Karla's Korner

Trash... or treasure?

Cleaning can be such an adventure... oh my! I have recently uncovered a
treasure... or is it just a box of trash?  As I pondered the history of this
discovery... a box of prints from the past... I thought I'd share this story...

Did you know I starting selling my art through home parties?
My heart's desire was to provide an affordable way for women to put
God's Word on the walls of their homes and so... yes...
I would bring my box of framed prints and plaques to your home,
sit on the floor... and one by one... hold them up and share a word of
encouragement through the verses and the spiritual symbolism that I
had woven into each painting. This is one of them...

And on the back of almost every painting... I would attach a short "story"
of what I shared as a reminder but also so that if you gave the painting as
a gift, the story would always go with it.  Those stories were the beginning
of my becoming an "author" and opened the door to my very first books.

So imagine if you would... us sitting together with a group of your friends
as I held up the above painting... and shared this story...
says that God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

And I want you to imagine yourself sitting at this desk
and gazing out the window... notice that the path ahead of you
is neither straight nor level... in fact, the path itself is
not smooth but appears to be a little rough and and rocky here and there...
does that remind you of anything?

How about the path of your life? But God has promised, according to the
truth of His Word, that He will direct our footsteps and, whether we are in the
valley or on the mountaintop, He will never leave us or forsake us.


Now direct your eyes to those things that sit upon the desk top. In the center
is the Bible... God's written Word of Life.

And then there's the oil lamp, a symbol of the "lamp unto my feet"...


and the cup... which represents not only the refreshing
that is yours in the Word, but also the rest that is available to you
as you hold onto and trust God's promises for yourself.

Notice the small bottle of oil with the dove on top...
it depicts the anointing of the Holy Spirit...


and the apple hanging from the tree outside is a picture of the fruit of the
Spirit that is developed along the path of life as you grow
in the truth and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.


The wrapped gift illustrates the fact that Jesus gave up His glory and
humbled Himself as a man to give you the greatest gift of all...
eternal life. It also serves as a reminder that every good and perfect gift
comes to us from above.


The flowers represent the joy that only the Son of God can truly bring...


and the books remind us that we are to study to show ourselves
approved in the handling of God's Word.

Just as the whole of this painting is surrounded with the written word...

and a border of hearts...

may the whole of your life be encompassed with the truth and guidance of
the Word of God and the love and life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Oh those were the days my friend...
and though the seasons of our lives change...
and the days of home parties are gone..
the Word of the Lord never changes and the symbolism of this painting
is as true today as it was then.

So the decision was made... I can't trash them...
at least not quite yet.
I've added several to my Etsy shop if you want to go take a look.
There's only a few of each one but I'd rather see them go to a good home
than to the burn pile so I've priced them to be very affordable.
And I'll be adding some more in the days to come.

And thanks for letting me come into your home today and hold up
this painting and share a word of encouragement with you...
I hope you were blessed!
xoxoxo
Karla

Is Your Name Valerie?

If it is... pop over to my FB FanPage and say "hi"...
and you might win a free Down a Garden Path book!

Why Valerie, you ask?  Because I have a book pre-signed to Valerie!
Why, you ask?  I'm not sure. It could be for a number of reasons.
But the great thing is that it could be yours if your name is Valerie!

Sitting Pretty Little Birdy...

Remember last Thursday I told you I was going to take a break from
cleaning and go meet with my art group? Well, I'm glad I went because we
had so much fun!

Above from left to right is Jaron, Michelle, Lani, Terri, Janene and me!

Paulette (top) came too... just a little late for the group photo.

Michelle hosted us at her fabulous studio and
taught us a new painting technique of layering pattern upon pattern
upon pattern... can you see it?  It really makes someone like me move out
beyond my comfort zone of wanting to color inside the lines. But since I love
pattern I found it to be so much fun... especially not having to be perfect!

The next step was to block out your image... so that the pattern showed only
where you wanted it to. I didn't realize at the time I was blocking in my bird
how the pattern I had painted so willy nilly would be perfect for her wings...
see... I told you it was fun! Even though I didn't have a plan for those three
circles at the top, they were just too cool to cover up so they stayed.
This is the stage I had to stop at when I left Michelle's.

So this is it finished...
I couldn't help myself... my heart was having such a good time I kept
painting at home into the night and then the next day and a little more the
next day until... she totally made me smile!

I love the vibrant colors and all the patterns intertwining...

I love that it's not perfect and yet perfectly beautiful...

