Cath Edvalson
I know, right? Moxie fab. It’s a strange combination of words. Why, just last July when Susan and I were at CHA, a manufacturer saw my Moxie Fab World button on my shirt and asked me, “Now, what, exactly does that mean?”
And so I ‘splained. Back in the day, when I became the creative editor of Paper Crafts magazine, I found that I needed more adjectives for the times when I saw something really, really cool.
“Awesome!” was so trite.
“Wow!” got really old.
“Oh my heck!”—while geographically poignant, just didn’t have enough “umph.”
And “Fabulous”? Well, fabulous had the zing I was looking for, but it needed a “Cath edge.”
That’s where “moxie” came along. At the time, there was a Target ad for their brand of chocolates—Choxie. You know, “chocolate with moxie.”
I loved what “moxie” did to the word “chocolate” in that case. Pretty soon I was saying things like, “That project has moxie,“ right before or after saying “That project is fabulous,” and before you knew it, as I am wont to do, I was mixing the words together and playing around with them a bit and the term “moxie fab” was born.
For a while it was just an adjective that I threw around. But then it started getting a reaction. And then it started becoming a way of thinking. And then it became a column. And now it’s also a blog called the Moxie Fab World where we have a ton of inspiring fun.
Have you been by to visit? If so, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If not, well, here’s a run-down of what we do over there:
Moxie Monday: Every Monday I show you a product line that I am ga-ga over. I gush over it for a while, show you up close and personal photos, and then I always, always, always offer it to two lucky winners. This week I’m featuring the Street Lace collection from Die Cuts With a View.
Tuesday Trigger: Tuesdays are Trigger days. I show an image that I find to be particularly inspiring and invite you to create a paper crafted project based on that inspiration. You post your project to your blog or our special Flickr group, then you link it up to Mr. Linky, and we all get to see in what moxie fab ways you’ve been inspired. I announce five Trigger Targets every week who get to put the Trigger Target badge on their blogs and I choose one random winner to receive a fun prize as my thanks for playing along.
Here are a few of our recent inspiration photos:
Ask Around: One of our most popular features, the Ask Around is where I ask popular designers to talk about how trends influence their creative process. Last week I interviewed Tim Holtz, but I’ve also talked with Margie Romney-Aislett, Jennifer McGuire, Jenni Bowlin, and Nichole Heady.
Moxie Talk: This is a fun feature in which each of our talented Paper Crafts Go-to Gals focuses on a trend she’s watching. She shows images that verify the trend and then she creates a paper crafted project (or two!) that illustrates the trend. A couple of weeks ago, Betsy Veldman talked about the hot botanical collage trend and showed this moxie fab project to hit the trend home:
Moxie Fab World Challenges: Every three weeks or so, I host a challenge based on a trend I’m currently watching. Whether it’s peace signs, bicycles, chairs, doilies and lace, or a trendy technique like paper piecing, five winners receive an “I’m Moxie Fab” Challenge Winner badge for their blogs and a generous prize.
Here are some of the winning projects:
Five for Friday: In this weekly feature, I find five (or multiples thereof—10, 15, 20, 60.8!) sources of inspiration. Whether it’s a supah fun trend I’m loving, a sneak peek of an issue that’s just been released, or a trend I’m watching that I set to a favorite poem or lyric, Five for Friday will give you a stylish start to your weekend, that’s fo sho! Here are a few of my personal favies:
- A National Scrapbooking Day Blog Bop Featuring the Creating Keepsakes Dream Team
- I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
- Stripe Hype
- Thanks for Coming With!
- The Road Less Traveled
Bottom line is the Moxie Fab World is just that: a place where we gather to make friends, talk trends, and get inspired. It’s a place where everyone is welcome, no matter your skill level, your style, and it matters not one whit whether you consider yourself to be trendy. It’s just that, trends inspire, and truth be told, that kind of inspiration is absolutely everywhere.
