Written by Amy Schroeder

For our third collaboration with West Elm, the home decor company selected 106 of their favorite Minted prints from more than 5,000 submissions. Now that the winning art is appearing in West Elm locations around the U.S., Minted artists are stopping by to see their work on display.

Here, four Minted artists share photographs of their work at West Elm locations, along with their thoughts about the experience.

West Elm in Denver, Colorado (Photos by Holly Royval)

Holly Royval of Denver, Colorado | “Fire Grass”

“The original is only a 5” x 7,” so it’s really cool to see it blown up so much larger. West Elm is my favorite store, and the first West Elm + Minted collaboration is what made me aware of Minted and got me involved. To see my art hanging in the store is a dream come true.”

Monica Cheng of South Houston, Texas
Photo taken at West Elm in Dallas, Texas
“Let Go and Soar” (orange balloon) | “Let Go and Hope” (blue balloon)

“When I received the announcement email, I scanned the winners’ list for my name, felt my heart leap, and then returned to changing a poopy diaper and putting my 2-year-old down for his nap. (Insert happy dance.) This pretty much sums up the overlapping worlds of a mommy artist, and I love it. It still feels pretty surreal and humbling to know my work is on display among those of beautifully talented artists. I feel super thankful for the opportunity that Minted has extended through this partnership.”

Hi Uan Kang Haaga of Washington, D.C.
“Pink Moon” [ 1 ]  | “Blue Moon and Orange Sun” [ 4 ]  |  “Moonlight Rain”  [ 6 ]

“My husband and I took our three kids to the store on a Sunday afternoon, and the kids loved jumping around on the furniture and kept asking if it was really my work on the walls. I’m really pleased with the print quality of the work. Although the West Elm prints are larger than my original work, the colors are accurate and crisp, and look great in West Elm frames.”

Kelsey McNatt of Denver, Colorado
From top: “Directional Arrows” | “Native Bison” | “The Antler”

“It was so exciting walking in the door and seeing my art front and center. I have a couple other personal pieces in the West Elm Denver local section, but I felt really proud to see these three pieces together. Knowing that they were handpicked is really special.”

Written by Heather Lee

Recently, we asked our community to submit their most fun and festive kid’s birthday party invitation designs for our “You are Invited!” Quickfire Children’s Birthday Party challenge. We received a whopping 1,356 submissions and, to help us sort through the amazing entries, we asked superchic blogger and wardrobe stylist (and mama to adorable Parker!) Jen Pinkston of The Effortless Chic to be our guest judge. Her winning pick? “Party Favors” by Jennifer Wick.

“I love all of the birthday invite submissions, but my favorite is “Party Favors” by Jennifer Wick. I love the simplicity of it and am always a sucker for polka dots!”
—Jen Pinkson of The Effortless Chic

Thank you so much, Jen, and congratulations, Jennifer Wick! You can also check out (and purchase!) all of the winning children’s birthday party invitations here.

Written by Caroline Jung

For our Quickfire Valentine’s Day art challenge, we called on our artist community to create pieces that would make the perfect gift for a loved one. For this art challenge, we were particularly looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day gifts for men—whether for a husband, father, or brother. We loved seeing the graphic illustrations, unique customizable keepsakes, and modern typographical pieces that you designed. Congratulations to all winners!

Out of the (Candy) Box Award for the most creative and innovative take on a Valentine’s art print
“Gold Standard” by Keen Peachy

Perfect Gift for Him Award for the most unique art gift for him
“License Memories” by Johanna Phillips Huuva

All you need is Love Award  for the best typographical piece that showcases a quote, piece of poetry, or literature in the public domain
“How do I Love Thee” by Fatfatin

Foil-Pressed Award for the best piece incorporating a foil-pressed element
“Heart Stripe” by Cindy C Lackey

Click through to see more special prize winners from the Quickfire Valentine’s Day Art Challenge …

Written by Kaitlyn McCoy

One of the highlights for new parents is announcing the birth of their baby. The unveiling of all the precious details is almost as memorable to family and friends as it is to the parents themselves. We asked you, our talented Minted Community, to “wow” us with your creativity. We were beyond wowed with everyone’s gorgeous designs! Congratulations to all the winners and runners-up!

The Trifecta Award based on the strength of submissions to this challenge: Susan Brown
We selected one designer to receive guaranteed placement in the Minted catalog,
a homepage banner and email to help build his or her brand on the site.

“Sibs” | “My Name” | “Big Bird“

Collection Award for the designer who is guaranteed at least five total picks across the challenge and other challenges in the baby & kids category in the next year to build a design collection on Minted: Olivia Raufman

“Baby Bracket” | “Petite Deco” | “Simple Hi” | “Two Lines” | “Simply Classic“

Innovation Award for the most out-of-the-box birth announcement
that you would never find on other online sites
“Woodland Animals”  by Cynthia Oswald

Runners-Up: “Teddy” by Lisa Cersovsky | “membership expiring” by Dawn Jasper
“Canvas Snapshot” by Alethea and Ruth | “Bevel” by Laura Hankins

Traditional with a Twist Award for the best classic, elegant design
“Longhand”  by toast & laurel

Runners-Up: “Engraved” by Katie Wahn | “Fancy” by Oscar & Emma | “Simply Framed” by Ling
“Flourished Joy” by Erika Firm

Best Use of a Shape Award for the best design specifically
created for one of our die-cut shapes
“Woodland Bunny”  by Pistols

Runners-Up: “Floral Bounty” by Itsy Belle Studio | “Twinkle Wreath” by Stylisti
“Sugar & Spice” by Jessie Steury

Click through to see more special prize winners from our invitation challenge…

Written by Caroline Jung

We’re excited to announce the long-awaited special prize winners for our Minted x Domino Art Challenge! For this challenge, we asked our Minted community of designers to create modern, chic art prints that would provide the perfect complement to Domino magazine’s fresh, design-forward style. We were so impressed by the eclectic mix of beautiful and unique pieces you submitted! Congrats to all our winners!

Avant-Garde Award for the best edgy art print that pushes boundaries
“Up Down and Back Around” by Christina Flowers

Photography Award for the best photographic art print
“Let’s Go” by SylvieCeres Designs

Nature Award for the best piece with a new perspective on everyday organic elements, whether it be naturally occurring curvilinear lines, an abstracted shot, or a detailed close-up
“Oyster Blues” by Christa Cariddi

Abstract Award for the best abstract painting or illustration
“Morning River” by Lauren Adams

Click through to see more special prize winners from the Minted x Domino Art Challenge …