Creative Cardmaking Challenge
with Card Creator’s Toolkit
Skip the overwhelm and start making cards you’re proud of. This five-day workshop will help you design five (or more!) thoughtful greeting cards using simple tools, templates, and step-by-step guidance. You’ll learn how to build your artwork around a message, make space for text, and design in a way that feels complete and personal. Whether you’re brand new to cardmaking or just need a little push to get going again, this challenge is a great way to build skills and stay inspired.
You’ll finish the week with AT LEAST five polished cards and a better sense of how to keep creating from here.
✨ Go VIP for Fall 2026!
Your Card-Making Game Changer ✨
This isn’t just any 5 Cards in 5 Days.
This is the VIP Cardmaker's Toolkit experience
packed with premium resources, private sessions, and pro-level tools designed to help you create greeting cards that look polished, feel personal, and are ready to sell.
If you’ve joined VIP in the past, you already know the difference it makes… but this edition is different; with a couple of fresh videos, seasonal inspiration, updated assets, and live coaching and demos tailored for this challenge.
You’ll need to enroll again to unlock this round’s materials (and trust us, you won’t want to miss them).
Here's what you get as a VIP
🎁 The VIP bundle assets alone are worth over $160 with both Procreate brushes and Affinity Designer Assets and added resources...
Here's just some of what you'll be getting...
Included Assets for Affinity Designer or Procreate
🌸 The Autumn Botanicals:
50 fall-themed floral & greenery brushes for Procreate, packed with rich and folksy blooms, leafy accents and berries, flower centres and more. These are designed to create lush, layered card fronts or add delicate finishing touches.
🍂Pattern Pantry - All New Textures and Patterns:
40 interesting accent brushes and bold painterly strokes, as well as a versatile mix of bold and subtle background textures, ideal for card backgrounds, envelope liners, gift tags, or matching stationery.
And new for this round, Organic Marks for extra background interest.
As always, these textures and assets are perfect for adding depth, warmth, and a tactile feel to your designs, from painterly washes to artistic marks, all in seasonal tones to match your spring projects.
Watch for additional Fall 2026 Assets!
This year's VIP Cardmakers Toolkit will also include additional pre-painted backgrounds to add subtle texture and painterly finishes to your card, either used as a clipping mask on elements or for your full background
I demo the use of brushes and assets during the VIP only classes!
- Monday's Live Kick Off Party with Delores, Vanessa and Lindy: We will have conversations about trends, demos and anything else we can fit in!
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🎨 NEW Exclusive Video Tutorials
You will new classes, with live sessions in-between and all updated daily lessons and resources.
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💬 CardIsle and 1-800-Flowers Expert Workshop with Lindy Perez, Delores and guests
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💬 Live Group Zoom Calls with Delores
Kick off the week with coaching, connection, and insider tips.
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🤝 Live Lettering Session
Guest speaker Nicole Mauloni from iPad Calligraphy will have a project and demo for us to particpate in LIVE
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🌟 Guest Artist Sessions with Vanessa Stoilova (Art Business with Ness) Behind-the-Scenes with a Published Greeting Card Artist
Learn how the pros design, pitch, and sell their work — and ask your burning questions live.
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🌟Two Other Surprise Guests will be announced as we get closer to the challenge.You definitely do not want to miss these!
🎥 Replay Library
Lifetime access to this challenge’s recordings so you can revisit lessons anytime.
💡 Why upgrade?
The free challenge will get you started but the VIP Cardmakers Toolkit gives you everything you need to design like a pro, stay accountable, and actually get your cards out into the world.
📅 Join VIP today and get instant access to your pre-challenge planning tools
so you’re ready to hit the ground running when Day 1 starts.
In just five days, you’ll go from blank page to a polished set of greeting cards you can actually use, share, or even sell.
Each day is designed to build on the last, guiding you step by step through sketching, experimenting with variations, lettering and seasonal twists, and finally pulling everything together into cohesive sets.
