The Beginning of Scatter Joyfulness

What eventually became Scatter Joyfulness didn’t have a name when it began. Why would it? I was really saying with my actions, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Baby.”

In February 2024, I started making whimsical Valentine images for my husband. A friend had turned me on to a way-cool computer tool, and I started playing with it. I still have that very first “what did you just show me?!?!” image: a favorite well-known sandwich cookie, heart-shaped, bouncing out of a latte cup.

Nothing was in print form. Most were nothing more official than yet another “Happy Valentine’s Day” from me to him. I wasn’t thinking about greeting cards, starting a business, or creating something other people might someday see. I was having fun making something personal for someone I love without making life more complicated or expensive.

And these were free to create, which fit very nicely with my retired, fixed-income, gotta-be-frugal, beans-and-rice budget. Happily, I might add.

I kept making them because I enjoyed it. One idea would lead somewhere else, another would show up, and before long I had a growing collection with absolutely no idea what I was going to do with it.

Looking back, I can see the beginning.

At the time, I was just making Valentines for my husband and sharing them with friends and family who were kind enough to put up with my whimsy.

The Valentine Idea That Started It All

I’ve always been someone who notices people, expressions, words, and the funny details hiding inside ordinary moments. Creating those Valentine images gave all that noticing somewhere new to land. A shared memory, a familiar phrase, or something that made us laugh could suddenly become part of the next image. I wasn’t trying to build anything. I was enjoying the surprise of seeing where the idea would go next, and that part hasn’t changed.

When Play Became Something More

As the collection grew, I started wondering whether these images might encourage people beyond our home. Maybe one could help someone say, “I thought of you,” or carry a thank-you, a birthday wish, a prayer, or a smile into someone else’s day. The idea was beginning to feel larger than the Valentines, not in a noisy, grand-announcement way, but in reach. What started between my husband and me was beginning to look like a way to scatter small seeds of joyfulness and encouragement wherever they might be welcomed. Suddenly, the possibilities felt much larger than our living room.

So, with a heart to make others feel seen, I created what became an almost book-like collection of more than twenty images featuring a dancing hamster named Marshmallow for a little girl I was hearing about. There’s more to this story, but the grand version is that her grandma saw the collection and said she wanted to “sell your cards in my shop.”

WHAT?

There were NO CARDS!

From there, my imagination took off, and here we are today.

There’s much more to this story, and I love to share it, but in the interest of this post, you’re getting the short version. Truthfully, I’m never short on words, and I seldom meet a stranger.

Finding the Greeting Card Form

The finished format took time to discover.

I didn’t want to create another traditional folded card that might be read once and placed in a drawer, beautiful as those cards often are. I wanted the artwork, the handwritten message, and part of the card itself to have more lingerability.

There’s an even more delightfully unexpected backstory to how the finished format came together. I’ll share that story another time, but it was a bit like an unintentional beta program, and yes, coffee and cookies were involved.

Today, that early experimenting has become Scatter Joyfulness Greetings™: flat 5 × 7 micro-art greeting card gifts that I hand-finish one at a time. The lower 2 × 5 bookmark section folds underneath to form the base, allowing the complete greeting to stand for display. Later, if the recipient wants to separate it, the top becomes 5 × 5 frame-worthy art and the lower section becomes a 2 × 5 tasseled bookmark.

That’s the heart behind:

Three joyful uses in one.

Each design is limited to only twelve pieces, and I don’t create back stock.

The story behind that decision now has a Studio Journal home of its own in Why 12 Limited Editions?

A Name That Already Knew the Mission

The words Scatter Joyfulness fit what had been growing in my heart before I fully understood what the finished cards would become. To scatter something is to let it go without controlling exactly where it lands, and I liked that idea from the beginning. A card might be given to one person, noticed by someone else, stand on a desk for a while, later end up in a frame, or peek out of a book as a bookmark. It might even start a conversation long after the envelope has been opened. That’s the kind of movement I hope for, something that keeps scattering joyfulness after it leaves my hands.

And yes, my name is Joy, which made the words feel even more like they belonged. Over time, Scatter Joyfulness became more than a name to me. It became a mission and something I genuinely want to keep putting into the world.

Faith Was Never an Added Section

My faith is part of who I am, so it naturally became part of Scatter Joyfulness too. Not every card includes Scripture, and that’s intentional. Some designs are faith-forward while others are playful, whimsical, or inspired by ordinary things that make me smile. The invitation toward God’s love is there, but quietly. I want people to feel welcome here wherever they are in their own story, and perhaps leave feeling encouraged, noticed, amused, or curious enough to wander a bit further.

The Studio Journal Found Its Place Too

I’ve always loved words and conversation, so eventually the images needed somewhere for their stories to live.

The Studio Journal has become the place for stories behind the designs, curious phrases I can’t quite leave alone, flower discoveries, faith reflections, joyful field trips, and practical help for those moments when the right words feel shy.

The What to Write collection has grown from that same instinct: helping people find words for birthdays, friendship, encouragement, gratitude, difficult days, celebrations, and other moments when they care deeply but aren’t quite sure what to say. I happen to love words and usually enjoy finding them, but not everyone does. If that’s you, I’m here to help. There’s plenty of silliness here too.

What began as a visual Valentine idea slowly grew into both a greeting card collection and a library of words, and those words eventually opened the door to curious phrases too. I didn’t foresee any of this, and I certainly didn’t plan it.

And Then There’s Bunny

Bunny, also known around here as Bunners, Bun-Bun, and Sweetie Pie, was part of the studio rhythm before there was officially a studio. And regarding Sweetie Pie, she does top my favorite-pie list, but I wouldn’t say not to Key lime, coconut cream or banana cream.

My mornings often begin early with prayer, a homemade latte, and Bunny nearby while I write, notice, imagine, and follow whichever creative trail has caught my attention.

That keeps the aside playful, then gets us right back to Bunny’s role in the origin story.

She’s my fluffy dachshund and official Chief Cuddle Officer.

She doesn’t print, package, or approve shipping labels, although chicken might improve her willingness to negotiate.

Mostly, she keeps me company through nearly every part of the process, and what’s not to love about that?

I Still Don’t Know What Comes Next

When I look back at those first Valentine images, I can see the beginning more clearly than I could while I was living it. Scatter Joyfulness didn’t arrive through a grand plan. It grew out of noticing, play, love, curiosity, faith, and one idea leading to another.

I still rarely know what will inspire the next card or Studio Journal story. A phrase may make me curious about where it came from, someone may say something I carry home with me, or a funny creature may show up with far more personality than expected. Every now and then, an ordinary moment seems to say, “Pay attention.” And I do.

From Our Home Into the World

What began as daily Valentine gifts for my husband has now traveled farther than I imagined. Cards have been mailed, displayed, framed, tucked into books, shared, and noticed by people I may never meet. Some have prompted conversations, others have brought unexpected smiles, and a few have stayed visible long enough to keep doing their cheerful work in the room.

That lingerability delights me. I do love making up words. Snicker. Giggle.

Every person who gives one of my cards away adds another chapter I never could have written myself. I’m still amazed that something created privately and playfully in 2024 has become Scatter Joyfulness Greetings™.

More than anything, I’m grateful you found your way here while the story is still being written.

Wander a Little Further

Curious why every Scatter Joyfulness design is limited to twelve? Read the story behind Why 12 Limited Editions?

You can also meet Bunny, the Chief Cuddle Officer, who has been part of the studio rhythm from the beginning.

Looking for words for a card of your own? Wander into What to Write and borrow whatever helps.

Yours in scattering joyfulness,
Joy
& Bunny

Where will you Scatter Joyfulness today?