A Scrap Over Scrapbooks

rules of the contest aside, People who have nothing better to do then to trash talk are wrong. The women who have bad mouthed CK, and Contes, are also tearing into the industry. It is just a reminder that the world is full of cruel people who just go through life looking for a reason to tear down another human being. Mistake, on purpose, etc. whatever it is, forgive, forget, and move on with your life. Go back to your scrapbook, and leave hers alone for goodness sake!

How sad that you haven't researched and gotten the whole story. Ms. Contes used a professional photographer's work on several of her entries and then signed an affidavit that the entire entry was solely her work. It wasn't until months after she accepted and benefited from the publicity and perks, when the official Hall of Fame cook came out, that several women noticed that the photography was not Ms. Contes' work. As scrappers, we take pride in our own work and if we are all abiding by the rules, there should be some accountability for those who blatanly cheat. Plagerism is plagerism, how would that go over in the literary world?

I agree that this article is not the normal Newsweek publication but more similar to what I would expect to read on a blog or message board. I know to bypass future articles submitted by Linda Fantin since it's obvious that she does not understand the complete story of events that have transpired.

It is admirable that Kristina wanted to give credit to the photographer, however her quoted responses as listed in this and other article publications only reflect her low level of maturity and bitterness of CK's decision to remove her from the HOF list. I'm guessing she just graduated from High School and is still learning about the adult world.

The bottom line is that a few of the scrapbookers that won the contest broke the rules. the rules clearly stated that the pictures featured in layouts had to be ones taken by you personally, because this particular contest isn't jsut about scrapbooking, it's about photography too. KC admitted that she used pictures that she herself did not take. and as far as the highschool behavior she is accusing us "suzy scrapbookers" of, if that isn't the pot callng the kettle black I don't know what is. KC resorted to infantile name calling right as the accusations started flying. If KC actually retreats from scrapbooking (which i doubt since according to her blog, she is such a "polarizing figure" in the industry) then don't let the door smack you on the way out honey! no one needs your petty attitude! YOU WILL NOT BE MISSED!

I didn't think it was possible, but Kristina actually managed to make herself look even more like a classless, immature little girl. She comments about it not being high school but she might want to check her files and make sure she actually received a high school diploma. I can't wait to see what happens when they go to buy their first home. Since she obviously can't be bothered to read instructions or the fine print my guess is they'll end up in a heap of trouble.

I personally think the photography rule is ridiculous. It is a scrapbooking contest, so the focus should be on the page design as a whole.
However,a rule is a rule, and when one of your entrants breaks the rule, then their entry should be disqualified. Kristina Contes is not the only one whose photos were not her own.
The issue is not "women tearing down women" which is the spin the author decided to take on this story. The bigger issue is the rumors that have been circulating for years about these so called contests. That the magazine has preselected winners and told them to "submit anything" and they would win. Using the Hall of Fame contest to reward designers of advertisers and other favored contributors and letting the rules slide if necessary.
It may seem silly to outsiders, but people put alot of time and effort into fulfilling the requirements for the contest. It. It is understandable that they are upset.

The entire point of this wasn't to smear Kristina or anyone else associated with the Hall of Fame. The point was and still is, honesty, integrity, and respect. And for those of us who help make scrapbooking the billion dollar industry that it is, respect is key. We are the ones who buy all of this stuff and make these magazines possible. Too often things have happend in the past and we-the consumers- are told to shut up and take it. We will no longer be quiet. The real story behind this is the power that a bunch of "suzy scrappers" have over the companies that spend lots of money on ads in Creating Keepsakes.

The entire point of this wasn't to smear Kristina or anyone else associated with the Hall of Fame. The point was and still is, honesty, integrity, and respect. And for those of us who help make scrapbooking the billion dollar industry that it is, respect is key. We are the ones who buy all of this stuff and make these magazines possible. Too often things have happend in the past and we-the consumers- are told to shut up and take it. We will no longer be quiet. The real story behind this is the power that a bunch of "suzy scrappers" have over the companies that spend lots of money on ads in Creating Keepsakes.

It goes back to, or comes down to a MAJOR issue in every facet of business and government - integrity.

General Ron Fogelman told Congress back when an Air Force Officer was about to be Court-Martial over an affair with an enlisted Airman's husband. Lt. Kelly Finn lied about it, and even after given a direct order to end it, instead did not, and continued to lie about it. The breach was NOT the affair, but the lying and cover-up.