So whether you’re a bona fide Moxie Fabber who stops by every day and leaves a comment or you’re clicking on over for the very first time, I’d love to hear from you today. What intrigues you the most about the Moxie Fab World? What do you enjoy the most when you spend time there? Are you intimidated by trends? Why or why not? Answer any or all of these questions by midnight (MDT) on Wednesday, Sept. 8 and I’ll select two random winners to receive Little Yellow Bicycle’s Pack Your Bags Collection.
Two winners will each receive this fun prize package from Little Yellow Bicycle!
It really is a moxie fab world,
Cath
I must admit that the first time I saw the words Moxie Fab in Papercrafts mag I was a bit muddled, but i have since become an avid Moxie Fab Fan! I love the inspiration that I always find there; gorgeous colour combinations, patterns and other trendy ideas to spark my creativity! WTG Cath!
I am a follower for quite some time now and I enjoy every post at Moxie Fab World. They are so full of inspiration and ideas…some wonderful products and latest trends…wonderful and talented people…and above all I enjoy the fun talks Cath always shares in her post!!
The blog is truely Moxie Fab!!
I love Moxie Fab World. I enjoy all the inspiration I find here…. I’m very new to paper crafts and techniques, etc. so I’m always intimidated and unsure of myself! I’ve only posted one card on my blog….. I hope to become a little more brave every day! I’ve been a lurker here for I don’t know how long, I’m hoping to get more involved, because I truly love every thing about Moxie Fab World!!!
Thank you so much for the chance to win!!!
~Ola
okj83 at live dot com
zloe.blogspot.com
I love both Moxie Fab World and Papercrafts Connection. The inspiration and techniques keep me going, going, going! Thanks for sharing your talents.
I check out Moxie Fab on a regular basis to keep up on the current trends and usual come away with some great inspiration.
The thing I love about Moxie Fab is the eclectic goodness – there’s a new phrase for you
It is eye candy, inspiration, and education in one moxie fabulicious package. I really enjoy how you show “real world” pretties and how they then inspire paper pretty projects (and more!). I love it here 
I love everything about Moxie Fab! I check it every morning before I work to get some inspiration. I love following all the trends!
I receive an email about everything you post. I always enjoy reading it no matter what day it is.
I have Moxie Fab on my google reader and always love their inspirational ideas and color trends. Great site!
I love the inspiration, seeing the trends (even if I am not into them, sometimes it makes me take notice). Not daunted about trends, just sometimes wonder “why” when I am not “into” them. Love coming here!
I love everything! but I think mostly the trends and all the inspiration!
As always, I enjoy your blog! This explanation is wonderful!I love the MoxieFab World because you do bring us the latest trends. Yes, sometimes I am intimidated, but not always. Your trends have made me bolder! I love the challenges, it opens up my mine. Just love the blog as a place for friends to meet and gather and exchange ideas! I know of no other place in blogland that I can go and get a dose of all this! I come away feeling inspired!
I love reading the Moxie blog because there is just so much inspiration!!
I love everything about Moxie Fab World! I especially love the name — just says it all! However, If forced to choose, I’d say Moxie Monday is at the top of the list because It is so fun to see great new products and see them used. Trends don’t intimidate me, they inspire me, although I must say that I don’t follow them all! Sometimes I just don’t ‘get’ certain trends but most of the time there are things that make me want to try them or incorporate some aspect into my papercrafts.
Moxie Fab is………………Moxie fab…my daily dose of inspiration!!
I love Moxie Fab World for all of the cutting edginess of it all! I’m not intimidated by trends but one day would like to be an actual setter and not a follower!
I love that you manage to find really inspiring images & challenge us to create projects based on them & I especially love seeing how so many different people interpret the same image!
Thanks for the summary of a Moxie week. I like Moxie Mondays and Moxie Talks the Moxie most, lol.
I love Moxie Mondays, checking out the trends and hearing what the “industry” greats have to say about their inspirations! It is “fab” indeed! Loved hearing the story behind the name!
