Karla's Korner

SEPTEMBER CONTEST WINNER!!

Thank you to all of you for your wonderful comments and encouraging words during this past month!  Also thank you to all those who entered this contest by forwarding my September Newsletter and to those who linked from their blog to mine!  You guys are great and you bless my heart more than you know!!

So... CONGRATULATIONS to Patty S. who won this month's contest  by forwarding my Newsletter to several of her friends and/or family... thanks Patty!  I hope you enjoy gathering your recipes together in this binder and I look forward to seeing which Digital Art Collection you choose!

P.S... If you don't get my Newsletter and would like to,
you can...
 

Sign Up to Receive My Email Newsletter Here

Pure As Snow...

 

No snow on the ground yet but instead of being out in the garden harvesting corn and beans, I've been busy in my studio listening to Christmas music and creating my newest Clip Art Collection... Pure As Snow!  I just posted it for sale over at Karla's Korner Shoppe! I think you'll love it!

I love snowmen and snow people!  And I love that in the Bible snow symbolizes purity and holiness which is what inspired the poem: Pure as snow from heaven above, born a babe God's gift of love". Snow also brings a peace and calm to the earth and to our hearts... so combine that with a snowman strung with lights and you have "All is calm... all is bright!"  These images are perfect for Christmas Crafts and Greeting Cards as well as for your Personal Scrapbook Pages.  And for more ideas on how to celebrate Christmas with a focus on Christ please check out my book, The Heart & Home of Christmas.

Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow.
Isaiah 1:18

Heavenly Father... Thank You for sending Jesus to wash away our sins and make us white as snow in Your eyes! Lord, as the holiday season approaches and the world and the worries of life attempt to dull our sensitivity to You and to Your holiness and purity, I pray You would stir our hearts and open our eyes to see You above all of it... above the cares of everyday life and above the commercialism of the season.  Guard our hearts, use the symbolism of the season to help us see You and show us creative ways to be like a snowman wrapped up in lights... showing the world that as we trust in You... all is calm and all is bright!  Love You Lord! Blessed be Your Name. Amen.

Catching Up!

First of all... I am laughing because I created this post last week and got side-tracked and never pushed "publish"! So it's a little dated but I wanted to share it anyway! Things have been busy!! So much to tell you but I know you only have a few minutes so in a nutshell...

1) We've decided to quit procrastinating and put our beautiful Grace Acres up for sale!  We will list it on Craig's List on Saturday. 

We do know the economy is not in our favor... but God is so we'll just see what happens.

We love this place but Grace Acres is crying out for a family with children to tend the garden and pick the fruit and play ball in the giant yard... and we are crying out for a simpler way of life with more time for people and less time tending the land. Please keep us in your prayers for this.

2) I am now selling some of my Digital Art Collections over at AimeeAsher.com. There are some other amazing artists there and the've been a pleasure to work with in getting my Kits uploaded to their store! I'm looking forward to seeing how their designers will use my art to create other products. I'll let you know when they do!

3) And I just started my very first online art class with Paulette Insall. I'm already learning new techniques and loving it!  I'm excited to see how what I learn will translate into my own style! I'll give you sneak peaks later.

4) There's more going on for sure but that's all the time to share for today! 

Love you guys...
Karla

NEW SEPTEMBER CONTEST!

***Win this Recipe Keeper***
(which includes a notepad and 3 magnets)
&
a Digital Art Kit of your choice!

You can enter by:

1. Commenting on any of my blog posts between now and Sept. 26th.
and/or
2. Promoting my giveaway on your blog (feel free to pull this image to use on your blog if you like)

THESE GIVEAWAYS ARE MY WAY OF SAYING "THANK YOU"...
FOR BEING PART OF MY LIFE!

Glaze for the Fresh Apple Cake

When Lynn wrote and asked me for the glaze recipe I used for the Fresh Apple Cake, I thought maybe someone else might want to know as well... so here it is.  I found it at southernfood.about.com by simply googling "glaze for a bundt cake".  Gotta love the internet! 

Also... regarding the flour for the cake... mine is in a container with no label... so I'm going to guess it's plain flour and not self-rising... and it worked.  And... I'm not a good enough cook to know if it would make that much difference! 

So here's the recipe for...

