Karla's Korner

Crafty Inspiration for the New Year...

Almost all my Christmas decorations have been neatly packed away but
there are a few handmade ornaments that were gifted to me this year
through an ornament exchange that will remain in my studio where I'm
sure they will serve as inspiration for future creative and crafty endeavors!

Maybe they'll inspire your creativity too...

My amazingly talented daughter Michelle was the one who arranged the
ornament exchange with her friends and included me! Her cute little
Rudolph the Snow Angel can't help but make you smile with all its quirkiness!
I love how she added the house numbers of my address (which is also my
birthday) but I didn't realize the scarf covered part of it in the photo...oops!

I met Deirdra through Michelle... and she hand-delivered her ornament to
me when she came to my studio for an afternoon of Christmas crafting. 
Her handiwork has such a sweet vintage feel to it... and I LOVE the color!
Her creativity shines in this little charmer!

This little cutie was from Tyler and what was so fun about hers was that she
had learned this techique from Michelle at a workshop she taught last spring
at Artfest.  I love this little guy... so sweet... almost huggable!

Isn't this owl a total HOOT?!?  Elizabeth made this amazing creation using a
recycled sweater... can you believe it?  So creative... and so inspiring!
It reminded me of the whole "trash to treasure" theme.  Beautifully done!

Janne is Michelle's friend from Norway. She has spent some time here visiting
with Michelle and I've been blessed to get to know her a little bit...
she's a darling girl and overflows with incredible creativity in so many ways!
I love the simplicity of her little house... and the brightness of the windows
made me think of "this little light of mine... I'm going to let it shine!"


I've had the pleasure of meeting Lulu  once and she is delightful. What I think
is most amazing about her ornament, besides its cleverness, is that she made
these in the midst of getting ready for her own wedding on December 3rd!!


And this was my contribution to the exchange... she turned out so cute!  She's
paper mache with lots of glitter... and I love the dots... and her musical tail!

I'm sad to say that I put Mystele's ornaments on the little tree in my kitchen
and I packed it with the tree without realizing it and there's still one coming
from Tammy so I have more inspiration to look forward to! I send my heartfelt
thanks to each and every woman who gave a part of herself to me this year!
And maybe next year, I'll host my own exchange... what do you think ladies?

What is so encouraging as I look over these ornaments is the variety of ideas
and the range of personality and talents that shine through! It reminds me of
how each one of us has been created so uniquely and how we can use the
gifts, talents and abilities the Lord has given to us to be a blessing to
others... to encourage them and inspire them... not only at Christmas but
all throughout the year.  I hope to do more of that with you in 2012!

Lord God... we are creative only because You are the Creator and we've been
made in Your likeness.  As we enter this New Year will show us how to
creatively use the gifts, talents, and abilities You've given us for Your glory...
and for the blessing of others. Thank You Jesus.  Amen.

Merry Christmas Hugs...

Merry Christmas from my heart to your heart...
as we celebrate the birth of our dear Savior
and the amazing love of our heavenly Father...
may your heart and home be filled with great joy.

...with much Love and Christmas hugs to you all...
xoxo
Karla

Christmas Nostalgia...

Moving into a smaller house with cozy little rooms meant trading
our nine foot tall Christmas tree for a smaller seven foot tree...
that's seven feet including the pot!


I don't miss having to get the ladder out to trim the top few feet but
its narrow profile seems almost too small for the space. But
it's still beautiful wrapped in my favorite candlestick lights and all
dressed up with red and white ornaments and branches of berries.


My favorite ornaments on this tree are the ones that depict the
Names of Jesus. This one remind me that He is The Gift of God
coming down from heaven to save us from  our sins... oh to
remember that this is what Christmas is all about!


The crown proclaims that Jesus didn't just become a king but
He was born a King... the King of all Kings... worthy to be
worshipped and adored.

And the dove speaks to our hearts that He is the Prince of Peace
who fills our hearts with a peace that passes all understanding...
even when our world is crazy and cruel.


