The Gray is the New Black Challenge

The next challenge in the Moxie Fab World comes straight from the pages of the January/February issue, my friends!

The Gray is the New Black feature highlights a trend that has been evolving for over two years now, as we first called out in the March/April 2009 Moxie Fabs column. In that column entitled "Say Yes! to Yellow and Gray," I noticed the unlikely combination of yellow and gray taking center stage in the world of fashion in particular. We did a challenge on it here in the Moxie Fab World, and before you knew it, we were all dreaming in yellow and gray.

Soon, I started noticing orange and gray together, and at the National Stationery Show in May of last year, the color of the year to pair with gray was chartreuse. It seems that indeed, gray has become THE hottest neutral around, and we challenged the designers on our Paper Crafts designers' list to contribute their approaches to the trend for our January/February issue.

Here are a few of my favorites from the feature:

Woodgrain Hello Card by Julia Stainton, p. 58

Moxie Fab Alert: Gray goes well with every color, but I love the way that Julia has used the neutral is the focal points rather than as the background. The fact that she incorporated a wood grain image in the design makes it all the more trendy.

Cherish Tag by Heidi Van Laar, p. 62

Moxie Fab Alert: Sometimes the simplest approach has the most impact. In this lovely tag, Heidi has just paired white with gray for maximum pow!

I Heart U Card by Ellie Augustin, p. 63

Moxie Fab Alert: I love the way Ellie has used red as the pop in her card. Not only is red a hot color to pair with gray, but it emphasizes the sentiment focal point as well. In addition, note the way Ellie has mixed styles here--an elegant background, which creates texture and dimension--with a fun and cute sentiment. It works because the sentiment is so simple and she hasn't complicated it with additional elements.

Lifetime of Love Card by Kalyn Kepner, p. 62

Moxie Fab Alert: In this moxie gorgeous card, Kalyn has layered other luxurious neutrals such as brown velvet ribbon and cream crocheted trim to give her card texture and dimension. The floral focal point with its natural green foliage underscores the inherent elegance of the card and delivers us to the delicate pearls, dew drops on a tapestry of gray.

Inspiring, yes?

Here are a few more images to whet your creative whistle:

Color Combo - Orange and Gray from Apartment Therapy

Photo from The Happiness School - Amanda Nisbet's Joyful Spaces via Decorati Access

Chic Gray and Pink Bedroom from Decor Pad

Rose Landscape Shade from Anthropologie

Embroidered Swirl Flower Pillow cover from SistudioDesign on Etsy

Numbers Napkin from cb2

Layered Damask Rug from Anthropologie

Silk Georgette Knot Front Top from Ann Taylor

Modern Gray and Purple Kitchen Furniture from Interior Design Decorating

Wingspan Heels from Anthropologie

Things Past necklace from Anthropologie

Bows and Berries Sheet Set from Anthropologie

XRay Platter from cb2

642 Things to Draw from cb2

Whaddayatink? Are you ready to take on this moxie fab challenge? If so, here are the deets you'll need to join in on all the fun:

• Create a paper crafted project (card, gift bag, tag, layout, home decor item, mini-book cover, etc.) that incorporates gray in an innovative way.
• Upload it to your blog, click on the title of that post, copy the URL, and add it to Mr. Linky below.
• Tell your readers that you've created your project for the Gray is the New Black 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.
• Upload your projects by midnight MDT on Monday, January 24.
• The winning entries will be shown on this blog on Wednesday, January 26 and will receive an "I'm Moxie Fab" challenge winner button as well as a moxie fab prize.

Graying it up,

~Cath