Karla's Korner

UnCreative Painting...

I've been painting...

not art...


but cupboards and cabinets and shelves... oh my!!

Trust me... I'm not complaining though because all this uncreative painting
is in my
ART STUDIO...
and I just know that working in this space
is going to make the creative painting all that much more fun!!

I can hardly wait to show you... hopefully later this week!!!

All I can say today is... thank You Lord!!

So do you have a creative space...
a studio?  guest bedroom? the kitchen table?  a corner?
Would you leave a comment and tell me... I really would love to know!

Blessings of peace and contentment to you today...
In His love... Karla

I Just Can't Wait Any Longer...

It's not totally finished but I can't wait any longer... I just have to show you!

This is how the kitchen looked in September of last year....

and this is how it looks today... almost seven months later!

Quite a difference... don't you agree?

Michael just put up the subway tile on Saturday... it's perfect!

This is the first gas stove I've ever owned and I absolutely LOVE it!!!

We tried to be very practical with our materials... Ikea cabinets, granite tiles
instead of slab, subway tile instead of glass... but we seriously splurged
on this beautiful stainless apron sink and we're both so glad we did! We love it!

We make most meals together so we are both very thankful for our kitchen...
it's small but very practical... the perfect size for the two of us to work in!

Michael just needs to grout the tile and finish up some detail work
and the kitchen will be finished!  Woohoooooo and yippeeeeee yay!

Then I'll get to come in and figure out how to add some colorful and fun
decorative touches... so stay tuned!

Thanks again for letting me share our remodeling journey with you...
and thanks even more for all your kind comments and encouragements
in the past... they've been greatly appreciated!!

Love and God-hugs...
Karla

A Peek Into My Breakfast Nook...

Please come in for a little visit...

This cozy little corner of my house is one of my favorite places!
This is where I sit with my Bible and cup of coffee early every morning...

and this is my view looking up... so fun!!

The crystals sparkle and dance with joy when the light is on
or when the sun beams through the window... it makes me smile!

This is my "Esther" corner...


You remember Esther, don't you?  And her transformation story?

When I found this book "Sparrows", I knew I would have to do a whole blog
post just about sparrows... but that will be for another time.

And this is a painting that I did after taking a workshop from my daughter!
You're not actually supposed to quit at this stage of the painting but I
thought it was so cheery with all it's great patterns, I couldn't keep going.

Okay... I saw this great idea in a magazine for curtains hung from knobs...
but decided I wanted something more creative and so made my own "knobs".
They actually have a story of their own... being made from newspaper found
under the flooring in this very room but...
the problem is that when I hung my curtain... I didn't like it... at all.
So now I have my fun buttons... and not sure what to do with them...
to be continued at another time... LOL!!!

My fun little red bird... can you tell I love pedestal art?
I made this little guy and Esther using old candlestick holders.
I really really want to make more of them... someday soon.

This is the perfect place to tuck our Bibles away when we need to.

Here I have a little reminder...
that I do have an angel watching over me... and so do you...


And to complete the tour... under the angel is this  hand-painted scripture...

Bless the Lord, Oh my soul
and all that is within me, bless His holy Name.
Psalm 103:1

Heavenly Father... I will bless You today!  I will lift up my soul to You...
 despite my struggles and the sadness of this world...
and I will choose to bless You Lord... to give You my best...
for You alone are worthy of my heart songs and my life praises.



Thank you my friends for visiting and allowing me to share
a little nook of my life with you!!

Blessings and hugs...

Monumental Moment...

I was in my studio...
he hollered from the kitchen...
"grab your camera and come out here!!"

And there he was... biggest smile you've ever seen...
with water flowing from the kitchen sink.
We danced a little... and filled the heavens with our praises and thanksgiving!

Why such a big deal?
You see... we've been without water in the kitchen for almost 6 months.
We've pretty much been without a kitchen for almost 6 months!!
Running water was the finishing touch to having a fully functioning kitchen!
I smile just thinking about it!

So now the only things left to do before the big reveal are cosmetic...
the edging on the countertop, the backsplash,
and some trimwork on the cabinets!

I am so excited to share it with you... it's been a long time coming!!
Thanks for being part of this journey with me...
Blessings and hugs...

Banned From The Hammer...

...actually I'm banned from the hammer's cousin... the mallet!
Why... you ask?

Well... just last Saturday my dear sweet man was setting the granite tile
for our kitchen countertops.


