Karla's Korner

Not Sure Where To Begin...

It's been a while since I've posted... a long while actually. Some of you have written me... expressing your concern about my absence and I have been blessed by your love. But I am also ashamed of myself because you are my friends and family... and I sorta just quit talking to you. Please forgive me.


You see, after Michael's surgery, with him being home all day, every day, it became difficult to find the time to write. And then when I did have a little time, I wasn't sure where to even begin. And the longer time went on, the less unsure I became until I wondered if I should be blogging at all.

But I've missed you. I miss sharing my heart and life with you. I miss sharing God with you. And I miss you sharing your lives with me for you always bring such a smile to my heart with all your love and blessings!

And the truth is that life has been full of stories worthy of sharing. Michael is fully healed and back to work... yay! I continue to create new art. And my life has made a huge turn with my recent decision to start selling at Portland Saturday Market.


Saturday Market is a huge outdoor market and a renowned tourist must-see.
I just finished my fourth weekend there. Funny thing is, I did the Market about 18 years ago, shortly before I started writing and illustrating my books and here I am... back again. Does God have a sense of humor or what?!?!


You see, the reality is that the economy and changing times has not been so nice to Michael and I, as I know it has not been to many of you who read my blog. And with Michael's surgery, medical bills and time off work, we just kept praying and believing God to show us a way where there seemed to be no way... and He is faithful as always.


Everything kept pointing to the Market and I am now not only blessed by the extra income, but by the opportunity to be a light in the world and a seed sower of His Word through my art in this venue!

To be honest, it has not been easy... physically, emotionally and even spiritually... but I know that I am where God wants me to be... and that He is with me. I am meeting some absolutely wonderful fellow believers from all over the world every weekend and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for the days ahead! And I look forward to taking you on this journey with me! 
Are you ready?

Glad to be back... with love and God-hugs...

What's New?

I was thinking about new beginnings this  morning... about how Jesus died
on the cross and rose from the grave to give new life and the hope of new
beginnings... to those of us who put our faith in Him.

I personally love new beginnings. Maybe that's because I get bored easily...
I don't know. But it did get me thinking about some of the new things in
my life lately...

1. I have a new art agent, Cruise Creative, who will hopefully open new
doors for my artwork to find new product homes.


2. I've started more than one new painting, including this one...


and I'm loving the detail that's happening in the background!

3. I joined the Firstenburg Community Center and am taking a Zumba Gold
class and water aerobics... both new to me and so much fun!
My granddaughter, Alexis, even decided to join me for Zumba!

4. I have a couple of new craft projects I've started...

repainting an old welcome sign...

and a flag banner I'm making from vintage Bingo cards.

5. We've been going to a new church for the past few weeks and loving it.

6. I got my nose pierced!!  It's tiny... but I just had to do it!I

7. And I submitted a new book proposal to  my publisher... a book designed to
encourage your heart to trust in the new mercies God gives us each new day!

I am so thankful that Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly...
and I love living the NEW life He gave me which includes being creative and
trying NEW things!

So how about you? What's new? What are you learning? What step of faith
have you taken recently? What new thing have you tried? Sometimes it
takes courage to make a change or try something new... so I pray you
will find your courage in Christ and take the step!

Lord God, thank You for coming and giving us life... not a boring life...
but a life full of adventure with You... a creative life designed not only to
meet the challenges we face but also, to celebrate the beauty and bounty of
the blessings You've given us. Open our hearts and minds to always be
willing to learn, grow, and experience new things... for your glory!

Celebrating the Big 6-0...

Yesterday, I officially entered a new era... and celebrated my 60th birthday!
It's funny... it just seems so fitting... like I've been waiting to get here.
That does sound kinda strange, doesn't it? 
I don't understand it... but it's true... I am 60...  and I'm so okay with it!!


I told a friend... it's like my age has finally caught up with my hair! LOL!

