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Nuts & Bolts: 35th Louie Award Winners

April 26, 2024

 
 
Nuts & Bolts – 35th Louie Awards Winners
 
Last week having attended both NOTED and the 35th Louie Awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 16th, the winning cards were announced! The full list of this year’s winners can be found here. Click on the category and then scroll to the bottom to see the three finalists and the winning cards.
 
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This year brought five new submission categories as a break out from last year’s catch-all Celebrating Diversity & Inclusion category:
Celebrating Asian American / Pacific Islander Culture
Celebrating Black Culture
Celebrating Indigenous Culture
Celebrating LGBTQIA+
Celebrating Latinx Culture
Celebrating Women
 
Vote for your favorite card! From all of these winners, there will be a Consumer’s Choice Award that will be celebrated at next year’s Louie Awards. Place your vote! You can now vote for the Consumer’s Choice Award! To vote for the Consumer’s Choice award that is voted on by the general public. Vote here!
 
 
See here about GCU’s 35th Louie Awards submissions and all about the Louies and NOTED expo.  And be on the lookout for my NOTED expo trip report in a future posting.
 
Judging notes are now available for all Louie Award submissions. We will be emailing the notes and scores to these GCU artists whom we submitted a card to the 35th Annual Louies.
 
 

The difference is made in the details!

Mindy

GCU Community Manager

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Wanted New Cards: 50th Birthday Daughter in Law with Photo

April 25, 2024

Wanted Cards – 50th Birthday Daughter in Law with Photo

Shoppers love photo cards – such a personal and easy way to make a special card that is personalized.

Please consider creating photo front cards for a Daughter in Law turning 50.

They should go here:

Birthday >> For Family Relation Specific >> Daughter in Law >> Age Specific  cid#9068

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

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”. 

NOTE: be sure to follow the superscript guideline for ordinal numbers if you use (50th) in your design.

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: Free Enchanted Bonds Watercolor Collection

April 24, 2024

Introducing the Enchanted Bonds Watercolor Collection on TheHungryJPEG.com! Dive into a world of magic with our vibrant and whimsical watercolor artwork. This premium collection features 20 JPEG & PNG files, including mystical illustrations, fantasy-themed clipart, and enchanting patterns. Perfect for digital projects, these high-quality assets will add a touch of charm to your designs. Explore the magic today!

Available for free download for 6 more days, so don’t miss out!

Comes with complete commercial license.

Freebie Wednesday: Free Nomad Odyssey Watercolor Collection

April 19, 2024

Embark on a visual journey with our Nomad Odyssey Watercolor Collection, exclusively on TheHungryJPEG.com. Discover 37 JPEG & PNG files featuring captivating watercolor wanderlust art. From vibrant travel scenes to nomadic illustrations, each piece invites you to explore the world through the eyes of an artist. Transform your projects with these adventurous watercolor creations today!

Available for free download for 4 more days, so don’t miss out!

Comes with complete commercial license.

Wanted New Cards: Humor Wedding Congrats for Parents of the Bride

April 11, 2024

Wanted Cards – Humor Wedding Congrats for Parents of the Bride

A daughter’s wedding is filled with moments of pride and joy.  There is certainly plenty of room for humor!

Please consider creating humorous Wedding Congratulations cards for the parents of the Bride.  They should go here accordingly:

Occasions >> Congratulations >> Wedding / Marriage >> For Parents of the Bride …

>> General / Both Parents  cid#6172

>> Father of the Bride  ci#6174

>> Mother of the Bride   cid#6173

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:

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”. 

Also refer here for some tips on when to capitalize a relationship (Aunt or aunt).

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: Free Baby Dino Illustrations

April 10, 2024

Discover the enchanting charm of our Baby Dino Watercolor Collection by TheHungryJPEG Crafts. Delightful and vibrant, these 36 PNG files feature adorable illustrations of baby dinosaurs in captivating watercolor art. Perfect for nursery decor, kids’ room accents, or crafting projects, each image exudes playful charm and timeless appeal. Add a touch of whimsy to any space with these irresistible dino artworks.

Available for free download for 6 more days, so don’t miss out!

Comes with complete commercial license.

Wanted New Cards: Mother’s Day for Aunt from child

April 5, 2024

Wanted Cards – Mother’s Day for Aunt from child

There are general Mother’s Day cards for an aunt, and then at GCU shoppers will also find Mother’s Day cards to an aunt from a nephew, and from a niece as well as from a combination of nephew(s) and niece(s).

We could use new designs from younger children. Since nieces and nephews come in all ages, be sure to design some from different ages and fortify your metadata accordingly for age range.

Please consider creating cards specific to these new sub-categories.  They should go here accordingly:

Holidays >> Mother’s Day >> For Aunt >> From Niece(s)  cid#38014

Holidays >> Mother’s Day >> For Aunt >> From Nephew  cid#38016

For a combination of nephew(s) and nieces(s) should go in >> Other  cid#38020

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:

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”. 

