Five (x2) for Friday: A National Scrapbooking Day Blog Bop Featuring the Creating Keepsakes Dream Team

Are you ready for National Scrapbooking Day tomorrow? Being strictly a cardmaker myself, I have always just sat on the sidelines and watched from a distance as my editor friends at Creating Keepsakes (and Simple Scrapbooks, too) planned and scrambled and looked forward to the first Saturday in May, the day set aside to celebrate all the goodness in scrapbooking.

Much like they do when I'm planning and scrambling and looking forward to World Card Making Day the first Saturday in October.

But I know that many of you Moxie Fabbers are exclusively scrapbookers, and even more of you are scrapbookers who also make cards, and even more than that of you consider yourselves to be cardmakers who also scrapbook, and so today's blog bop is all about...drum roll please...the layout!

I recently had the chance to work with the Creating Keepsakes Dream Team on a collaborative feature we've got planned for our July/August issue (which you are going to "l-o-v-e" love, by the way--I just saw the first proofs and it is moxie inspiring), and friends, they are just the most delightful girls you could ever hope to e-meet. I've gone and "bopped" to each of their blogs, and boy howdy, I'm just amazed at all the creative inspiration there is in the world.

So, in honor of National Scrapbooking Day, I give you the talented ladies that make up the Creating Keepsakes Dream Team. Check it:

Big Big Dreams Layout by Maggie Holmes

Moxie Fab Alert: Um. Forgive me. But it just doesn't get much more trenderful than this. Maggie prepared this layout for a Studio Calico kit launch, and IMHO, she's used it to trendy perfection. Of note, the cut-out doily banner at the top of her awesome photo, the additional cut-out doilies grounding the bottom of the photo, the delicious white space, the fluttering butterflies, and that teensy cloud at the top? Drool.

Toon Town by Wendy Sue Anderson

Moxie Fab Alert: Wendy created this fun layout for a blog hop for American Crafts and I just love the way the product she chose adds to the pictures. I just want to hop right into that layout and live there for a while, don't you?

Daddy Love Layout by Suzy Plantamura

Moxie Fab Alert: Created for the launch of a kit from A Million Memories, this is one of Suzy's favorite photos of her husband and daughter. Not only is her use of product just gorgeous, but it's perfectly fitting--it's feminine without being too frilly--and since this layout is all about daddy and daughter that's going to be important--and it subtly frames the beautifully captured black and white photograph, letting it be the star of the show. Moxie love!

Explore CA Layout by Sara Winnick

Moxie Fab Alert: I love the treatment of space in this 8 1/2" x 11" layout. Sara's made great use of this format's vertical nature by placing the photos on the right hand side. She capitalizes on the movement in the design by placing that fun title in the center left, the "explore" takes your eye to the top right, you cruise down the photos where your drawn into the journaling. And the "A" and the "N" photos tie it all together. An excellent example of great design!

Moments Layout by Susan Weinroth

Moxie Fab Alert: Let's start with the color scheme. Mmm. Mmm. Let's mention the delicious red and white doily paper at the top of the layout. Let's not forget the cloud paper in the background of the lower half of the layout. Let's also notice the way she's broken up the space: divide in half, divide the top half again. Let's discuss the brilliant pop of red in the title in the lower left hand corner that ties the whole thing in. Let's delight in those cutie-pie photos. Let's.

We Love Shows Layout by Laura Vegas

Moxie Fab Alert: Laura wanted to document her girls' favorite TV shows. I love that she's used groovy tween-ish paper to set the stage, and that she's pulled promo shots from each of their favies. Can't you imagine the sweet trip down memory lane they'll have one day when they look back at this time in their lives, permanently captured on the page?

Secrets Layout by Cindy Tobey

Moxie Fab Alert: The photos are striking--and intriguing--aren't they? They just beg you to look deeper. Using a digital kit from BasicGrey, Cindy has added elements to her layout that you can only do with a digi kit--and I find that intriguing as well. But what intrigues me the most? The "secret" that's being told to Mr. Einstein. If you read the journaling, you see that Cindy's intrigued as well!

