Freebie Wednesday: The Modern & Retro Font Bundle
The Modern & Retro Font Bundle features 20 fabulous and retro-style fonts – perfect for bringing your crafting projects to life. Use these stunning fonts to create beautiful cards, book covers, posters, logos and so much more!
This font collection is normally worth $170 – don’t miss your chance on getting this bundle for FREE before it expires! Download it now and get our commercial license.
Only available on the Creative Fabrica site.
Comes with complete License.
Share this:
The first holiday upon a loved one’s passing is particularly painful with a reminded feeling of loss. A first Father’s Day without Dad would be softened by greetings from others that remember him and of your grieving.
Holidays >> Father’s Day >> In Remembrance of Father >> 1st / First Father’s Day without Dad / Father cid#37506
Be sure to follow the superscript / ordinal number guidelines here:
https://gcucommunity.com/2016/03/18/nuts-and-bolts-superscript-ordinal-numbers/
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/
Be inventive, be clever, be creative. Go for it!
Share this:
Dash of Inspiration: 2022 Founders’ Choice Awards.
1. Best New Artist: Patricia Keeler
Honorable Mentions Best New Artist:
Walter Amberger of Bubble’s Card Store
and Randi Perez Helm of Something to Say
Honorable Mentions Best Overall New Card:
Kathleen Johnson of Encouragers for Christ – PID 1729516
and Cathie Richardson – PID 1730184
_________________________________
3. Hottest Seller – CHRISTMAS:
Doreen Erhardt of Salon of Art – PID 1747676
Honorable Mentions CHRISTMAS Hottest Seller:
Ron Magnes of Creative Greetings – PID 1746940
and Walter Amberger of Bubble’s Card Store – PID 1749258
4. Hottest Seller – CHINESE NEW YEAR:
Teri Nelson Kuster of Che Bella Nota – PID 1722726
Honorable Mentions CHINESE NEW YEAR Hottest Seller:
Colleen Kong-Savage of Konga Line Cards – PID 1747570
and Ramelle Richardson of Eloquence by Ramelle – PID 1740680
5. Hottest Seller – BIRTHDAY:
Kathleen Johnson of Encouragers for Christ –PID 1721744
Honorable Mentions BIRTHDAY Hottest Seller:
Anne Johnson of Greetings by Anne – PID 1743070
and Sharon Dominick of Sharon Dominick Photography – PID 1724106
________________________________
6. Best Custom Front (Text):
Annie Lang of Annie Thing is Possible – PID 1748042
Honorable Mention Best Custom Front (Text):
Susan Nollmeyer of Sueshine Studio – PID 1729520
and Christie Black of Christie Black Creations from the Heart – PID 1738730
________________________________
7. Best Custom Front (Image):
Mindy Pierce – PID 1726254
Honorable Mention Best Custom Front (Image):
Mindy Pierce – PID 1725888
Honorable Mention Best Custom Front (Image):
Natalie Kinnear – PID 1747066
________________________________
8. Best Business Logo/Name:
Cathie Richardson of Country Garden Cards – PID 1732318
Honorable Mention Best Business Logo/Name:
Cisillia Tay – PID 1743834
__________________________________
9. Funniest Card:
Mike Baldwin of Cornered – PID 1731878
Honorable Mentions Funniest Card:
Sharon Fernleaf of S. Fernleaf Designs – PID 1750694
and Lorraine Grace of Grace Comic Greetings – PID 1736396
______________________________________
10. Most Creative Stock Card Creation (BigStock):
Robin Chaffin of Simply Put by Robin – PID 1752572
Honorable Mention Most Creative Stock Card Creation (BigStock):
Betsy Bush of Dragonfire Graphics – PID 1748554
and Doreen Erhardt of Salon of Art – PID 1740176
____________________________________
11. Rising Star:
Randi Perez Helm of Something to Say – PID 1747032
Honorable Mention Rising Star:
Norma Cornes of Supercards – PID 1726326
and Isabella Quinones of Ellie’s Creative Store – PID 1752200
__________________________________
12. Custom Request – Nailed it:
Cisillia Tay – PID 1747536
Honorable Mentions Custom Request – Nailed it:
Teri Nelson Kuster of Che Bella Nota – PID 1722724
and Shoaff Ballanger of Shoaff-Ballanger Studios – PID 1722374
_________________________________
13. Best Uncommon Card:
Tanya Hall of Moonlake Greetings – PID 1725540
Honorable Mention best Uncommon Card:
Ilene Winn-Lederer of Imaginarius – PID# 1746294
and Kate Taylor – PID# 1748782
__________________________________
14. Best Design Challenge Submission:
Mo Greetings – PID 1746408
Honorable Mention Best Design Challenge Submission:
Colleen Kong-Savage of Konga Line – PID 1724602
and Michelle Lanoue of Illustrations by Michelle – PID 1750102
_________________________________
15. Simply Clever:
Kevin Ahern of Ye Olde Penanink’s Card Shop – PID 1744960
Honorable Mention Simply Clever:
Anne Johnson of Greetings by Anne – PID 1740032
and Gerda Steiner – PID 1727866
________________________________
16. Reviewers’ Choice:
Fiona, Reviewer #825 – Betsy Bush of Dragonfire Graphics – PID 1741440
Ella, Reviewer #758 – Farida Greenfield of Farida Gallery – PID 1744820
