New Year, New Tools: A Creative Resolution for GCU Artists
New Year, New Tools: A Creative Resolution for GCU Artists
The start of a new year always carries that quiet, hopeful hum. A blank calendar. Fresh sketchbooks. Coffee mugs that feel just a little more ambitious. For Greeting Card Universe artists, New Year’s resolutions don’t have to mean drastic reinvention. Sometimes the most rewarding resolution is simply this: learn one new tool, technique, or piece of software and give it room to grow.
Not to replace your style. Not to chase trends. Just to stretch your creative muscles in a way that feels curious rather than pressured.
Why learning something new matters for card artists
Greeting cards live at a fascinating crossroads. They are small, personal, tactile objects, but they still benefit from growth and evolution. Exploring a new tool or technique can subtly refresh your work without changing what makes it yours. A new brush setting, a lettering style you’ve never tried, or a different way of building a composition can ripple through your designs in surprising ways.
And because GCU cards are printed on a single card stock with no foils, embossing, or specialty finishes, strong fundamentals matter even more. Color balance, line quality, texture illusion, and legibility all carry the design. Improving any one of those skills pays dividends across your entire portfolio.
Tools don’t have to be fancy or digital-heavy
Learning something new doesn’t require expensive subscriptions or a complete workflow overhaul. Consider tools that support your existing process rather than replacing it.
You might explore a different drawing tool. Brush pens for expressive lettering. Colored pencils layered for soft shading. A fineliner weight you’ve never used before. Even switching paper texture while sketching can influence how you think about line and shape.
If you work digitally, try learning a feature you’ve been ignoring. Clipping masks. Custom brushes. Non-destructive color adjustments. A new way to organize layers so revisions feel lighter and faster. Sometimes mastery comes not from new software, but from finally understanding the one you already own.
Techniques that quietly level up your designs
Technique-based resolutions are especially friendly for card artists. They don’t demand new equipment, just focused practice.
You could work on hand lettering consistency so text feels intentional rather than added as an afterthought. Or study color harmony so your palettes reproduce beautifully in print. You might experiment with negative space, allowing designs to breathe instead of filling every inch.
Another powerful technique is constraint-based designing. Limit yourself to two colors. Or one illustration style for a month. Or a single recurring character. Constraints can sharpen creativity in ways endless options never do.
Software as a helper, not the driver
Trying a new piece of software can be valuable when approached as a supportive tool, not a stylistic dictator. Vector programs can help refine edges for print. Layout software can improve alignment and spacing. Even basic photo-editing tools can teach you more about contrast and tonal balance.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s familiarity. The confidence that when an idea arrives, you know which tool can help you get it onto the card efficiently and cleanly.
Make the resolution small and sustainable
The best New Year’s resolution is one you don’t abandon by February. Choose one thing. Just one. Schedule low-pressure time to explore it. Thirty minutes a week. A few experimental designs that never need to be published. A private folder of “practice cards” where mistakes are welcome.
Over time, that new skill will quietly integrate into your work. Customers may not know what changed, but they’ll feel it. A little more polish. A little more clarity. A little more confidence in every card.
A new year doesn’t demand a new you. It just invites you to add one more tool to your creative toolbox and see where it leads.
Happy Designing!
Corrie
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Wanted Cards Extra – Manatee Appreciation Day
Dive into Manatee Appreciation Day: Celebrating the Gentle Giants of the Sea
Every year on the last Wednesday in March, we pause to celebrate Manatee Appreciation Day – a perfect opportunity to honor these serene, slow-moving marine mammals known affectionately as “sea cows.” In 2026, that falls on March 25th. This special day isn’t just about admiring their adorable, whiskered faces and leisurely swims; it’s a call to action for protecting these vulnerable creatures and the fragile aquatic ecosystems they call home.
Manatees, or West Indian manatees in particular (the ones most familiar in U.S. waters), are true gentle giants. Adults can grow up to 10-13 feet long and weigh around 1,000-3,500 pounds, yet they have no natural predators in the wild. They’re herbivores, grazing on seagrass and aquatic plants for up to 8 hours a day – munching like underwater lawnmowers that help maintain healthy seagrass beds essential to coastal environments.
Fun facts to share:
- Manatees are closely related to elephants (yes, really!).
- They use sensitive whiskers (vibrissae) all over their bodies to navigate and find food.
- Mothers nurse their calves for up to two years, forming strong bonds – just look at these heartwarming pairs!