Take Flight Layout by Kim Watson

Moxie Fab Alert: This layout just seems so pleasantly cohesive to me. The photo of the children with their arms outstretched towards the sun. The less intense floral background that allows the title and the sun and the flowers and the butterflies and the border to reach out and grab us. The scalloped wood border that grounds it all. And the journaling, the piece de resistance: The warmer weather always puts a spring in your step. The hope that comes with the new season puts dreams to flight. Which is, of course, emphasized by that sweetie banner. Yum.

Today Layout by Jen Jockisch

Moxie Fab Alert: In this layout it is clear: it all starts with the photo. Everything in this layout works to emphasize that colorful, yet tender photo of a mother and daughter who have shared a bittersweet moment together. I love the soft, vintage nature of both the textures and the colors in this layout and how they all work together so well to make the photo shine.

Mom! Layout by Deena Wuest, originally published in the June 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine

Moxie Fab Alert: Can you say balance? Can you say using typographical elements to emphasize a concept? Can you say delicious color scheme? Can you say fantastic photos? Can you say heartfelt and creative journaling? Can you say moxie fab?

Tell me what you love about these layouts, friends. Or tell me about how you are planning on celebrating National Scrapbooking Day. Or tell me why you love to scrapbook. Or tell me how your scrapbooking and cardmaking experiences are similar and how they are different. Any and all comments of these nature are welcome, and to celebrate, I'd love to give one random winner something yummy from my magical prize drawer. Just be sure and comment by midnight MDT on Sunday, May 2 in order to be eligible to win.

To see how Creating Keepsakes is celebrating National Scrapbooking Day and for a TON of ideas on how to party it up, click HERE!

Happy National Scrapbooking Day to all my scrapbooking friends,

~Cath

The Three Cheers for Chairs Challenge

What is it about chairs?

There's a certain je ne sais quoi about them that I find to be quite charming. Is it because there are so many styles of chairs that we can pick and choose to suit our moods? Is it because they are so functional and necessary while at the same time being so comfortable and hospitable that they have become so chair-ished?

Whatever the reason, we gave three cheers for the trendy chair in our May/June Moxie Fabs column (pp. 24-26), and I thought we'd have some fun celebrating them here in the Moxie Fab World as well! Check it:

Herman Miller Airport Chair Notecard from cricicis

Mini Chair Necklace from litsyleopardcouture

Eames Chairs Wood Costers from mediumcontrol

Hand Printed Linoleum Cut Brown Chair Pillows from RainyPrints

Egg Chair Screenprint from JasonHillDesign

A Crow and a Chair Giclee Collage Print from CafeBaudelaire

Antique Chair Clutch from Ikestaedt

Whimsical Chair Necklace from SparklePeach

School Chair Print from meganhobson

Notebook with Chairs from cricicis

Green Chairs from the Tuileries Garden Photo from littlebrownpen

French Summerhouse Chair 1 Digital Download from shabbycottagestudio

Family Portrait 5 from mywireempire

Eames Lounge Chair Print in Cornflower blue from treasurydesigns

Curry Antique Chair Notecards from MollieDogPaper

Chairs Blank Cards from paintedfishstudio

Chair Silhouette Notecards from annechovie

Chair of Joy Art Print from DanaKomjaty

Blue Chair Postcard from cricicis

Barcelona Chair Notebook from annacote

Antique Chair from LuckyBluebirdArt

The cool thing about this chair trend is that there is a TON of product in the paper crafting industry from which to create our masterpieces. Here are three moxie fab cards from the column. See if you recognize these products:

Take a Load Off Card by Kim Kesti, p. 25

Moxie Fab Alert: In this punny card, Kim has fussy-cut a chair from the Conversation Piece patterned paper from the Home Front collection by Studio Calico.

Chic Style Card by Jessica Witty, p. 25

Moxie Fab Alert: In this gorgeous card, the Victorian sofa is a rub-on from Glitz Design.

