More E-Cards!

I am happy to now have e-cards available on Blue Mountain.com. We have some new Thanksgiving cards in the mix and our elves are busy tinkering on some Christmas designs, too!

Please let me know your favorite e-cards when you have a moment.
We continue to have additional cards in development, so if there’s something particular you would like to see, I’m all ears for your feedback!

Scatter some joy today to someone who’s in your thoughts. (Try my “just because” e-card! It’s one of my most popular designs)

A Dose of Inspiration

Gifts and Dec Magazine

The October edition of Gifts and Decorative Accessories features new gift ideas that spread positive thinking. Happy to see this as an emerging trend, and equally happy to find my Scatter Joy book as a featured selection! (And what fun to share space with "Uppy" the newest Ugly Doll!)

Please Join Me in Ambler

On Friday night, November 6th, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm you will find me at Chamaeleon, a new gift and accessories shop in the lively town of Ambler, PA.


I will be signing copies of my Scatter Joy book and giving away a box of free holiday cards to the first 10 people who purchase the book. You can enter a drawing to win my embroidered quilt that features the quote, "How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it".

I'd love to see you there, and Chamaeleon's owner Rosa Zeibari will warmly welcome you to her shop that features great hostess gifts, adorable baby items and unique accessories.

After the signing, you may want to catch a flick at my favorite movie spot, the revitalized Ambler Theater or grab a divine dinner at Dettera Restaurant and Wine Bar, just a half a block away! I'm so excited to see Ambler's renaissance in full swing, and happy to be a part of the action on November's First Friday. It's a perfect time to get a jump on your holiday shopping! Hope to see you!

Chamaeleon Accessories Boutique
12 Cavalier Drive (located near the Act II playhouse at 56 Butler Pike and adjacent to the municipal parking lot) Ambler, Pa 19002
215-325-1462

Re-Invention Convention Tips!

I was happily surprised to see one of my quotes from the Re-Invention Convention on More magazine's website.

Don't you just love Jean Chatsky's words of wisdom?

What a Lucky Boss I am!

When your company is like family (well, I DO have my brother on staff...) it is a joy coming into work. My crew at KDS is a very special group. They are extremely talented, amazingly thoughtful, and very, very good looking!!! ;)

While I was galavanting around Tuscany, doing yoga, drinking wine, and getting inspired, they were hard at work creating a greeting card extraordinaire for me for Boss's Day, which was October 16th.

Upon my return to the hectic pace of meetings and our daily Studio workload, I was interrupted with a very nice surprise! Along with a gorgeous flower arrangement and gift certificate, our dear Melissa L. presented me with the card she created, and had everyone at KDS sign. The theme this year, fittingly, was "graffiti", based on the fact that I couldn't get enough of the graffiti I saw during my trip to Spain!


There are fun surprises scrawled into every nook and cranny of the artwork. Even the birds are spreading the "scatter joy" message!

I have an incredible collection of handmade cards from my KDS family, and this new one certainly adds some FUN to the mix! Someday I will post a chronology of all of them... One more thing for the "to do" list...

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my thoughtful (and very good looking) staff!

Tuscany Inspiration Retreat

I have just returned from an incredible week in the Italian Tuscan hillside! As one of ten women, I was extremely fortunate to participate in an Inspiration Retreat, sponsored by artist/designer Sigrid Olsen. I had long been a fan of Sigrid's apparel designs, and when I read about her new inspiration retreats (part of her career re-invention), I just knew I would one day attend. When I saw that this fall's retreat destination was Tuscany, that sealed the deal for me!

Enjoy reading Sigrid's story and view her slideshow of beautiful photographs from our Tuscany retreat!


I convinced my friend, Kathy Richards, to attend the Tuscany Retreat with me. (Actually it took her about 5 seconds to agree to come along!)

Our week included morning walks, creative art classes and journal writing, daily yoga and guided meditations, and sight-seeing side trips. We visited the towns of Siena, Pienza and Montalcino, and experienced a stirring mass with Gregorian chanting, a guided tour of Siena and it's fabulous Duomo, and a wine tasting. Of course, with 10 women, you can't leave out shopping. I bought a crazy pair of yellow "desert boots"! (Really NEEDED those shoes!!!)












A farmhouse - converted into boutique hotel La Bandita - served as our home base... and what a home it was! We even had a friendly farm cat, Gattuso, who kept us company during our activities (except for the yoga, which freaked him out a little!)




The views from high on our hillside were astonishing, the staff was friendly and accommodating, the rooms were stylish and comfy... and then there was the food! Our chef, David, thrilled us with meal after meal of fresh, local foods prepared to perfection! The white Tuscan beans in olive oil was our unanimous favorite dish, but the pastas, salads, fish and desserts had us swooning with every serving. I think it is safe to assume that David never had a more appreciative audience than our group of 10 women!




Our creative activities, led by Sigrid, included a color workshop, mandala making, keepsake box decorating and life visioning collage. All were designed for any level, and felt like fun free-play! Sigrid shared her own hand-made rubber stamps with us, which are a distinctive component of her colorful paintings.