Basic Glaze

1. Melt 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of butter in a saucepan or microwave.
2. Sift 2 cups of powdered sugar into a medium size bowl.
3. Add the melted butter to the powdered sugar.
4. Add 2 tablespoons of milk.
5. If desired, add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla for flavor. (I did not)
6. Beat until smooth and creamy, adding a little more milk if necessary. (I did... about 1 more Tbls)
7. Drizzle over a cooled cake.

Bev's Fresh Apple Cake is a Winner!

Our friend Bev, the winner of the August Blog Contest, included a recipe for her Fresh Apple Cake along with her winning comment and I knew just had to try it. You can use any kind of apple so I chose Granny Smith and it was moist, marvelous, and a winning recipe with my entire family.  And as you can see... make it in a bundt pan, drizzle it with a simple powdered sugar glaze and it isjust as pretty as it is yummy.  So here's the recipe if you want to give it a try... enjoy!

Fresh Apple Cake

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup cooking oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups peeled, chopped apples
1 cup chopped nuts, optional (I used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 325*. Grease and flour Bundt or tube pan or use Pam.

Mix flour, soda, salt and cinnamon and mix together well.

In large mixing bowl combine oil and sugar. Cream thoroughly, then add eggs and vanilla and continue beating until light and fluffy.

Add dry ingredients and apples and beat on low speed just until throughly blended.

Pour into pan and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes... glaze if you like... and enjoy!!

Give Thanks...

I will be speaking at a women's event the end of October and I created this new "Give Thanks" Clip Art Collection for the planner of the event to use as she creates her invitations, posters, gift bags, etc. It is now available to you in my Blog Shoppe.

I love the title of my talk for this upcoming event... it's called "Where's the Turkey"? This title came about a few years ago when I was shopping in late September and was grieved to see the Halloween decorations sitting side by side with Christmas decor in a store display. During that moment, it occured to me... something was missing. Where was the turkey? Whatever happened to Thanksgiving? My message is designed to help us recapture the heart and the art of giving thanks... an attitude and a practice that can prepare our hearts to stay focused on Christ throughout the holiday season. I'm sure I'll be sharing more about this with you in the days to come!

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Psalm 100:4

Heavenly Father, we know that thanksgiving is more than a day on the calendar... it's an attitude of our hearts toward You.  Help us Lord as we begin to look forward to the holiday season, to place giving thanks at the top of our gift list... a gift we give to You, to ourselves and to those You have placed in our lives. Thank You Father for loving us and giving us everything we need in Christ to live the abundant lives you died for us to have. Lift us up above our circumstances Lord so we can see more clearly how much we have to be thankful for. In Your Name and for Your glory... amen.

FREE... Apples of Gold Coloring Page

I had such fun creating this coloring page as a gift for you and your children. As I worked on it, I couldn't help but think about the tremendous value our words have and how important it is for our children and grandchildren to learn this early in their lives.

I was very thin... skinny as a beanpole... as a child. I can still remember other children making fun of me until I was in tears. My mother always told me "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me."  I know she meant well, but an unkind or cruel word can be painful... and sometimes, depending on what it is and who says it, an unkind word can leave a scar that lasts a lifetime.

We can all say careless words without thinking or realizing the impact they can have. I know I can. So I am so grateful to God for this reminder to think before I speak... I want to be a woman who "serves" words that bless and not curse, that build up and not tear down, that bring life and love rather than death. How about you?  Let's agree together to think about our words today and encourage the children in our lives to do the same!  Download this coloring page and use it as a conversation starter and see what God will do!

Heavenly Father... we know that it is not only children who need to learn to heed the wisdom of this proverb. Teach us to guard our words and choose them wisely. May our words be like apples of gold... fruitful... life-giving... full of hope, encouragement, comfort, healing, and kindness to the hearer... and may our words always be served in a setting of truth and love... and sweet to your ear. In Jesus' Name... amen.

The August Contest Winner is...

Congratulations to Bev who commented on August 9th to the August Contest post!  Bev is going to receive everything shown below plus a couple of surprise items!!  Yeah Bev... hope you enjoy it all!

Also Bev shared a yummy fresh apple cake recipe you might want to check out. I plan on trying it in the next few days and I'll share a bite with you then... a photo bite that is... yum!

Oh yes... and I apologize for being late with the contest drawing... so much to do... so little time! Thanks for your patience!

Bless you guys!
Karla