Karla's Korner

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,

And Yet Another Blooming Style...

Some say that an artist needs to hone in on one style.
I can understand that. But I'm not there yet.
I was for a while. But now I'm not.
For now I'm still playing. Trying new things. Experimenting.
Seeking and seeing God in fresh new ways.
Loving the journey.
Still.

The truth is I love many different art styles.
Obviously.
So do I really have to choose one over another?
Because I am not just one.
I am a little bit country.  I am a little bit rock and roll.
I am a little bit botanical. And a little bit abstract.
I am conservative. Radical. Quiet. Loud. Serious. Silly.
I'm a little girl. And an old woman.
I am complex. So are you.
Don't let anyone tell you, you have to be one thing or another.
Just be you.
The complex and creative woman God designed you to be.
It takes faith... not in yourself... but in Jesus.

And I just want you to know I'm so thankful for you...
because I know you are a lot like me!
Created in the image of God... and for His glory!
Don't forget it.  Celebrate it.  Live like it!

Love and hugs...

Art Styles and CHA...

I'm getting myself ready to go to CHA this weekend... that's the Craft and
Hobby Assoc. Show held in Los Angeles.  I went a couple of years ago but this
time I'm much more serious about finding out if I fit anywhere in that industry.

I've been working on a portfolio to take with me and thought for today
you might like to take a peek at a few of the 35 pages. 


These pages represent a few of the art styles I enjoy doing.  I've always
loved the detail of pen and ink... and hand lettering.



I only started playing with collage... and acrylics... a little over a year ago
and it is very much a playful style... and very expressive.


My daughter Michelle was a major influence in my art journaling.  It's such
a great way to doodle and be creative purely for the fun of it... now I just
wish I had more time to do it... maybe after the house is finished.


And then there's what I call Classic Karla... the traditional style that has
filled many of the pages of my books and many of the hearts of my readers.

I know that not every style lends itself to crafting...
but I still think it's important to let a potential licensee see the possibilities!

I plan on adding a few more pages as well because I want to photograph and
take some of my more handcrafted items like the most recent purses and a
maybe my sculptures... you do remember Esther, don't you?

I am praying for God's favor.  I don't know if I will find a place to fit in that
market... but He knows.  So I will go in faith... believing He is the One who
opens and closes doors and I will trust Him to lead me in the way I need to go.
So if you think of me... and would like to see my art made available
in the craft world... please say a prayer for me... He hears and listens!

I'll keep you posted... but for now I must get back to work!  Much to be done!

Blessings and hugs...


PS... I am thankful for the huge response to my Valentine freebie....
Sorry to those who missed out... I'll make it up to you another day...
and do hope that some of you will reciprocate the kindness with a photo of your
own creative craftiness using the Valentine download!!
Love you!

Free Download Today Only...

My new Valentine Squares Clip Art Collection promises
to have more creative uses than just for Valentines Day.
I think you will love them for tags, cupcake toppers, cardmaking,
scrapbooking and heart-filled crafting.

As my heartfelt blessing to you... FOR TODAY ONLY...
you can download it for FREE... HERE!
After today it will be available in my Etsy Store.

**UPDATE:  this free download was for Friday, Jan. 21st only
and is no longer available for free but you can find it in my shop.
Thank you!!


Now they won't work for the glass magnet idea...
which I don't recommend you try anyway... LOL...
but again, I think you'll find many uses for them in the days to come.

 


  
So... Happy Crafting my friends...
and I'd love to see what you make with these if you wouldn't mind sharing!
Love & Heartfelt Hugs...

Craftiness Gone Awry...

Sometimes things just don't go the way you want them to
and this craft was one of those!
I wanted to use the new Valentine Angel Clip Art to make something special
to give to a few of my friends who I know
don't eat chocolate... and since everyone can use another magnet..


when I saw these flattened glass pieces called clear glass gems...
along with a project sheet at one of my local craft stores...
I knew I had found what I was looking for. 
So once I glittered the angel's dress... all sparkly and cute... I was ready!


It sounded so easy peasy... just punch or cut out your picture...
use a dime size amount of Diamond Glaze on the front of your image...
place the gem on top of the glaze and picture...
let the glaze spread to the edges... easy peasy... NOT!!


