Today is a very sad day! I just found a Flickr-account that has systematically uploaded many, many of the files I have shared for personal use with my readers and followers in the past two years. She also shares them with no limitations, including many files from my Exclusive folder that I have specifically asked my followers not to share with other non-followers.
My digital files are copyrighted under international law, and as thus they are my property. Even if the original images are in public domain, I invest hours and hours of work, skills and effort into scanning ephemera, cleaning and enhancing the images, sharing them here with you for personal use, and organizing a large archive. And I have been doing it all for free, for the mere satisfaction of brightening my followers days. The digital files are automatically copyrighted, and re-sharing them is a crime, violating international laws!
I have notified the Flickr-user that has so many of my files posted, and await her response. Until then, I have locked the Exclusive folder with immediate effect.
I apologize to all the other, loyal followers! And I will happily consider your applications to join the Exclusive folder in a more secure way, but at least for the time being, this will no longer be an automatic feature including all new followers.
Wings of Whimsy 
I am so sorry this has happened to you. I have used your work for years for personal projects like memory albums and Easter trees, Christmas present tags, etc. I hope this does not discourage you from continuing to provide such beautiful graphic files and project suggestions. Not everyone is as irresponsible and dishonest as the person who owns the Flickr account. Most of us just love your work! Connie Torres
Thank you Connie! That is the kind of use I’ve intended for my work, and I am very, very happy to be able to please my readers with fun graphics they can use! And don’t worry I will continue to do so, only I might reserve the most work intensive files for direct exchange only!
What a terrible thing to discover :(. I send you wisdom and courage to solve this. Some people don’t realise what they do to each other and it is so not fair to share things that are not yours. All the best and love from the Netherlands.
Sil XX
Thank you Sil for the support! I hope and pray that it is a misunderstanding, but how can someone misunderstand the message I leave with every post “Free for personal use” and with the Exclusive folder “Exclusive for followers”… But until she writes me back, I want to believe it is a mere misunderstanding. I also realize that there are several sites like the Graphics Fairy and Old Design Shop which DOES share files free for ANY type of use, including commercial us and re-sharing, so maybe my site somehow was mistaken to operate under the same terms, since I have been sharing more and more files here…. I’m hoping there is a logical explanation to this 🙂 xoxoxo
That really sucks that someone would do something like that. I wish you luck getting this stopped and fixed. I have enjoyed using your freebies from time to time.
Thank you SuZi 🙂 I will continue sharing my freebies, I will just have to “brand” them even more clearly…lol! For now it is only the Exclusive folder that has been restricted, with a lot of PNG-files…:-P xoxoxo
Yuck! I’m so sorry this has taken place! I would not only be frustrated and upset (angry) but….I would feel so violated! 😦
I hope this frustration is tended to and resolved in a timely and satisfying manner.
Dear Kimberly I’m already feeling a lot better with all your wonderful support 🙂 lol
I, too, am sad. I’m a fairly new follower, but appreciate your hard work and love what you have done. I particularly love the seed catalogs. I am an avid gardener – coming from my roots of a farm family and thought how wonderful these would be to frame the old photos I have of life on our family farm – some photos going back over 100 years with the farm in the family since the mid 1800’s. I experimented with one of the catalogs and converted it to a sepia. Loved the look of it. I hope you can find a resolution. Good luck to you.
