Scraplifting...

It's a funny thing, they say that "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" and yet sometimes people in the creative world get a little worried about copying, lifting and being inspired by other peoples work.

For me, the act of "Scraplifting" is a compliment to the original artist and perfectly acceptable so long as credit is given and it is done in an open honest way. Of course the lines become blurred when something is not a direct copy but inspired by something else.. How many shared elements make a scraplift? When does a scraplift become an interpretation and when does an interpretation become something inspired by another piece? and just how many different ways are there to arrange some paper,photos and embellishments on a (usually) square piece of cardstock?!?!

Sadly I don't have the answers to ANY of the above! What i do know is that *usually* you know when you have created something which has been heavily influenced by someone elses work and that if you have the slightest feeling that it may have been it doesn't hurt to credit the person who inspired you if the work is going in an online gallery. Of course your own personal album doesn't need a list of credits on each page protector although on occassions i have noted on the back of a layout if it is a direct lift and whose the original was, mainly so I remember later if their gallery is emptied or changed. It goes without saying that scraplifted work should not be entered for competitions, or in contexts where only original work is expected.

I see scraplifting as a great way to kick start a sluggish mojo - sometimes your final LO looks just like the original and sometimes it is unrecognisable by the end but either way it is often a fun way to get started on a project without having to do a lot of thinking!!!

Here are two of my favourite scraplifts. The first one is a scraplift of a layout by our very own lovely Debbie Jewell - the original was one of her entries into one of the UKS summer comps a few years back (Scrappers Block or Scrap Idol I think) but sadly it is not on her blog now.

The second one is probably my all time favourite ever scraplift. I uploaded it to UKS with credit in the blurb to Jennie Leon and a link to her original and it got a great response. I was so happy with how it turned out and thoroughly grateful to Jennie for the wonderful design that was ready made for me!

So if you are feeling less than inspired why not take a look round some galleries are start a bit of sincere flattery by scraplifting some of your favourite layouts by other scrappers - you never know you might just add a few lovely layouts to your albums and get the creative juices flowing again!