What a mess I made!!  I couldn't get the glaze to spread to the edge of the
paper evenly so I tried pressing on it to fill the gaps, but of course that made
it ooze out the sides and onto the table, my fingers and then onto the glass...
and it still left pockets of no glaze around the edges here and there.  I kept
adjusting the amount of glaze and how I applied it, thinking by the time I got
to #7...  that's how many I needed... I would have it figured out and could
tell you how fun it was... but NOT... I just got messier with each try... YIKES!! 
(So if there's a trick and you know it... PLEASE tell me!)


Okay... it was a frustrating experience... and they're not perfect...
but they are CUTE! 
I finished them off by adhering a magnet to the back with E6000 glue...
and I know my friends will love love love them!!
Especially after I use the printed patterned paper from the Valentine Angel
Clip Art Kit to sew a simple fold-over envelope and finish it off with a
strip of ribbon and scalloped punched circle of the PRECIOUS ONE angel.
She just looks so sweet... just like my precious friends... SWEET!

Something to ponder:
When we try something new, it will not necessarily be successful.
But if we never try, we'll never know if it will be successful or not.
So... is there something you've been wanting to try but have been afraid
you won't be good at it or it might turn out to be messy?
How will you know if you don't try?
Maybe it's a new craft but maybe it's something way more important
like joining a Bible study or reaching out to a neighbor
or starting a new business or ministry.
If God is tugging at your heart... today could be your day to take a risk...
to step out in faith... and at least give it a try!




Oh yes... and I wanted to let you know in advance that I will be offering a

**ONE DAY ONLY**
**FREE DOWNLOAD**
this Friday

Here's a sneak peak...


so TWEET you'll want to make sure and stop by...

Love and hugs...

Precious One... Valentine Download

^pre·cious

1: of great value or high price <precious jewels>
2: highly esteemed or cherished <a precious friend>

In Isaiah 43, God says...
"you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you..."

You are precious to God and to me... seriously...
you are a woman of tremendously great value! 

You may not feel like it this very minute but it's still true.
You are a woman of wonder-filled worth according to the Lord
and He doesn't lie!


I designed this little Valentine angel to celebrate how God sees you and I
as His PRECIOUS ONES... not only as my way of saying...


but also to give you the opportunity to share God's love and encouragement
in a SWEET way with some of the women in your life...
women you work with or go to church or Bible Study with...
women who serve you at the grocery store... or your children's teachers.
Maybe you and your children could make up a bunch to take to the elderly.
Ask God to show you who you could bless this Valentine's Day and
I'm sure He'll show you!

I thought about the women I want to share with and
it led me to create this small collection of printables.
I've already been preparing my little treats and am excited to share them
with you as an inspiration for what you can do too!


The first bags I made were the easiest... simply cutting out the small
bag topper, folding it in half and stapling it over the top of the treat bags
filled with candies! I don't know if you can tell but I did add a bit of glitter
to about half of them... you know I LOVE glitter!


For the second group I used a 1 3/8" scallop circle punch to cut the angels
from the gift tags, used a vintage sepia stamp pad to distress the edges of
both the circles and the front edges of the treat bag toppers...


and adhered the scalloped circles to the toppers with foam squares
which added some very fun dimension.  Again... an easy but very lovely
way to say "you are precious" to the women in your life.

I've run out of time today so I will have to upload the collection
to Etsy tomorrow... so sorry!
And then come back Wednesday and I'll finish this post
with a few more very fun ideas...
and I'll have a freebie to offer to you as well.

So remember... Valentine's Day is not just for kids or couples...
because you are God's Valentine... and He wants to romance you every day
of your life!!

XOXOXO

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.

What a Hoot!

I wanted to give you a little sneak peek into what I've been working on...

I love these little Valentine goodies!  And with this one...
I guess the question is... are you a hoot?  Or do you know any hoots?
I'm guessing you do or have been one yourself at some time or another
because the dictionary defines a hoot as one who is hilariously funny and
I think we all have a little hootiness in us just because we are human!


It is good to keep company with people who make us laugh...
who intentionally... or unintentionally... tickle our funnybones.
God says... "a merry heart is good like a medicine."

I am so thankful the Lord has transformed my life from one
who took life way too seriously... to a woman who can laugh at herself
and tries to look for the humor in every day life and share it with others.
I hope the same is true for you because laughter lifts the soul
and we can all use a little lifting, can't we?