He troweled on the thinset (the glue to make it stick)...


he carefully set the heavy tile into place, working hard to get it level...

and then he turned his back... he should never have turned his back.


I had watched him use the mallet to level the tile before and so...
in my desire to be a good wife and helper... I picked up the mallet...


I should never have picked up the mallet.


I was soooooo sorry.
He was sooooo full of grace...
but I'm still banned from touching the mallet!

I am so thankful for grace. He could have been and had every right to be so
angry and upset with me... but he loves me... and he knew I was just trying
to be a help.  Instead he very kindly told me he was pretty sure this was
a job he could handle on his own and he released me
to go find something else... minus the mallet... to do!

Thank You Lord for forgiveness and grace. How extravangantly beautiful it is
when Your grace is revealed to us through others. Father, empower us to be
grace-givers to those in our lives who need it... just like Michael did for me. 

Dining Chair Makeover...

I've missed being able to share the blessings of daily life with you... 
but here's one I thought you'd enjoy...

The way our new house is laid out... we have more rooms...
and more spaces means more furniture! What happened to down-sizing???
At our last house we had a single dining area... now we have two!
So I've been on the hunt for second-hand treasures and finally found one...
thank you Divine Consign!


This set has good bones and is a nice warm wood tone for the space...
but the cushions were flattened and the fabric... well... it just had to go!


So with a roll of batting, a few tools, and some fun new fabric...


...one by one they waited their turn to be transformed...


...and the end result is contemporary and classy... what do you think?
Perfect for our first dinner party as soon as the kitchen is finished!!!

And do you recognize the fabric?  I love it there and I love it here.
Maybe I thought I could bring the camper experience home!!
Anyway... I love make-overs and I love being able to share them with you!

So have you done any make-over projects lately?
If so, what?  If not, maybe this is the inspiration you need
to get your tools out and have fun!
Either way... thank for visiting!  You make my heart smile!

Lord bless you with a happy day...
for happy is everyone who fears the LORD and walks in His ways!
Psalm 128:1 (HCSB)

Love and hugs...

 

Sweet Little Sewing Space...

I'm finally starting to organize my studio... little by little...
and I'm so excited about it!

I've always wanted a sewing nook... where everything could stay out and be
ready when the urge hit or the need arose.  I now have it... oh so sweet!


So my serger is ready to serge... (as soon as I find the cord)...


... and my sewing machine has already been sewing... yessirreee...
I hemmed up some jammies for a friend just a few of days ago!


So here's what happens when you're disorganized and can't find the color of
thread you want in the moment... you go buy more... and then it happens
again... and again. Will I ever use that much red & yellow thread? Hope so!


Oh my... do any of you remember the day of the duster?
Or a 35¢ pattern!?!?!?


I'm not finished organizing yet but I thought this was pretty clever...
the small metal dishes are vintage jello molds... and the little bucket is
super cheap from IKEA... loving it!


And who doesn't love colored ball-head straight pins? I do!  Cheerful and fun.
And this little pincushion has elastic to fit on your wrist... so helpful!


I got this adorable table from my daughter. I should have taken a before
photo though. Where the buttery yellow is on the top it was purple and
the legs were blue and white striped... very cute... but just a bit
too multi-colorful for my style and studio! 
Don't worry... she understands... and didn't mind at all!


Okay... so do you see what is wrong with this picture? 
Yes... the stools I got are too tall for the table!  I thought about just
cutting them off but I need them to be that height for my art table.
So... I'm looking forward to finding new chairs at the second hand store...
I know I'll find them and they'll be just perfect!

I believe God is calling me to get organized... in my studio, my house,
my paperwork, my daily routines, even my thought-life.
He's been impressing on me that being more organized will result in much
greater freedom... freedom to grow in my relationship with Him,
freedom to be more creative, to grow my business,  and give myself away. 
Yes Lord... that's my heart and my desire.

How about you?

Heavenly Father... I understand that greater freedom and creativity flows
from a sense of order rather than chaos and so I do desire more order and
organization in my chaotic life! I want to be all that You're calling me to be,
but I know I can't do it without You. I trust You to give me the wisdom and
direction I need for today to accomplish Your will in me and through me.
Amen.

xoxoxo

I Have a Floor & Cabinets!

Good morning from the Portland Airport!
I thought I'd give you a quick kitchen update before I head off to CHA...


My husband did a ton of work leveling the floors to get them ready...
I'm so thankful that he's so skilled!


Then we moved all the flooring out of my studio and into the breakfast nook
 

It was thrilling to watch the floor go down... this was a HUGE step!
I can't believe I don't have a photo of the full finished floor though... yet!