Also refer here for some tips on when to capitalize a relationship (Aunt or aunt).

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!

 
 

Nuts & Bolts: 2024 Trade Show NOTED SF

April 4, 2024

 
Nuts & Bolts – 2024 Trade Show NOTED SF 
 
Like last year, I will be attending the Greeting Card Association (GCA) NOTED trade show to be the eyes and ears of GCU; meeting new artists, possibly meeting existing GCU artists, and always valuable education and networking opportunities. 
 
San Francisco NOTED    April 17 – 18
 
If you are going to be at this show, we’d like to meet up!  Email mindy@gcuniverse.com.  
 
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This is a great chance to take in new trends, colors, and design happenings across many consumer markets including of course the paper goods/stationery for greeting cards. I will be certain to report back with a trip report for our artist community.
 
Although our GCU submissions to this year’s Louie Awards were not selected as finalists, we will be attending the awards dinner this year that announces and recognizes this year’s winners. If you were not aware, GCU added a “Louie Award submission” as a reward to select winners in the GCU Founders’ Choice Awards (FCA) (entry fee is $125 per entry). See more about GCU and the Louie Awards here.
 
 

The difference is made in the details!

Mindy

GCU Community Manager

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Dash of Inspiration: April 2024 STOCK Design Challenge

April 2, 2024

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With warmer weather on the way, let’s go outside!

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Theme: Soccer

Requirements:

  • Create a new stock card for one of the soccer categories listed below in this challenge.
  • ONLY Big Stock cards will be accepted in this challenge.
  • The judges will be looking for professional quality text layout, typography placement and font combinations in addition to a unique and captivating message that tells the story of the stock image you choose. Your added value needs to wow the judges!

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Entry Deadline: Tuesday, April 30th

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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.

NOTE: Submissions will appear immediately in your Private gallery as they await review.  If approved, the reviewer will move them to the public gallery – they will then become ‘live’ in the marketplace within 24-hours or so just like regular submissions. Be patient and wait.

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Category:

Choose a category from this link to a GCU Search parameter = Soccer categories

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Rules:

  • Submission must meet GCU’s Submission Guidelines and be Approved through the usual Review Cycle. Big Stock creations are automatically identified as Fast Track – please add in the Notes to Reviewer: April Stock 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.
  • Big Stock Card Creations ONLY will be accepted.
  • Your designs should differ from those already offered in the categories above to offer shoppers a variety of choices, not more of the same.
  • No BLANK cards will be accepted.

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BLIND Judging: We hope each of you enters every month. Entries are submitted anonymously for judging by the GCU Challenge Jury which means that before and during the challenge, judges do not have any way of knowing what artist is behind each entry. This eliminates any and all concerns with ‘favoritism’. Results will post on the Community Blog. 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. Your overall ‘added value’ determines this.

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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 58,000 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 may not be featured as 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 GCU’s Pinterest Page followers: 12.9K!
  • 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!
  • GCU will create a Meet the Team board for the winning artist under the Pinterest GCU account where the winning artist will be able to pin and promote her own storefront and all that makes them a unique card designer and one of GCU’s artistic community team member.
  • Winning card will be posted on GCU’s Instagram with 2,000 followers and counting!
  • GCU will create a Meet the Team board for the winning artist under the Pinterest GCU account where the winning artist will be able to pin and promote her own storefront and all that makes them a unique card designer and one of GCU’s artistic community team member.
  • 10 free greeting card credits added to your GCU account. Apply them at checkout and they never expire.
  • A Design Challenge GCU digital award for 2024!

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 may not be featured as 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!
  • Winning card will be posted on GCU’s Instagram with 10.8k followers and counting!
  • 5 free greeting card credits added to your GCU account. Apply them at checkout and they never expire.
  • A Design Challenge GCU digital award for 2024!

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Tips:

  • Visit all the available tips, tricks and guidelines offered on the Big Stock Creation blog page!

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Be inspired to create and learn something new!

Nuts & Bolts: Reminder March 2024 Design Challenge

March 29, 2024

 
Nuts & Bolts – Reminder March 2024 Design Challenge
 
 
Sunday, March 31st is the last day to submit your entries for March’s Card Design Challenge.  It’s a weekend but don’t wait until the last minute in case your submission requires edits and you may not have time to complete them before the deadline.
 
 
Theme: Make Over – Old is now NEW
 
 
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There are special instructions for this new type of challenge which requires an improved design based on an existing one.  Be sure to read the requirements and submission details, like but not limited to below:
 
  • Choose an old card in your store which has no sales and give it a make over by creating a NEW card. DO NOT change the old card – but DO reference the PID of the old card in your posting of the NEW cards challenge submission.
  • The category and recipient MUST REMAIN the same as the old card.
 

The difference is made in the details!

Mindy

GCU Community Manager