New Challenge for July Pretty in Pink

Well its the first saturday of the month, so a fresh Challenge over at KraftyHands towers, Pretty in pink.

Rules, you must be a follower of the Kraftyhands Challenge blog.
Obey the Challenge criteria,
mention in your post that your are entering in the Challenge.
Link back to the kraftyhands blog in your post.
Simples.
Then if you use Kraftyhands products you stand to win a £20 voucher for some strokeable goodies, as in physical product, be it a cd, or some photopolymer, or rubber stamps, or kits. NO DIGITAL Downloads on the Kraftyhands site, just proper goodies!
If you dont use Kraftyhands products then you have a chance for the TOP 3 Placement only.
 Right boring bit over, here's my Creation for the Pretty in Pink Challenge:

This is from the Preferably Pastels CD, one of the older cds, but still a lovely cd to work with, and currently on sale (and I do actually mean Sale, as in SALE!)in the webshop!
This was printed on Photo card, as the 2 topper/sentiments were on on sheet. And a sheet of co-ordinating Backing paper.
I cut the 3 bits from the photo sheet, front bookmark, sentiment, and verse for the back. then I cut a sheet of Acetate to create a 3rd layer in between the two verses.
I used a simple frame design from Make The Cut Gallery, and cut the outside layer on the Zing from the Backing paper.
simply sticking the bits together, and then finishing with a touch of glitter to highlight.
Yes the photo was taken some time ago, when we had the beautiful weather, and the Sun, (wow seems strange to write that word and not be sarcastic!) has bleached the image slightly, but its one of my favourite makes for a while!
So create something Pretty and Pink, and pop over to our Challenge blog to enter your own creation!

Hugs

Lou

Response to Black Listing comments

I would like to thank all who have left comments, all have been published, except for spam.
Unfortunately I have been tied up with my sons move to secondary School, then getting my grandson to bed, then refereeing in an argument between my elder son and daughter, and have only now got time to respond to the comments made.

Mo, at no point did I refer to any one company in this post. I have not identified the company that duped me, and I have not identified anyone who has allowed this information to filter through, or identified ANY companies considering this move.
Yes I linked to Lexies blog, there is a lot going on at the moment in blog land with regard to illegal distribution of intellectual property, not just by yourself, but by others as well. It is important to get the RIGHT information out, educate not intimidate.
I have NO issue about rules for DT's, personally I have ALWAYS informed any prospective DT of my other DT commitments, as I completely understand the individual requirements, being a sample maker myself.
I do, however, have issues with regard to possible blacklisting. That is the content of my post.
I do also have issues with theft of intellectual property. It has happened to me in the past.
The fact of the matter is that companies have made money from my intellectual property, they have used it as a selling point for their product.
Many companies in the UK are feeling the pinch, and not only here, but worldwide. Many have discovered that people aren't willing or able to finance their craft to the extent that they did, and some companies are being immoral in their dealings with other companies and clients.
So its not just customers who are being immoral but companies as well.

Kathleen I have no argument about a team owner being allowed to choose their own Design Team, as stated above I respect the decisions and understand the reason as I make samples. With your statement of "Having read the comments above they are all pretty much in the same vein of, 'I will do what I want, I will colour whatever images I want and no one can tell me who I can or cant design for."" it seems clear that you have misread what these people have said. What they have said is that they disagree with the idea of a Blacklist. That they have images legally obtained either as bought or free at the time, that they wish to use as they design a card. Not that they are using or going to use them illegally. But that now they are unsure wether to use them, do they in anyway want to be associated with anyone who has been considering the move to blacklisting?

The whole aim of the post was to raise awareness that some people are/ were considering this move. From the amount of readers to the post, I suspect that the message has got out.
Just to clarify I have a couple of other points which have cropped up, which anyone can feel free to address or not.
A Black list blocks people while allowing others, a White list allows people while Blocking others, Boycotting blocks people while allowing others. In effect they are all the same thing.
What happens to a company who signs up to one of these lists or groups, then ends up taking on some one that they feel can do a good job for them? Does the company then get blacklisted/whitelisted/Boycotted for doing what is right for THEIR Business?
If you create a list then you have to inform people who have been omitted from or added to the list. If you fail to have a full and frank, impartial conversation with someone on or off the list, then you have left yourself wide open to prosecution/litigation for Deformation of Character, worth thinking about isnt it?

I must admit, I am somewhat stunned to find comments on here from people I did NOT expect to ever see or hear about this post. Whilst people I DID expect to hear from have kept fingers off the keyboard.

Lou

Black Listing of Design Team Members.

  I must raise this subject, as its getting on my nerves.

Over the past few years I have been lucky enough to join Design Teams for various artists and Companies. When I started blogging, I was lucky enough to jump straight on a DT or 2, though I was completely new to blog land.

 I didnt understand blog land, I had no idea what was right and what was wrong, as there are NO RULES WRITTEN DOWN!
I also didnt think that people in the craft community behaved in a nasty fashion, very naive wasnt I?


