Who would have thunk it?  My girls LOVE martial arts!  We've tried soccer, various forms of dance, gymnastics, cheerleading, swimming, art...from our experience...the term "uncoachable" was coined for my oldest.  I met another mother with an "uncoachable" child and she told me about Tae Kwon Do.  Like the forgotten pains of birth...I signed the child up for another sport to try out.     

Skye went from refusal to get out of car, to entering the shop with arms tightly crossed and seething, to sobs and sobs of tears in the dressing room.  A month long commitment had been made and I reminded her of the family mantra "Austin's don't quit" ...really for my own benefit because honestly...all I could think was...omg!  A month of this!?  Joyous. 

In walks the instructor...which shocked me because all I wanted to do was flee the scene with squealing tires!  In 15 seconds he rectified the situatcion to snibbles...and moments later got her out on the floor giggling.  Dumbfounded...I watched.  She was awkward.  She was shy and nervous.  But she did it!  I was floored!  My youngest begged to join too...so...here they are.  Five sessions in.  Kickin' it!  But more importantly, LOVIN' it!  Blessed be!  

Took some impossible photos in the dimly lit gym:  TriX 400 pushed to iso 3200:  100 ss @ f/4

Happy scrapping!  Love, Tracy Austin

My favorite scrapping comes when there is no rhyme or reason to the design...just playing with what's lying around.  I like taking remnants destined for the trash and working them as the foundation for a layout.  The only thing that matters when scrapping like this is making sure everything is balanced. 

Salvaged from the trash were two sheets of paper:  One, a white sheet of cardstock that I used to test a technique for another layout (using Tattered Angels Glitter Mist and KI lace cardstock to make clouds).  The other was the remnant paper from the Heather Bailey collection that I had cut circles from.  Once the foundation is laid...just start sprinkling with embellishments lying around your office:)

You just add, add, and add until there is balance.  You know when you're done adding when the last element added sticks out like a sore thumb...remove and you're done:) 

Happy scrapping!  Love, Tracy Austin

call for desperate measures! LOL

I went away to GASC in Michigan last week.
It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL there...weather, downtown area, the hotel.
Oh My...the hotel was hard-core fancy-schmancy!
And here I come in cut-off jean capris! Oh well...they're my fave! ;)

My weekend consisted of:
teaching classes, shopping the show floor, dinners with the GASC & MM folks, shopping at a crazy-huge lss, teaching classes some more, checking out the downtown shops, hunting for diet coke, and of course...scrapping!

Actually, I didn't take any scrap supplies with me b/c I usually am too busy & tired to scrap on these weekends away. But I was feeling particularly inspired and got a bit...desperate! LOL :) I ended up searching through magazines for a picture that I could scrap! I know, I know...it sounds pitiful. But luckily I was still reading a June woman mag and it had wedding tidbits in it! I chopped a great little generic wedding-ish pic out and it totally gave me an opportunity to tell a story that I needed to put in my album, but hadn't b/c I haven't been sure how to tell the story without pics. Catch-22, see? :)

So, ultimately...here's what I came up with...




This is 98% product that I bought right there on the shopping floor at GASC! And its really more about the journaling, but of course...yummy goodies are always fun to scatter about! :)

So, pics or not...get your scrappy groove on! ;) Have a great day! ...Staci :)

I certainly have my share of uglies floating in my bowl of beloved buttons.  Don't throw them out.  Use them as a makeshift pop-dot to add dimension to a card or layout. Simply adhere a button to an element you wish to raise up and then glue the button to your project.  Note the chipboard pink kiss in the center of the flower raised up with a button:

Happy scrapping!  Love, Tracy Austin