And then there's this little 3 ft. tree on the counter in the kitchen...
the one that honors past Christmases and special memories.

When Michelle got married, I gave her quite a few ornaments that
were her favorites... but I kept a few for myself as well.

This little angel has always made me smile.

Michelle made this star for Christmas when she was 11 years old! 
She saw it a couple of days ago and wondered why we ever parted
her hair down the middle! LOL I think she's adorable!

Does anyone else remember the days of making faces from old
nylons?  Oh my... does anyone even wear nylons anymore?

And this little Raggedy Ann ornament was made for me by Janice,
my best friend growing up.  She must have given her and Andy to
us more than 30 years ago... wow!

Homemade ornaments... even when they were made from a kit still
remind me of the years when Michelle was a little girl and we spent
our Christmas season baking and making things together. 
Special times. This one must be 35 years old!

And this is a very special memory... Mike's mom made these beaded
ornaments for us about 16 years ago, before she passed away. 
Each ornament framed a family member at the time... this one is of
her.  She is dearly missed, but her ornaments honor her every year!

So I wonder if I came to your house what wonderful stories you would
share with me about the ornaments on your tree?  What a delightful
time we would have chatting and eating Christmas cookies together!

And speaking of... I'm off to bake my first Christmas cookies
tonight!  I was going to start with my Hidden Kisses Cookies but my
sweet hubby has been nibbling on the kisses while I've been writing
to you, so I might have to start with the Chocolate Crinkles instead. 
YUM!!

Oh, taste and see... God is good!

Blessings and Christmas hugs...
Karla

All Dressed Up For Christmas...

My art studio was all dressed up with twinkling lights and tinsel trees for the
big Studio Sale... it looked so bright and cheery... very warm and welcoming.

Colorful art... books with heart... and gifts galore decked the halls and walls.


But the most wonderful decorations of the weekend were the people!
Lots of hugs and kisses were shared with sweet friends from far and near...
and our signs brought in lots of passersbys... which was such a delight!
It was obvious that some of them did not know Jesus... so to be able to share
the light of His Word and the love of His heart with them was a blessing...


because in the midst of all our gift buying and wrapping and giving...
giving the Gift of Jesus through our loving, praying, caring and sharing...
is where our joy comes from... because He is truly the greatest Gift of all!

So thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. God showed up. 
Parking was fine. Sales were good. And He sent me a special gift named Bev
to help me with the sale!  Bev has been reading my blog for years and when I
posted my address for the Studio Sale she emailed me to tell me we were
neighbors and offered to help!  I was soooo blessed by her love and kindness
and I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other in the days to come!

"Every good and perfect gift comes from above..."
James 1:17

Love and Christmas hugs...
Karla

Getting Ready...

I'm getting more and more excited... and a little nervous too...
about my upcoming Studio Sale this weekend!!

I'm having fun decoratiing, getting set up, and thinking about seeing
old friends and hopefully making a few new ones too.

But I'm nervous because there's still so much to be done and I've already had
to start marking undone things off my to-do list.. just not enough time!
And... I'm a little bit nervous about what if no one comes
(okay... I know for sure there are a few people coming)
but also nervous that if they do come, will our limited parking work out okay? 

There's always something to worry about in everything we do, isn't there?
So... for today I think I'll take God's advice and not worry about anything...
but instead I'll pray... and give Him thanks for this wonderful opportunity...
turn on some great Christmas music...
and look forward to whatever He has in store!

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what
you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's
peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Phil. 4:6

If you live close enough and would like to come...
I'd love to see you and give you a God-hug!
I'm just north of the Portland Airport... I-205 to the Mill Plain West Exit...
Turn right on 104th Ave... (the first street past Walmart)
We're about 10 blocks down so just follow the signs and the balloons!!

xoxoxo

Light of the World...

I've always loved Christmas lights. And even moreso after I met Jesus
and discovered that He is the Light of the world...
and then even more when He became the Light of my own life!