The very first cabinet!!  Thank you IKEA for being so economical
and for blessing my husband with your put-together technology.


It was a blessig to have Gary's help with some of the cabinets...
I know Michael enjoyed his company... and his help!


The uppers are all in as of last night... yippee!!


Notice the microwave... the black box on the left... sweet!!

So the next step is to clean out the tools...
sand... stain... and seal the floor...
and then putting in the base cabinets... I'm so excited!!

Thank you my friends for sharing this journey with me...
four months without a kitchen... and counting...
but soon... very soon!

So now I leave on a jet plane...
and looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me there!
Thank you for your prayers...

Love and hugs,

Progress Report...

Slow but sure... and very exciting...
that's how I would describe the progress report on our house remodel.


The kitchen has come a long way since the first report...
and since the last update... two weeks ago... Michael has finished
the beadboard in the family room... and I still have a bit of it left to paint.


He replaced the door to the laundry room with one that matches the other
doors in the house... note it still needs white paint!


Most of his time has been spent on preparing the floors to start laying the
hardwood flooring that is presently stacked sky high in my studio!


It has not been an easy job at all.  He had to replace a few boards and
tighten up all the existing sub-floor.  Here you see where he patched the
corner where the chimney had been... so glad it's gone!


But the major job has been leveling it all because the family room is an
addition so the floor in there is higher than the kitchen floor
which is also part of the floor you see above. And then... this floor
is lower than the breakfast nook floor which is also an addition!! 
It's been like a puzzle figuring it all out and I'm so proud of my husband
for his ability to solve problems and do such quality work!


But I must say... the biggest PRAISE THE LORD may be no more plastic wall...
and no more zipper!!  Yippee... yay!!  Lovin' it!!  It's starting to look so pretty!


I found this round table for the breakfast nook on Craigslist...
and right now it's holding 3 sets of track lights destined for the
family room and above the buffet bar... I LOVE lotsa light!


 And I've slowly begun unpacking a few boxes of decor...
still trying to figure out what to put on these shelves since I've never been
big on knick-knacks... hmmm... I think I see some fun shopping in my future.


The dining area is starting to take shape...


and so is the living room... slowly but surely... one day at a time.

It's fun to share the progress with you... thanks for caring. It helps to stop
and see how far we've really come because it's been 4 months now...
and we still have so far to go!!!

This house has become our workmanship... much like you and I are God's...

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10

Ponder this...
I would love for our house to be done today... I'm ready... but sometimes it
feels like it will never get done!!  And that's how we can be with God's work
in our lives... we want to be further along than we are.  We think we should
be all totally remodeled and perfect today...  but we're not.
There's still so much work to be done... but God continues to mold and
shape us every day... much like Michael and I are doing to our house. 

It is a slow process but it's worth it and that's how God feels about us.
He has a plan and a vision for us, just like we have a vision for this house!!
And He's faithful... he'll never give up on you... so don't give up on Him!!

Take a moment and do your own progress report... let yourself delight in
pondering what God has already done in your life... and let it build your
faith to know that He's not done with yet either! 
What rooms has He already remodeled in your heart?
How grateful we are for the Remodeler and Restorer of our Souls.

Father God... thank You for not giving up on us... but for loving us...
and living in us and through us just the way we are...
with the continual hope of of greater restoration ahead!  Amen.

Happy New Year...

Usually about now I'm all about looking back over the past year...
and writing down goals for the new year ahead.

But this year is different... at least for now.
Because of the house remodel I'm all about living in the moment...
tending to the priorities... and today's priorities seems to be white!


 I closed 2010 with a paintbrush loaded with white... lots and lots of white.


I started with the trim in the living room...


and then this already built-in shelf unit which has already taken two coats...
with at least one more left to go!


This is what it looked like before... I like the white better, don't you?

 
Today I spent second... and third- coating everything in the living room...
while Michael put up the beadboard and trim in the breakfast nook...
 

and family room... isn't it looking gorgeous?

Tomorrow... and until it's finished... I'll be painting it all white.
But I LOVE white... so I'm glad to paint it.  Clean. Light. Bright. Pure WHITE.

What a great way to start the New Year too... thinking about the color white.
It makes me want to think of the holiness and purity of God.
It makes me delight in the fact, that in His eyes, we are white as snow.
And it makes me think of new beginnings...
like a clean white canvas ready to be painted on.
And I'm thinking that this year... in 2011...
the paint on my canvas is going to be quite fun and colorful...
as I allow God to have His way in me and through me.

