Nuts & Bolts: 2022 1099-NEC Form (MISC)
Nuts and Bolts: 2022 1099-NEC Form (MISC)
Form 1099-NEC will be mailed out the week of January 16th to all U.S. based artists who were paid more than $600.00 in 2022. When you receive your Form 1099-NEC, please review the information and let us know ASAP if there are any errors as the forms must be filed with the IRS on January 31st and it is difficult to correct mistakes after that date.
Note: 1099-NEC (Non-employee Compensation) will now be used instead of the 1099-MISC form:
https://bench.co/blog/tax-tips/1099-nec-vs-misc/
All corrections should be sent to accounting@gcuniverse.com
Thank you!
The difference is made in the details!
GCU Community Manager
Wanted New Cards: Thank You Conservator
Wanted Cards – Thank You Conservator
Please consider creating new cards for this new sub-category:
Note: cid# is the speed entry method of adding a category to your card via category id number (cid#) vs using search terms or click and hunt. See here on the blog:
https://gcucommunity.com/2022/06/10/nuts-and-bolts-new-artist-enhancements
Here is an overview of What is a Conservator?
To expedite the review of these cards, please check Fast Track Review on the card image details page when you create your card and add a Note for Reviewers like “for BLOG– Wanted Cards”. (stock cards are automatically fast tracked).
Consider using Stock Card Creations to create new cards quickly. These cards are automatically set for expedited review so no need to Fast Track. Remember, when you’re submitting your new stock card, add a little note about the intended category in your Notes to Reviewers.
Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
Freebie Wednesday: Cute Foxes Patterns & Clipart
Cute Foxes Patterns and Clipart by Inna Moreva!
Oh, yes, it’s all about foxes! Aren’t these cute? You will not only get patterns (set of 5), you will also get around 100 clip art elements (high resolution PNG on a transparent background) to create your own foxy design!
Here is what’s inside:
- 5 patterns (4 unique patterns and 1 recolor)
- 93 clip art elements
You will get following files:
- vector in ai and eps
- high resolution png files on a transparent background
- high resolution jpg
Only available on the Hungry Jpeg site for another 6 days, so don’t miss out.
Comes with complete License.
Nuts & Bolts: When to Capitalize a Relationship
Here is a guideline to clear up confusion on cover designs and particularly inside verses. When to capitalize the first letter of a relationship like Mom, Dad, Granny, etc.?
Some examples:
As for capitalization in a phrase, like on the cover design of a card GCU prefers it to follow the guidelines of title capitalization like the following:
See this correct Father’s Day example by Stephanie Laird:
See permitted caps for artistic emphasis in YOU by Renee Clark:

The difference is made in the details!
GCU Community Manager
Wanted New Cards: Get Well Torn Retina Surgery
Wanted Cards – Get Well Torn Retina Surgery
We have detached retina cards but nothing for torn retina. Please consider creating cards for this new sub-category in need of cards.
Occasions >> Get Well / Feel Better >> Eye Surgery – Torn Retina cid#37364
If you have a detached retina get well card, consider creating a version for torn retina. If so, please add to your Notes to Reviewer in the new submission a note like “for forum wanted cards request and based on approved card pid#1234567”
Note: cid# is the speed entry method of adding a category to your card via category id number (cid#) vs using search terms or click and hunt. See here on the blog:
https://gcucommunity.com/2022/06/10/nuts-and-bolts-new-artist-enhancements
Consider using Stock Card Creations to create new cards quickly. These cards are automatically set for expedited review so no need to Fast Track. Remember, when you’re submitting your new stock card, add a little note about the intended category in your Notes to Reviewers.
Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
Freebie Wednesday: Whimsical Bird Collection
Whimsical Bird Collection by TWB Supply co.! is freebie of the Week.
What will you get in this pack?
- 10 Whimsical bird characters in AI, EPS and PNG Format.
- 10 Extra elements in AI, EPS and PNG Format.
- 6 Seamless patterns in AI, EPS and PNG Format.
What are the file specifications?
- AI and EPS files are vector based and can be scaled to any size. PNG files are transparent and easy to use! (300dpi, 8.27″ x 8.27″, 2481 x 2481 px)
Only available on the Hungry Jpeg site for another 6 days, so don’t miss out.
Comes with complete License.
Nuts & Bolts: Graduation 2022 to 2023
Let’s be ready for graduation card sales for the class of 2023. Many college and high school graduations are in May. There are hundreds of graduation cards on the site dated 2022. This includes Congratulations, Announcements, and Invitations. Not only should card images be updated but also card titles, keywords, and artist’s notes accordingly. This even applies to custom front design to make them more marketable and avoid shopper errors.
Thank you to those artists who have already updated their designs for 2023– we appreciate you stepping up to the front of the class!
Search results for “Graduation 2022“
Tip: A quick way to pinpoint the bulk of your related cards is within your Manage Store >> Manage Cards and locate cards searching with keywords “graduation 2022”.
While graduation is on your mind, consider adding new designs to the collection to offer fresh choices to shoppers. See here about adding fresh designs to a saturated category. Please take the time now to update your designs before 2/1/23. After 2/1/23, GCU will take any outdated cards offline.
The difference is made in the details!