Regards, Sue Chapin-Strike
Thank you Sue 🙂 I’m sure it will work out, I was just so shocked to see my images collected and shared with no shame, page after page…lol! I could have SOLD those and made a fortune… hehehe
So sorry to hear this awful person has made you so angry and I hope you manage to get a resolution. Most of us really appreciate all the work you do and your kindness in sharing your efforts with us. Unfortunately there are always those who will take advantage of others in this world and I pity them for their lack of understanding and originality. Take heart my friend from those who greatly respect you. x
Dear Margie! I’m not really that angry, just sad. Really sad that someone will have so little respect for what I willingly share with you all to use and enjoy. But until I hear her explanation, (that might very well be a misunderstanding about copyright terms!) I will leave the Exclusive folder closed, since that is my most valuable files, the raw material, so to speak…lol! xoxoxo
My dear Gunnvor Karita,
It’s very sad indeed!! The Internet have this other dark side…
A big Hug fromPortugal
Alexandra Roldão
Thank you Darling! It is very easy to download and use files, but thankfully many of us are paying attention to the terms and rules of the original site when we choose to re-share our findings 😉 Also I feel a wee bit flattered, that she likes my stuff so much she is choosing to hoard it… hehehe
Oh, Gunnvor, I’m so distressed to hear this sad news! I’ve always known that you put so much heart and soul and creativity into everything you do, and to have it disrespected must be painful…. And as Kimberly said, you must feel so violated. I will join you in hoping and praying that it is a misunderstanding……that you can continue to share your gifts as you intended them. Thanks for so much.
Thank you Barbara 🙂 yes, let’s hope this too shall pass…lol! I’m already feeling that my spirit has been so lifted by your supportive comments, I’m almost considering changing the color of the post into my usual carmine red…hehehe
I am so sorry this has happened. It seems there are more and more thieves out there. I write poems for some of my cards. I had a verse stolen and made into a digi. It is very upsetting. I can only imagine the frustration and pain in knowing that several have been taken and shared by another. I hope you can get this stop. Thinking of you. Thank you for all the lovely images I have. I don’t have many but the ones I have I love.
Thank you Edwina. The funny thing is I am feeling more sad for the person than I am for myself… 😛 Also my mind is pacing, trying to think of other ways of solving this issue: I would like to share my files and creations for personal use, but how can it be done in a secure way, it MUST involve a certain amount of trust! And also, even if someone takes my file and choose to use it as their own, they can never take my ideas, and skills 😀 So it is really only a temporary loss, I can go on and create something new again and again, and t-h-a-t is my victory 😛 xoxoxo
That is very, very sad news. I contacted someone on Facebook, just yesterday, when I noticed that an image she had pinned as ‘printable’ was actually from a stamp company’s retail page and was an image of a stamp that was for sale. I could not believe the audacity. It makes me even sadder, however, to see generous souls like yourself violated and abused for their grace in sharing, for free, something that they have worked on. I hope you can resolve the issue to your satisfaction. Your loyal followers will understand the temporary inconvenience.
Thank you Tammy! I’ll search the web for alternative solutions to this issue, how can I share the files, but make it harder for someone to “abuse” them. Maybe I can embed some secret digital alarm in the original file, that will go off if the file is reposted by someone else, other than as part of their wonderful creations? lol I’m probably a few years ahead of the digital evolvement, but then again: who knows…? hehehe
Well, bless your heart! I have not used many items, but have so much enjoyed receiving the emails and enjoying your creations! Keep positive and know that your faithful followers are standing with you! such a shame that someone cannot respect your work without trying to profit! I did share an email at Christmas with my aunts who LOVE vintage cards and they were so very impressed! Blessings! Jennifer
Awww, thank you Dear! I hope everyone shares an email every once in a while, that is exactly what I want you to do! By doing so you are pointing your friends and loved ones to WoW, and sharing something you already enjoy yourself, for them to discover further too! You are not systematically “hoarding” lots of files, and posting them with no shame online, free for any stranger to download and use…;-) Please continue to share files and emails privately like this, with the intention of growing our whimsical family 😀 Blessings returned 🙂 xoxoxo
sad to hear that someone is taking advantage of you. hope you can find a more secure way so you can still share your work. let us know what we can do. ps check your facebook page I posted the picture from new year there on your page.
Thank you Christi 🙂 I’m such a looser on Facebook, it is almost a miracle that I still have that account. (My blogposts are posted there automatically, so I never have to do anything myself…lol) I will try to remember my password, I love pictures, so really want to see that! xoxoxo
I am so sorry that this has happened to you. I really appreciate all the hard work people do to provide free items . I could never afford to buy all these things. No wonder people have given up on sharing. There is always a few who take advantage. Hope you find a solution to stop this from happening again.