How about you?  Are you looking forward to a colorful year ahead?
I hope so.

God's blessings for 2011 my friends...
Hugs... Karla

Thankful Thursday Kitchen Update...

I thought for sure I would have a kitchen by Christmas.  Not quite.
Now I'm hopeful for Valentine's Day...  maybe even earlier.
What I'm learning is that remodeling the house you live in...
and doing most of the work yourselves... especially at our age...
is a great way to develop patience and perserverance...
and I keep hearing God say "count it all joy..."


So in the beginning... this was our kitchen when we moved in... Sept. 23rd.


It is quite small but cozy... with a nice size family room addition.


This will be a great family/tv room... someday soon!


The cabinets were original 1942... very small and didn't close well...
note the covered over chimney in the corner...
and what was the dining room through the doorway... more on this later.


November 8
After settling into the bedroom and studio as our living space...
with the camper for our kitchen...
Michael spent quite a while on the laundry room but I'll show you that later.
Here... the kitchen construction begins...
and the cabinets were the first thing to go.


I remember the day the plastic doorway went up to keep construction dust
out of the rest of the house... at least the worst of it... 
I thought the zipper was oh so cool then...
now... not so cool but still so thankful for it.


November 10
We wanted to open up the space between the dining room and kitchen...


November 16
but in order to take out that wall we had to put a support beam in...


In the process of making room for the beam we discovered leaks...


which meant taking down the entire ceiling...


December 4th
and time out for replacing a large section of the roof.
We also discovered there was no insulation on one outer wall...
so the sheetrock had to come down... but thankful for the discovery!


During this time Michael was also putting in all new kitchen plumbing...
while an electrician friend was replacing all the wiring!


December 1
Lots of work went into making the ceiling level between where it sagged
and where the family room had been added on. A pony wall was built
for where a counter/eating bar will be... and electrical was wired!!
Oh yes... and the chimney disappeared...
sadly however... Michael's shoulder is still suffering from that demolition.


December 14
Trust me... some serious JOY filled the house the day
Jeff and his boys showed up with sheetrock!


December 15
After weeks of looking at the darkness of open studs, wires and insulation...
this was a beautiful site to see!!!


December 22
But back to more demolition... up came the ugly mud-colored vinyl tiles...
all the way down to the subfloor... too bad it's sub-floor because it's
really quite colorful and pretty... but do have cold air coming through!



December 28
Finished painting the ceiling and the upper part of the walls



December 29
Could hardly quit smiling as we began trimming out the windows and doors.

That's where we're at today.

What God has shown me through these past several weeks is
an incredible picture of what it means to be rescued.
He has given the privilege to take a house that had been
neglected, seriously abused and abandoned... and we are giving it new life...
an opportunity to blossom into something of beauty and great value.
I know in my heart God has a plan for this house to be used for His glory!

A wonderful analogy of what God does for us...
He rescues us... gives us new life... and uses us for His glory.

For my house and for my God...
I am thankful!

Thankful for the Flush!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to take a few minutes
to count your blessings and truly give thanks.
My friend Becky counted a bunch... and her list really makes you think about
so many of the things we so easily take for granted... it's inspiring!

And speaking of taking for granted... when was the last time
you thanked God for indoor plumbing and a flushing toilet? 
Well, it's been at the top of my list recently!

One of the reasons we got such a good deal on our new house was because
one of the previous owners had built our wonderful four car garage right on
top of the drainfield for the septic and thus the septic had failed!  Duh! 
Hmmmmmm... that means...
No Septic = No Flush!
So for the first three weeks of owning our new home, we drove in from
Battle Ground, worked on the house, took potty breaks at
Jack in the Box up the road and then went back to Battle Ground to sleep.

Our hearts were overjoyed the day the truck arrived with a new septic tank!

It was amazing to watch them lift it up over the fence...

And gently lower it into place!


The drainfield was installed in trenches...


transforming the side yard from this...

to this... and it will stay this way until next spring.
It is now slightly mounded in the center but I am just soooo thankful they
were able to hide all the mess  behind the fence... thank You Lord!

But the most exciting part of the day came when they told us we could use
the toilets and sinks! Thank you Jack in the Box for being there when we
needed you but thank You God for our own working septic system
and all the men who played a part in getting it installed!

So for today ladies...

I'm giving thanks for the flush! How about you?


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

Blessings and love and hugs...
Karla