Relax Mom Card by Tiffany Johnson, p. 26

Moxie Fab Alert: In this fun card, Tiffany has used the Furnishing Fun stamp set from Schlosser Designs.

I bet you're already thinking of all the fun product you could use for this challenge. I know, right?

So does this sound like fun or what? Here's the drill:

• Create a project (card, gift bag, tag, layout, home decor item, mini-book cover, etc.) that incorporates a chair/couch/sofa of any style in an innovative way.
• Upload it to your blog, click on your blog's title, copy the URL, and add it to Mr. Linky below.
• Tell your readers that you've created your project for the Three Cheers for Chairs Challenge in the Moxie Fab World and link it back to this post to encourage your readers to play along as well.
  
• If you don't have a blog, upload your project to this flickr gallery, copy the URL to your project, and add it to Mr. Linky below. Make sure you set the security on your photo so that I can copy it. If I can't copy the image, I won't be able to offer it as a winning entry.
  
• Upload your projects by midnight MDT on Monday, May 10.
• The winning entries will be shown on this blog on Wednesday, May 12 and will receive an "I'm Moxie Fab" challenge winner button as well as a moxie fab prize.

No "arm chair" quarterbacking, now! Let's all get in the game!

Getting off my duff,

~Cath

PS To see the rest of the Three Cheers for Chairs article, go to pages 24-26 of the May/June issue of Paper Crafts magazine!

PPS Did you know? My GOOD FRIENDS at Unity Stamp Company are celebrating their second birthday this week! And guess what? We Moxie Fabbers get to be in on a special part of their celebration! Leave some love by midnight MDT on Sunday, May 2 saying what you love most about Unity and/or the image you love best in today's post and why and you'll have a chance to win one of these brand new Unity kits that use the latest and greatest moxie fab images from Cosmo Cricket:



Two random winners will each receive the following:

One of these moxie fab Cosmo kits
Five sheets of 12X12 Material Girl paper
One 6X6 Material Girl mini deck

For more of the party, be sure and stop by Unity's blog and the Cosmo Cricket blog today!

The Get Sketchy Challenge Winners

Ohmyohmyohmy but we had some fun with the Get Sketchy Challenge as part of our Go-to Sketches Week celebration, didn't we?

Ohmyohmyohmy!

I love what all y'all did with the sentiments in the speech/thought bubble! I also loved that some of you turned the speech/thought bubble into other things such as clouds. The creativity just astounds me, friends!

And even though I really liked what Angela Fehr, Tanis, Kristyn R., Rachel Schumacher, and Jessica Rosario did with the challenge, the five winning entries are listed below. Check it:

Smile Card by Valerie

Moxie Fab Alert: Not only do I moxie love the trendy camera, tape, graph paper, and numbers that this card uses, but the punny sentiment in the speech bubble is moxie fab!

It's a Boy! Card by Linda E.

Moxie Fab Alert: What's not to love about this little birdie announcing the new arrival? And that clothesline? And those baby boy clothes hanging from it? Moxie cute!

You Totally Rock Card by Brenda Weaver

Moxie Fab Alert: I love the trendy masculine edge in this card that is so not overdone. Love the silhouette, love the supah cool yellow pop big brad, and I moxie love that it's attached with twine. Just like it says--this card totally rocks!

No Place Like Home Card by Lorena (Paperella)

Moxie Fab Alert: Does it get any cuter than this? Those sweet little snails travelin' on down their rick rack road with that punny little sentiment? I think not.

Life is Good Card by Shemaine Smith

Moxie Fab Alert: Life is always good when you capture a funny black and white photo like this and put it on a card. And when that card is made out of kraft with all that swirly goodness--the effect is moxie fab!

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who played! This was a really fun challenge, that's fo sho!

Winners, you must send me an email to cedvalson@papercraftsmag.com within two weeks in order to claim your prize. Make sure you include your address and that you put "Get Sketchy Challenge Winner" in the subject line. I'll respond early next week with your "I'm Moxie Fab" challenge winner badges for your blogs.