It made me think of how much I try to have a perfectly manicured yard and yet
just beyond the yard is the woods in all it's glory... filled with winsome
wildflowers and whatsoever weeds, rambling bramble bushes and tall
majestic evergreens. patterns upon patterns upon patterns. planted oh so
willy nilly by the hand of nature. with God's clever creative touch.  So not
perfect and yet so perfectly beautiful!

                       

Thank You Lord for using the experiences of our lives as opportunities to teach
us and enlarge our vision. Thank You for the opportunities You give us
to express our creativity... the creativity we inherited from You, Father.
Thank You for the beauty of Your handiwork...
both in nature and in how You've created us... because even though we're
so far from perfect, we are perfectly beautiful in Your eyes.
May we reflect the beauty of Your love in our lives today... amen.

Free "Oh Sing" Coloring Page

The sun has finally been shining here in the beautiful Northwest and
the birds.. and I... have been singing a joyful song to the Lord!

I love this verse and the song...
and it brings such a sweetness to my heart.
I hope you and your kids will sing together as you color this coloring page...
my summer time gift to you! Click here or the image to download.
And please feel free to share it with your Sunday School class, other moms,
or the neighborhood kids... let's lift up our voices and sing!

 

Oh I know I should have been cleaning and sorting but...
I couldn't resist coloring it myself...  I hope it inspires the little girl in you
to get out those crayons or colored pencils or markers and have some fun!

I think it's even cute enough to frame and hang...
especially in a little girl's room... bright and cheerful for sure!

So have a blessed weekend my friends and remember to sing and make
music in your heart unto the Lord... for He is worthy!
xoxoxo
Karla

Making Progress... and Creative Organizer Tip

Oh my friends... I'm making progress!  I forgot to take a "before" but here's
the "after" of the first closet I tackled... I have two more to go!
I've already gotten rid of a boatload of stuff just from this closet and have
a nice box started for giveaways and to sell... yeah!

It's funny how the artist in me tends to move from project to project leaving
a trail of messes behind me but I also love and need a degree of order and
tidiness in order to be creative... and I know some of you are the same way...
so this is definitely feeling good.

And if you're looking for a creative way to organize little stuff I thought you
might like this... a repurposed over the door shoe organizer! I love mine...
it makes finding stuff soooo easy... and when you close the door it all
disappears!  And you can buy them at the Dollar Store... what a sweet deal!

They're great for rhinestones...

and glitters...

and scissors and tools and supplies of all kinds... so helpful!

I'm taking a break to go to Michelle's today for our Arting Group... so much
fun... and then I'm on to the next area... and it may not look so bad to you
but the brightness in the lower left corner is hiding the immensity of the piles
and then there's the file cabinet drawers... oh my...

and remember... this isn't only about cleaning... it's about moving...
it's about letting go of everything I can and need to live without! 
Yes Lord... it's a good thing.

Thank You Lord for loving us... even in the midst of our clutter! And thank
You for showing me that just as it's important for me to clear out the clutter
of my closet... it's even more important for me to continually clear out the
clutter in my mind and heart... to throw out those thoughts and attitudes
that are hindering me from living more fully in the freedom of Your love
and grace.  Give me the courage to examine the clutter in my mind and heart
and be willing and tenacious about throwing out anything that doesn't line up
with the truth of Your Word or the sweetness of Your Spirit.  Amen.

DeCluttering and Loving It!

Did I tell you we got a new realtor?  Hope renewed.
Along with the hope came a new boost of energy to clean and declutter...
and the only room left in the house to clean out is my studio!!!

 
So that's my new focus and I can already tell you why I've procrastinated even
beginning on this particular room... oh my goodness!  Every nook and cranny
has stuff overflowing... yikes!  It's going to be a slow go but I'm in for the
long haul until it's finished... you might need to hold me accountable!!

What takes the longest is picking up every individual item and making a
decision... to keep or not to keep. If not... does it go to the trash, the girls,
gifts and giveaways, or sell.  Well... I already have a pile to giveaway and
to sell so you'll be seeing some of that popping up here in the days to come.

Thank God for patient endurance and perseverance!

But for now I have a question... I've decided to pass down some silverware
that we inherited from MIke's grandmother to my oldest granddaughter...
which I think is very cool since it will be her great-great grandmother's.
It's all in a nice wooden box and in the box are these five odd pieces...


well actuallly... the second from the left is like a baby spoon from the set...
but I am so curious about the others. especially the fork and the spoon on
the far right. Michael seems to think the fork might be from army rations...
do you know??? It must have meant something enough to keep it I imagine.


This spoon is so highly decorated... it's beautiful... is this a sugar spoon?

It's even inscribed with the name "Ella" but we don't remember ever hearing
about an Ella so we're going to have to do some family investigating too.