Despite their peaceful nature, manatees face serious threats. Boat strikes are a leading cause of injury and death, while habitat loss from pollution, algal blooms, and seagrass die-offs (exacerbated by poor water quality) have led to starvation events in recent years. Though reclassified from endangered to threatened in 2017 due to population recovery efforts, conservation remains critical – organizations like the Save the Manatee Club continue vital work in research, rescue, and advocacy.
This Manatee Appreciation Day, why not send a card that captures their charm and spreads awareness? At Greeting Card Universe, we’re expanding our collection under Holidays > National & International Days > Manatee Appreciation Day (cid#39610) with new designs perfect for animal lovers, conservationists, or anyone who needs a smile from these floating teddy bears of the sea.
Text Suggestions for GCU Artists
Here are some heartfelt, fun, and awareness-focused greeting ideas to inspire new card designs – pair them with cute manatee illustrations, underwater scenes, or mother-calf moments:
- Front: “Happy Manatee Appreciation Day!”
Inside: “To the gentle giants who remind us to slow down and float through life with grace. Thanks for being you!” - Front: “You’re a Manatee Fanatic!”
Inside: “On Manatee Appreciation Day, let’s celebrate these whiskered wonders and commit to protecting their watery world. Slow and steady wins the race!” - Front: Image of a manatee munching seagrass
Inside: “Wishing you a relaxing Manatee Appreciation Day – full of good vibes, no rush, and plenty of ‘sea cow’ cuddles in spirit!” - Front: “Gentle Giants Need Our Help”
Inside: “Manatee Appreciation Day is the perfect time to honor these peaceful swimmers and support conservation efforts. Together, we can keep their habitats safe!” - Front: Cute manatee with heart bubbles
Inside: “Sending big, slow hugs on Manatee Appreciation Day! May your day be as chill and joyful as a manatee nap.” - Front: “Sea Cows Are the Best Cows!”
Inside: “Happy Manatee Appreciation Day! Let’s raise awareness for these amazing herbivores and the clean waters they need to thrive.” - Front: Manatee mother and calf
Inside: “Like a manatee mom protecting her little one, your love makes the world gentler. Happy Manatee Appreciation Day!”
Artists, let’s flood the category with fresh, whimsical cards that blend cuteness with a subtle conservation message. These “sea cows” deserve all the love – and protection – we can give!
Happy Designing!
Corrie
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Wanted Cards – Manatee Appreciation Day
Wanted Cards – Manatee Appreciation Day
Celebrated on the last Wednesday of March, Manatee Appreciation Day is as much a day to enjoy the qualities of these gentle giants as it is awareness to protect them and the environment they live in. Learn more here.
Please consider creating new cards that should go here:
Holidays >> National & International Days >> Manatee Appreciation Day cid#39610
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”.
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!
Mindy Rosso
GCU Community Manager
mindy@gcuniverse.com
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Dash of Inspiration: January Design Challenge
Happy New Year, fellow artists! We are kicking off the year with our usual Color of the Year from Pantone, but read carefully, this year has a twist …
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Theme: Pantone Color of the Year 2026 – Cloud Dancer
Requirements:
- Create a new design using the 2026 Pantone color: Cloud Dancer as the primary color feature PAIRED with three (3) color choices from Pantone’s last 25 years of colors: Every Pantone Color Of The Year From 2000 To 2025.
- Any category which your card speaks to.
- No Stock card creations will be accepted.
- Blank verse will not be considered for entry in this challenge.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please do NOT use trademarked terms “Pantone” in your meta-data. You can however use individual terms like: color of the year, cloud, dancer, etc.
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Entry Deadline: Saturday, January 31st
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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.
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Category:
Any
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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: January 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.
- Your designs should differ from those already offered in the category of your choice to offer shoppers a variety of choices, not more of the same.
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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.
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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 – over 55,000 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: 14.9k!
- 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.
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Winning card will be posted on GCU’s Instagram with 10.6k 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 2026!
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!
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Winning card will be posted on GCU’s Instagram with 10.6k 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 2026!
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Tips:
- Pantone Color of the Year 2026 Page
- Embracing Serenity: Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer 11-4201
- Dancing on Clouds: Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year and How GCU Artists Can Soar with It!
- GCU Pinterest Color of the Year 2026 Inspiration
- Every Pantone Color Of The Year From 2000 To 2025
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Be inspired to create and learn something new!
