For Monte Sereno resident Larry Puppo, the inspiration to start the nonprofit Blue Pumpkin Foundation for Children's Arts came on May 5, 2001—he remembers the date because it's the birthday of his niece. He says he happened to be making a bed at home with his wife, Stacey, when a flash of inspiration stopped him in his tracks.

"I basically had a 15-minute epiphany where I laid out the whole future plan for Blue Pumpkin," recalls Larry, who had been working in creative direction and design marketing for about 25 years and is also an artist in his own right.

"I wanted to give back to the community and do something to help kids," he says, smiling. "I knew when I was 6 years old that I wanted to do something having to do with art. I don't want my kids or other kids to miss out on that chance."

And so, with help from his financially savvy brother-in-law Richard Edwards and Edwards' wife, Amy (Stacey's sister), Puppo drafted a business plan for a nonprofit foundation that would aim to provide a steady source of funding for public schools' art programs.

Their pilot program consists of printing and selling colorful notecards and gift cards whose images are reproduced from mixed media paintings by local schoolchildren. Currently they are only working with the Los Gatos Union School District, but they plan to expand into other local districts in the near future, including the Los Gatos­Saratoga Joint Union High School District. They may also begin selling gift wrap and other paper goods featuring kids' creations.

While Stacey says she doesn't share her husband's artistic talents, she loves art and wholeheartedly supports any creative pursuits their young children, Zachary and Miranda, want to try.

"Kids literally draw from the heart; they are just amazing artists!" says Stacey, adding that Zachary, now almost 7, was the inspiration for the organization's name.

"When he was in preschool, he wasn't very interested in artsy-type stuff. Then one day he went into the art room and drew a blue pumpkin. The other kids teased him about it. It gave us an opportunity to talk about art and how everyone likes different things. Pumpkins don't always have to be orange!" she says, chuckling.

To gather the images of flowers, fruits, cats, birds, marine animals, hearts and tribal masks used on Blue Pumpkin's first series of cards, Stacey browsed through the works on display at the Spring 2001 Children's Art Show, organized by the Art Docents of Los Gatos, held at Fisher Middle School and comprising art in all forms from Fisher students and the four Los Gatos Union School District elementary schools: Lexington, Blossom Hill, Van Meter and Daves Avenue.

She was also invited into the classrooms, where she chose some art right off the walls. "Since I'm part of the target market, I tried to think, 'What would I buy?' " Stacey says of her tough job of deciding which paintings and drawings to put on the cards. No children's artwork is used without parental permission, she adds.

The full line of cards is available for viewing or purchase at the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company, 101 W. Main St. Selected cards are also available at The Wild Bird Center and the Wooden Horse, both in the King's Court Shopping Center. For more information about the Blue Pumpkin Foundation for Children's Arts, call 408.859.6949 or visit www.bluepumpkin.org.