Along the way, you’ll see how Procreate fits into my creation process, and you’ll hear directly from guest experts who will share their real-world experience in licensing, selling, and scaling card designs.
I found Delores’ 5 Cards in 5 Days Challenge at just the right time last year. I had just committed to greeting cards as a niche and saw this challenge. I immediately signed up and devoured everything Delores so generously offered during these five days.
Delores is one of the most generous and kind artists I have had the pleasure of getting to know. She has a vast knowledge of her subject and many years of experience in art and teaching.
During this challenge I learned about a site specifically for artists called CardIsle. Before this challenge, I was only posting my products on Zazzle and not having great success. I learned how to create cards intentionally and then started posting them on CardIsle.
By the end of December, just a few months later, I had sold over 6,000 cards on CardIsle! The Facebook community was, and continues to be, extremely important in my process. She is a gift!
Course Syllabus
In the Fall 2026 Cardmakers Toolkit, you’ll create five (or more) greeting cards in five days using a repeatable, artist-friendly workflow and then level up with deluxe behind-the-scenes resources that help you work faster, try more ideas, and finish with polish. You can work in either Procreate or Affinity Designer. Each day includes a focused workshop plus toolkit assets (templates, deluxe brush set, texture + pattern brushes, pre-painted backgrounds, and lettering tools) so you can build cohesive, sale-ready designs without reinventing the wheel.
You will get:
Day 1: How to Use the Kit Workshop
In this opening workshop, you’ll learn how to build a greeting card layout quickly using the assets and brushes supplied. You’ll explore how to layer well for framing sentiments, how to start from a thumbnail sketch, and how to ink vines and leaves using pressure and taper. You’ll add florals using a combination of stamping and painting, then finish the card using deluxe brushes, textures, and painterly backgrounds included in the Toolkit.
Day 2: Guest Workshop – Greeting Card Expert Session
A successful greeting card expert joins us to share real-world insight into what makes greeting cards work in today’s market. This session covers designing with collections in mind, balancing creativity with commercial appeal, and common mistakes to avoid when preparing cards for sale or licensing.
Day 3: Lettering with Nicole Mauloni
This workshop with Nicole Mauloni of iPad Calligraphy focuses on creating beautiful calligraphy, even if you don’t consider yourself a lettering artist. You’ll learn how to practice and plan, improve consistency through retracing and re-lettering, and prepare lettering that works beautifully on greeting cards.
Day 4: Vanessa Stoilova – Licensing Greeting Cards
Licensing expert Vanessa Stoilova shares how greeting card licensing works and what art directors look for when reviewing collections. You’ll learn how to think beyond single designs, build cohesive series, and prepare your card art for licensing opportunities.
Day 5: Where Can Your Cards Take You?
Live Round Table
We’ll wrap up the week with a relaxed round-table conversation about what comes next for your greeting card art. Delores, Lindy and special guests will share real-world experiences with selling cards, online card platforms, licensing, building collections, and creating new opportunities from the work you’ve already made.
Bring your questions! We’ll talk openly about different paths you can explore, what we’ve learned along the way, and some practical next steps you can take after the Challenge. You’ve made the cards — now let’s talk about where they could take you!
🎨 New for Fall 2026:
Fresh Content, Fresh Designs!
This VIP Upgrade gives you access to the Fall 2026 Edition of the 5 Cards in 5 Days Challenge, with brand-new prompts, tutorials, and bonus resources created just for this season.
👉 Please note: This upgrade includes only the Fall 2026 challenge content.
If you’d like access to all of our previous VIP Challenges and hundreds of card making assets, you can easily add the deluxe VIP Vault at checkout!
What you will learn
You know when I started crafting this course, I envisioned a pathway that would take someone with a spark of interest in cardmaking and guide them to create something truly special. That's exactly what we've achieved here. I've poured all my passion and expertise into ensuring each lesson is packed with insightful tips, clever techniques, and a dash of fun, because learning should be enjoyable, right?