If anyone has suggestions on how this can be done, I’m all ears! I’m not suggesting I’m Rembrandt or Picasso, but there is a certain amount of skill and artistry going into my creations, and I would like to be credited for it 😉
If she had posted my low resolution images with a link back to my original post, I would be thrilled! It is the lack of reference, and her releasing my work for free use that makes me upset 😛 xoxoxo
I was just recently thinking that I should write to say how much I appreciate receiving your beautiful ephemera. I view it as soon as I see it in my inbox; it’s always a treat. I love knowing that if I need a tag or images for a card or collage project I have them at the ready.
Your heart must have sunk when you made this discovery. I hope, as you say, it was merely a misunderstanding. Otherwise, it’s unconscionable.
Thank you for the support Arline 🙂 And thank you for the kind words, it really lifts my spirit to have so many encouragements at once about my work! xoxoxo
I’ve seen this happen to other bloggers I follow several times over the last few months. I know how you feel because I found that someone copied a large part of my thesis after I got my Masters of Education. I don’t know how these people can look at themselves in the mirror. So sorry this has happened to you, too.
Well there is NO excuse for copying a thesis!!! I think posting the images could be a result of misunderstanding copyright laws, or thinking that maybe it does not apply when it’s merely an amateur blogger, not making money on her stuff…. but copying someone else’s written work is totally unforgivable, and I can’t see ANY reason why someone would do that as a mistake!
At the University College where I work the students who are caught doing that not only fail, but are also expelled from the college, and become enrolled on a black list shared nationwide. So it is a one time crime that could cost you your entire career!
I certainly hope your thief got what he deserved for it!
Hej Gunnvor,
Jeg er så vred på dine vegne. Det er så grimt at nogen gør sådan noget.
Jeg elsker alle dine fine creationer, så jeg vil meget gerne fortsætte med at kunne se og downloade dine smukke ting.
Mange hilsner og klem Lene Frost København
>
Tusen takk Lene 🙂 Alle de vanlige mappene er åpne som før. Det er bare den eksklusive mappen jeg har valgt å stenge for generell tilgang. Jeg har sendt deg en epost om den, så du skal nå ha tilgang til den igjen 🙂 xoxoxo
I am so sorry to hear some mean person can’t do a thing on their own but have to copy a very talented girl. I hope you get her for the meanness she is causing you & your faithful followers I love your sight and all the hard work you put into it many thanks from a very loyal follower Hus Nancy
Thank you so much Nancy! It is very heartwarming and inspiring to hear how much my work is appreciated, I think I have underestimated the popularity of my it…lol!!! I really love sharing my work, and love to see it used in my readers art and crafts! But this time I’m putting a little effort into having my work removed from her site. Let’s see if she chooses to remove it herself, if not let’s hope Pinterest and Flickr helps me out removing it regardless. 😛 xoxoxo
I can only agree with all that everyone here has said Gunnvor! I only found you towards the end of last year and am constantly amazed at how much dedication and work you put into your beautiful graphics and blog! Though I’m more a lurker than a commenter!
It does indeed sadden me to know there are people out there who seem to have no regard for the love and hours that is put into someone else’s work and creations and are quite happy to just take and use it for themselves and have no remorse. They must be indeed a very sad and insecure person to not even try for themselves. Where is the fun in that!?
You seem to be having a very positive attitude to the problem and I do hope you manage to get it all sorted out for the best. I don’t suppose having a closed blog where everyone needs to be invited would be any help? Just a thought. ♥
Dear Shkapoo! I welcome lurkers 😀 I know that with the number of visits I’ve been getting there are numerous lurkers, and I can only hope that after a while you all feel so welcome that you end up leaving a comment, or engaging elsewise! If/when you do, I get a confirmation that I’ve been doing something right 🙂 lol
I’m open to all options for WoW into the future, and keeping part of it exclusive is sort of what I have been doing with the Exclusive folder (where confirmed followers only have had access) The files in the Exclusive folder are typically my PNG-files, the raw files that are most valuable to a designer. The Exclusive folder has also contained extra graphics for some of the DIY-projects, never posted here on WoW, some files I have not been pleased with including into projects, but that my followers might enjoy individually, and also some files have been released early to the followers. Other than restricting the access to the Exclusive folder, I will probably not make any immediate changes to how I do things here on WoW, but the current situation will be taken into careful consideration when I choose my strategy for the future.