GCU Community Manager
Wanted Cards – Across the Miles / First – Chinese New Year Hare / Rabbit
Please consider creating cards for these subcategories in need of cards:
Holidays >> Chinese New Year >> 2023 Year of the Hare / Rabbit >> Across the Miles cid#36054
As well as these firsts for Holidays >> Chinese New Year >> 2023 Year of the Hare / Rabbit >> 1st / First Year of the Rabbit
>> As a Couple / Engaged cid#37044
>> As a Couple / Newlyweds cid#37046
>> As a Family / Parents cid#37048
>> In Your New Home cid#37050
>> Other 1st / First Year of the Rabbit / Hare cid#37042
>> Baby’s 1st / First Year of the Rabbit / Hare
>> General Baby’s 1st / First Year of the Rabbit / Hare cid#37054
>> Multiples / Twins / Triplets / Quads cid#37058
>> Name Specific cid#37062
>> Other Baby’s 1st / First Year of the Rabbit / Hare cid#37056
>> General 1st / First Year of the Rabbit / Hare cid#37040
>> Relationship Specific cid#37060
Note: cid# is the speed entry method of adding a category to your card via category id number (cid#) vs using search terms or click and hunt. See here on the blog:
https://gcucommunity.com/2022/06/10/nuts-and-bolts-new-artist-enhancements/
Note the guidelines for ordinal numbers and superscript for 1st here.
To expedite the review of these cards, please check Fast Track Review on the card image details page when you create your card and add a Note for Reviewers like “for BLOG– Wanted Cards”. (stock cards are automatically fast tracked).
Consider using Stock Card Creations to create new cards quickly. These cards are automatically set for expedited review so no need to Fast Track. Remember, when you’re submitting your new stock card, add a little note about the intended category in your Notes to Reviewers.
Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
Rainbow Connection: Mood Indigo III
Indigo is a deep blue color that has been used for centuries to dye clothing, fabrics, and other materials. The color is named after the indigo plant, which was used to produce a blue dye in ancient civilizations.
Indigo has a long and rich history that stretches back thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians used indigo to dye cloth as early as 4000 BCE. The dye was also used in ancient India, where it was obtained from the Indigofera tinctoria plant, and in ancient China, where it was obtained from the plant Persicaria tinctoria.
In Europe, indigo dye was first imported from India in the 16th century, and it quickly became popular for use in dyeing textiles. The indigo plant was also grown in Europe for use in dye production, and indigo dye became one of the most important exports from the colonies in the Americas.
Today, indigo is still widely used in the production of blue jeans and other clothing, and it is also used in the printing industry, as a pigment in paints and inks, and in a variety of other applications.
On Johns Island in South Carolina, tucked along Maybank Highway, not far from where the Stono River meets Pennys Creek, sits a long-obscured piece of history. The remains of a four-chambered brick structure are set among black gum trees, live oaks and scrub brush. At its base, partially covered by moss and bald cypress roots, the tint that enchanted the colonial world is still visible. The ridges of the mortar in between the bricks emit a blue hue, the color of the ocean: indigo, a name that refers to the shrub, the dye the plant produces and the color itself.
This crumbling vat, with squares aligned back to back, was built to process the plant when the demand for indigo dye was at its height. For 50 years, starting in the late 1740s, indigo was a major South Carolina cash crop, second only to rice. At one time, the extracted pigment, dried and shaped into circular cakes, was so prized that it was sometimes called blue gold, and used as currency—even as barter for slaves. After the Revolutionary War, indigo processing fell into obscurity, relegated to the fringes of the agricultural conversation (if it was ever mentioned at all) as a historical oddity.
…. Read the rest of The Blue That Enchanted the World here.
Indigo in Art
Many artists throughout history have used indigo in their work. In the art of dyeing and printing fabrics, indigo has been used to create a wide range of blue hues, from pale sky blue to deep, rich navy.
In painting, indigo has been used as a pigment in various shades of blue, and it has also been used to create green and purple hues when mixed with other pigments. Some famous artists who have used indigo in their work include Vincent van Gogh, who used indigo in many of his paintings, including “The Starry Night,” and Paul Klee, who used indigo extensively in his colorful abstract compositions.
Indigo has also been used by traditional artisans in various cultures around the world to create intricate patterns and designs on fabrics and other materials using dyeing and printing techniques. For example, indigo dye has been used for centuries in Africa to create the characteristic blue patterns on traditional cloth such as Kente and Adire.
Some literature:
Indigo: Egyptian Mummies to Blue Jeans (Available on Amazon)
Indigo: The Colour the Changed the World (Available on Amazon)
Here are a few facts about indigo:
- Indigo is a deep blue color that is named after the indigo plant, which was used to produce a blue dye in ancient civilizations.
- The indigo plant is a type of legume that is native to the tropical regions of the Americas, Africa, and Asia. It is also grown in other parts of the world for use in dye production.
- Indigo dye is produced by extracting a pigment called indigotin from the indigo plant. The pigment is then mixed with a mordant, which helps the dye adhere to fabrics, and the mixture is applied to the material to be dyed.
- Indigo has been used for centuries to dye clothing, fabrics, and other materials. It was one of the first dyes to be used commercially and was an important export from the colonies in the Americas.
- Indigo is still widely used today in the production of blue jeans and other clothing, and it is also used in the printing industry, as a pigment in paints and inks, and in a variety of other applications.
- In the visible spectrum, indigo is located between blue and violet, and it has a wavelength of approximately 420 to 450 nanometers.
- Indigo is associated with tranquility, spirituality, and depth. It is often used in meditation and yoga practices, and it is believed to have calming and soothing properties.
I hope this will give you some inspiration towards your card designs.
Nuts & Bolts: Year End Holidays Office Closure
Nuts & Bolts – Year End Holidays Office Closure
For your planning purposes, in observation of the Christmas and New Year holidays, GCU offices will be closed on the following days:
Monday 12/26 – closed
Friday 12/30 – closed
This includes our dedicated Card Review team members who will not be reviewing cards on either of those days / times.
ALSO our Card Review team members and GCU personnel will be taking some additional days off between December 23rd and January 2nd so staffing will be present but very light.
Thank you for your understanding & patience while we all enjoy the holidays and hope you are doing the same!

The difference is made in the details!
GCU Community Manager