My darling husband took me out to a very nice dinner and my sweet daughter
hosted a gathering of a few of my dearest friends to help me celebrate!
But I'm not done yet... I have a few other friend dates lined up so as to
draw out this special birthday celebration as long as possible!! 

I do have to tell you about this game we played though...
I love games so I was tickled to play a new one called telephone pictionary?
Have you ever played?  It was easy and, at times, hilarious!  I found these
instructions online but we didn't use a booklet... we each had the same number
of small pieces of paper as there were ladies.  The fun part is how different
the ending phrase can be from the original... kinda like what happens to gossip,
come to think of it... only this form is not harmful.

I also wanted to say a HUGE thank you to all my wondeful FB friends who
so kindly left their Birthday Blessings... you made my heart smile big!!

"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered--how fleeting my life is.
Psalm 39:4 NLT

Thank Lord for the life you've given me... all 60 years of it!  I know that
apart from knowing You, I might not even be alive and if I had never met
You, I dread to think what my life would have been like.  Thank You
for my family and friends and all the love You've poured out on me
through them.  Father... bless them in return today...with Your love!

Encouraging Creativity in Children...

I am blessed to be a full-time artist and to have written and illustrated
nineteen books and licensed my art to many different manufacturers.
Today I work mostly in watercolors, acrylics, and mixed media but
in the beginning my medium was color crayons.

My mom taught me at an early age to keep the crayons sharpened and to color
inside the lines. I took great pride in those early works of coloring book art.

Fast-forward twenty-one years and, just like my mom, I taught my daughter,
Michelle, how to color inside the lines as well… passing down this much loved
tradition from one generation to the next.

Michelle was five years old when I heard a woman from the community college
give a talk on encouraging artistic creativity in children.
The words of wisdom she shared that day would be instrumental
in shaping the future of my daughter forever.

You can read the rest of this story here...


Let the creativity begin!
Blessings and God-hugs...
Karla

Do You Believe It???

This is a portion of a new pen and ink drawing I'm working on...
do you believe it?

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

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...

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...

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

Thankful Thursday Kitchen Update...

I thought for sure I would have a kitchen by Christmas.  Not quite.
Now I'm hopeful for Valentine's Day...  maybe even earlier.
What I'm learning is that remodeling the house you live in...
and doing most of the work yourselves... especially at our age...
is a great way to develop patience and perserverance...
and I keep hearing God say "count it all joy..."


So in the beginning... this was our kitchen when we moved in... Sept. 23rd.


It is quite small but cozy... with a nice size family room addition.


This will be a great family/tv room... someday soon!


The cabinets were original 1942... very small and didn't close well...
note the covered over chimney in the corner...
and what was the dining room through the doorway... more on this later.


November 8
After settling into the bedroom and studio as our living space...
with the camper for our kitchen...
Michael spent quite a while on the laundry room but I'll show you that later.
Here... the kitchen construction begins...
and the cabinets were the first thing to go.


I remember the day the plastic doorway went up to keep construction dust
out of the rest of the house... at least the worst of it... 
I thought the zipper was oh so cool then...
now... not so cool but still so thankful for it.


November 10
We wanted to open up the space between the dining room and kitchen...


November 16
but in order to take out that wall we had to put a support beam in...


In the process of making room for the beam we discovered leaks...


which meant taking down the entire ceiling...


December 4th
and time out for replacing a large section of the roof.
We also discovered there was no insulation on one outer wall...
so the sheetrock had to come down... but thankful for the discovery!


During this time Michael was also putting in all new kitchen plumbing...
while an electrician friend was replacing all the wiring!


December 1
Lots of work went into making the ceiling level between where it sagged
and where the family room had been added on. A pony wall was built
for where a counter/eating bar will be... and electrical was wired!!
Oh yes... and the chimney disappeared...
sadly however... Michael's shoulder is still suffering from that demolition.


