Scraplifting is NOT the same as cheating -- at least, not unless you copy someone's layout piece by piece and then try to pass it off as your own in public!
Scraplifting, to me, is merely gathering ideas. Rare is the time when I sit down, leaf through an idea book or magazine, find a layout I like, and then copy it in the exact same products shown. Fuggedaboudit! Where's the fun in that? What I find fun is attempting to create a look someone else has pulled off, using the materials and supplies *I* have on-hand. It's much like seeing Kate Hudson on the pages of InStyle wearing an adorable boho-chic outfit, and then trying to recreate it at home with your Target budget and H&M heels.
THE KEY IS TO MAKE IT YOURS! By using your products, your photos, your colors, your eye for design, your journaling (can't forget that!), you take one idea and make it into something new, something original.
Of course, there are those times when you just want to lift a layout as close to the original as possible. This is okay, too! Why else do you think all the magazines include product information for each layout they publish? Disclaimer: IT IS NEVER OKAY TO PASS SOMEONE ELSE'S WORK OFF AS YOUR OWN. If you lift a layout, don't submit it for publication. And if you put it on your blog or in an online gallery, a simple credit ("scraplift from Tia Bennett") is sufficient.
I started with this adorable layout from Scrapbook Trends magazine:
Here I am, blowing my own rules... I don't know whom to attribute this layout to! I ripped the page out because I thought it was so cute, but the credit was on the opposite page. And I cannot even tell you what issue it was in... ARRGH! So if you are the designer behind this adorable design, please accept my humblest apologies and let me know so I can give you proper credit! EDITED: Thank you, Michelle, for letting me know that this page was designed by Celeste Smith, one of our own Simple Gals!
Anyway, here is what my lift came out like:
I am sure you can immediately spot the similarities. (Ignore the fact that mine is cut off at the knees... hate my scanner!). This is a much closer lift than I would usually do. I might pick one element -- like the button border -- and then change up everything else to make it more "me."
materials: Patterned paper (Me and My Big Ideas) + buttons (Foof-a-la) + plastic letters (Heidi Swapp) + rub-on stitches (Kaiser) + hemp thread (Darice) + waxed thread + string
Now, for last week's winners...
Bec and Lisa! I love how they both did their own interpretations of one layout. Great job, ladies! Send me your addresses and I'll get you some goodies. :)
What are your thoughts on scraplifting? Is it a regular part of your scrapbooking? A necessary evil? Does it make you uncomfortable, inspire you? What are your rules, if you have any? Do tell!
And for next week, how about a 30-minute layout with felt, fabric, or some other "sewing" type of material? Show me what you have. Leave your link in the comments and we'll all "ooh" and "aah!"