The Card Design Handbook Week Challenge Winners

Oh my friends! I know we editors from Paper Crafts magazine had some sense of how much inspiration we had to offer in Card Design Handbook, but I'm not sure we quite understood its depth. I mean, not only did 875 of you give these challenges a try, but I was blown away by the way all y'all took these lessons to heart. It didn't just show up in your designs, but in the way you talked about your designs.

As a former teacher, I can't tell you how gratifying it was to read about how you approached the design, or how you incorporated the lesson, or what aspect of the design concept was difficult for you, or how deep you had to dig to take a risk and give it a try. I loved how you talked about the movement in your design, how you'd never tried an asymmetrical card before but how glad you were to have given it a go, how you never really thought about a focal point in the past but now you understand how important they are, etc., etc., etc. I could go on and on.

And I would go on and on, but we've got a lot of ground to cover today, and I know you're eager to see the winners of this inspiring set of challenges. So let's get this party started, shall we?

May I have a drum roll, please?

The winners of the Focal Point Challenge are:

 Hello Card by Cindy Holshouser

Moxie Fab Alert: This card is so beautiful and so clever all at the same time I can hardly stand it. To pair an old-fashioned phone dial with the sentiment "hello"? Get out of town! The soft colors and the vintage details simply add to the old-time mood of the card. And I'm telling you what, when you combine such a unique focal point with such an apropos sentiment and then pull the eye in with a pretty little flower and some dyed seam binding, it's pretty much a shoe-in for a challenge-winning project emphasizing focal point in design.

Everything is Rosy Card by Karen Dunbrook

Moxie Fab Alert: This card is all about the flower. It's big, it's pretty, and the center is popped up to grab your eye immediately. The washi tape and scoring are there to ground the floral centerpiece, and the pearls balance out that supah fun sentiment. I mean, talk about a clever tie-in to the focal point, friends! I absolutely adore the fact that nothing is wasted on this card whatsoever. Every single element has a purpose that is maximized to its fullest potential. This card is perfectly, expertly executed and one of the best examples of focal point I could ever hope to see.

The winners of the Movement Challenge are:

Praying for You Card by Nerina

Moxie Fab Alert: The movement in this card is not only fluid and lovely, but it is also beautifully symbolic. As your eye begins at the bottom left of the card and is swept upward by the sweet butterflies of varying sizes, it is as though the very prayer being offered is lifted upward as well. The word that most comes to mind when I think of the movement in this card? Poetic.

We Click Card by Jocelyn Olson

Moxie Fab Alert: I don't know about you, but sometimes I find it difficult to discern movement in some clean and graphic designs. Perhaps it's because there are so few elements interacting with one another, as a rule, and they can feel disjunct and a bit "choppy," if you will. The movement in this card, however, took me by surprise. My eye began at "we." The slanted "e" took me to the red camera, to the hearts, to the brown camera, then to the loopy "k" in the delightful treatment of the word "click." Even if your eye didn't take the same route as mine, each element leads you to the next--and that super light type treatment? It stands out because it's light, if you know what I mean, and I think that is about as moxie fab as moxie fab ever gets!

The winners of the Repetition Challenge are:

Butterfly Blessings Card by Jacqueline.fr

Moxie Fab Alert: For those of you who tried the repetition challenge, you may have learned that it is a lot easier said than done. When you repeat elements such as these butterflies as Jacqueline has done, you have to worry about balance in color, pattern, and texture as well. Too much of one or too little of the other, and the effect you were trying to achieve by repeating the element in the first place gets lost in translation. To my eye, the colors and patterns in this lovely card are perfectly balanced, interesting, and flow together well. And the sentiment at the bottom? It both lifts and grounds all at the same time, a touching finish to one of the most beautiful butterfly displays I've ever encountered.

Yay Card by Sandy Allnock

Moxie Fab Alert: The repetition in this card is not only unmistakable, but humorous as well. As if the backdrop of "yays" weren't enough, the cute little birdie in the corner is saying it as well. All of which underscores, of course, the celebratory nature of this card in general, and its yayness in particular. :)

The winners of the Asymmetry Challenge are:

You Are So Nice Card by Savannah O'Gwynn

Moxie Fab Alert: Since most of the elements of this card are on the left-hand side, this is a classic example of asymmetry. Further, the pairing of a geographic pattern with a floral print throws off the order of things, especially when those two elements are placed on a completely different type of pattern: graph paper. So now we're talking about asymmetry in pattern as well as in placement. What ties it all together to make it feel like a cohesive whole? The focal point of the birdie underlined by the primary sentiment "thanks," accented by the twine. Because they are placed on that horizontal "sweet spot,"  and counterbalanced by the secondary sentiment "you are so nice," our eye is grounded in the true function of the card, to say thank you to someone dear.

Asymmetrical Friend Card by Chupa

 Moxie Fab Alert: Most of the action in this card is taking place in the lower right-hand corner, causing it to be asymmetrical. The true beauty of this card is the way our eye is directed outward from the focal point, which is where the asymmetrical nature of this card achieves its balance. It's as though Chupa were drawing us away, ever so gently, first from the 3-dimensional flowers in the corner, to the stamped flower and its spray of leaves beyond that, to the wistful butterfly whose wings draw your eye down to the stamped definition of "friend." So I guess what I'm saying is that not only is this a sterling example of an asymmetrical card, but it's a moxie fab example of card design in general.

And last, but certainly not least, the winners of the Gallon/Quart/Pint Challenge:

Best Wishes Card by Michelle Bala

Moxie Fab Alert: What do you get when you mix together a gallon of green, a quart of blue, a pint of brown, a beautiful bow, and a pinch of sweetness? A honey of a wedding card with its own recipe for success!

Thankful Card by Jinny Newlin

Moxie Fab Alert: Perfectly executed, this card uses a gallon of black, a quart of cream, and a pint of red.  And even though the ribbon gives our eye a horizontal place to rest, it's that red butterfly that steals the show and takes this card into the realm of the moxie fab!

Phew! That's a whole lotta Moxie Fab Alerts! And a whole lotta moxie fab inspiration as well, isn't it my friends? I hope you've enjoyed seeing these amazing projects today, 'cause I sure have had a lot of fun showing them off! 

But wait! There's more! The Paper Crafts editors have spoken. Stay tuned for the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner! One of these ten cards will be chosen to be featured in the March/April 2013 issue of Paper Crafts magazine. I'll announce the winner at noon EDT today!

Now quick before I go, I'd like to give a moxie fab shout out to all y'all who entered these challenges, especially those of you who tried every single one! I absolutely loved seeing all your approaches! Thanks so much for playing along! :)

Winners, please send me your addresses in an email to cedvalson@papercraftsmag.com and I'll set you up with your "I'm Moxie Fab" challenge winning buttons for your blogs as well as a copy of this oh-so-inspiring issue!

Friends, I'd love to hear what you think about these inspiring cards. Simply leave me a comment by midnight EDT on Sunday, September 30 and I'll send one random lucky a copy of Card Design Handbook as my thanks for joining in on the conversation.

Inspired by you,

~Cath

PS Lest you go into Card Design Handbook Week challenge withdrawal, we do have a couple of other challenges currently going on. Feel free to join us for our weekly Tuesday Trigger as well as our Jars of Joy challenge!