The World Tour of Card Making: Day 3

I am basking in the glow of this fun-filled week in which we are making so many new friends, aren't you? So far we've been to Europe, the UK, and Australia, and today we're going to venture into some seriously exotic territory as the World Tour of Card Making continues.

But first, some logistics. The train is going to be going extremely fast today because we have so much ground (and ocean!) to cover. So, I highly recommend that you load up on carbs with your favorite muffin or pastry, and that you grab yourself some strong coffee. You've just got to keep your energy up on this busy day that marks the mid-point of our week-long tour. And you brought your comfiest pair of shoes, right? I'm just sayin'.

Are you ready? Can you hear the chug of the train? Let's get ready to roll! Pulling out of the London station, in just mere minutes we find ourselves in Morocco with this clean and graphic card by Travelingmama:

Things I Love Card (inside it says, "...but most of all, you!)

Next stop? Japan! Check out this cute card by Laura:

Enjoy Today Card

From Japan, we travel to Singapore with this beautiful card by Emeline Seet:

So Chic Card

Next stop? The Dominican Republic with this fun ensemble by Odette:

Holiday Treat Ensemble

...and Puerto Rico with this sweet card by Joan:

Live, Laugh, Love Card

Our last stop of the day? The Phillipines with this fun-ky card by Iris:

Wish Card

Aren't these just amazing projects, friends? Be sure and stop by all these inspiring blogs so you can see their World Card Making Day cards, get to know them better, and leave a comment.

Travelingmama

Laura

Emeline

Odette

Joan

Iris

For not only is this week all about spreading the card making love in preparation for World Card Making Day on Saturday, but it's also about having a chance to win some moxie fab prizes! And the more you comment, the better your chances of winning! Today's moxie fab line-up is as follows:

Yuletide, Volume 1; Vintage Automobiles; Enjoy Life; Wildflowers, Volume 2; All Occasions; and Yuletide, Volume 2 rubber stamp sets from Darkroom Door

Vacation, Instants, and Birthday collections from Spanish Memories

Nook and Pantry Collection from BasicGrey

So head on over and drool, comment, make a new friend, and possibly win this super duper prize!

We've got just two more days left on our World Tour, friends! I wonder which countries are left? Make sure you stop by tomorrow and see!

Loving all this globe trotting,

~Cath

PS Make sure you stop by the Paper Crafts Connection blog today to read Go-to Gal Kim Hughes' tips on mass-producing cards--an important aspect of the holiday card making season which is kicked off by World Card Making Day!

PPS Are you radiant for gradient? If so, you'll be interested to know that the original deadline I posted for the Gradient is Radiant Challenge is incorrect! You now have an additional week to work up your projects. The new deadline is midnight MDT on Monday, October 12. So get your gradient on and rock this challenge all the way to the 12th!

PPSS Are you a paper crafter from anywhere else in the world besides Canada, the United States, and the countries we've already covered? If so, link your blog up here so we can be inspired by you as well!

The World Tour of Card Making: Day 2

Wasn't the "scenery" in Europe just so beautiful, friends? I can see that all y'all had a moxie fab time on Day 1 of our tour through Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Poland, and Croatia. I peeked at all the comments you left on the designers' blogs, and seriously, I don't know when I've felt so much blog love, friends! Isn't this just so much fun? Did you make some new friends? Did you subscribe to some new feeds? I know I did!

Today's "scenery" is just as amazing, as we tour the card making meccas of the United Kingdom and Australia.

I hear the train's whistle a-blowin', so we'd better settle in, buckle up, and hang on for the ride!

What I love most about our tour around the world is seeing the different styles that are popular in each different country. Let's stop in Australia first.

Teresa Abajo:

Discovery Art Box

Kaz:

Little Bundle of Joy Card

and Carole Janson:

Birdie Banner Birthday Card

Across a Really Big Pond to the United Kingdom, we begin with Kim Dellow:

Autumnal Card

Rach:

One of a Kind Card

Kath:

Just for You Card

Andrea:

Feel Better Turtle Card

and Lucy:

Penguin Christmas Card

Again, leave a comment here in the Moxie Fab World saying anything you'd like about today's tour, THEN visit each of these blogs, for each one of these inspiring designers has created a card for World Card Making Day that they'd love to share with you!

Teresa

Kaz

Carole

Kim

Rach

Kath

Andrea

Lucy

Click on their blogs, drool over their World Card Making Day cards, noodle around in their archives, subscribe to their feeds, and then leave a comment for each one of them on today's post as well. Better than that, you'll better your chances of making a new friend and gaining new sources of inspiration!

Each time you leave a comment, you will increase your chances to win these fun products from manufacturers in England, Ireland, and Australia:

Stardust & Moonbeams Stamp Set, Handmade Girl Stamp, Mini Messages--A Little Hello Stamp Set from Elzybells Art Stamps

Duchess Collection, Loire Valley Collection, and Pina Colada Collection from Kaisercraft

Very Vintage Christmas, Off Beat Backgrounds, Gingerbread Joy--Oven Fresh, and Gingerbread Joy--Half Baked stamp sets from Waltzingmouse Stamps

All comments must be made by midnight on Sunday, October 4. All international comments will be eligible to win the prize. :)

Phew? How you holdin' up? Better rest up because tomorrow we're going to some exotic places, and we're covering so much territory, you'll definitely want to wear some comfortable shoes!

