(photo courtesy of the See How We Sew blog)

We recently were in contact with the ladies from the blog “see how we sew”.  They have a great project for a roll up brush case made out of laminated cotton.  I am dying to try this with Kathy’s laminated cotton from her Happiness collection.  I thought it would be a great thing to share with you and would love for you to share with us your results!  I will try to fashion one of these soon and when I do, you will be some of the first to see it!

~Melissa

At Kathy Davis Studios, we not only design greeting cards (among other things), but we are enthusiastic consumers of them and truly respect and appreciate the work that all of our fine competitors produce!

We recently asked everyone at KDS to bring in their favorite cards they either purchased or received over the holiday season.  Pinning them to my tack wall, we polled our troops about their favorites and thought you’d enjoy seeing the winners!

Here are all of the beautiful cards we assembled:

Ta Da – the Winners!

Overall Favorite Card

#1 – by American Greetings!

Front:

Inside:

#2 – by Paperchase

Front:

Inside:

“Merry Christmas”

#3- by Hallmark

Front:

Inside:

Cutest

This little guy won by a landslide!

By: Papyrus

Front:

Inside:

“Wishing someone special the happiest holiday ever”

Best Special Process:

We had a tie!

By - Hallmark

Front:

Inside:

and

By – George Stanley

Front:

Inside:

“Wishing you comfort and joy this holiday season”

Best Mass Produced Card:

Another tie!

By - Hallmark

Front:

Inside:

and

By – Hallmark

Front:

Inside:

Best Handmade Card:

#1- by C. Lamont Kammler

Front:

Inside:

#2 – by Jone Hallmark

Front:

Inside:

Blank for writing

#3 – by Ten Thousand Villages

Front:

Inside:

Blank for writing

Best Non-Seasonal Design:

By – roobee by mara-mi

Front:

Inside:

Blank for writing

We also had some lovely envelopes on display! I really appreciate the special touches some people add with their hand-lettering and decoration. The red envelope with beautiful script by Brenda Walton was the winner in this category!

Hope you enjoyed our little retrospective survey.

And please keep sending those Christmas cards!!! We thank you!

One of the comments I hear most often is, “You have designers working for you?  What do they do? I thought YOU were the artist”.

While I serve as the Creative Visionary for my company, and still create most of the original art and copy for my brand, the designers here at KDS have become an invaluable piece to the whole puzzle. Without their amazing talents, I would never be able to deliver the 1000+ greeting cards we design every year, plus all of the fabric collections and licensed products for the gift and home industries. Also, in addition to the Kathy Davis brand, we develop original art for our Studio and Portfolio brands as well as many other creative projects.

One of the ways the designers get involved with the Kathy Davis brand is by innovating layouts for product development using the content I provide when I develop new collections.

Recently, I asked three of our newest designers, Laura, Ashley and Valerie, to each create some calendar layouts based on the art, patterns and writing that I developed for one of my newest collections - Fantasy Garden, Meadow’s Song or Awakenings.

Their designs delighted me so much that we decided to print and package them in CD cases as small desktop calendars for 2012! I’m having trouble deciding which one to use on my own desk…

Here are some of my favorite pages!

Editor’s note: You can find these desktop calendars in the Kathy Davis Online Store.
They are great gifts with an affordable price tag!

Lastly, whether large, loose portraits are a trend in South Africa...I can’t be sure, but I was just lucky to find several… and they knocked my socks off!

These first two paintings by Lionel Smit grace the walls of a wonderful winery and lodge in the Stellenbosch region called the Delaire Graff Estate and Gardens.

Click here to see more of Lionel Smit's artwork

These exciting graffiti- inspired portraits, below, are by artist Kilmany-Jo Liversage. I found them in the Worldart Cape Town gallery. The calligraphic and colorful brushstrokes exude such energy!

Click here to see more of Kilmany-Jo Liversage's artwork

I hope that you agree that there is much joy to be found in the art from South Africa!

Pow! Everywhere I looked pottery and textiles popped with bold color and geometric pattern! It was eye candy for a color aficionado like me. My favorites were pieces from The Potter’s Workshop. I stocked up on as many of these colorful and functional gifts that I could fit into my already bulging luggage!

Click here to visit The Potter's Workshop

While perusing a local magazine, I discovered a group of textile designers living and creating in South Africa called the Threadcount Collective. The five women work independently and have vastly different looks. Their collective gives them a way to market with more impact. I contacted one of the designers while in Cape Town and she pointed me to a local store that sells her work. It was impressive!

Here is a small sampling from the Collective.

Click here to “meet the designers” and see more.

