MyScrapWorks! A Website for Manila (Philippines)-Based Scrappers

by Lala Marie Lacson-Evangelista and Angela Lauchengco

Have you ever wondered how the craft room of your scrapbook seller looks like? And do they even scrap in the first place or selling scrapbook stuff was purely a business decision on their part? In this month's Escape series, Ms. Nenette Madero invited us to step into her ‘little attic.' But it's not exactly little and it's no longer in the attic. Read on and you will understand what we're talking about.

In the Attic (How it all started)

When Nenette had her first child in 1999, she got hooked on scrapbooking. During her early scrapping stages, she bought her supplies locally from Memory Box. She later on went on the ‘net and did on-line shopping. Aside from this, she also bought additional scrapbook stuff during her many trips to the U.S. Eventually, friends, neighbors and relatives started asking her to buy for them as well. Nenette realized the potential in this hobby and decided to put up her own scrapbook business. It became her personal mission to provide a steady supply of materials in answer to the growing demands of Manila based scrappers. And so, My Little Attic was born.

Is her scrap room really in an attic? Well yes, she used to have it in her attic. Every Tuesday, Nenette and her crop buddies used to take turns hosting each scrap day until the group decided to make her place the permanent venue because of the convenience that her attic provided. It was also in the attic where she displayed the scrapbook wares she was selling, hence the name.

Early last year, Nenette's business expanded further when My Little Attic launched their on-line store. This added service was a big plus to MLA because one can shop from the convenience their own home, one can pay in pesos and need not wait for months for orders to arrive. Due to her growing clientele and an inventory that became increasingly more than what her attic could accommodate, she and her husband decided to transfer her scrap studio to a room located in the ground floor.

The Transfer

“Have your stuff organized so you know where to find it.”

The new craft room that serves both as an office and the MLA store was organized primarily for functionality and accessibility.

Most of the furniture used was custom-made to fit what she needed. The cabinets were designed in order to accommodate her growing need for paper, tools and embellishment storage. The cabinets had shelves that could easily fit 12x12 papers that are normally used in layouts. The pull-out drawers were all labeled for easy identification. Inside the drawers were additional metal or tin containers which held most of her embellishments.

An old entertainment cabinet which was originally intended for disposal was given a new lease in life. It now served as a temporary show cabinet for some of the items being sold and as a storage facility for the other stocks available.

A small buffet table topped with an elegant table cloth displayed other scrapbook items for sale.

The nice thing about her furniture setup was that everything was locally sourced. The wire racks were commissioned from a local iron welder. The cabinets were custom-made by The Barnyard.

Organization

Papers
Papers for Nenette's personal uses were segregated based on color-scheme whether plain paper, cardstock or patterned papers. They were then put in corresponding horizontal shelves found in the cabinets.

Papers for sale were placed on 6-7 feet tall wire racks that lined one-wall of the room. They were arranged based on manufacturer and line, making it easy to get coordinating papers and cardstock.

Embellishments/Tools
Personal tools and embellishments were kept in drawers located under the cabinets.

Metal embellishments were categorized based on function. Metal alphabet charms of varying shapes and sizes were arranged per letter and kept in small individual tin cans with transparent lids.

Beads, brads and eyelets were first arranged according to color and then according to shape. These were also stored in individual containers.

Stamps, Inks, Chipboards, Stickers, etc. all had their assigned drawers and labeled accordingly for ease of finding them when Nenette does find the time to scrap.

Tools and embellishments for sale were displayed on the show cabinet. Others are displayed on top of one of the tables that lined the wall and some were hung on wire meshes.

Ribbons and fibers were placed in metal ribbon holders placed on top of the cabinets for personal use. Her flowers were kept on glass containers that were topped with big corks. These containers served a dual purpose for they were both functional and decorative.

French Memory Board
On top of her cabinet, slightly above her computer monitor, is a French Memory Board. It contained several beautifully taken photos mostly of her children. These she said were the photos that she planned to make layouts of the moment she some free time to do so.

Nenette, with her busy schedule and many roles, finds it more and more difficult to find time to actually scrap something. She thought the memory board would serve as a constant reminder to her of what she can do if and when she gets the chance.

The French Memory Board was locally bought from Grassroots, a store that sells lots of hand woven storage materials.

Nenette's personal touch can be found around the entire room. Flowers not only adorn the areas (like table tops) where they are expected but also in small nooks and crannies that gives the entire room a very homey feel – organized but definitely not sterile, cold or devoid of personality. Nenette's scraproom reflects her persona - the same one that is reflected when you order some stuff from MyLittleAttic online and get to receive the package as it arrives – itemized, organized (she prefers the term “efficient”), with a small personal note and token thanking you for your business.

That's Nenette for you - warm, unassuming and a scrapaholic through and through.

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Join MyLittleAttic's We R Memory Keepers Scrap Challenge. The challenge is to come up with a layout about yourself and what you are grateful for using We R Memory Keepers paper line and embellishments. Criteria for Judging: photo quality (20%), workmanship and basic design elements (20%), use of title and journaling (20%), originality and creativity (40%). Contest will begin on the 26th of January and end on the 20 of February 2007. Check out the winner on FEBRUARY 24 at myscrapworksdotcom and win over P3,000 worth of fabulous gifts from MY LITTLE ATTIC. Judges will be announced on a later date!

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