First, of all, what in the world is Scraplifting? Scraplifting is a term used among scrapbookers, to describe the concept of copying the designs and ideas of another’s layout and using them as your own. Scraplifting is not inherently bad. In fact, most scrapbookers I know started out as “scraplifters.” Scrapbookers generally have a sharing mentality so they don’t mind if you scraplift. It’s imperative, however that you give credit to the original creator if you post your scraplifted layout on the web or display it in public.

One day a few years back, I opened up the latest issue of a popular scrapbooking magazine. The entire issue was dedicated to the winners of an annual scrapbooking contest. One of the winners’s layouts was nearly identical to one my daughter had created and posted at Scrapbook.com a year earlier. My daughter had shared her layout for others to learn from. The winner had scraplifted for personal gain.

If used the wrong way, (e.g. presenting a scraplifted layout as an original idea) scraplifting can constitute copyright infringement. It’s OK to scraplift to learn and to expand your scrapbooking horizons, but it’s not OK to scraplift for personal gain, for financial benefits or without giving credit to the original creator.