Check back on Friday for part 3 of Joy Through Art in South Africa...

You may have viewed the slideshow of my recent trip to South Africa that I posted on my blog. It has been a month since I’ve returned, and now I'd like to take the opportunity to share with you some of my reflections from this amazing trip.

I plan to write and post some thoughts over the next three weeks. This series will reflect my brand promise - to Scatter Joy: joy through art, joy through living, and joy through giving.

Please enjoy...

No matter where I travel, I am always on the lookout for local art and inspiration. Believe me, South Africa did not disappoint!

Prevalent among the many colorful handmade treasures I found was a wide assortment of beautiful beaded crafts! There were functional beaded items, including beautiful chairs, belts, mugs… and animal sculptures galore! (More on them in a later post!)

Woven baskets made of colored telephone wire were another fun find! These intricate baskets are created by the Zulu people, the largest ethnic group in South Africa. The finished product appears to be fashioned from natural materials, but the telephone wire that comes in every color provides a wide palette for the creations!

Singita, an impressive group of safari lodges in different locations, uses charger plates and accessories to decorate the lodges. Each lodge has a different color scheme and pattern, helping to create a distinctive personality for each location.

http://basketsofafrica.com/wire.html

Check back on Wednesday for more Joy Through Art in South Africa.

While in Chicago, I stopped in at the Harrington College of Design where the International Poster Biennial was on display. Lots of great eye candy!

Here are a few favorites. Please visit my Flickr Gallery to see more.

Ever since I went to grad school to study Art Education, it has been a goal of mine to help promote Joy through Art by encouraging more people to open their minds to the ways the arts can enrich their lives.

"Breaking down the museum walls" can happen in 2 ways... one, by encouraging more people to discover the delights lurking inside of a museum...and, two, by inspiring people to think more broadly about "art" to include the ways that art and design affect our everyday lives...outside of museum walls.  

So, while attending the World Innovation Forum in NYC recently, you can imagine my delight when I decided to take a walk around town and happened upon this display outside of the Museum of Modern Art!

Upon leaving the museum, visitors are asked to fill out a simple form that says, "I went to MOMA and..." . The variety of response is wonderful, and by enlarging and posting the reply cards, it creates its own street art show to entertain passersby while encouraging them to visit.

Check out a few of my favorites... And visit my Flickr site to see more! 

Was thrilled to spend some time at an astounding Art Show Open House on Saturday. I must thank my brother, Fred, who recommended we make some time to take in the talents of Bucks County stone sculptor Steven Snyder. Thank goodness we had a rare day of springtime sunshine in order to go off the beaten path in search of Cedar Maze. What we found was truly amazing!

Not only does Steven create and carve beautiful works of art from stone and found objects, he is a collector and curator after my own heart! His meticulously arranged "altars" of fascinating natural finds were in themselves worthy of wonder.

The grounds at Cedar Maze were inviting, and the displays were thoughtfully laid out, even adorned with a wonderful array of wildflowers. Open Houses are held here only a couple of times each year, but the grounds are open daily. Best to call ahead. (see below)

Self-taught in his craft, Steven uses motifs that have such appeal to me, personally. Birds, hearts and stone angels come to life in many of his pieces. I left empty handed this time...but want to save my pennies so I can return someday to bring a piece of Steven's sculptural genius home with me.

Here are just a few of my favorite photos, but please visit my Flickr gallery to see more!

This is the description on Steven's website:

The charming country setting of Cedar Maze is the sculpture garden and studio of Steven Snyder, located 10 miles north of New Hope in rural Tinicum Township. Inspired by his experiences living, working and raising a family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Steven uses local stone as well as natural and found objects in his work. His sculpture, suitable for indoors and out, includes bird baths, fountains, etc., as well as functional art, such as outdoor showers. His sculpture, studio and home have been featured in Country Living Magazine and on HGTV's Our Place. His stone masonry work has been documented in Fine Homebuilding Magazine. Most recently, his work's been featured in Dtown Magazine. Sculpture garden and studio are open daily, year round. Just call ahead first 610.294.9106.

Show dates: May 14, 15 & 21, 22, 2011, and October 8 & 9, 2011 as part of the 2nd Annual Sweet Edge Sculpture Tour. For info click on  Art Shows and Events.

We are in the process of selecting some of our favorite Kathy Davis card designs to be used as art prints. We need your help narrowing down the selection! It would be great if you could take a moment to rank the 8 designs below from your most favorite to least favorite - or just pick out a few of your favorites. You can enter your voting in the comment section below.

Thank you so much for your help!

