Scrapbookers Make the News... Again

< NEWSWEEK
Updated: 2:22 PM ET Nov 3, 2007
If scrapbooking conjures up images of kindly suburban women passing pictures around the kitchen table, then you don't know the modern hobby. Outraged scrapbookers recently forced the industry's top magazine, Creating Keepsakes, to strip a New York woman of its coveted Hall of Fame title after readers noticed a photo credit on one of her layouts. The rules require all entries to be the "sole work" of contestants. But while Kristina Contes admits that she made a mistake, she blames "petty, jealous women" for bullying contest officials into disqualifying her work. "I mean, it's not like I stole someone's boyfriend," says the 28-year-old restaurateur. "This isn't high school."

But it is a cutthroat business. Scrappers spent $2.6 billion on supplies last year, according to the Craft & Hobby Association, and one in four households contains a scrapbooker, making it more popular than golf. The Hall of Fame award can bring celebrity status, TV appearances and teaching jobs. After Contes declined to return her title voluntarily, irate hobbyists smeared her on blogs and threatened to flood her restaurant with fake reservations. "The b–––h doesn't have a moral bone in her body," wrote a commenter on the Scrap Smack blog. Over on the Creating Keepsakes Web site, angry readers cried cover-up and threatened boycotts when editors deleted unkind comments about the company from the site's discussion boards. "I wanted an explanation," says Noell Hyman, who was among the first to question Contes's work. She got more than that: Contes and another woman whose work was questioned have been replaced in the 25-member Hall of Fame class for 2007. "Women prove time and again that they are ridiculous, vile creatures," says Contes. She plans to retreat from the scissors-and-glue game—but she'll always have the memories.

URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/67947>>

There are so many things about this that bother me that I don't know where to start. I have been mulling this whole topic over for weeks...and this news article just set me off.

I will retreat into the old adage, "If you can't say something nice..." and recommend that perhaps more people should adhere to this guideline.

And I will also say that women prove time and time again what generous, positive, giving, selfless "creatures" they are. And if you are seeing otherwise, well, then, maybe you're hanging out in the wrong spots with the wrong people.

There. I feel better now.

Comments

[Kyla]

This bothers me too. The whole episode just puts a bad spotlight on the scrapbooking world in general. I guess my feelings on this would be, that if you submitted an item or items that went against the stated guidelines, then you should be a big enough person to admit your error(s) and step down with grace and retain some personal dignity. But this article just REEKS of cattiness. Do I hear any other MEOWS out there? ;)

[stephanie]

That's first I've heard of this ... that's ridiculous. Wow. Just ... wow.

[Abbie]

Kyla, you said it! I don't even need to elaborate on that one! :)

[Juel]

Wow, I could say a lot of things but I just am not going to go there. How sad!!

[sockiepuppets mom]

Crazy nuts! This just proves that to some of us view scrapbooking as a way to keep our family heritage and others value it more than their own morals and values.

[Emy]

I've seen this sort of thing happen in other crafty places too - the most recent was in a knitting forum, where one person posted a message about how another person had stolen her pattern. For a while, the thread was everyone screaming about how awful Ms. B was, claiming credit for Ms. A's work, terrible person, string her up! Of course, people start sending Ms. B emails to this effect, in addition to posting in the forum. At some point, someone posted a message saying "hey, you know, I've looked carefully at both patterns, and they're different enough for reasons X/Y/Z that I think it's possible that two people had the same idea independent of each other." Then you've got a chorus of "OMG, how dare Ms. A accuse Ms. B of stealing!?!?!?", emails going to Ms. A about how SHE'S a terrible person, yadda yadda.

It seems like a big part of it is also the anonymity of the Internet. The "if you can't say something nice" rule is WAY too often thrown out the window, and it's easy to get caught up in the drama on the sidelines, especially if you don't know any of the players involved, especially if you can hide behind a fake name or email address. Both sides are at fault really, and it's enough to drive one CRAZY. :P

[Mary c]

Hey, I was boycotting HOF BEFORE I heard about the controversy. Read my blog. I was upset they passed my friends by when I felt they deserved it more than some that won. Catty? Maybe. Loyal? You bet your trimmer and adhesive!
Cheaters should be disqualified...Period. If someone doesn't like it, they should PROVE themselves innocent.
Petty and jealous? Whatever.

[Etta]

I didn't even know about this until you mentioned it. Good grief. There is more to my life than stressing over whether I am a HOFer. It's certainly not enough for me to cheat OR worry about if other's are cheating. Would I love to be published? Sure. Does it consume my thoughts? No way. Do I really care what others are doing? Not really. I am blessed in too many other ways. I don't have time to spend all day creating magazine perfect LO's. I have two beautiful children and a WONDERFUL husband. God help them all, the cheaters and the complainers.

[Maria]

"And I will also say that women prove time and time again what generous, positive, giving, selfless "creatures" they are." AMEN to that!

On another topic, I absolutely ADORE your newest layout title "Must have a dog." I recognized the cool looking pommeranian ;)
You made me smile! :)

[melita]

ummm, what? I'm not exactly sure what prompted Newsweek to run an article like that. If anything this is only going to generate further cattiness and nastiness. The less said on this now, the better. It's over and done, definitely not gracefully on anybody's part, but there is more to life than scrapbooking and trying to achieve sbing stardom. It all just needs to stop. And Lain, I totally agree with you, I just spent a wonderful weekend with over 50 of the most generous, positive, selfless and giving creatures I have the privilege of being associated with.