Sigrid's sister, Martha Abbott, was our "spiritual guide" for our week long journey. Martha led our guided meditations, daily yoga and even offered Shaman healing sessions to anyone interested. Her beautiful, soothing voice and bright spirit inspired us all. She and Sigrid complemented each other beautifully.





Their guidance, La Bandita's hospitality and the fabulous countryside are indelibly etched in my mind. And the bond we formed as 10 women of different ages, professions, and personalities was a priceless gift. I discovered much about myself in their company, and at the same time relished the differences - and similarities - we all shared. We each traveled our own path of discovery and yet came together by trading life experiences, recipes and loads of laughter.

Thank you Sigrid, Martha, La Bandita, Tuscany, and my fellow retreat companions. You were all "wicked awesome!"
(I learned a few Boston South Side slang terms from my new buddy Katia.)

And last but not least, thank you to my amazing KDS family and family at home for supporting me in this amazing journey.

Ciao!

"left to right: me, Sigrid, Martha and KR"

Master in Black and White

Another discovery I made in a museum shop in Spain was a book by German
illustrator Einar Turkowski. Every artist has their own unique approach to
their subject matter, and Einar's exquisite attention to detail just blows
me away! He combines whimsy and imagination in amazing black and white
drawings with a lush depiction of the natural - and supernatural - world!

While I am a painter at heart, Einar makes me want to pick up a pencil!!!
Bravo, Mr. Turkowski, illustrator extraordinaire!

Paper Fun

I found a book in Barcelona's Picasso Museum called "Magic Books & Paper
Toys" by Esther K. Smith. I especially love the woven hearts! There are
great "how-to" illustrations that make this paper play look easy!

Wonder if American Greetings is ready for some crazy 3-D greeting cards???

A Dose of Inspiration

Doylestown Book Signing

The evening of Friday, October 2 was such a fun and lovely night!

I was invited to sign copies of my new book, Scatter Joy: Living, Giving and Creating A Life You Love at the Doylestown Bookshop, a charming establishment located in the heart of Bucks County, Pa. With a table adorned with a beautiful and bright bouquet courtesy of flowerbud.com, not only did I meet new friends and fans of my work but connected with some old friends and colleagues from Hatboro-Horsham High School where I taught art and English earlier in my career.

We also surprised ten lucky visitors with a complimentary box of Kathy Davis greeting cards for the upcoming holiday season and held a raffle to win a special Kathy Davis American Greetings quilt.

Next stop: Chamaeleon, an accessories shop located in Ambler, Pa., on Friday, Nov. 6, for another book signing evening!

More magazine Re-invention Convention

The More magazine Re-invention Convention was an incredible experience for me! It was truly an honor to be invited to share my story along with some amazingly accomplished women, and the audience members could not have been more welcoming or enthusiastic!

While I was not able to listen to many of the other sessions, I was lucky to attend the breakfast and lunch to hear the keynote speakers: a very down-to-earth and gracious Laura Bush spoke at the breakfast, and Nora and Delia Ephron rocked the house over lunch when they discussed their new play "Love, Loss and What I Wore" (adapted from the book by Ilene Beckerman).
Nora still has me giggling. Her dry wit is priceless! Mika Brzezinski of
MSNBC conducted the interviews... and her own self-deprecating humor made for some lively discourse.

I did sit in on one afternoon session by Julia Angwin and Dr. Laura Doliva, moderated by Aliza Freud on the topic of Social Media. Extremely informative and thought-provoking, these ladies helped navigate the uncertain yet unavoidable topic overtaking our society!

A few humble photos... and more professional ones on the way later!


I arrived at Penn Station in NYC late Sunday afternoon and was escorted by a private car (with my name posted in the windshield!) to the Ritz-Carlton in Battery Park, courtesy of More magazine. Such a beautiful hotel with a view of the Statue of Liberty! They even had a telescope set up in my room to get an up close and personal look at Lady Liberty. Not a bad way to start! Maybe this wasn't going to be so hard to take, after all!


Gulp! A look at the set-up where our session was to be held! Approximately 200 people were to be in our audience.


It looked official. No bolting out of the side door was gonna happen at this point!


A visit to the Barnes and Noble bookstore's booth gave me a chuckle when I saw that my "Scatter Joy" book pile had gone down faster than Laura's! ;)


Every book of mine sold including the display copy! Yea - Hope there's lots of Joy being scattered!

To read more about my reinvention story visit More.com.

A Dose of Inspiration

and the winner is.....

It is time to announce the winner of the book giveaway. I was so happy with the response that I decided to give away 3 books instead!

and the winners are.....

Ladies, please email me your mailing/contact info and I will send your books out to you. Thank you to everyone for your wonderful ways of scattering joy comments.

If you live in the area, come out and join me for my meet and greet book signing event at the Doylestown Bookshop, Doylestown, PA. tonight at 7:00pm!


(names were chosen by randomizer)

A Touch of Whimsy

Every once and a while a product will catch my eye and put a smile on my face. Ulster Weavers was the culprit this time with their wonderfully whimsical soft goods.
(product from ulsterweavers.com)

A Dose of Inspiration

Hope is in the Cards

I would like to thank Russ Haan and Hope is in the Cards for featuring me on their blog. What an honor and a great organization. Visit Hope is in the Cards to learn more about how they are changing lives one hope filled card at a time.