We may have just missed Washington, D.C.'s famous spring cherry blossom season when we visited this week, but I was thrilled to discover an Art Show in Union Station featuring the festival depicted in school children's art.

A visual treat, this celebration of spring seen through kids' eyes had me snapping photos feverishly! Sharing a few favorites with you here.


Please visit my Flicker site to see more.

This week I was honored to be a guest at West Chester University's President's Dinner. President Greg Weisenstein and his wife, Sandra were the charming hosts of a beautiful dinner held in the impressive Autograph Library at the University.

WCU is where I received my bachelor's degree in elementary education. While at West Chester, art was my minor field of study, and my love for all things creative was ignited there, thanks to some great professors! One of my favorites was my ceramics teacher, John Baker, who is now "Dr. Baker" - the chairman of WCU's Art Department.

Before the dinner, John invited us to attend the WCU Alumni Exhibition in Mitchell Hall. Exhibiting alumni included Igor Roussanoff, Drew Jordan, Jim Podziomek, Elena Mascherino amd Jimmer Breen. The variety of work was impressive, and I especially loved the large portrait paintings done by Elena and Jimmer.

Thanks, WCU, for a wonderful journey back in time and an inspiring jolt of what is yet to be.

Here I am with "Dr. Baker" in the Mitchell Hall gallery

Portrait painter Jimmer Breen with his oil painting entitled "Dude"

Portraits by Elena Mascherino (collage using magazine paper!)
and Jimmer Breen (oil).

Ceramic word mural in Mitchell Hall 

There are so many reasons to occasionally take a break and travel to someplace new. It re-charges your batteries and inspires with new sights and experiences. My recent trip to Mexico was filled with many simple pleasures, from the beautiful beaches and ocean to the colorful handicrafts I found in the small shops. But one of my favorite reasons to travel is the new people you meet - people you would not have met otherwise...people who often challenge your thinking and remind you that in spite of the interesting differences among people from around the world, we are, in many ways, very much the same.

While in Playa Del Carmen, I was lucky to meet a fellow watercolor artist, named Theresa Lucas.

Theresa, from Indiana, won the trip as an award from Wyndham Worldwide! Her talent is very special, indeed. Born with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (a rare condition that affects one in 3000 births), Theresa has overcome her "diff-ability" by holding the paintbrush in her mouth. (Theresa prefers the term "diff-ability" over "disability". She says "dis" means "can't", and she "can" do things, just differently!)

One of my favorite paintings of Theresa's is called "Blue Serenity". It has a very calming beauty about it.

In addition to painting, Theresa teaches and does motivational speaking about overcoming disabilities. She has been featured in Ladies Home Journal and recently was honored with the "Women On Their Way" award.

Theresa's story is a wonderful example of finding joy through art - and sharing that joy with the rest of the world.

Please visit her website. www.theresalucas.com

I hope you find her story, talent and courage as inspiring as I do.

Here is a quick Valentine’s gift to put together for your best friend, sister or mom!  A gift that she can wear throughout the entire year, because a little love goes a long way!

What you will need:
2 – 3” squares of Blossoming’s Hearts Aligned
1 -  tiny rectangle cut from Blossoming’s Kind Words
3 – 3” squares of fabric from an old t-shirt
1 – 1.5” pin back
1 – spool of coordinating thread
1 – 8.5” x 11” piece of cardstock

Ten Simple Steps:

1. Cut out two 3” squares from the Hearts Aligned pattern from Kathy’s Blossoming collection.

2. Keeping the two squares together, right sides facing out, fold the 2 squares in half.

3. On the fold, cut a half of a heart – just like you used to do in elementary school with construction paper

4. Cut a rectangle around the word “love” from the Kind Words pattern from Kathy’s Blossoming collection.

5. Take one of the hearts and the word “love” and machine sew a straight stitch around the inside edge of the rectangle, leaving your raw edges.

6. Cut out three 3” squares from cotton knit – I use an old t-shirt or onesie.
Sandwich the 3 cotton knit layers with the top heart layer, fold the layers in half, aligned with the center of the heart.  Following the shape of the top heart, cut the cotton knit into a heart shape.

7. Add the bottom heart layer, right side facing out.  Machine sew a straight stitch approximately ¼” away from the edge, all around the heart.

8. With pinking shears, cut through all five layers, around the outside edge, giving a finished touch to the outside of the heart.

9. Whip stitch the pin back through a couple of layers on the backside of the heart.

10. Fold the cardstock in half, making a 5.5” x 8.5” card.  With the fold down the left side, attach pin in a centered location in the top third of the card, by pinning the pin to the card.