So thank you very much for engaging and for a suggestion that I will definitely consider as one of my options! 😀 xoxoxo
It really shows your kind and loving spirit that you choose to view this theft of your considerable talent as a “misunderstanding” by that Flickr user. I’m sorry this has happened. With all the horrible things that happen in this world it is easy to become discouraged and start thinking that “people are rotten”. THANK YOU for reminding us to look for the best in others first. It certainly is a happier and more peaceful way to live.
I read todays post with shock, disbelieve and sadness. I am also a fairly new subscriber to your blog. I wait with delightful anticipation to see what clever idea you have come up with. Your blog “makes my day” I have used your valentines as part of the gifts to my “Galentine” friends with delightful appreciation. I have forwarded your blog post to fellow creative friends to enjoy. I know this kind of forgery happens, but it still hurts and pains all of us who believe in being honest. If you don’t hear from the alleged thief in the next 48 hours I believe they knew darn well what they were doing. I hope you find a creative, safe way to share with all of your true admirers
A sad day indeed! I am very sorry you have been treated this way. It is not the first time I have heard of this happening and I imagine it is quite upsetting. I wonder if people realize the hours that go in to these digital images. Sending love and a sympathetic hug x
that’s terrible. I hope you will be able get this closed down or something. I don’t understand how these things work. but to blatantly steal another work is both greedy and so wrong. I love what you share, and I know other people love it. I don’t understand flckr at all so I would not even be able to look it up. I hope you can get this sorted. hugs, sharron
I’m very sorry you were disrespected by this unscrupulous person! I really appreciate all the work you put in to these images and enjoy them very much! I use them to decorate my office for the various holidays and everyone loves them very much. I hope you know how much you are appreciated and how bright you make our days!
Så trist å høre dette Gunnvor. Syns det dessverre er mange slike saker nå om dagen. Kommer varsler nesten daglig på Stamp out mfl. Håper vedkommene tar til fornuft og skjønner at det er galt det hun gjør. Lykke til videre og glad du deler så mye flott for oss andre som ikke kan eller har evner eller anledning til å lage alle disse flotte tingene. Klemmer fra nord.. Ma 🙂
I know how you feel… I hate it when people reshare my Google+ edits, it makes me so mad that they don’t give me any credit!!! None at all!! I’m sure this lady just had a misunderstanding and thought she could share them. I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm. 🙂
Yes sorry to hear it but is a very sad day!! Have you contacted Flicker? They can lock her out until this is resolved as they should. Hope this helps….Katherine PS…if you need any help with this matter please don’t hesitate to let me know…I know some people that may be able to help!!
I’m sorry to hear about this injustice to you. You do us your followers a great service by sharing with us all your hard work and its too bad this had to happen to you. I hope it gets fixed asap and that you can rely on me to not be sharing your works. They stay on my computer that only I has access to if that helps!! I love your posts so please don’t let this deter you in any way. Karma will catch up to those scoundrels 🙂
Oh hon that is so very sad. I really hope things can be resolved, sometimes it is an innocent error. You are so generous with what you share and I love every bit and piece. Big hugs of support being sent your way!!
I am sorry that some inconsiderate person took your generosity and abused it. I love what you make and hope it all works out.
so sorry someone would do this, please let me know if I can help in any way
Terrible. There are so many inconsiderate people, so many greedy people. there are many days when i dont like humans very much. You have done the right thing. I give away my line art under creative commons. People take but never say a word of thanks. I draw for myself, i give it away because i still believe in treating people like i would like to be treated. But i will never waste a minute thinking someone will ever say “thank you.”