What kind of fun will we be having next? Be sure and tune in tomorrow for a challenge you will chair-ish! Oh! I probably just let the cat out of the bag now, didn't I! And what cat wouldn't want to be let of any bag it was tucked inside, anyway?

Sketched and out,

~Cath

PS I'm feeling generous today, so leave some love for these sketchy winners and I'll find something yummy from my magic prize drawer for one lucky winner. Just be sure and comment by midnight MDT on Sunday, May 2!

Tuesday Trigger: Poolside Inspiration

This week's Tuesday Trigger comes to us from Veronica Ramsey:

Wood-Slat Sectional from West Elm

Here's Veronica's take on the Trigger:

Veronica says: Hello, Cath! I thought I would enter your Tuesday Trigger with this email that I got from West Elm. This ad just spoke to me because it reminded me of spring and summer rolled into one! I tried to get their pillows in my stamped image (Stampin' Up! stamp and Papertrey Ink sentiment) with a little of the rattan in my caramel strip.

Cath says: I just love the way Veronica has incorporated both the colors and the textures found in the Trigger in her project! Moxie fab!

Ooooo the possibilities! If you're interested in playing along, here's the drill:

• Create a paper crafted project that is inspired by the Trigger that Veronica has provided and post it to your blog.
• Then, click on the title of your blog post, copy the URL at the top, and link it using Mr. Linky below.
• Please show the Trigger on your blog and link back to the Tuesday Trigger to encourage your readers to play along as well.
• Please include a statement as to how and why you were inspired as sometimes it isn't easy to tell. :)
• If you don't have a blog, post your project to this flickr group and link it to Mr. Linky as soon as you've grabbed the URL.

Easy peasy and TONS o' fun!

Here are last week's Trigger Targets: Dani, Be(e), kasia c., Shauna, and Jinny Newlin. Congrats to these ladies who rocked the Trigger provided by Marley--and thanks to everyone who gave it a go!

Are you interested in providing next week's Tuesday Trigger? If so, please send me your trigger image, the project you created based on that image, and a blurb about how and why you were inspired. Please include your full name, your blog URL, and be sure that it hasn't appeared on your blog prior to your submission. Some tips for getting selected? Make sure your trigger image is seasonal, photographed beautifully, and different from anything else we've done. Your project should be well-executed and include no more than two photos. Send this to me at triggertuesday@gmail.com. If you have questions, feel free to contact me there with those as well!

Ready? Set! Trigger!

~Cath

Winnerday!

Ready? Set! Scroll!

The lucky winners of the Fly a Kite collection from October Afternoon in last week's Moxie Monday are:

Bethany Paull who said...

I'd be making fabulous sunny, summer inspired cards for sure. Just look at those amazing colors!

and Chris S. who said...

Perfect timing! Our fair city hosted a Kite Festival yesterday and was it ever fun - especially for our 5 and 3 year old grandsons! The 3 year old even sang, "Let's go fly a kite, up to the highest height..." So wouldn't this product line just be perfect to scrapbook those photos from the Kite Festival?!

Congratulations to these winners and thanks to everyone who left comments last week!

Winners, you must send me your address in an email to cedvalson@papercraftsmag.com with the collection you won in the subject line within two weeks of this date in order to claim your prize. I can't wait to hear from you!

I love Winnerday,

~Cath

Moxie Monday: Hello Sunshine from Lily Bee Design

Needing some sunshine in your life? I've got just the thing--the Hello Sunshine collection from Lily Bee Design. Bright, happy, cheerful, trendy--it's sure to bring some joy to your world no matter what the scene is outside your window. Check it:

Posies

Fly a Kite

Picnic

Savannah

Blueberry Pie

Twirl

Rub-Ons

Die-Cut Frames

Chipboard Stickers

You likey? Leave me a comment by midnight MDT on Sunday, May 2 and I'll send some *sunshine* to two random winners!

Hello sunshine!

~Cath

PS Today's the last day to load up your Tuesday Triggers and your Get Sketchy challenge entries! I can't wait to check 'em out! :)