The world is getting smaller each and every day,

~Cath

PS Be sure and click on over to Paper Crafts Connection today where Susan Opel is talking about ways to celebrate World Card Making Day on October 3--and she's got a KI Memories give-away as well!

PPS Are you a paper crafter from the UK or Australia who shows projects on her blog? If so, link it up here so we can get to know you as well!

Winnerday!

Hi friends! We're taking a break from our World Tour of Card Making for just a minute so I can announce the winners from last week's Comment-to-Win! We'll resume our travels momentarily. :)

I'm pleased to announce that...

Mel who said...
Soft and simple, the earth shows its love in beauty and bounty...Earth Love brings the pleasure of a summer morning to your pages and projects with simplicity and whimsey.

and nina who said...
Love this collection! I would definitely use it for all of our camping pictures - they'd be perfect.

are the winners of the Cosmo Cricket Earth Love collection from last week's Moxie Monday!

Congratulations, ladies! To claim your prizes, send me your addresses in an email to cedvalson@papercraftsmag.com with the prize you won in the subject line and I'll get those out to you right away. And remember, international winners will receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Paper Crafts magazine instead.

Oh! I hear the whistle blowing for the World Tour of Card Making--better get our tushies back on the train! See you in the UK and Australia!

Your traveling companion,

~Cath

The World Tour of Card Making: Day 1

All aboard! Take out your tickets and grab your seats, friends, for the Moxie Fab Express is about to pull out of the station!

Make sure you're nice and comfy, for the World Tour of Card Making is officially underway! In the next five days we'll be stopping in some of the world's most amazing countries as we count down to World Card Making Day! And while the Internet has made the world a whole lot smaller in terms of giving us access to all cultures with the click of a mouse, our paper crafting world is about to get a whole lot bigger, this time with the click of the translate button!

Our first stop: Europe! Feast your eyes on these beautiful projects by today's moxie fab tour guides:

Peet from Belgium:

Feel Better Soon Card

Vanessa from Germany:

Sweet Birthday Card

Berdien Weideveld from the Netherlands:

Brown & Red Birthday Card

Bibbi from Norway:

Beautiful Blank Card

Tesa from Sweden:

Paris Card

Mirabeel from Poland:

Flowers & Hearts Card

Nina from Croatia:

Butterfly Birthday Card

Chimene from the Netherlands:

Tea Time Layout

and Ingvild Bolme from Norway:

80 Years Old Card

How's that for the first day of our tour? I know I'm inspired!

Now, friends, there's much more fun to be had. I've got a prize package consisting of all this waiting for one lucky winner:

Doilies, Sewing, and Elegant Labels Rub-ons from Hambly Screen Prints

Labels 8 Dies and Impressabilities Flourishes from Spellbinders

Game of Chance Bingo stamp, Embellished Season stamp set, and Vintage Postcard stamp from Unity Stamp Company

Postcards from Paris collection from Webster's Pages

Leave a comment here in the Moxie Fab World saying anything you'd like about today's tour, THEN visit each of these blogs, for each one of these inspiring designers has created a card for World Card Making Day that they'd love to share with you!

Peet

Vanessa

Berdien

Bibbi

Tesa

Mirabeel

Nina

Chimene

Ingvild

Click on their blogs, drool over their World Card Making Day cards, noodle around in their archives, and then leave a comment for each one of them on today's post as well. Leave a comment on each blog, and increase your chances of winning! Better than that, you'll better your chances of making a new friend and gaining new sources of inspiration!

All comments must be made by midnight MDT (USA) on Sunday, October 4. All international comments will be eligible to win the prize. :)

The train will leave again in the morning, friends, so take your time, share the love, and enjoy the ride!

See you next time in Australia and the UK (yep, this is one amazing train!),

~Cath

PS You might notice that Berdien doesn't have a World Card Making Day card for you today. She had a family emergency at the last minute, but I still wanted you to see her inspiring blog anyway. :)

PPS Here are some more ways to Countdown to World Card Making Day:

• Are you in the mood to go on an additional tour? Click here for access to 25 blogs with coupon codes to receive 25% off your entire purchase in the Paper Crafts online store.
• The global celebration continues on Paper Crafts Connection where Kelly is spotlighting the UK publication, PaperCraft Inspirations.
• Check out the World Card Making Day website for ways to celebrate on October 3 in style!

PPSS If you live in Europe and have a blog that features the paper crafted projects that you make, link it here! We'd all l-o-v-e to meet you!

Five for Friday: Get Ready for the World Tour of Card Making!

We're counting down to World Card Making Day, friends! Just 8 more days and we'll all be celebrating together!

