First I want to say that I am not posting this message to stir the pot. I consider MANY of you my friends and therefore owe you an explanation as to why I am leaving the forum. Sadly, this will be my last post. :(
For quite some time, I have felt uncomfortable due to the actions of another forum member. For whatever reason, this person has intentionally targeted my posts and made negative comments towards me. When it first started happening I made the decision not to interact with this person as I wanted to be respectful of the forum rules. I was willing to ignore the situation in the hopes that things would improve. Shortly before Christmas everything changed for me. I honestly couldn’t bring myself to post messages because of the uncomfortable feelings I was having.
I no longer feel at ease here. I can’t continue to share my home and my life when this member continues to take jabs at me. If I sound angry about this I AM. The forum has become my second home and I feel as if I have been pushed out. It upsets me that this member has not been reprimanded for their actions. Perhaps this situation will show H & H management and moderators that control has to be taken away from those who abuse the forum. Will there ever be a circumstance where someone is actually reprimanded? To my knowledge there hasn’t been so far.
Thank you for understanding that I am not able to reply to this post. I just wanted to say goodbye. I have made so many friends here ... I’ll miss you guys. Take care of each other.
Very sincerely, Artsy
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didn't get a chance to interact with you but I'm really sorry to see you go. I know how you feel but maybe after some time passes you'll come back when the coast is clear. You can never say never....
All the best to you.
whenever and if you are ever ready to come back (troublemakers have a way of moving on to spread their maliciousness) we will be waiting here for you and your advice. In the meantime..wherever you are, have fun!!!!
when I joined this forum about a year ago. Artsy your posts were often the first ones I looked for. You have wonderful taste and great advice. Please do check the forum often, perhaps one day soon you'll feel comfortable enough to join us again.
Until then, take care and happy decorating!
You have great design sense. You will be sorely missed. Hopefully we will see you in the future.
I do hope you will reconsider your departure from the forum. It is valuable input and participation like yours that can make this forum such a great place to be. I so appreciated the time (and thought) you put into your final post and truly hope that it will serve as a reminder to all of us that careless and off handed remarks which frequently dot the pages here, will eventually break down these very ties that bind us. Artsy, I am sorry that you do not wish to continue with us. I understand your frustration, anger and overwhelming urge to vent ...I applaud your restraint. We need to monitor our own behaviour and learn to anticipate the negative ...before the harm is done. I have learned to walk away...(while gritting my teeth) and not look back...no checking in, either. Take a long break, but please come back.... hopefully, to a whole new world with a few old dogs. Best Wishes, Norm
dear artsey
im new here and wanted to show my support....by reading the postings about you...i can pick up the fact that you had so much to offer this site and im real sorry that i will not have the opportunity to know that. I do know how you feel, i have belonged to a group before where someone stirred trouble and i left, than i thought FORGET THAT (not such nice words mind you) I was there to offer my advice and support and had many friends and i decided to come back and be there for others. ....and to this day im still there and am not going anywhere....if you reconsider, i will look forward to your posts
all the best to you
janetc
[B]Who cares if she feels gleeful that we are all gushing, we want her back. [/B]
I can tell you that she feels far from gleeful. She was sad to leave and will be touched that some will miss her but is certainly not happy about all this.
I had no idea of any negative comments going on here! I myself haven't been on this forum for very long but I've found everyone to be very friendly and helpful, including Artsy.
I hope she changes her mind and comes back.
Who cares if she feels gleeful that we are all gushing, we want her back.
You are an insightful woman. I would dearly love to have my friend Artsy here to amuse everyone and to edify the forum, as she did before, but she thought long and hard before making this sad choice and she is committed to it. She would appreciate your remarks though.
I was not going to even comment here as enough already post does not deserve a comment.
The more you answer to the post the more gleeful, as someone put it he/she (enough already) will be. All the attention, think about it.
I am guessing that you are friends with Artsy outside of the forum. If she is not reading these posts, please print them and get her to take a look. If she sees how many virtual friends she has here maybe she would reconsider.
that Paris is wonderful in the Springtime are so right (it feels like Spring in Edmonton, Paris...)
I'm new to the forum so I didn't have a chance to get advice from Artsy, but I know she is very talented. At least we still have all her posts that we can look at for good advice. I just searched one of her posts the other day about picture hangers and found it very useful.