I started working for a company, and was given a bit of information about something that was going on, some of the people who gave me the information believed they were telling the truth, they were duped like me, and it would seem we were lied to.
Something happened that resulted in myself and others finding out the truth and since then we have steered well clear of the company involved. We didnt know at the time that we were being lied to, would you? All we had were emails, some quite hysterical, and vitriolic attacks by people we didnt know. We were very confused.
Now it has been drawn to my attention that I am to be on a Black list because I USED to be on a certain Team. Even though I and others left when we found out the truth? I never said anything nasty, never left nasty comments, never got involved in the vitriolic goings on, I left when I knew, quietly. Now there is talk of a proposal going around that ANYONE who has worked on some of the more unscrupulous Companies Design Teams, is Black Listed, and should NOT be allowed to be a Design Team member on any company that sign up for this proposal.
EXCUSE ME! That happens to be a defamatory proposal, and damaging to my relationships to my Peers.
I had no knowledge of what was going on, when I found out, I behaved with impunity and withdrew from the Team. I have never left nasty messages, or been involved in any of the nasty goings on, which are still on going. But because of that you want to Blacklist me? And anyone else that comes into contact with a company you disapprove of? Future, Past and Present design team members all over the world are affected by this!
Can you please explain what gives you the right to damage my reputation in such a way?
Have you EVER had any contact with me?
Do you know why I left?
Have you EVER asked me about it?
The answer to all those questions is NO! You have NOT!
Yet you now claim the right to blacklist me?
Who made you Judge and Jury?
Where's the Innocent until proven Guilty?



I only started watermarking my cards when I realised that other people were taking the cards and posting them as their own challenge entries. I only started Copyrighting my blog when this was pointed out to me. There is no set of rules for crafters entering blog land. MOST crafters are genuinely good, kind, sharing,  law abiding, generous citizens. However there are those out there who dont abide by the unwritten code, and it would seem are taking un-watermarked images and using them without paying the artists for them. I suspect that generally, the people posting the images on Pintrest arent aware that they need to watermark them, or that they shouldnt share the image that has inspired them. Yet instead of doing the sensible thing and trying to come up with a set of guidelines for Crafters in Blog land, Crafters new and old are insulted, dictated to, and informed in a very condescending manner of what we are expected to do by some one who believes they are the only person who can say anything?
There's a lovely quote by Thumper from the Bambi film, "If you cant say anything nice, don't say nothing at all." If you're upset fine, but think about what you are doing and how you are saying it, come up with a CONSTRUCTIVE means of getting the message across instead of being sarcastic, and insulting those who you should be educating.
People draw in many ways, and gain inspiration from many sources. Some of the Main digi artists with a certain style have obviously been influenced by Disney Princess films, Big eyes, flowing hair, yet it would seem that only one or two people are allowed to draw in that style? Personally I'm NOT a fan of the big eyed digi's or stamps, I prefer proper artwork to work with, which is why I have withdrawn from many teams, but I do NOT see why only a select few are allowed to draw in that style, if anything I should think Disney and other companies should look at certain Digi artists, to see if THEIR copyright has been breached.
But I do NOT agree with taking an image and altering it slightly then re-selling it. If its your own work, then you have the rights to it, just as I have the rights to the pictures of the cards that I make. If its not yours, then you DONT have the rights do you?
 I do NOT think its okay to post unwatermarked digi's or stamp and scanned images to Pintrest. If you want a digi, go buy it, they are reasonably cheap. If you want the Stamp, go buy it, you normally get more than one for your money, even if you have to save up for it.
I do NOT agree with theft.
I do NOT agree with the idea of Blacklisting Design Team members, or Artists that had contracts with other companies.
I do NOT agree that there are only a few people who have the right to decide which person or company is Blacklisted or not!

I do not agree with the idea that a select few can be Judge and Jury, with no trial, on wether a person has acted with impunity. That they alone can decide wether or not others were duped. That they can merrily allow defamatory posts and comments to remain visible when they have been contacted about the defamatory nature of the content, insulting and hurting others business in order to draw more business to their own by playing "Poor Little Me".
There is a world wide Recession, in case you hadnt noticed. Many business are being hurt by customers finding their pockets shallower than before, or simply by the fact that they have moved on from one style to something else, Playing unfairly damages you more in the long run!
I have also noticed over quite a period of time that some of the people involved in creating this Black List have also been accused of copying others work, wether these accusations are founded or un founded is moot, as far as I am concerned.  If you live in Glass houses then dont throw stones!
This proposal affects EVERYONE who has or will ever have a desire to work on a Design Team. Who knows what company will be the next to feel the wroth of the people running this list? The fact that the people proposing this action have been accused in the past of breaching others copyright, fairly or unfairly, makes the whole thing a sham as far as I am concerned.
Quite simply this is an attempt to increase their market share at the expense of others reputations! Which in all honesty STINKS as a business practice!

Please dont think this is an off the cuff response to the talk of a black list. It isnt, this has taken 4 days for me to write this post, and is my considered view on this subject.


Lou

Edited to add this link: http://lexiesblogstardate.blogspot.co.uk/ another unhappy blogger!