I’m so sorry this happened to you! I know how much time you spend in creating your files and this is not fair at all! But how did you find out? Is there a way to know if someone is stealing your images? It’s important to know, because it could happen to anyone…
Oh! I am so very sorry this happened to you. You are so generous with your talents and share all your hard work with us. I have seen this with other artists that are having their images taken and sold by someone else. This is theft pure and simple. I have always looked forward to see what wonderful surprise inspiration I might find from you in my in-box. Of course I understand that you need to see if you can rectify this and find a way to not have this happen to you again. Please know there are many of us that appreciate your talent and look forward to the day, when we once again see what wonderful creations you’ve come up with.
I cannot believe people. You share such wonderful stuff. It is such a privilege to be able to use it. It is hard to believe someone would abuse that. Keep designing…you are great!
How sad! I’m sorry. I really appreciate what you do and how you do it. Your relatives are nothing to me, but I enjoy so much seeing all of their pictures that I feel a real relationship following their paths. Now they are almost a part of me too. I love your work. Please don’t be discouraged and keep on.
Oh sweetie, I am sooo sorry to read this all the way over here, and it really piss me of, why anybody would do anything like this, when they could just share a link to your site, then people could go there them self, ang grab what they want? So I am sorry, but do not believe much in the mistake, as it would be much less work for the person, to just leave your link, than to repost all this. But maybe it is just me, who would be too lazy for that LOL
I really hope, you xind a good way of it, and if there is anything at all, I can do to help, please let me know sweetie okay? I will keep thinking of you hun, and hope, it will be sorted out the best way, and until then cheer jp and keep smiling okay, we are many behind you to support you through this sad thing, and please use us all you need.
Biiiiig cyber hucs all the way from the US
Great big cyber hugs back at ya Hunny! Thankfully it WAS a misunderstanding, Flickr helped me resolve the matter quickly, and the poor lady has apologized to me directly. I am very relieved that she did not intentionally take the pictures and use them as her own. I am fine with linking, in fact I LOVE linking…lol Also, I wanted to say that our tickets are booked (over a week ago…lol) for the dates we discussed. So you better not promise that guest bedroom to anyone else… hehehe! We look crazy much forward to the trip, I will have such a hard time deciding what to pack! (And I don’t mean what clothes to pack…lol) Enjoy your extended US stay, live like there is no tomorrow!!! 😀 😀 😀 xoxoxo (PS the nailpolish is Julep, if you can find it anywhere.)
How sad to hear that.
Oh – how dreadful!!! I pray this individual will cease & desist. What a nasty thief!
I have followed you for many years now & love your designs. lease know that those who follow you loyally support you 100%.
on your side – D
Thank you, thank you, thank you for ALL your supportive messages!!! I’ll try to write each and every one of you an answer, but until I can catch up, I will at least let you know here, that all your messages have been received and read, it is indeed very heart warming!
I have not heard anything from the this lady yet. Part of what puzzles me, is that she is a follower here on WoW, and as such she has had access to all the various files I have shared. On her Flickr account she has shared them openly, with my name attached on very many of them… it is all very, very strange!
I have spent the morning writing Pinterest and Flickr, requesting that my files she has uploaded are removed, but I am talking hundreds of files here, so I’ll be working for days, if they require me to make a list, with both the urls of HER copy and MY original files. If anyone is up for helping with that, I would certainly not say no…lol
I have loved creating my WoW-universe! I love that my page is clean and uncluttered (only veeery few adds, that WordPress keep posting since I have not purchased an add-free account). I have loved gathering the files in download folders, although I’m sure I would have a LOT more traffic had I made everyone click to download individual files. I was planning to go back to the oldest post and include them in the download folders as well. Even if no one has said that they enjoy the download folders, I was under an impression that this was working very well for my readers. And indirectly people have said they know where to find my stuff whenever they need a tag, or a DIY project. Which confirms to me that I have managed to set up an easy system that works and is appreciated.
It is a system of trust! I tell you my terms and share the files. You get to download them and use and enjoy them according to those terms 🙂
However, my system also makes it very easy for someone to download hundreds of pictures in a very short time, to hoard them, so to speak. Thus I am now considering if I should continue with this system, or if I need to work out something else, that will require more work on both your part and mine, to actually grab the files, and thus make it harder at least to massively download all my files in a short time, with the intention to abuse them later.