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Nuts & Bolts – GCU Artist Commission Structure effective 1/1/26
Nuts & Bolts – GCU Artist Commission Structure effective 1/1/26
Effective January 1, 2026, Greeting Card Universe will be making the following adjustments to our artist commission structure. While GCU continues to be supported by a loyal customer base, our revenues have declined in each of the past three years. At the same time, our margins have faced ongoing pressure due to rising shipping and material costs, increased marketing and paid-search expenses, and the broader impact of inflation on consumer spending. These factors have made the following changes necessary at this time.
These updates will go into effect on January 1, 2026:
– The premium earnings thresholds will increase to $375 for Q1, Q2, and Q3 (previously $250), and $750 for Q4 (previously $500).
– Premium earnings will be paid at 50% of standard earnings (previously 100%).
– Artists who meet the premium earnings thresholds will in essence see a 25% reduction in their total earnings.
– Artists who do not meet the premium earnings thresholds will see no change in their total earnings.
– The minimum payout amount will increase to $50 (currently $25).
Please know that these decisions were not made lightly. We carefully evaluated many alternatives before arriving at this course of action. We plan to reassess GCU’s financial health at the end of 2026, and it is our sincere hope that improved conditions will allow us to revisit—and potentially reverse—some of these commission adjustments.
Please see the forum post for full details here.
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
mindy@gcuniverse.com
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Nuts & Bolts – Graduation 2025 to 2026
Nuts & Bolts – Graduation 2025 to 2026
Let’s be ready for graduation card sales for the class of 2026. Many college and high school graduations are in May. There are hundreds of graduation cards on the site dated 2025. 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 2026 – we appreciate you stepping up to the front of the class!
Search results for “Graduation 2025”
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 2025”.
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 3/1/26. After 3/1/26, GCU will take any outdated cards offline.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
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Wanted Cards – Spring Fling Invitations
Wanted Cards – Spring Fling Invitations
The anticipation and welcoming of spring is as good of an excuse for a party as any. Be it a dance party, school social, garden viewing or any other assembly with a spring theme – the catchy name sure sounds like fun!
Please consider creating new cards for these events. They should go here:
Invitations >> Party by Theme >> Seasonal / Seasons Party >> Spring Fling cid#39574
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”.
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!
Mindy Rosso
GCU Community Manager
mindy@gcuniverse.com
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Nuts & Bolts – Custom Front Cards Enabled on Mobile Site
Nuts & Bolts – Custom Front Cards Enabled on Mobile Site
Most of GCU’s shoppers shop via a traditional or desktop computer. However more and more shoppers are buying on the go on their mobile device. GCU has plans to improve our mobile site to attract more of these mobile shoppers’ purchases.
One recent and exciting improvement is that now custom front cards can be customized and purchased from the mobile site. That means photo front cards and custom front text cards. GCU’s custom relationship and name cards are very popular. This is great news and should garners more sales for all of us!
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
mindy@gcuniverse.com
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Nuts & Bolts – December Design Challenge – 2025 Founders’ Choice Awards
Nuts & Bolts – December Design Challenge – 2025 Founders’ Choice Awards
The countdown begins as we’re practically in mid December. With the final month of the year, amid the joyful holiday chaos GCU relishes the time for this annual wrapup – December’s Design Challenge.
Winners to be announced in 2026, it’s the Best of 2025 – GCU’s Founders’ Choice Awards!
This end of year challenge will consider ALL cards created in 2025 – not just from prior design challenge submissions. There will be countless cards recognized! This means all artists and all 2025 card submissions are candidates. Stay tuned in early 2026 for the “best of” 2025 winners. We’re considering a few new category additions to the winning mix.
Winners will receive the same recognition rewards as in prior design challenges (except no card credits), PLUS winners will receive prestigious and coveted Best of 2025 digital awards for their online promotion and bragging rights.
See 2024’s Founders’ Choice Awards Winners
Taking a look back at your creative year is very nostalgic. Take some time to reflect on all of your hard and creative work over the past twelve months. Reflect on a top seller, a popular new series, a design that took you out of your comfort zone, experimenting with a new style or technique, or just the sheer number of new submissions you made. Go ahead, pat yourself on the back! We’ll be doing the same. If you’re not impressed with your year’s work, maybe take this as an opportunity to set a goal for 2026.
The difference is made in the details!
Mindy
GCU Community Manager
mindy@gcuniverse.com
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Dancing on Clouds: Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year and How GCU Artists Can Soar with It!