December 14
Trust me... some serious JOY filled the house the day
Jeff and his boys showed up with sheetrock!


December 15
After weeks of looking at the darkness of open studs, wires and insulation...
this was a beautiful site to see!!!


December 22
But back to more demolition... up came the ugly mud-colored vinyl tiles...
all the way down to the subfloor... too bad it's sub-floor because it's
really quite colorful and pretty... but do have cold air coming through!



December 28
Finished painting the ceiling and the upper part of the walls



December 29
Could hardly quit smiling as we began trimming out the windows and doors.

That's where we're at today.

What God has shown me through these past several weeks is
an incredible picture of what it means to be rescued.
He has given the privilege to take a house that had been
neglected, seriously abused and abandoned... and we are giving it new life...
an opportunity to blossom into something of beauty and great value.
I know in my heart God has a plan for this house to be used for His glory!

A wonderful analogy of what God does for us...
He rescues us... gives us new life... and uses us for His glory.

For my house and for my God...
I am thankful!

Thankful for the Flush!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to take a few minutes
to count your blessings and truly give thanks.
My friend Becky counted a bunch... and her list really makes you think about
so many of the things we so easily take for granted... it's inspiring!

And speaking of taking for granted... when was the last time
you thanked God for indoor plumbing and a flushing toilet? 
Well, it's been at the top of my list recently!

One of the reasons we got such a good deal on our new house was because
one of the previous owners had built our wonderful four car garage right on
top of the drainfield for the septic and thus the septic had failed!  Duh! 
Hmmmmmm... that means...
No Septic = No Flush!
So for the first three weeks of owning our new home, we drove in from
Battle Ground, worked on the house, took potty breaks at
Jack in the Box up the road and then went back to Battle Ground to sleep.

Our hearts were overjoyed the day the truck arrived with a new septic tank!

It was amazing to watch them lift it up over the fence...

And gently lower it into place!


The drainfield was installed in trenches...


transforming the side yard from this...

to this... and it will stay this way until next spring.
It is now slightly mounded in the center but I am just soooo thankful they
were able to hide all the mess  behind the fence... thank You Lord!

But the most exciting part of the day came when they told us we could use
the toilets and sinks! Thank you Jack in the Box for being there when we
needed you but thank You God for our own working septic system
and all the men who played a part in getting it installed!

So for today ladies...

I'm giving thanks for the flush! How about you?


"Every good and perfect gift is from above..."
James 1:17

Blessings and love and hugs...
Karla

Learning to Let Go...

Michelle and Gary are having a gloriously great time in Italy...
and Michael and I are having a gloriously great time here with the girls!


We have had the honor of sending them off on their first day of school...

and being there for Jessica's first soccer game of the season.

We all had a fun time at the Vancouver Sausage Festival...

and last night, sitting around the dinner table, we picked random letters of
the alphabet and started listing all the things we were thankful for that
began with that letter. Somehow we got to cracking up and we were laughing
so hard I cried!!  I haven't done that in so long... and it felt so good.
I am blessed.

This morning Jessica asked me if I was missing our old house.  I realized in
that moment that I truly am not. I am learning... all over again... how to let
go and let God have His way in every area of my life.
I know His plans for me, for us, and for you... are all good.

As I was praying this morning and thanking Him for what He's doing
in our lives, I journaled what I heard God saying to my heart
and wanted to share it with you...

Today is a new day of unexplored territory… never-before-lived moments…
uncharted oceans of opportunity. But every moment you spend dwelling on
the past… longing for what was or wondering about what could have been…
is a moment you’re missing out on the blessings I have in store for you for
today… moments designed especially for you to discover Me in your midst
and delight in My Presence.  Keep learning to let go of what lies behind you
so that you can stay focused forward with a sense of exploration and joyful
expectation of what is yet to come.

My heart is encouraged by God's grace and sovereignty...  hope yours is too.
Love and hugs...
Karla

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12)