Mackenzie, Reviewer #528 – Lisa Griffin of La Belle Paperie – PID 1735130
Desiree, Reviewer #121 – Paul Woods of Insert Brain Here – PID 1737888
Phoebe, Reviewer #443 – Sharon Dominick Photography – PID 1735014
John, Reviewer #233 – M.M. Anderson – PID 1734664
Catherine, Reviewer #871 – Rhea Eason of Sun at Night Cards – PID 1733606
Victor, Reviewer #992 – Dale Simpson – PID #1729984
Rebecca, Reviewer #619 – Sandra Rose Designs – PID 1752054
Anne, Reviewer #127 – Shelby Allison of Origami Prints – PID 1751934
Jessica Renee, Reviewer #937 – Amy Hadden – PID 1740964
Shelley, Reviewer #155 – Colleen Kong-Savage of Konga Line – PID 1747340
________________________________
A sentimental and impressive year in review leaves us in awe! Your creative works continue to wow shoppers’ and truly chronicle the landscape of their lives. Thank you for your commitment to GCU, your community spirit, and for your apparently limitless creativity. We at GCU are immeasurably grateful and proud for your contributions in keeping Greeting Card Universe the go to site for Any Card Imaginable.
Mindy – GCU Community Manager
Share this:
Nuts & Bolts: Noted Greeting Card Expo 2023
Nuts & Bolts – Noted Greeting Card Expo 2023
As promised, here is my trip report from attending Noted Greeting Card Expo & SF
NOW held 4/26 – 4/28.
This expo is the West Coast sister of NY NOW and Noted. It was a delight to attend a
show practically in my backyard plus to be a tourist in my own city – San Francisco!
Hosted at Fort Mason Center between the iconic Ghirardelli Square at the end of
Fisherman’s Wharf and the Marina District, the view from this waterfront venue was
nothing short of breathtaking with a view of both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz
Island.
Fort Mason building from above:
Fort Mason from the marina:
Ghirardelli Sq sign:
Golden Gate Bridge:
Hosted by the Greeting Card Association, Noted kicked off Wednesday night with a mix
and mingle at the General’s Residence announcing the Louie Award winners (think
Academy awards for the greeting card industry) providing an opportunity to celebrate
and meet new and seasoned card makers receiving a coveted Louie Award.
See this year’s Louie Awards finalists and winners here. A few stats, there were 1,016
total entries, up 62% from last year, in a total of 51 award categories. Congratulations /
Special Occasion $5.50 & Below category had the most entries with 47.
Exciting news! GCU is announcing a new addition to the GCU Founders’ Choice
Awards – a paid entry to next year’s Louie Awards for the winners of FCA’s Best Overall
New Card, Best Christmas Card, Best Birthday Card, Best Chinese New Year Card.
See here about this year’s GCU’s Louie Award entries.
Aside from the lovely location, the festival building was a welcome departure from the
typical convention center. Filled with natural light, the Goldilocks; not too big, not too
small but just right number of exhibitors made for a very productive but not exhausting
pace to meet oodles of makers within the 2-days.
As Noted is primarily for greeting card makers, there was a brilliant and varied showing
along with a couple of aisles of gifting exhibitors (SF NOW). Having recently attended
the Las Vegas Market in January, which had a very small contingency of greeting card
exhibitors, it was wonderful to be among so many other paper people! I am impressed
by the creativity, hard work, and youth of so many up-and-coming card makers.
A few makers although not a fit for GCU and digital printing but offering something
different and attention getting:
Quilling Card – tiny paper quilled masterpieces, just WOW! They took home the Louie
Award for People’s Choice Best Card of last year’s show, Quilled Mom Cross Stitch
Card
Hope & Hustle – embeds via a QR code free downloadable guides designed to improve
your career, mindset and spirit!
Louise Mulgrew – taking home multiple Louie Awards including Artist of the Year
A few takeaways reflecting on the expo …
1. Traditional letterpress cards and stationery are alive and well and such a
beautiful craft.
2. Among so many wonderful designs I did find that many blended into more of the
same. With my “any card imaginable” hat on, there were only a few lines that
stood out to me as serving a niche market, like:
– Plants and Nature lovers ( Yardia )
– LGBTQ Inclusive
– Miscarriage, Infertility Grief / Sympathy (The Noble Paperie)
– Latin (Lucy Loves Paper)
– Women of Color (Pineapple Sundays)
3. GCU has come a long way! In years prior, the conversations had with card
makers trying to explain GCU’s concepts and advantages with community
content, print on demand, etc. was met with much skepticism and even
resistance. Now, with community content / crowd sourced models more prevalent
and younger tech savvy creators, this conversation was met with understanding
and receptiveness with many vocalizing the appeal of a passive income source
like GCU.
