Karla's Korner

Cooking Up Some Fun Stuff...

First of all I have to say... you girls were a HOOT about the toe nail polish...
I absolutely LOVED reading your comments!!  We are all SOOOOO much alike!
THANK YOU for having that conversation with me... you made me smile big!

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I have been having such a great time cooking up some fabulous Chef Girl Fun!
First I designed a new digital Chef Girl Stationery Set for Etsy...
you can take a peek here.

And then I moved over to Zazzle.com... creating the two Business or Calling
Card Designs above. I think Little Miss Chef Girl is such a cutie.
And the fun thing about Zazzle is that you can personalize every item!
So instead of Emma's Custom Cakery... you can replace it with your own
name or the name of a friend or sister to make a great personal gift.

Something else I did on Zazzle was to create Little Miss Chef Girl with four
different hair colors so you will find her on Zazzle with black hair, red-orange
hair... and as a blonde and brunette.!  See I told you I was having fun!

I just kept imagining all the women I know who LOVE to cook.
And I wanted to tell you about these fun things now so you could think
ahead for birthdays and Christmas and have time to check out
the Zazzle Coupons... or watch for the Zazzle Sales so
you could get the best price.  We're all alike in that respect too!

Well.. thanks for looking... it's the next best thing to coming and
visiting me in my studio while I work... and I do love getting
feedback so please keep the conversations coming!!

So there you have it... that's what I've been up to!  How about you?
Been cooking up any summer fun or creative adventures? Do tell!!

Love and God-hugs... xoxoxo... Karla

Too Old? I don't think so!

When I first painted those almost 60 year old tootsies GREEN...
my husband just kinda rolled his eyes.

Okay... I did think about removing it before my trip to the midwest...
for all of about 10 seconds... and decided to just go for it... it's only toes.

No one there said a word about my "Green With Envy" toe color
until the last night... when my youngest sister... 10 YEARS YOUNGER...
noticed them and exclaimed... "I thought I was TOO OLD to wear that color!"
My older sister just rolled her eyes... similar to the Michael roll.
So the natural response would be if Jackie's too old then surely I must be too.

NOT!  But my question is...
who decides at what age... which colors are appropriate and which are not?
Is there really an unspoken rule that once you reach a certain number of years
lived, you must only wear RED, PINK or maybe PEACH...
because heaven forbid we would wear serious ORANGE!

So what do you think... am I too old to wear green nail polish? Are you?
I don't think so! But seriously... what do you think?
Oh yes... before you answer that...
you should probably know I just bought a bottle of TURQUOISE...
oh too much fun!!

Love you guys... with great big God-hugs... xoxoxo... Karla

By Special Request... Bella Flora List Papers & Matching Envelope

I love designing "by request" so I'm pleased to announce...
this one's for Beth Ann.... and for you of course...
a new collection of Bella Flora Digital List Pad size Papers with more room
for writing your grocery list or a longer note!

Plus... I included a fun matching envelope... just what you had hoped for!
I love the grid paper pattern on the front... so helpful to keep things straight!
And it's super easy peasy to print, cut and tape or glue together.

This new envelope also coordinates with the original Bella Flora
smaller note papers... they're a perfect fit.

And the best thing of all is that each one has a different scripture verse
perfect for adding that special touch of encouragement and blessing...
whether you write your grocery list or a note to a friend!

You know we all need a word of encouragement now and then, don't we?
So can I encourage you today to take a minute and write a quick note to
that person God has put on your heart... and just let them know you care!

Lord bless you my friends...
xoxoxo... Karla

A Trip Back In Time...

While in Quincy for our family reunion,
my sister Margie and I took a little trip back in time.

We first headed for Hannibal, MO... about 16 miles away...
yes the home of Mark Twain... because that's where we were born.


We discovered that many of the houses we had lived in when we were children
were no longer standing. This one is a four-plex and my mom, 2 sisters and I
lived in the upper right apartment.This is where we lived when I bit the end off
of a glass syringe and had to be rushed to the doctor who pulled broken glass
out of my throat. Mother loved telling that story. I was about two years old.


Back to Quincy... two more past homes torn down... until we came to this one.
We lived upstairs. What's funny is that my oldest sister, years later, married
the son of the folks who owned this house. It was sad to hear him say that
his dad would turn over in his grave if he saw how run down this house is now.


A year or so later we moved across the street to above this laundromat. This
is where I start having memories of my own... including when the door blew
off the oil furnace and missed me by only inches!  It's a miracle I'm even alive!


The summer between 4th and 5th grade my mom remarried and we moved
across town to this amazing house. I remember they paid $60 a month rent...
is that incredible or what?  It had a "For Sale" sign out front so I called, hoping
to take a tour, but they had just accepted an offer so it was a no... bummer.


If you've ever heard my testimony about running away from home... the third
window from the corner is where I piled up the bed sheet that I had torn into
strips and was going to use to lower myself out of my bedroom window in
order to make my great escape... so now you can see why I say it was by the
grace of God that I got caught because I'm sure the knots would not have held
and I would have most likely fallen and made a mess of myself!