I love lots of lights on our Christmas tree and tucked in here and there
throughout the house. And I couldn't resist giving this light above my dining
room table some special festive dressing this year...

I've always wanted to hang ornaments from a chandelier but never had one
that it would work with... so this was a fun little project.

On the wall behind the chandelier hangs the most beautiful vintage ornament
wreath my darling daughter Michelle made for me a few years ago... LOVE it!

I already have some Christmas dishes set out on the table ready and waiting
to be filled with yummy treats for the Open Studio Sale I'm having here
this weekend! How fun if you could come by for a visit!!!
I'll give you the times and directions tomorrow... I'm so excited!!

I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.
John 8:12

Lord Jesus... fill our hearts and minds with the Light of Your love this
Christmas season... so much so that others will see Your Light shining
in us and through us and wonder why.  May we be a light in the darkness of
this world and a light in the life of someone who needs to know how
much You love them... in Your glorious and holy Name... amen.

More Snowy Joy Fun...

I used to love playing in the snow... building snowmen, cross-country skiing,
I've even made a few of my own "snow-angels" in the day. But not so much
the older I get. I like being warm and cozy. But I'm still up to a little snowy
joy fun with the granddaughters when the opportunity arises!

And thinking about snow...
I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of my snowy little friends in progress.

I didn't remember to take photos at the earliest stage... but here they are
with two coats of white paint over their grey paperclay shapes...
and a few with their carrot orange noses.

It's when I add their sparkling bright eyes, adorable smiles and rosy cheeks,
I begin to see their characters forming and they make my heart smile.

A little glazing helps highlight their snowy texture...

and they sit happily in their sliced toilet-paper roll holders to dry.

Upside-down and glittered... you can't help but smile, can you?

I had already made their colorful hats of felt with new and vintage trim...

so with tophats and snowman grins... these little characters are ready and
waiting to be adopted into loving homes this Christmas!

I'll have some on Etsy later today...

Oh so cute!

As pure as snow, Jesus entered this world...
no sin in a sin-filled earth.
And He took our sins... washed us white as snow...
O come, celebrate His birth!

Lord Jesus... thank You for giving up Your glory to become a man
and walk among us so that we could come to know You and love You.
Thank You for loving us so much that You would give up Your life
so that we could have life... new life... both now and forever with You.
Would you use snow this Christmas season... whatever the form...
to remind us of Your sinlessness... and our salvation.

Amen

Free Printable Christmas Tags...

I'm hoping to create some new Christmas Tags for you very soon...
but until then... I wanted to let you know these tags are still available!

Simply download these Free Printable Christmas Tags, print, cut and create!

You can use them for gift tags or scrapbooking...
for making greeting cards or even ornaments.
To get your creative juices going, check out this post from last year for
inspiration and ideas using these designs... and have fun!

With love and Christmas hugs...
Karla

The Reason for the Season...

This is our first Christmas living in the new house so it was fun
to start going through the decorations over the weekend and
figuring out what will work since this house is so different from the last one.


The first thing I chose to set up was my favorite nativity... and the
moment I placed Baby Jesus in the manger I knew it was beginning to look
a lot like Christmas because it really is all about Him.  His birth...
His life... and why He came... He truly is the Reason for the Season!

There are so many things about Christmas that I love...
the sounds, the smells, the beauty of it all!
But it's the loving, giving, caring and sharing that makes
Christmas the most beautiful holiday of all!

I look forward, over the next 27 days, to sharing some of the sights,
smells, sounds, and symbolism of the season with you
so that together we will be encouraged to celebrate this season...
in His love and for His glory!


So how about you... do you own a nativity? Have you set it out yet?
I love the tradition of not putting Jesus in the manger until Christmas
morning. Do you do that?  Hmmm... now that I said that...
I think my Baby Jesus just might disappear for the next 27 days!

Love and Christmas hugs to you...
Karla