By KALEY LYON

klyon@dailynews.net

GOODLAND -- Brenda McCants never expected to be an entrepreneur, much less a greeting card designer.

But after becoming a stepmother about 15 years ago, McCants became inspired to create a line of greeting cards targeting blended families.

"This is something I really wanted to do, because there just wasn't a card out there that sent a message that was appropriate," McCants said.

Blending two families into one never is easy, but the key is to find the humor and joy in everyday experiences, she said.

It's that goal that inspired her new card line -- Blending Moments. In keeping with the theme, the cards all feature animated kitchen objects.

Content for the cards comes from the heart. McCants began keeping a journal of her blended family experiences and draws on real-life occurrences to create messages that adequately capture the sentiment of the moment, she said.

When she and her husband, Larry, married almost 15 years ago, their four children found themselves blending.

"There's no recipe book for creating the perfect blended family, and everyone has their own style of parenting," she said. "The overall goal is to build respect and healthy relationships during those challenging times."

The first 12 cards have been released, and already there is enough content for 50 designs.

The cards are appropriate for a variety of occasions, ranging from birthday to thank you, to tearful moments and apologies.

The cards also are injected with blended humor, including greetings for "wicked" stepparents.

While some might take offense, the idea is to find humor in a common negative stereotype, she said.

"When you can look at those situations like that, it really does lighten the intensity of any moment," she said. "It is what it is. We just need to find the joy in each day and make the most of what we have ... "

The card line launched earlier this year, and McCants, who previously worked in health care, has been busy marketing her new label. In fact, she's in California this weekend to highlight the new card line at a national greeting card conference.

The cards can be purchased online at www.blendingmoments.com and also are available at stores in Goodland, St. Francis and Burlington, Colo.

McCants also is taking measures to keep the business close to home. The cards are printed in Salina. Goodland resident Tammy Neal is in charge of marketing, and illustrator Erin Terry lives in Colorado.

According to recent statistics, about 60 percent of American families are blended. While that's a sad statistic, it needs to be addressed, she said.

So far, public response has been encouraging. McCants, who also is considering writing a book, gives God and her family credit for her latest accomplishment.

"I didn't want to do anything without the blessing of my husband and my children," McCants said. "And when I say 'my children,' I mean all of them, because they are ours.

"They're older now, and my stepson said, 'I finally have a greeting card I can send you for your birthday,' " she said with a laugh.