And since this is the Moxie Fab World, what better way to countdown to the Big Day than by making new friends all over the globe?

That's just what I've got up my sleeve for you beginning Monday of next week. That's right. Each day next week we'll visit the blogs of different card makers from all over the world. You'll not only have the chance to meet them, see their work, add more inspiring resources to your feeds, and make new friends, but you'll also have LOTS OF CHANCES to win some amazing prizes along the way!

Let me give you an idea of what I'm talking about here. On Day 1 of our World Tour, we'll stop by Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Poland, and Sweden:



On Day 2 of our World Tour we'll land in Australia and the United Kingdom:

On Day 3 we'll find ourselves in the Dominican Republic, Japan, Morocco, the Phillipines, Puerto Rico, and Singapore:

On Day 4 we'll spend some time in Canada:


And we'll wind up our tour in the United States on Day 5:

And prizes? Well my goodness! I've lined up goodies from American Crafts, BasicGrey, Cosmo Cricket, Darkroom Door, Elzybells Art Stamps, Fontwerks, Hambly Screen Prints, K&Company, Kaisercraft, Kodomo, Making Memories, Papertrey Ink, Pink Paislee, Spanish Memories, Spellbinders, Upsy Daisy Designs, Unity Stamp Company, Waltzingmouse Stamps, and Webster's Pages.

Phew! You're going to need to rest up this weekend to make sure you're ready to start hoppin'! In the meantime, make sure you check out the Blog Tour page on the World Card Making Day website where you can click on some amazing blogs to get World Card Making Day inspiration AND coupon codes that will enable you to receive 25% off your entire purchase in the Paper Crafts online store! (Just in time for Christmas!)

Also, if you're planning on hosting a World Card Making Day event on your blog on World Card Making Day, you can link it up with Mr. Linky here so everyone can stop by and say hello!

Doesn't this all just sound like so much fun?

Wondering how many pairs of shoes I'll need to pack for the World Tour,

~Cath

PS See you in Europe on Monday! ;)

Gradient is Radiant: The Next Moxie Fab World Challenge

Straight from the runway, our next challenge is inspired by the moxie fab effect that is achieved by color changing gradually. Called gradient color, or ombre, it's been all over haute couture as of late:

Notice how the colors in the first two dresses on the left move from a lighter to darker or darker to lighter palette from the bottom up. In the photo on the right, the model's tights are gradient.

Gradually, gradient has been making its way into mainstream fashion, scrapbooking product, and even home decor:

BCBGMAXAZRIA Ombre Mini Skirt from mywardrobe.com

Biographie Ombre Crinkle Maxi Skirt from Macy's

Pink Ombre Damask MacBook Sleeve from bellamela

Gradient Goodness Scarf rom dahliascarf

Fading Thicket Skirt from Anthropologie

NYLA Pink Gradient Patent Leather Pumps from Stylehive

Vignette from Linnie Bell Collection by Pebbles Inc.

Brocade from Linnie Bell Collection by Pebbles Inc.

Brocade from Just Chillin' Girl collection by Making Memories

Gradients Fine Art Print from evolveartstudio

Flamenco Shower Curtain from Anthropologie

...which was all the inspiration we needed for theMoxie Fabs column in the September/October 2009 issue of Paper Crafts magazine, just in time for fall:

Love Yourself Card by Kim Kesti, p. 25

Season of Change Card by Betsy Veldman, p. 26

Shimmering Boo Card by Celeste Rockwood-Jones, p. 24

In the projects above, the designers have used related shades of cardstock and glitter to achieve their respective gradient effects. In the two other projects in the magazine, each used related shades of ink to achieve their gradient effects. I'd love to see how you use those ideas, or add some of your own for ways to show how radiant gradient can really be!

Are you up to the challenge? Here's how to proceed from here:

1. Create a paper crafted project (card, gift bag, tag, layout, home decor, etc.) that incorporates some kind of gradient color treatment.


2. Upload a photo of your project to your blog, come back here and post the URL to your project page (not your main blog URL) in the Mr. Linky box below. Post a link to the Moxie Fab World in your blog's text to encourage your readers to see the other projects that have been linked and to try the challenge themselves.


3. If you don't have a blog, go to this Flickr gallery, upload your photo, and post the URL to your project (not the group) in the Mr. Linky box below.
   
   
4. Accomplish this task by midnight MDT on Monday, October 12. The winning entries will be showcased on this blog on Wednesday, October 14 and will receive a truly moxie fab prize!

Whaddayatink? I think this challenge is exciting because it's so different from many that we've done before. And just like a few weeks ago when you we stretched our holiday style, I think this challenge has the same kind of moxie fab imagination-stretching properties. Seriously, I can't WAIT to see what innovative approaches you take with this one! I hope you're excited, too! :)

Radiating in gradient color,

~Cath

ETA: The deadline for the challenge has been extended one week from the original date of Monday, October 5 to Monday, October 12! Now you have even more time to get your gradient on! Woot!