I really love the Tuesday Trigger photos. I am initimated by trends, but also love seeing all of the new inspiration and projects. Thanks Kath!
I enjoy hearing about the latest trends and products and seeing what others create. I really enjoyed the Tim Holtz interview.
Love Moxie Fab, love everything about it but especially seeing the Tuesday Triggers and all the great projects that are submitted! I get caught up in the trends, but tend to hoard the new stuff so by the time I use it it is not necessarily what is currently being used – oh well, as long as I like it that is all I care about since I am documenting things that are important to me! Keep up the good work Cath!
I am a faithful moxie fab gal! Love to visit your blog! I love the inspiration I can get from products you share, creative decor, or other creative paper designs.
Keep doing a Moxie Fab job!
I love Moxie Fab!! It’s the first blog I check every day and it never fails to inspire me! Love the Tuesday Triggers and the Challenges. And I enjoy Cath’s sense of humor!!
I try to check in on a daily basis to see what has inspired you today. I now have become more aware of outside influences and the world around me to find inspiration. Thanks for opening up this world to me. You are Moxie Fab!!!
Oh I visit Moxie fab daily! I love all the stuff-from the triggers, fashion stuff, design ideas, give away–just gotta love it all! Cath has such an awesome attitude, even though we’ve never met in “real time”–I feel like she’s one of my closest pals!
Loved hearing the story behind the name! What do you enjoy the most when you spend time there? I enjoy Cath’s sense of humor!! Are you intimidated by trends? Why or why not? I’m not intimidated by trends at all. I don’t always ‘get it’ and I can’t afford most of it but I am inspired by what’s terndy.
Blessings Bernie
I’m a recent follower and joined in on a couple of challenges. It was great to find out the meaning of Moxie Fab World. I think the initial reason I decided to check out the website/blog was because of the title. It’s intriguing! What I love most about Moxie Fab World is finding out the latest trends in card making and paper crafts and being inspired to make my own projects or try to copy them with the limited products I have. Paper crafting is therapy for the working mom of young kids!!!
What amazing inspiration! I love the designs on this set of cards.
I don’t stop every day, but try to catch up every week!
) I have loved the challenges at Moxie Fab, when I’ve had time and been inspired to make something lol! I really like getting introduced to stars in the papercrafting world and getting introduced to Moxie Fab products!
I am pretty new to Moxie Fab World I’ve only visited a few times but that was enough to know I wanted to book mark the site for faster access. I love how you explore the newest trends in what’s on the scrapbook market it is so inspirational.
I love the amazing photos that you show. they are always sooooo inspiring and always cool. love how visual your blog is.
I love all the great photos of neat inspiration
I am intimated by trends b/c I always feel I am trying to catch up and that I am just learning and/or using the latest and greatest products and then something new 8is introduced and I am afraid to use it or invest in it. I love to visit Moxie Fab because I bocome inspired!
I am such a fan of Moxie Fab and stop by each and every day! Cath, how the heck do you come up with something new and fresh every single day?? It’s amazing!
I try to visit everyday, but I never have the time. I do love what I see when I visit though. There is such a variety of things to try, so many new ideas. Thank you so much for giving us such a wonderful tool to inspire our own creativity.
I am a fairly new follower of Moxie Fab and love to see all the new ideas and trends from Cath. Try to visit as often as I can. I enjoy all the new items that are shown and the articles about people who are trendsetters. Love hearing the story behind the name Moxie Fab.
Moxie Fab world has become part of my daily lineup! If I want to know what is on the cutting edge, I am only a click away! Thanks for all the inspiration, Cath! Autumn Blessings!
I visit Moxie Fab quite often. Love to see all the beautiful cards, inspiration items, all the colors etc.
I love everything from Moxie Fab, because, well. it is moxie fab!
I visit Moxie Fab every day – sometimes more than once! I love all the inspriation and fun stuff:)