To read more of my inspirational words on Hope visit Hope is in the Cards.

Join me at the More Magazine Reinvention Convention

Please join me at More Magazine's third Annual Reinvention Convention on October 5th! I will be a guest panelist at the More Second Acts Master's Class. It will be a full day of interactive sessions, expert advice and networking opportunities designed to inspire attendees as they reinvent their lives in the areas of health, work, fashion, beauty and more. It is going to be an amazing day!

Scatter Joy Book Giveaway!

In anticipation for my upcoming Scatter Joy book signing event, I thought it would be fun to have a Scatter Joy Book Giveaway! To enter a chance to win an autographed copy of Scatter Joy; Living, Giving, and Creating a Life you Love, post a comment of simple ways that you or others you know scatter joy. I would love to post your methods of Scattering Joy on my social network website Scatter Joy to help... well...Scatter Joy! The winner will be picked at random on October 2nd.

Come out and join me for my meet and greet book signing event at the Doylestown Bookshop, Doylestown, PA. on October 2nd at 7:00pm!

A Former Student and Friend (who still makes me smile!!!!)

A series of serendipitous happenings have been surfacing in my life lately. Makes me wonder what the Universe is up to! Here's an example of one such encounter...

Recently, I had an article appear in the West Chester University Alumni magazine. I received my undergraduate degree from WCU and went on to teach sixth grade English and Science for the first six years of my teaching career. After that, I left to pursue my Master's Degree in Art Education and accepted a job in another school district teaching Art at the high school level. (This was all before I re-invented my life to pursue my current design business!)

Through my years in art education undoubtedly, the highlights for me were the connections made with many of my students. While I am still in touch with a handful of them today, most of them I have lost contact with (something that is bound to happen after more than 25 years away from my teaching days!)

The article in the WCU magazine prompted the following email and subsequent communications. The following email I received from a long-lost, but favorite, student from over 30 years ago!

Thank you Lauren for letting me share this.

From Lauren:

Mrs. Davis
My name is Lauren Branco and I think (hope) that you taught me 6th grade
science at Arcola Intermediate School. If this is the right Kathy Davis,
please reply back. I read the article about you in the West Chester
University Magazine. I knew as soon as I saw your picture that you were my
6th grade science teacher.
Thanks so much
Lauren Branco Lattanze

From KD:

OMG - Lauren - I still have that wooden plaque you made for me!!!!! Do you
remember that?!
How the heck are you? So great to hear from you. Where do you live? What are
you up to? - kd

From Lauren:

You Still have something I made for you from the 6th grade???? How many
years ago was that??
I am doing very well and living not very far from you. I am Married with
two girls. Yada.....yada........ Here is a pic of the "loves" of my life.
I am working part-time at BTC Awards (my families business) and doing all
sorts of extra things on the side.

How have you been? You appear to be doing well and I am very happy for you.
I remember art being your first true passion and you are definitely suited
to be doing what you are doing.

From KD:

Your girls are beautiful - is that your hubby with them? How did you meet? I
assume you went to West Chester since you got the magazine.

You always were a bright spot in my day back at Arcola! You always made me
laugh. And I was so touched by the plaque you made me that I never could
bring myself to throw it away. It is in a big keepsake box in my attic but now
I want to find it. I remember you signed it "L.A.B."

After Arcola I took a year off to get my masters in Art Ed - then taught art
at Hatboro-Horsham High School for a couple of years before I had my 2 kids.
Ben is 27 and Katie is 24. I got divorced when the kids were young but
re-married about 15 years ago. Started this business full-time in 1990. It has
been quite a journey.

If you give me your address, I'd like to send you my new book.
take care - kd

From Lauren:

Yes that is my hubby. We actually met when he was helping friends in their
business. ..................
.........yada................yada............yada..................

I find it hard to believe that I was a bright spot for you. I don't know if
I intentionally tried to make you laugh or if I was a goofy kid, but it is a
nice compliment still the same. You were the first teacher that I ever had
that seemed to really care and for 6th grade, that was a huge deal. I guess
I passed something on to my Kids, because all of the teachers just love
them.

I would be thrilled and honored to have one of your books. Please be sure
to sign it because it will be worth something I am sure...However I would
never part with it. I look forward to reading it. I have read through
some of your blog and I have to say that I am very impressed.

Sorry this is so long....it has been - what-30 years. Hope to talk to you
soon.

From KD:

Lauren,

So, I think the attached photo should speak for itself! I dug it out of a
keepsake box in my attic. I so appreciated the handcrafting and heartfelt
intention of this. I will never part with it... Although I think that your
family's awards business should consider displaying this plaque as one of the
early works that put the company on the map!

From Lauren:
OMG!!!!!!!! I am surprised you do not hire me on the spot. What a work of
art. I guess plaque design was my calling after all. I can not believe that you saved
that all these years. I guess clutter is not an issue in your home.

What a pleasure it was to reconnect with Lauren and reminisce about my teaching days
over 30 years ago. A simple correspondence with a lot of meaning. Thanks again Lauren.