I’d love to hear your opinion on my download file system, if you love it too, I’ll try to keep it but if you couldn’t care less, I’ll start considing other options! Please share your opinions 🙂
To everyone worrying that I will stop sharing my files: that is not going to happen 🙂 I already have another Easter post planned for you later this afternoon! 😀
Love&Light
Gunnvor Karita
It is truly saddening that people do not honour the spirit of your talents and generosity in enabling us to use your wonderful images for our craft. Free for personal use says it all.
Kia Kaha (be strong, get stuck in, keep going)
Bernadette
New Zealand
You are such an inspiration!! I must say Thank You! I love your work and think it is very kind of you to freely share it with us. You clearly state it is for personal use only. If $ is meant to be made from it, then you should be the one to reap the rewards. I find your work very inspiring. It stimulates me and make me want to create or just enjoy it as beautiful eye candy. I have you set as my home page. I feel as thou I know you and you are a friend. I also love reading your blog. I, too, love genealogy and enjoyed your family pictures. I am sorry someone was so disrespectful of your wishes and hurt you. You seem such a lovely person.
I just today found you and this wonderful site !!!!! I LOVE dreaming about how I could make something out of all the wonderful images….But first I need to learn how to down load and print them !!! I am still crafting with a glue stick and left over scissors from “school days” when kids were young LOL
YOU are truly wonderful for sharing your God given talent with all of us…Thank You
A glue stick and ANY scissors will take you a LONG, LONG way, I tell ya! No need to go stocking up on fancy supplies, lol 😉 xoxoxo
Hello, I am so sorry to hear of this awful news… You are so talented and your talents should not be stolen… Sincerely, one of your grateful followers Lisa
Oh Gunnvor, I am so very, very sorry to hear that this has happened to you. You are so generous to share your gorgeous creations with us all and all you ask in return is that your creations be credited to you and not shared. It saddens and angers me when people knowingly take advantage of talented folks such as yourself. I hope that Flickr and Pinterest will honour your copyright and take her accounts away from her. Big hugs, Deb
It is indeed a sad day. I am so sorry that this has happened, each day I check to she what new thing you are doing!
Have you considered mermaids as a subject for your graphics. I enjoy the vintage and mythical images myself.
Brenda Bland Laramie, WY
I am so sorry to read about this as I opened your page today!!! You have always been so generous with your work. I thank you so many times. Sadly there are people around like this person. It angers me to think they feel they can do this. So know that there are lots of us who appreciate you and abhor what this person is doing!!!
I am so sorry there has been such a blatant abuse of your copywrited materials. I hope you take a moment to contact Flicker management as well. Maybe they can help put things right. WOW followers around the world want to continue using your inspiring creations you can be sure, but in the way you intended. Hoping this is resolved soon.
Thank you Hunny, Flickr helped quickly resolve the matter, so that is one thing learned from this episode. Turns out the poor lady was posting my images in blissful ignorance of the copyright issues…:-P She has apologized and I am very happy the matter is resolved! 🙂
I really hope you can solve this horrible episode soon! I really like your work and thank you for your kindness and effort to make the rest of us happier with every idea you so generous offer us.
I am fairly new to your site and made my husband a beautiful valentine from your files…..I am so sorry to hear this. Your work is so beautiful and inspiring. I do hope that this gets resolved quickly for you. I will continue to follow you and hope for the best.
“Even if the original images are in public domain, I invest hours and hours of work, skills and effort into scanning ephemera, cleaning and enhancing the images, sharing them here with you…” Thank you, Gunnvor, for saying that!!! I’ve also spent countless hours working on beautiful public domain images, to restore, renew, preserve, and share, so I completely… completely understand what you’re saying. Good luck on a speedy resolution to this issue!!
Thankfully the matter is resolved. The poor lady did not know she was doing something wrong. Flickr removed my material from her account, and she has sent me a personal apology which I was very relieved to receive! I will continue to share my work and graphics, but I will also continue protecting my copyright to the files I have created. If people want only the original images, they can download the originals from the same sources as I did…lol I wish you a wonderful Easter, dear Megan 🙂 xoxoxo