Christmas Card

I bought some cute Christmas paper a few years ago. The leftover sheets made it through two moves, so I figured that it is time to use it. I paired it with some newer supplies, including the Smoky Slate card stock and a Circles Framelit to make the window on the card. I added some bling and am happy with the results.

Stampin' Up!

In 2008 I joined a monthly stamp club with a Stampin' Up! demonstrator with the intension of purchasing some of their scrapbooking products. At the time I did not know how much I would enjoy stamping and card making! I have found joy and friendships in the hobby, which is really helpful when you make a big move. After we started settling in here in California, I started taking classes and found a new stamp club.

Earlier this month I signed up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. It was already on my mind, and their 25th Anniversary deal to join was too good to pass up. I am really looking forward to learning more and growing in my hobby.

I have a new demonstrator website that you can visit - http://saragrafton.stampinup.net The blog on that site with feature Stampin' Up! projects, events, and promotions. For now, not much will change on this blog. I will continue to post a mix of life happenings and crafty projects. The current Stampin' Up! policies do not limit demonstrators to solely using their products, so you may see a mix of companies here. (Yay for keeping & using my stash of craft supplies!)

Weekend in Ohio

Alex and I made a weekend trip back to Ohio for a friend's wedding. We arrived on Thursday night and left Sunday afternoon. It was a quick trip, but we packed in some quality time with family and friends.

The wedding was in Downtown Dayton, so Alex and I posed by the Wright Brothers statue. The wedding was beautiful, and I enjoyed catching up with long time friends. This was the first wedding that Alex attended. Overall he behaved, but he did say "I do" during the ceremony! (That was the bride's line...)

We made a trip to Aullwood Center and Farm on Saturday. First we stopped at the Center where Alex held the turtle and petted one of the snakes.

We met some friends at the Farm, which has a new building and activities. It is perfect for preschoolers, so the boys had fun playing inside and outside. I missed getting a picture of "Goatzilla" when we visited all of the animals.

When I was packing Wednesday evening, I realized that I had not visited Ohio during the fall in the nine years since we moved out-of-state. I forgot how to pack for fall, but I still ended up being warm enough. We get some fall colors in the Bay Area, but I really enjoyed seeing all of the trees changing in Ohio.

Alex got in some good "grandparent time." He was enthralled with the clock at my parents' house. My paternal grandfather built it when I was little, but it has not worked well in a while. Due some "Alex magic" we did hear it chime during our visit. I immediately recognized the sound from my grandparents' house. It was a great trip!

Hello Fall!

It has been a while since I wrote a general blog post and updated some photos. The fall semester began in late August, and I am teaching a freshmen seminar class again. Alex is now in "Kindergarten Prep" at his daycare/preschool. He is in Soccer Shots again this fall and enjoys it. John has started riding his bike to work a few days a week, and it is about 7 miles each way.

Here is a look at what we have been up to lately:

Alex had his first homework assignment at the end of August. I am glad that his school is not pushing the worksheets too much.

We got in another hike at Mount Montalvo over Labor Day Weekend.

I walked the Color Me Rad 5K with some friends from our Las Madres group. I would like to eventually run a race, but for now I do enjoy riding my bike.

We got a taste of fall on a rainy Saturday afternoon in September. We found grilled cheese and soup to be a great lunch at the Stanford Mall. Overall, the weather is still nice here.

It turns out that Philz coffee makes a late lunch and grading papers better! Please ignore my messy desk...

We make a trip to the library about every two weeks or so. I love that we can all ride our bikes there now.

Happy Fall!

World Card Making Day

Today is "World Card Making Day." Does your hobby have its own holiday? So far I have made three cards today, and I have one more in progress.

I am sharing one of the cards that I made today:

This wonderful color combination is from the current Pals Paper Arts challenge.

I was also inspired by a sketch in the Scrapbook and Cards Today magazine. You can view this quarterly magazine online for free.