And I don't know anything about collector spoons either but this one's pretty
cool. It of the Old State House in Boston... I'm sure not worth much but since
I know Mike's grandma lived in Mass. when they were young it might have
been sentimental to her.

See why it's going to take forever to go through all this stuff?  Just sorting
this silverware opened wide the door to reminiscing about family gatherings
at "the farm" when Grandma and Grandpa were still with us.

So if you have a minute... I'd love to know if you have any information...
especially about the fluted spoon or the fork.

Hugs...
Karla

Christmas in June...

It's been Christmas time here in the studio...
I just finished a delightful Christmas project for a licensee
and I'm so sad I can't show it to you... but here's a peek...

It was the first time I had printed on fabric and... and even though I was
nervous as could be about it possibly jamming my printer...
I was thrilled with how it turned out...
not as bright as I was hoping for but I'm sure I'll be trying it again soon.
I also sewed with vinyl for the first time and have some left over so I'm trying
to think of a project combining the vinyl and printed fabric that I can share
with you along with what I learned along the way!!  So much fun!

Also wanted to let you know that I titled my latest Journal painting
"Even In The Hard Times"...

... and she's now available as a print in my Etsy Shop!  She'll come to you
trimmed to pop into a standard 8"x10" frame.  I love this frame... dings and
all.. that I just got at a yard sale last weekend for a quarter!! What a deal!

Talking about Christmas though... I was just at the fabric store and saw they
already had some Christmas fabric out so I gotta ask... are any of you
thinking Christmas in June?  Especially those of you who sell your handmade
goodies during the holiday season... have you started your idea list yet or
do you wait until fall? 

May God bless the work of your heart and hands...
and whatever you do... whatever creative endeavor or
activity you're engaged in... whatever you do...
remember to do it as unto the Lord with all your heart...
and be blessed!

hugs...
Karla

Behold the Color Purple

I have so been taken with the color purple lately!

My yard is dancing with a plethora of purple flowers...

I've been creating new designs with the purple painted Morning Glory Art...



and everywhere I look purple just seems to catch my eye... just last night
I drove by a house with purple window trim and a purple door... it was
quite stunning... just sorry I didn't have my camera!!

Purple always makes me think of royalty and royalty always makes me think
of Jesus... King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  He is the King of Glory!

I recently read that purple is associated with both nobility and spirituality...
not surprising.  But what fascinated me was thinking about how purple is a
balance of a warm red which is highly stimulating and often used to signify
power... and a cool blue which is calming and signifies peace and tranquility.
What spoke to my heart was how much that's true of the nature of God...
almighty, all powerful yet able to fill us a peace beyond understanding.

Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
       who alone does marvelous deeds.

Praise be to his glorious name forever;
       may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
       Amen and Amen.

Psalm 72:18,19

I wonder if you open your eyes to see purple, where you'll spot it?
Is it the color of your flowers, your clothes, a sign or building?
Do you ever write with purple ink or dip your brush in purple paint?
Next time your eyes behold the color purple... may it remind you
of the King of glory and all the marvelous deeds He's done for you!

hugs...
Karla

New Website & Why You're GoingTo Love It!

Well... I hope you're going love it!  It was a lot of work!  Whew! 
And I'm so glad it's done... at least for the moment.

You may be wondering why I would tackle a whole new software program
(Dreamweaver... which is seriously over my head by the way) just to build
a new website when she already had one that worked... especiallly when
she'd rather be painting and creating fun new things)?


Here's a few really good reasons...
1. I recently tried to make changes to my old website and it wouldn't open...
I tried the back-up... the files were corrupted and it also refused to open. 
So apparently it was time for something new... with a touch of blue!


2. One of the changes I wanted to make was having the stationery and crafts
available to you again... and now they are!  Yeah!  And they're so organized!


Just click on the "You Create" link and you'll have your choice of downloading
free stationery, coloring pages, following links to tutorials, or downloading
some fun printables. You'll want to check out the 4th of July downloads and
coloring pages for sure! This will make it easier for me to add more now too!



3. I'm also preparing to go to the Atlanta Gift Show in July and wanted to
have my art available and easy for potential licensees to look at online. 
I think... especially after the last post... that you will appreciate that
I've included all styles and have labeled the "old" art as Classic Karla. 
I'll be adding more images to these pages in the days to come too.

4. And last but not least... I built my old website on my big computer and I'm
slowly trying to move all my computering to my laptop so I'll have it with me
when the house sells and we get to travel. Plus... the old website was built
with a program that is now out of date and won't even work on my laptop.
So in more ways than one... it was definitely time for a change!

Hope you go over and check it out... and please enjoy the You Create
freebies... they are my gift of love and appreciation to you.  Bless you!