The toolkit you'll get is designed to be your best friend along this journey: it's like having a personal cardmaking mentor at your fingertips. And I've arranged everything with care and with clarity in mind. You'll find progressing through the modules a breeze. Whether it's your first card or your fiftieth, I promise you'll feel the thrill of creativity and the pride of crafting something beautiful to share.
Hi, I'm Delores...
I’m here to guide through the world of cardmaking and creative design. With over 40 years of experience in graphic design, fine art, and theatrical design, my work has been sold and licensed internationally through retailers like Hallmark, Bloomnet, Cardisle and 1-800-Flowers. My teaching is grounded in real-world, hands-on experience and decades of creative exploration across acrylics, ink, markers, and everything digital art related.
At the heart of everything I do is a passion for helping artists discover their unique creative voices. After founding the School of Art following a personal cancer journey, I’ve built a supportive, transformative approach to teaching that empowers growth and confidence. When you join 5 Cards in 5 Days, you’re not just learning to make beautiful cards, you’re developing skills, process, and creative momentum that help your work truly reflect you. Let’s create something unforgettable together.
FAQs
Q: I purchased a VIP Upgrade for a past 5 Cards in 5 Days Challenge. Do I need to purchase this again?
A: Yes — each VIP Upgrade covers the content for that specific challenge only. This Spring 2026 Cardmaker's Toolkit VIP Upgrade includes brand-new tutorials, prompts, and bonuses not available in past challenges.
Q: Does this purchase include the past VIP Challenge content (Spring, Fall 2025 and 2024)?
A: Not automatically. But as a Spring 2026 VIP, you’ll see a special bonus at checkout — you can add the VIP Vault of past challenges to your order there.
Q: I’m brand new! Do I need the VIP Vault as well?
A: Not at all. The Spring 2026 Cardmaker's Tookit VIP Upgrade includes everything you need for this challenge. The Vault is optional and gives you access to past challenge content if you’d like even more designs and inspiration.
Q: What does “lifetime access” mean?
A: When you purchase the VIP Cardmaker's Toolkit or the VIP Vault , you’ll receive lifetime access to the course materials — meaning you’ll be able to revisit all the included resources, recordings, and downloads for as long as this course is available through my school.
Please note that “lifetime access” refers to the lifetime of the course itself, not your personal lifetime. In rare circumstances (for example, if the school is sold, retired, or no longer offered), access may end. My commitment is to keep the content available to you for the foreseeable future so you can return whenever you need inspiration or a refresher.
Q: What if I only signed up for the free Spring 2026 Challenge?
A: You’ll have access to the free challenge hub for 2 weeks. After that, your access will expire — unless you upgrade to VIP.
Q: When does the Spring 2026 Challenge start?
A: The challenge runs March 2nd to the 6th. You’ll get access to some of the VIP content and bonuses just before the challenge starts and drops throughout (aka live replays and other bonuses).
Q: Can I get a refund if it’s not for me?
A: Because this is a digital product with instant access, we don’t offer refunds. But we’re confident you’ll love the creativity and inspiration inside the Spring 2026 VIP experience.
NEW FOR FALL 2026
3 Quick Creative Sessions
Fresh, fun, bite-sized lessons designed to help you use your new Toolkit assets and turn simple ideas into stronger greeting card designs.
From Fall Assets to Finished Card
Follow along as I take the new Fall Toolkit assets from a blank canvas to a finished greeting card, sharing the little design decisions I make along the way.
One Motif, Three Card Ideas
See how one simple piece of artwork can become three very different card layouts without starting over every single time.
The 10-Minute Card Makeover
Watch me take a card that feels almost finished and use a few simple changes in scale, placement, colour and detail to give it that final polish.
From Fall Assets to Finished Card
Follow along as I take the new Fall Toolkit assets from a blank canvas to a finished greeting card, sharing the little design decisions I make along the way.
One Motif, Three Card Ideas
See how one simple piece of artwork can become three very different card layouts without starting over every single time.
The 10-Minute Card Makeover
Watch me take a card that feels almost finished and use a few simple changes in scale, placement, colour and detail to give it that final polish.