The scandal is not Mrs. Contes "lying," all evidence points that she DID NOT lie about the fact she did not personally take the photographs (as required under the contest rules.)

CK Media lied and attempted to "cover-up" and squash the controversy. The folks at CK Media and the editorial staff of Creating Keepsakes Magazine really ARE either too dumb to be running a multi-million dollar enterprise, or too corrupt to care about the scandal, and are ignoring it, if they don't see or acknowledge it, then it must not exist.

Yes, "it's just a hobby" but it is just another symptom of the degradation of American Moral Character in the 21st Century.

It goes back to, or comes down to a MAJOR issue in every facet of business and government - integrity.

General Ron Fogelman told Congress back when an Air Force Officer was about to be Court-Martial over an affair with an enlisted Airman's husband. Lt. Kelly Finn lied about it, and even after given a direct order to end it, instead did not, and continued to lie about it. The breach was NOT the affair, but the lying and cover-up.

The scandal is not Mrs. Contes "lying," all evidence points that she DID NOT lie about the fact she did not personally take the photographs (as required under the contest rules.)

CK Media lied and attempted to "cover-up" and squash the controversy. The folks at CK Media and the editorial staff of Creating Keepsakes Magazine really ARE either too dumb to be running a multi-million dollar enterprise, or too corrupt to care about the scandal, and are ignoring it, if they don't see or acknowledge it, then it must not exist.

Yes, "it's just a hobby" but it is just another symptom of the degradation of American Moral Character in the 21st Century.

It goes back to, or comes down to a MAJOR issue in every facet of business and government - integrity.

General Ron Fogelman told Congress back when an Air Force Officer was about to be Court-Martialed over an affair with an enlisted Airman's husband. Lt. Kelly Finn lied about it, and even after given a direct order to end it, instead did not, and continued to lie about it. The breach was NOT the affair, but the lying and cover-up.

The scandal is not Mrs. Contes "lying," all evidence points that she DID NOT lie about the fact she did not personally take the photographs (as required under the contest rules.)

CK Media, lied and attempted to "cover-up" and squash the controversy. The folks at CK Media and the editorial staff of Creating Keepsakes Magazine really ARE either too dumb to be running a multi-million dollar enterprise, or too corrupt to care about the scandal, and are ignoring it, if they don't see or acknowledge it, then it must not exist.

Yes, "it's just a hobby" but it is just another symptom of the degradation of American Moral Character in the 21st Century.

Whether or not you like the rules, or agree with them, is irrelevent. These scrappers entered the contest, signed affadavits that the work was their own and used the photos of professionals. The quest for subsribers and other contestants to have the rules equally applied is not being jealous, vindictive or vile. It is making the playing field even and making sure everyone has the same advantages.

And, Jared,,,you are right. Photography is the "least work" in scrapbooking. Especially when you use someone else's photos.

Perhaps if Linda Fantin had read the reporting on the issue at ScrapbookUpdate.com, she would know what the actual issue was instead of resorting to the tabloid version of events.

I find Ms. Fantin's article a discredit to Newsweek's standards of journalism. The acidic comments of a disgruntled contestant who was disqualified for violating the contest's rules make great (tabloid) journalism but are not the real story. The real story is of consumers who have been suspicious for years about the judging of a major contest finally having proof and demanding fairness be restored.

As I understand it, Kristina Contes realised the layouts she entered contained photos taken by someone else. She called CK to tell them this, and they did nothing - they did not tell her that would rule her out. Later one, it all became public knowledge and CK tried to cover up their blatant mistake. They also didn't disqualify two other people whose work contained pictures of themselves that had to have been taken by someone else. So why isn't anyone bitching about CK's role in all this?

Kristina Contes did not follow the rules. She signed documentation stating she understood the rules of the contest and took the photos. CK did not follow their contest rules and selected her entry as a winner. CK attempted to blame a new employee for the oversight of the photo.

So tell me Kristina, where's the jealousy? We are not jealous of your work or your fame. We simply do not tolerate dishonesty and you seem to be having a problem with that. Integrity, how about looking that up on the Wiki.

Kristina Contes did not follow the rules. She signed documentation stating she understood the rules of the contest and took the photos. CK did not follow their contest rules and selected her entry as a winner. CK attempted to blame a new employee for the oversight of the photo.

So tell me Kristina, where's the jealousy? We are not jealous of your work or your fame. We simply do not tolerate dishonesty and you seem to be having a problem with that. Integrity, how about looking that up on the Wiki.