I hope these little guys make you chuckle or at least bring a smile to your face.
I've enjoyed sketching and inking... coloring and plain ol' playing with them
so I'm looking forward to having a few of these fun ideas ready for you in
the next week or so... just in time to share some Valentine love!

 
But for today... drink in the joy of the Lord... look for something humorous
and let yourself laugh... belly laugh even...
God says it's good for you and He would know!

With blessings, love and laughter...

Thinking Ahead... with Love...

Can you believe Valentine's Day is just a little more than a month away?
And what a great opportunity that gives us to spread a little lovin'...
God's love and ours... in fun and creative ways!

 
And what a great reminder to us that we truly are God's Valentines.
He chose you, wooed you and calls you His beloved.



He sends us bouquets of Valentine love every single day...
way more than enough to give away!

So I'm working on some new Valentine's art...
and creative ideas to help you give God's love away.
But for those of you who might be planning ahead for Sunday school
or crafting with the kids I just wanted to let you know that there is
Valentine's art available for you on my website with the Printable Art.


Happy creating...

with love to you my sweet friends...

Great Idea for Photo Christmas Cards!!

Have you noticed the trend toward sending photo Christmas cards...
especially among you younger families with children?


I love them!   But what do you do with them after the holidays?


My Michelle is so creative... she posted this great and easy idea on her blog.
Make a picture book that you can bring out every Christmas! Such fun!


Oh so simple...
using your 3-hole punch... line up the cards so that it punch only TWO holes
evenly spaced on the cards.  If you're using a single punch you will want to
measure and mark them first so the holes line up.


I did discover that I needed to glue some of my photos to non-photo cards
in order not to punch someone's head out of the picture!  (LOL for the pun)


Michelle used binder rings for hers but I don't have any so I used ribbon.
Easy peasy... and you have a memory book for years to come!

Even though I get far fewer photo cards than she does...
I love this idea and will use it every year from now on.
How fun to be able to pull it out each year and see how the children are
growing... or in our case... how much more gray one has in their hair!

In fact, we've never sent a photo card before because it's just Michael and I
but next year... I don't want to get left out of anyone's picture book so I'm
thinking a photo card may need to be added to my Christmas to-do list.

What do you think?  Great idea or what? 
THANKS MICHELLE for sharing your creativity with us!

"The memory of the righteous will be a blessing..."
Proverbs 10:7

Walking With God...

I'm reading the book of Genesis right now.  Have you ever read it?
It is so cool... in chapter 5 you begin reading the first geneology in history...
the lineage of God's people from Adam through Noah...
and it tells you how many years each man lived and it says "then he died".
Until you get to Enoch. And Enoch was different.

Instead of "he lived... and he died" the Bible says...
"Enoch walked with God: then he was no more..."  I love it!
Everyone else just merely lived and died... but not Enoch.
He did more than live... he walked with God... and there is a difference.
A life walked with God is filled hope.
I want to be like Enoch, don't you?

Let's walk into this new year together... with a renewed faith... hand in hand
with our Savior... knowing that with Him we can face whatever comes our way.
Knowing that He loves us and cares about every detail of our lives.
Knowing that He is our Father, our Friend, and the Lover of our soul!




I am also reading "Jesus Calling" as my daily devotional and I already knew
I wanted to share with you about Enoch and stepping out in faith... when I had
such a confirmation from yesterday's reading...  I just smiled... so will you...

Jan. 2... "Because I am your constant Companion, there should be a lightness
to your step that is observable to others. Do not be weighed down
with problems and unresolved issues, for I am your burden-bearer."

A lightness to your step... ahhhhh... a spring to your stride!
But the only way we're going to walk lighter is to walk in faith...
and the only way we can walk in faith is to walk with God daily...
spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer... trusting
Him to carry our burdens and reveal Himself to us, in us and through us!
That's my hope for this coming year... for me... and for you!



Heavenly Father... gives us to ears to hear and hearts to believe.
Fill us with the hope that comes from knowing and loving You. 
We want to be different Lord... just like Enoch was different...
we want to walk more closely with You.  So much so that
others may notice the lightnesss in our step and want to know why
so we can tell them about how great You really are.  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