It's sad that some people get a thrill out of criticizing others....sad for YOU, you ?&%$*$!@#*!!y~!!!
:(
Wish I could be like this more often, but in reality, I'm a bit chicken **** :D DH even calls me a little mouse as he says I'm a "big talker", but when confronted, I run away into my little hole :(
I really meant what I said though. I agree with you...I'm sure Enough Already is reading all these posts with a stupid grin on her face. She must have some psychological condition. The ironic thing is that she criticized Artsy for not having a life when in fact she is the one with no life...who has the time or inclination to bicker with people on a decorating forum? Enough Already...maybe you should take your own advice and get a life :D
Artsy won't be back to read these posts. She is not the type to say she will leave for dramatic effect, and has said her good byes. She is done here. If I'm typing with her I will pass on your kind thoughts. It is a shame to lose a member who had a lot to offer. Artsy is certainly ten times the DIYer I will ever be, and has a great eye. She will be missed.
It really irks me that whoever is causing this trouble gets to remain anonymous and won't ever be held accountable for what he or she has done. OK, so this is small potatoes compared to real problems in the world -- but why is it that the victim in so many situations is the one who always seems to pay the price in the end??
In this case, one person has ruined the fun for Artsy, and has taken away a great source of decorating advice and a "virtual friend" from so many people. And all it took was one person who has a grudge or whatever.
I am not a newbie but I am also not a long time member. I think it is about 6 months I have been coming here. I have never participated in these posts with obvious tension going on between members before today. I just had to comment today because I hate the thought of losing your posts. They are always so helpful to us. please stay.
I can deduct who the culprit is, just by reading between lines these past 6 months but I really thought she had more of an issue with dreamer than you. Either way, we have lost too many members over her. Do Not let her win again....
This is really disappointing to see! I think you have contributed so much to this forum with your great design sense. I hope you reconsider :).
My hubby and I are finally just about ready to start a whole summer of redecorating and I was looking forward to getting your help too along with everyone else's! Come back please!!
tequila anyone....?
....although I think the only way this forum is going to look more attractive is alcohol!!!!
I am glad we still have you! :D
all i can say to that is......LOL LOL LOL LOL...very well said
....rots my socks is that this reptilian mind is sitting there gleefully stirring her tea with her fangs and thinking she won.
I know Artsy was fed up, but I wish she would have stuck around to be an eternal hornet in this person's panties!!!
....so well said!! If I had you here I'd give you a loving lick and my best tiger stilleto slippers!!!!!!
You're a smart girl!!!
This reminds me too much of when I was bullied in school and as a result to this day I too run from any of the stuff Artsy was talking about enduring and am far too sensitve to negativity as a result. I completely understand why she would choose to leave. I know there will always be bullies out there, we can't change that but we can remove ourselves from their line of fire. I know many of you will think that's the coward's way out but it works for me.
I hope Artsy finds another forum to share her creativity with as she has lots to contribute.
enough already ! leave it alone .
nothing like being a coward huh?...real mature...maybe just take your new identity and your old and MOVE ON!!!!!...maybe you can find a new forum to attend to and p*** them off there....if you had something to say to Artsy regarding her decision....why change your name....be a big girl or big boy...whatever...and voice your opinion....if you don't want to be a big girl/boy...then take a hike and leave the adults to talk and enjoy eachothers company...i don't speak for others just for myself when i say your company/ideas/thoughts and insite isn't welcome here....
I can answer for Artsy. She and I are alike in that while we wish be anonymous, we otherwise intend to be completely genuine. I will only ever be "Dreamer", and though I will not tell you my name, I will not lie to you either. The person who is "Artsy" will only ever be "Artsy", and she will not return. I appreciate your suggestion was made with utter good will, however you are innocent of the fact that it is the ability to create new aliases and hide behind them to post malicious comments, that contributed to the reason my friend Artsy is saying goodbye.
Norm is right; no one knows the identity of your nemesis. It could be anyone at all. It could be some teenager who simply decided to sign up on an "adult" forum with the intent of seeing what they could stir up. When they read your postings they giggle and invite their friends over to show them how they've made an adult squirm. What fun! It's the electronic version of pelting your home with eggs or setting off a stink bomb on your front step. If you enjoy talking about design, stay with us. It's clear from the postings on this thread that most people enjoy your contribution. You can even change your electronic identity; just don't inform us. Who will know? You'll seem like one of the newbees :-)