Today is “Inspire Your Heart With Art” Day! Hope you are finding your own unique way to celebrate. In honor of this occasion I thought I’d share this excerpt from my book called “Scatter Joy: Living, Giving, and Creating a Life You Love”. Having once been an art teacher, I’m a big advocate for art and the power it holds for enriching everyone’s lives.

Please enjoy the following paragraphs from the chapter entitled “What’s the Art in Your Heart?”

All my best,

I have two fundamental beliefs when it comes to art: I believe that everyone has some kind of art in his or her heart, and I believe that inspiration to create art surrounds all of us, all the time.

Art and artist can be intimidating words, but I don’t think they need to be. I invite you to open your mind to a broader definition of the word art. Here’s an excerpt from the World Book Dictionary: “any form of human activity that is the product of and appeals primarily to the imagination”; “some kind of skill or practical application of skill.”

I like those descriptions. And I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t have a special skill or knack for something that enriches their lives… something that excites them and enhances their everyday world.

So what is your passion? What art is in your heart?

Philadelphia's First Friday is a wonderful cultural event that has been hosted by the Old City Arts Association since 1991. On the First Friday of each month dozens of Old City galleries open their doors to the public from 5:00pm - 9:00pm. The "open house" vibe attracts a wide variety of viewers from casual browsers to serious buyers. Each month we will be featuring an exhibition that we find particularly unique and inspiring. This month's featured exhibition is "divergent AFFINITIES" at the Wexler Gallery.

via Wexler Gallery website:

Wexler gallery is proud to present, a group exhibition organized by Barbara Harberger, Director of Arts and Collections at the Philadelphia based firm Marguerite Rodgers ltd. The exhibition will run from January 7 through February 26, 2011.
 An opening will take place First Friday, January 7 from 5 - 8 pm.

Featured artists include Jaq Belcher, Marietta Hoferer, Gudrun Mertes-Frady, Susan Schwalb, Karen Margolis, Michael Kukla, Ilene Sunshine and Viviane Rombaldi Seppey.

Linked by a strong connection to process and concept, the show will focus on eight mid-career and established artists whose explorations can be viewed as meditative in nature. Working in a variety of methods, the show includes painting, sculpture, and “drawing” that incorporates both traditional and nontraditional materials. Each artist’s personal, introspective approach to their work begs the viewer to become contemplative while considering the final work.

"Jaali 8" by Viviane Rombaldi Seppey

While touring through Spain in the summer of 2009, my husband and I marveled at the wonderfully diverse countryside and culture in Barcelona, Sevilla and Madrid...but nothing captured me the quite way the glorious graffiti did!

I have always loved hand-lettering, calligraphy and expressive painting, so seeing the explosions of color and self-expression scattered on storefronts and signs throughout Spain thrilled me! For the most part, this is not a destructive type of graffiti, but, rather street art that gave the old cities a vibrancy and pulse that speaks to... and from... the people.

Not limited to paint, some of the art was adorned by stencils, collage and stickers. I started to become familiar with the artists, each who left their distinctive markings across the towns.

A fiend with my iPhone camera, I walked many miles capturing as much eye candy as I could! Maybe I overdid it a little when I ended up in a wheelchair after getting a foot infection...but still I kept clicking away. I had become addicted to Spain's street art!

I hope you enjoy these small slideshows from my prized collection!

It is dreary and cold here on the east coast so I decided to pull out our Kathy Davis Blossoming fabric and make a fun holiday ornament to decorate with, in the hopes that it will brighten up my winter blues. I found this idea from Marimekko.

Check out their great instructional video. The Blossoming Holiday Ornament pictured is a larger size but you can make different sizes with some minor adjustments to the pattern.

Directions:
1. Cut 40- 6 inch circles of your favorite Blossoming fabric. ( I used the Raspberry colorway.)
2. Push a needle through the center of the circle until you have created a cone like shape.
3. Take the needle and all purpose thread and sew a few stitches to keep the piece intact.
4. Then start stitching the pieces to each other until you have a round shape.
5. When your ornament is finished add some ribbon and greens to it for a more festive feel.

For a smaller ornament try making 4 inch circles with less pieces of fabric.

Have fun!

Send us some of your finished pieces and we will feature them here on our blog!

On a recent trip to Mexico for some R and R, in addition to beautiful
beaches and wonderful weather, I was inspired by these amazing carved wooden tables which graced the lobby of our hotel! Always a fan of anything
hand-lettered, I marveled at the touch of the words that have been
painstakingly carved into the wood's surface!
 

Sure makes my job of doing calligraphy on paper seem too easy. Thank
goodness there is no such thing as a wooden greeting card!