Karla's Korner

Grand Re-Opening & GiveAway!!

I finally have my "shipping department" in order in our spare bedroom...
and have re-opened my Karla's Korner BookStore!
Please stop by and browse through the books if you're not familiar with them!



To celebrate I'm going to do
a DRAWING for 2 SETS of these FIVE BOOKS!

 

$75.00 worth of books... for your library or to give as gifts!

So there's 2 WAYS to WIN and  3 WAYS to ENTER...

• 1. Leave a comment on this blog post from now through April 2nd 
  telling me what your favorite form of creativity is.

• 2. Promote my giveaway on your blog and get 2 EXTRA ENTRIES! Feel
  free to pull one or more of the book images to use on your blog... and
  don't forget to come back and comment with your blog post address so
  I'll know you did!

• 3. Be a friend on FACEBOOK... one winner will be drawn specifically
  from my FACEBOOK fans.

Thank you for participating and oh yes...
I'll be announcing the winners on Monday!!

My Largest Painting Yet!!!

Earlier today I said... what was I thinking? Why?
Because I stepped out of my comfort zone and am painting a 2' x 3' canvas!
In the past most of my paintings were 8"x8"... wow...
I've come a long way... and am loving it!


This is where I was a couple of hours ago... she looks creepy without eyes!


And here she is now... with lots of hours still to go.


Gotta say... she looks MUCH better with eyes, don't you agree?!?


Can you guess the verse?
Probably not.
There is a little symbolism from the passage happening already...
but the main element of the key verse is still quite hidden.

Just wondering... have you stepped outside your comfort zone recently
and done something bigger then you've ever done before?
Please do tell us what it is... and let's give God some glory!!

Love and God-hugs...

Friends Are Like Flowers...

It's so true... and last weekend
I cultivated my friendships with these four beautiful blossoms...

  
(Sandi  •  Joan  •  Nona  •  Pat  •  Me)
Our time together was filled with love, laughter, tears and blessing...
as we shared our lives together... past and present...
feasted on God's Word through devotions and Bible meditation...
and prayed for one another with faith and joyful expection!
For me... it was life-changing and I am thankful to have been among them...
and thankful to the Lord who brought us together for such a time as this!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how important our friendships are...
how fragile our girlfriend relationships can be...
and how I want and need to be more diligent to cultivate them in my life!

I thought I'd share with you a devotion from one of my earlier books,
"The Blessing of Friendship"
as it expresses my heart's desire for myself and for you too...

The tending of a friendship garden is no small matter
and not to be taken lightly. Many a beautiful garden
has gone to ruin for lack of proper care.

Here are some tips that may prove helpful in
cultivating your own friendship garden...



Prepare the soil by tilling it with God's unconditional love.

Remove any rocks of judgement or critical attitudes.

Pull out any roots of fear and jealousy.

Destroy the seeds of gossip before they can even take root.

Seeds of friendship may be found most anywhere.

Plant with care, kind words and a listening heart.

Germination is usually spontaneous so be watchful.

To ensure growth...
water with kind deeds and a generous heart.

 

Make sure you give each friend plenty of room to grow.

Be realistic... don't expect a marigold to smell like a rose.

Fertilize generously with laughter and joy.

Water deeply with tears of empathy and prayer...
to develop healthy roots and a stronger, more stable friendship.

 


Father God... sometimes we forget how important our friendships
are to You for they are represent some of the most fertile soil in which
You are able to cultivate our hearts and character... and in so doing,
we become bouquets of blessing to bring the fragrance of Christ
to the world!  Remind us Father of what a great blessing
friendship was designed to be and help us cultivate the ones we have.

Stir It Up...

One day last week...
as I was drinking in God's Word along with my morning coffee...
I had to stop and ponder this verse...


I heard God... through the Apostle Paul speaking to Timothy... and to me...
saying... "it's your responsibility, you know...
to stir it up... to exercise it... to fan it into flames...


to nurture... the gift"
my first thought went to my talents... to my God-given artistic ability...
but my thoughts quickly shifted to the Gift above all others...


to the Gift of the Holy Spirit that lives within me... within you too...
"not a spirit of fear," He says, "but of love, peace and a sound mind"...
an indwelling outpouring of power, courage and truth...


a gift I need so much in my life to face and endure
the pain and problems of this world... of my own personal world...
the worries that seek to overwhelm me... the uncertainties of the future...
thieves seeking to steal away my faith... my joy in the Lord...
and I hear God say...  "My beloved... stir up the gift I've given you...
nurture it... cultivate it... and you will discover you already have within
you all you need to live and love the way you were created to."


yes Lord...
I do have what it takes to live a good and godly life in a not-so-good world...
I do have what it takes to love and forgive others
because Christ has loved and forgiven me...
I do have what it takes to not worry about tomorrow knowing You hold
all my tomorrows in the palm of Your hand...
and I do have what it takes to trust the truth of Your Word
instead of yielding to the lies of the enemy...


but I must choose to stir it up...
to stir up the love of God poured out into my heart through the Holy Spirit...


to remind myself that the King of Kings gave me this Gift...
because He loves me and desires the best for me...
what a gloriously great gift He's given!


