Scraplifting. Are you familiar with the term? I had never seen or heard the word until last week when I visited a scrapbooking store in Hawaii. Apparently, the term refers to the act of copying design ideas from other scrapbooks.
Scraplifting may include anything from copying the same title for a page to using the same photo composition ideas. You can also be accused of scraplifting if you place your embellishments in the same exact spots as a sample layout, or if you adapt a similar journaling technique and use it to enhance your theme page.
And here I thought using the same ideas was considered “sharing.” Isn’t that what scrappers do? Show off their designs in the hopes of inspiring others to be as creative. Whatever happened to “Imitation is the sincerest of flattery”?
Turns out scraplifting is a term that is used fairly loosely. Although when it comes to posting a layout online, entering a contest, or submitting a design for possible publication in a book or magazine, then the term takes on a more serious tone. After all, while avid scrapbookers may be flattered to see their designs replicated by others, if you don’t properly credit the original designer, and her work is copyrighted, then you may run into legal issues.
For the record, a layout is only considered scraplifted if the entire page is copied save for the photos. According to scrapbook experts, if you’ve altered at least 1/3 of a layout’s design, you won’t be accused of scraplifting.
If you are a beginner, then you may have scraplifted without even knowing it. Using a completed design to model your layout after is convenient and can save a lot of time and energy. However, you can easily personalize a layout using another scrapper’s page as inspiration by using different products and accessories or changing the size of the photos or modifying the color scheme.
Related Articles:
Do You Have a Favorite Scrapbook Brand?