I just had to include this church because it's catty-cornered across the street
from the big house and holds my first memories of hearing about Jesus at a
VBS. I can only guess that I asked Him into my heart because my heart was
tender then... but I don't remember... and when life got hard I had no idea
I had a friend in Jesus or a Father God who loved me and would walk through
those hard days with me.

But looking back now... I know He did even if I wasn't aware of His presence.
And today I rejoice that God has healed my heart and given me a new life!
This time it was fun going back... remembering the good...  and knowing God
used the "not so good" to bring me into a saving relationship with Himself.
It is so true...

"...all things work together for good to those who love God,
who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28

Heavenly Father... thank You for loving us and calling us to be Yours.
Thank You that You do work ALL things together for our good and Your glory
and for knowing that You are with us always even in the moments when we
feel so alone. Father... of all the memories we have stored up... may the
memories of what You've done for us be the ones we hold onto. And may we
always remember that You never leave us or forsake us... no not ever! Amen.

Another New Adventure...

I am in Illinois for a family reunion. I flew from Portland, OR to Chicago
to St.Louis and this time... instead of renting a car and driving to Quincy...
I decided to finish my journey in this little commuter plane. 
I thought you might enjoy what I journaled while in still flight...

I am in the smallest and LOUDEST plane I've ever flown in on my way from
STL to Quincy. I had to laugh as we taxied down the runway... we sounded
like an overgrown lawn mower spitting and sputtering... even missing a beat
here and there. And then... oh my.. our feet left the ground and we were
buffeted right and left... much like a car when the wheels are out of align.
We continued to spit and sputter as we climbed higher and higher in the air
and the look on the pilots face did nothing to gain my confidence.

And then... the pilot and co-pilot both opened their side windows!!! They kept
playing with gauges on the dashboard and exchanging glances. Finally the
engine entered a dull, melodic, rhythmic pulse. The windows were closed
and besides the headache I have from the LOUDNESS of the engine and the
blinding light of the setting sunshining directly in my eyes,
it's been a calm ride and I've enjoyed yet another new experience!

We are slowly descending. I LOVE the view... gorgeous! 45 minutes of pure
fun. Oops... here we go again... bouncing around in the air as we aim for
the ground. Sweet... our feet are on the ground... perfect landing!
Oh the joy of it all... thank You Jesus!

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What surprised me the most was when they opened their windows while
we were thousands of feet up in the air!!! When I got here, my nephew
assured me that was just how they "air condition" the plane and was
not out of the ordinary for that size plane... LOL... gotta love it!!!

My internet reception here is extremely slow... I hope to post again before
get home but if not... I'll catch up with you then!!

xoxoxo
Karla

Seed Sowers...

Have you ever thought of yourself as a seed sower? You are you know...
whether you've ever thought about it or not.

Take a moment to imagine yourself as a maidservant of the Lord.
He has given you a beautiful snow white apron with large deep
pockets and wherever you are and wherever you go...
with each prayer you offer, every act of kindness you render,
every word of blessing, encouragement or comfort you speak...
to your children, your husband, friends or total strangers...
you are, in a spiritual sense, reaching into the pockets of God's love
and sowing seeds of His goodness and grace into their lives.

Aware of it or not... you are sowing seeds... good or not so good..
through your words and your deeds throughout the day. 
So you can see why it's so important to put on God's love every
morning and have your pockets full of His goodness ready to give away?

...as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience....
and over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together
in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

Lord bless the hands that scatter seeds of blessing today! Thank You
that Your seed never runs out and always yields a harvest of
eternal blessing... in Your time... in Your love and for Your glory...
xoxoxo
Karla

By Special Request...

By request... I added this collection of five printable Bible Bookmarks
to my Etsy store.  The great thing about them is you can print as many as
you need and as many times as you need.


They would be perfect for Sunday School or Christian School classes.
They could also be used for crafting, scrapbooking or in cardmaking!
You could even write on the back and use them as gift tags.
Or simply give them as gifts...
gifts that keep on giving a word of blessing and encouragement.

I am so thankful God has given me the opportunity to use my talents
to create products as a blessing to you.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for future products
please feel free to leave a comment or email me...
anytime... I'd love to hear from you!

Thank You Father that You've given each one of us gifts, talents,
and abilities to use to bring You glory and be a blessing to others.
Continue to open doors and give us opportunities
to love and serve others with all that we are and all that
You've given us... and all for Your Glory! Amen.

Catching Up...

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July.
We celebrated at MIchelle's with family & friends and had a great time.


The 4th is also our granddaughter Jessica's birthday...
she was born our firecracker baby and still knows how to light up a room
with her oh-so-fun personality!




And now I'm busy with Christmas in July... lots of new fun things in progress!
So excited to show you... I love the Spirit of Christmas in July...
so much to celebrate all year long!!

Oh yes... and thank you for all the absolutely wonderful love, verses
and stories you shared with the last post!
YOU MAKE MY HEART SMILE!!!

Hope you had a great 4th of July my friends...
Blessings and God-hugs...
Karla