Pantone has crowned Cloud Dancer (11-4201) as the Color of the Year 2026. Picture a snowflake that wandered into a sunbeam, or the quiet pause between two musical notes. Cloud Dancer is that whisper-soft, elegantly bright white with just enough warmth to keep it from feeling sterile. A welcome muse for card designers everywhere.
Below is your little creative weather report on how to bring this airy hue into your GCU designs in ways that feel intentional, contemporary, and beautifully printable on GCU’s classic card stock.
Cloud Dancer: A blank page with opinions
White may seem neutral, but Cloud Dancer has personality. It behaves like a spotlight shaped out of mist. It can soften loud palettes, elevate pastels, sharpen minimalist compositions, and give whimsical illustrations a sense of quiet confidence.
Think of it as the design equivalent of a deep breath.
How to Harness Cloud Dancer in Your Card Designs
1. Let Cloud Dancer become the “hero white.”
When a palette includes multiple whites, Cloud Dancer is the leading lady. Use it for:
- Main backgrounds to create clarity and room to breathe
- Character outlines for soft-edged, storybook charm
- Snow, clouds, cotton, lace, icing, wings, stardust, or halos
- Negative space that feels intentional rather than just “empty”
Because GCU cards don’t offer metallics or specialty papers, Cloud Dancer can mimic luminosity simply through contrast and good composition.
2. Pair it with colors that love to glow against softness.
Cloud Dancer plays beautifully with:
- Muted pastels (sherbet pinks, foggy lavenders, sage greens)
- Cozy neutrals (warm gray, stone, oatmeal, camel)
- Cool metallic illusions (steel blue, graphite, champagne beige)
- Bold accents (cranberry, navy, even sunny marigold) that pop without shouting
These combinations allow your simple card stock to feel elegant and modern without needing special finishes.
3. Lean into texture and detail (printed, not embossed).
Since GCU prints flat ink only:
- Add subtle illustrated texture like linen crosshatching, watercolor bloom, chalky pastels, or paper-cut shadows.
- Use Cloud Dancer as your light source: let it “hit” the edges of objects to create softness or shape.
- Create faux embossing by pairing Cloud Dancer with a slightly darker warm gray as a shadow layer.
4. Go bold with typography.
Cloud Dancer is a stage that loves a strong voice. Try:
- Chunky serif headlines in deep navy or espresso
- Delicate hand-lettering floating on a Cloud Dancer background
- Warm gray drop shadows that create dimension without metallic ink
Cloud Dancer makes text feel crisp but never cold.
5. Make it seasonal: it’s shockingly versatile.
Winter & Christmas
Think frosty cabins, snowy owls, snowflakes, angels, cookies dusted with sugar. Cloud Dancer is built for holiday shimmer—but printable.
Spring
Cherry blossoms, lambs, bunnies, clean-air themes, bridal showers. Pair with soft pinks and greens.
Summer
Ocean foam, linen textures, minimalist nautical vibes, beach weddings.
Autumn
Mushrooms, cozy sweaters, candle smoke, foggy mornings. Cloud Dancer offsets warm earth tones beautifully.
6. Use Cloud Dancer to modernize classics.
Some categories love a refresh:
- Birthdays with bright accent palettes on a Cloud Dancer background
- Wedding & Anniversary cards featuring airy florals
- Sympathy with calming neutrals for gentle emotional space
- Thank You cards with clean, minimal layouts
Cloud Dancer turns classics into quiet luxuries.
7. Think branding: this color trends with you.
A Color of the Year always ripples through fashion, interiors, packaging, and marketing. Incorporating Cloud Dancer now places your shop in that cultural current. Customers feel it even if they don’t know why.
Design Prompts for GCU Artists
A few seeds to plant in your imagination:
- A Cloud Dancer sky with a trail of soft pastel balloons for birthdays
- A minimalist anniversary card: Cloud Dancer background, champagne-beige line art, one bold red heart
- Whimsical animals outlined in Cloud Dancer against jewel-toned backgrounds
- Sympathy cards with watercolor clouds and gentle sage accents
- “Clean slate” New Year’s cards built around Cloud Dancer’s peaceful hush
If you treat Cloud Dancer as more than “white,” it becomes a character in your design—and a very cooperative one. May this airy whisper of a color help your cards float into many happy shopping carts.
Happy Designing!
Corrie
GCU Community 