Thank You Father for giving me the ability to learn something new and way
out of my league. Thank You for the man who created that super tutorial on
how to build a simple website because without him I would never have
figured it out. Bless him Lord. Thank for color and creativity and design...
for blog friends and the technology for us to connect and love one another!
Use my blog and my new website Lord in ways beyond my wildest dreams
to be a blessing to women around the world and bring glory to Your Name!
Amen.

Sweet or Sorrowful...That is the Question!

Wowza... what a mixed response you had to my latest journal page!
I appreciate your honesty and your LOVE!

Some of you loved her... bless you! But some of you are struggling with
the new style... some with her expression... some with both.
Oh Carol... my sweet friend... I get it.
Stepping outside the comfort zone... trust me... I understand.

I want to respond but I'm not totally sure how... it's seems complicated.
I want to tell you how hard it's been the last few years.
The world changed, the culture changed, the marketplace changed.
But I didn't.
It was a few years ago at a writer's conference where I first heard that
art-based gift books were out of style... and I thought.. no... not mine Lord.

So I kept writing and painting and, bless their hearts, my publisher printed.
A few die-hard fans kept buying.  But sales dropped. 
Licensing all but came to an end.

Someone said to me... "you need to reinvent yourself."
I said, "I don't know how... I didn't invent myself in the first place!"
And so I have struggled with being old and outdated... irrelevant and lost.
Painful.

But the Message is the same... God's Word never changes!
The world all around me may feel like sinking sand but I continue
to hold onto the hand of the only One who knows where we're going!

And so... I have been caught in my own personal time warp...
a transition that has seemed to last forever. 
You see... I do love the old style but I've had to give myself permission
to play and be creative and not worry about if it would sell or not.
Can I do both?  Stay tuned and we'll find out together.

I do know in my heart that God is writing a new chapter of my life story...
and part of me is really excited... knowing that He has written some
pretty phenomenal chapters thus far! But I still worry... not about me...
but about losing some of you along the way... you're more than fans...
you are my friends.


So maybe this journal painting... the expression of her face...
is more reflective than sorrowful... maybe it is a reflection of this season
of my life... I will love the Lord with all my heart... even on the days when
I am feeling rather melancholy... not knowing quite where I fit in...
or what the future holds... and I pray that even on those days...
there will be a sweetness about me... that I will still courageously hold out
the banner of God's love and my love for Him...  and bring Him glory.


Are you going through a seasons of change and transition?
I hope my sharing... and vulnerability... has been an encouragement
to you... to keep on holding on to the One who's writing your story too!
Karla

Lovin' Art Journaling and Photoshop!

Thanks for all your sweetness about the new website!  It's almost ready...
maybe even later today... yeah!!!

I just finished an art journal page last night too... and I love it! What's so
cool is being able to use Photoshop to take out the line between the pages...
sweet!  I may even put her in my Etsy Shoppe... what do you think?

Is she cute or what? She makes me smile... with all my heart!

So do you art journal?  Do you journal at all?  Have you thought about it?

Blessings to you for a glorious day... and let your heart love loudly!
xoxoxo... Karla

Rescue Me... I'm Glued to My Computer!

I have hesitated blogging because my life seems so boring!
I'm not bored... I'm actually being VERY creative... but in a very different way!
I am redesigning my website and I'm so excited about it... for you...
as well as me.  But... since most of you aren't glued to a computer all day...
it probably seems BORING!  Here's a peek...



Don't you love the colors? Yum!
But here's the part I'm REALLY excited about...


Can you see it? Finally... stationery downloads, coloring pages, tutorials and
printable art downloads organized... did you catch that?  ORGANIZED... and
easy for you to find... and me too!!  And I found some artsy crafty stuff
that has been lost... and now found... just for you... yeah!

I'm still working on the website though... quite complicated for this matronly
brain... let me tell you... but I'm doing it... with much prayer and 
determination... and...okay... a bit of whining tossed in for good measure!

But that's what happens when money is tight, right?
We make do... we learn new ways of doing things... we may whine a little...
but we don't give up... right?  By God's grace!  I'm just praying when I do
upload it... which I hope is in the next couple of days that it all works.
All prayers are welcome!  I can hardly wait!


Heavenly Father... thank You soooooo much for giving me the endurance to
keep at this... pressing in when I've wanted to give up... when I've felt like
my brain could not handle one more challenge... thank You for being my
strength and the best cheerleader a girl could hope for.  Father, I  pray for
every woman reading this... help us not to give in or give up during these
hard times... give us an extra measure of faith and creativity to keep running
the race that is before us... for Your glory... amen.