leave the placeholder area blank or use characters to define the area to be completed. For example: Underscores ______ or dots ……. Both work well.
6. Adjust Line Spacing – to accommodate extra spacing between the lines allowing for handwriting, adjust the Line Spacing setting to the 2nd or even 3rd setting.
There are a few clear ways NOT to go about this. Do NOT:
1. Do not use stand in, sample text in invitations that the shopper will have to edit. For example: What: Darlene’s Birthday Where: 123 Easy Street
2. Do not add instructional text to the inside that the shopper will have to remove. For example: “your event information goes here”. Any messages or instructions to the shopper should go in the Artist’s Notes field.
If you’ve included special characters to define placeholder areas ( ______ or ……..) it can be tricky for some shoppers who want to customize the inside of their invitation online. The shopper will have to backspace or remove these placeholder characters and then type in their details. But this can easily be done. For those shoppers who have a difficult time, GCU can / does assist them over the phone.
TIPS:
* If you desire both centered and left justified inside text you can use the left justified Message Alignment setting and then add spaces to the text you want centered to manually center it.
* When creating lines of … or ___ , to make sure they are the same length and to avoid counting each keystroke, simply copy and paste the first line to the following lines you’d like to create.
Sample Inside Invitation Text:
Here is a related thread on the forum.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: National Brownie Day on December 8
October 20, 2016
Wanted Cards – National Brownie Day on December 8
Cook up some mouth watering cards for this yummy national day in need of cards.
Calorie free, yum!
We only have 1 card in this category:
We’d like you to create at least one card for these categories using the Stock Cards function (Bigstock) or your own graphic designs.
Remember, when you’re submitting your new card, add a little note about the intended category in your Notes to Reviewers. Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
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Font Frenzy: The Aruna Font
October 19, 2016
The Hungry Jpeg has a lovely free font for you (only!) this week.
The Aruna Font by Yandi Designs comes with a full Commercial License.
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Nuts and Bolts: How to Become a Star Submitter
October 14, 2016
Nuts & Bolts – How to Become a Star Submitter
Artists who have earned the coveted Star Submitter status enjoy the benefits of expedited review – automatically Fast Tracked for all submissions.
How to become a Star Submitter?
1, Pay attention to detail
2. Learn and stay up to date on the rules & procedures
3. Be patient
4. Be Consistent
5. Work WITH the Reviewers
TIP: Know and keep these references at the ready: Card Submission 101 and Submission Guidelines. Additionally, keep up to date on the forum and Community blog for new news and changes.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted New Cards: Christmas – Animals / Pets – Wildlife
October 13, 2016
Wanted new Cards: Christmas – Animals / Pets – Wildlife
We have a sub category that needs new cards:
Christmas cards featuring family photos are currently the most popular holiday cards. If you don’t have children the family pet is just as good. What if you don’t have a dog or a cat? Something more exotic perhaps.
How about the family otter?! Ok, maybe not the family pet but there are otter fans out there and one of them has come to GCU for help.
“GCU, I need a North American river otter (also known as the common otter) Christmas card for the staff that care for the otters at an aquarium. Help please!”
We’d like you to create at least one card for these categories using the Stock Cards function (Bigstock) or your own graphic designs.
Remember, when you’re submitting your new card, add a little note about the intended category in your Notes to Reviewers. Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
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Font Frenzy: Ladybug Font
October 13, 2016
The Hungry Jpeg has a lovely free font for you (only!) this week.
Ladybug Font by Microcreative comes with a full Commercial License.
GCU Community 