Oh yes... and I do thank God for the artistic gifts He's given me as well...
and for the inspiration for this new painting... it now hangs in my
breakfast nook to remind me every morning to stir up the gift that is within
me... and I hope to have prints of this painting available for you next week!

2 Timothy 1:6

Heavenly Father...
thank You for reminding me to stir up the Gift of the Holy
Spirit within me... to stir it up and walk in the love, the peace and the truth
of who You are and who You are in me and through me.  Would you continue
to remind me throughout the day when my mind strays and my heart
becomes weary to pick up the spoon of faith... and stir vigorously!
Amen and amen.

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...

Thinking Ahead... Easter Craftiness...

With Easter right around the corner, I wanted to make sure I got some
goodies posted in time for your crafting pleasure...


This set of u-print downloadable Hallelujah Cupcake Wrappers with toppers
was so fun to put together and oh so cute! 


As I was designing them, I kept thinking about how cute they would be for
a children's classroom Easter Celebration as an added reminder of what
Easter is really all about! 


Or how about you and your kids baking up some sweet blessings and
taking a dozen or two to a nearby Nursing Home?  YUM!!!


I also created an updated collection of a Dozen Easter Eggs and a mix
and match pack of coordinatingd Pastel Bright Papers with the same theme
thinking they might be useful for decorating or scrapbooking or whatever!

In a few days I'll be posting a couple of Easter Freebies..
so stay tuned... and Happy Easter Crafting!

Father God... as we look forward to the Celebration of Easter...
help us to remember the real meaning of the season...
and may we always be looking for ways to share
the Love and Resurrection of Jesus with others
even in the midst of all the eggs and chicks and bunnies. 
Give us opportunities and prepare our hearts to be used by You...
for Your glory! Amen.

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. 

Tender Hearts...

It was such a blessing to spend the evening with Marsha and Jack last night!
The joy of the Lord truly filled our hearts and home.

 
They are so tender-hearted and passionate about serving God and others...
through all they are and all they do...
especially in their ministry and their marriage!

Jack is not only the publisher of my books and countless others...
he is also a bestselling author himself... probably best known for his
God's Promises series... you may even own one!

And Marsha exudes the git of encouragement to all who
come near to her... and if you're not near... she'll send you a card
or note of blessing just to remind you that you are loved!

And thinking of God's love being revealed through His people...
my heart is breaking for the people of Japan right now...
and I know yours is too!  We can only pray God's hope
and comfort be made known to them as they have experienced
a catastrophic tragedy unlike most of us can even imagine.
I also pray God shows each of us how we can help in earthly ways as well
so we can love through deeds and not just words.

Reveal Yourself to the people of Japan Lord... 
so they might know Your great love.
Comfort them as only You can.  Amen

Lemony Sunshine Bouquet...

My publisher, Jack Countryman, and his sweet wife, Marsha...
who is also a dear dear friend of mine...
are coming to our house for dinner tonight...
all the way from Nashville!!


And they sent this bouquet yesterday... to hearken their arrival...
isn't it GORGEOUS? So beautiful... bright and cheerful!


And I love the lemon accent in the bottom of the vase... so clever!


Flowers always have a way of drawing my heart and thoughts to God...
and these definitely brought a ray of SUNSHINE into my kitchen...
and SONSHINE into my heart...


a reflection of the  beauty of a 13 year publishing and friendship
relationship between this dear couple and myself...


a relationship that many of you have been blessed by...


through the dozen or so books we've done together over the years!


I'm so excited to see them... it's been awhile...
I'm already imagining all the hugging and loving and laughter
that will fill my heart and home tonight!!

I couldn't keep the beauty of this bouquet to myself...
I knew it needed to be shared... with YOU!
May it brighten your day and bring a smile to your face!!

Thank You Father God for the beauty and blessing
of flowers and friends!!

Love and God-hugs to you...

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...