These are two words that aren't typically used together. But yes, a DIY furor of sorts has been unfolding online, centered around the talent of 28-year-old Ronkonkoma scrapbooker Kristina Contes.
Short story: Contes was named a 2007 hall of famer in a nat'l contest organized by Creating Keepsakes, the largest scrapbooking magazine. Subscribers staged an all-out revolt when her winning layout was published with a photo credited to one of her friends, a violation of the contest's rule that all elements must be the entrant's own work. Thus, the magazine revoked said honors a few months later.
Long story: According to Contes, livid DIYers turned into trolls on her blog, took cheap shots at her work--which has been featured in many print and online publications--in scrapbooking forums like TwoPeasInaBucket.com. Lost in the chaos was the point that Contes herself asked the magazine to credit her pal (also a popular scrapbooker) who took the photo in question when her winning layout was published--not something someone who is intentionally violating the rules would do. She doesn't contest her disqualification, she takes issue with all the backlash. You can find all the nitty gritty details in a piece by the Los Angeles Times.
LATimes photo by Carolyn Cole
Our take: We wrote awhile back that scrapbooking was growing a trendy side, thanks (largely) to Gen X/Y crafters like Contes who were breaking the mold by creating funky, high-style layouts with edgy graphics, colors and textures. In fact, Contes's inner circle of 20-something scrapbookers are clearly the industry's darlings--they consult on design teams for several scrapbooking supply manufacturers, they travel around the country teaching how-to classes, they wrote their own book last year...they directly contradict the stereotype that scrapbooking is a hobby for middle-age mothers who have an affection for plaid-patterned paper. If Contes broke CK's contest rules, sure, she shouldn't be a winner. But the rest of the fallout just smells like pure jealousy.
kristina contes
Comments (1)
Two sided to this story and this is one. This fiassco was enought for me to cancel my subscription to Creating Keepsakes and I have never been published, never supmitted and never care to. It comes down to integrity and the above lacks it as does the magazine.
do a little more research on the topic before you decide. I did.