And best for last, meeting one of our GCU artists in person is always icing on the cake!
GCU artist since 2009, Betty Matsumoto-Schuch of Bud & Tony designs attended
Noted. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other and discussed all things
GCU, greeting cards, that thing called COVID and of course the Golden State Warriors
and cats.
See Betty’s show report her on the blog.
I hope I’ve shared some interesting and helpful insights into the expo and industry.
The difference is made in the details!
GCU Community Manager
Share this:
Brides and grooms share many interests beyond the flowers and ringing bells of their wedding day.
Occasions >> Congratulations >> Wedding / Married >> Hobby Specific >> Video Games / Gaming cid#37502
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!
Share this:
Freebie Wednesday: Before the Rainbow Font
Freebie of the week is Before the Rainbow, a playful and quirky display font that will lighten up each of your designs. This font is perfect for children-themed designs, especially when combined with bright colors.
Only available on the Creative Fabrica site.
Comes with complete License.
Share this:
Last week I was excited to venture up to Fort Mason, San Francisco for the SF Now + Noted Greeting Card Expo. After receiving a lovely email from Mindy with an invite to meet up at this show, I was even more thrilled. As a GCU artist for over 14 years it was such a pleasure to finally get to meet Mindy. What a lovely human she is! We had the opportunity to discuss many topics pertaining to the evolution of the greeting card business and how it sometimes overlaps the equally changing yet fickle gift industry.
The SF Now+ Noted show was by other National Stationery show standards a relatively small representation, but still had an exciting range of cards, stationary, gift wrap, party and tableware and a small array of giftware.
There were in my estimate just under 200 vendors, each displaying their unique style and luscious creative range.
About two thirds of the show appeared to be focused on greeting card vendors, where I noted some lovely examples of old school letterpress options but with very fashionable modern takes on design. Personally, I love the look, feel and splurge of letterpress. I also noticed lots of whimsy and detail included in some of the card designs as well as more intricate offerings which involved lots of hand applied or added embellishments. Those included charms with notes of encouragement or witticisms. It was very encouraging to also note some vendors emphasizing ethnic diversity and environmental issues. Many of the color palettes appeared muted and earthy, like from nature, while the more saturated colors focused more on a younger, hip or even juvenile audience. Sentiments were all over the map from edgy, mildly brash humor to sweet, maudlin verse and or imagery. Included in the mix were a few of the big name card companies, but I focused more on the small, independently creative personalities. I did notice that most of the card designs from these independent vendors were ‘note card’ sized 4” x 5 1/2” in vertical and or horizontal formats. I’ll keep this option on my wish list for future possibilities with GCU. *hint hint*
As I perused the aisles I couldn’t help but notice how much dedication and passion each vendor appeared to have for their individual style of products. This also had me wondering how much of an investment, ie. time, material costs, traveling and actual physical effort each vendor had to work through in order to get to this point of sharing their art and connection with the world. Here is where I had an epiphany, and as Mindy so kindly pointed out. GCU offers a unique opportunity to enable any budding artist a chance to create a passive form of income. I must admit, I never thought of GCU in that vernacular. As I interacted with vendors, I also was gobsmacked to find out that very few of the card vendors had even known that GCU is an option for their creative endeavors.
We’re all striving to connect with people through our own unique personal exchange through our individual artistic expression. For me GCU has felt like a long time friend and cohort.
It turned out to be a fantastically beautiful day in the city, and my overall impression of the show was very positive, and Mindy’s warm and encouraging persona made for a fabulous and inspiring day to get back home and create more art.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
Share this:
Wanted New Cards: New Job Special Education Teacher
Occasions >> Congratulations >> New Job >> Occupation Specific >> Teacher Special Education cid#37496
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!
Share this:
Nuts & Bolts: Artificial Intelligence Policy
- AI is impacting the art industry in many ways — namely by making creation accessible to anyone, influencing the art market and collaborating with humans to improve the quality of output. Source: istockphoto.com In a world where technology is rapidly advancing, AI is now transforming the way art is created.
2. paid subscription to the site / program being used (MJ, Sparks, Creative Fabrica, Night Cafe, etc.)
3. if free to use program the artist’s post processing value add must be more substantial
4. license / TOU must give you the commercial usage CU rights
5. must provide a direct link to the AI image prior to artist enhancements in the Note to Reviewer
6. images will be required to be AI assisted artwork and have artist pre / post processing, value ad, “no as is” which should be detailed for reviewers in the Note to Reviewers field.
As this area of creative works evolves, GCU reserves the right to change our policy on submissions based on AI creative.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
Share this:
Occasions >> Congratulations >> New Pet >> Chicks / Chickens cid#37486
Take a look at your Easter designs and see if there are any designs you can repurpose for this occasion or create one from scratch (get it? chicken scratch?). If you do be sure to add in the Notes to Reviewer in your new submissions “based on previous card pid#ABCXYZ”
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!
GCU Community 