“Scrapbooking is an addicting hobby!” declares scrapbook enthusiast and entrepreneur Lala Evangelista. While she remembers making her very first scrapbook as a third grade school project, it was only four years ago that she finally caught the “scrapbooking bug.”

Today, this mom to 4-year-old daughter, Sam, is not only an avid scrapbooker but has also turned her hobby into a profitable source of income. She is paid for sharing her skills on the subject when she gives talks to would-be hobbyists, sells her own line of scrapbooking materials, accepts scrapbook projects for a fee, and just recently, founded the “Happy Scrappers Club.” Not bad, considering that this is just a “sideline”. A pharmacist by profession, Lala is also the company pharmacist for 888 Pharma Distributors and a businesswoman who owns and manages a water filling station.

To formalize her scrapbooking skills, Lala first took lessons at S.M.I.L.E., a craft shop at SM Megamall that specializes in the hobby. Using acid-free materials was the most important thing she learned from those lessons. “I wanted to know how to make my scrapbooks last. I didn’t want my scrapbook pages to become yellow and brittle.”

However, archival scrapbooking is an expensive hobby, especially since a few years back when most of the materials were imported and were difficult to source. When Lala realized that her hobby was becoming too expensive for her own good, she started to look for opportunities to turn it into a money-making venture.

Earning through teaching

Because Lala is also a natural teacher - having run a tutorial center for years after college - she decided to use her skills and teach others about scrapbooking. She approached S.M.I.L.E. and other craft shops about giving classes on the hobby and she has since gone into freelance teaching where she gives lessons conveniently at her clients’ homes, offices or schools.

Lala says that, when she gives talks sponsored by craft shops, her lessons cost P300 per person inclusive of a scrapbook starter kit. The shop normally gets a certain percentage from the fee but Lala also gets a percentage from products she gets to sell during the talks. These talks, she adds, are more for creating awareness in scrapbooking as a hobby. For Lala, these are also a potent marketing tool. “I earn more with freelance teaching because I get all the profits,” she smiles. With home/school/office service or special events like parties, Lala charges about P500 per person. Moreover, she provides - and from which she also earns a nice, little profit - tools and materials that her clients use to finish their scrapbook layouts.

Selling Scrapbook Kits

Lala also got the idea of creating her own scrapbooking materials which she sells to clients and other enthusiasts. She repackages materials like paper and page protectors which she gets in bulk into one-page starter kits. She also sells little packs of embellishments like cut-out paper in different designs.

Recently, Lala started joining bazaars to sell her scrapbook items. “I get an average of 20% to 30% profit from selling materials although that depends on where you source your items. I have a local supplier and craft shops offer special discounts for bulk purchases. You just have to be resourceful. I can make a nice profit from getting good materials from places like Divisoria,” she says.

Custom-Made Scrapbooks

Clients who don’t have the time or patience to create their scrapbooks ask Lala to make the layouts for them. She shares that craft stores can charge a minimum of P100 per page on labor alone, Lala points out. For her service, she charges from P40 per page but the rates would vary, depending on the materials used and the size of the layout or album.

Scrapbook Club

To create more awareness for the hobby, Lala recently started the Happy Scrappers’ Club, a venue where other enthusiasts can share their passion for the hobby. She converted a part of her office in Project 3, Quezon City as a venue for members to hang out or meet and chat with other scrapbookers. For a membership fee of P500, members can use the facilities plus scrapbooking tools for free. Of course, Lala also displays all the items and tools that she sells in the club.

Preserving Memories

Lala shares that she gets a lot of fulfillment from her scrapbooking business. “It’s just a blessing that I am able to earn from something that truly brings me joy. I enjoy helping people preserve their memories on scrapbook albums.”

If you want to get into this business, you must be a scrapbook yourself. Says Lala, “It takes one to know one. You cannot sell something or teach something you don’t really know.”

Start-up tools

If you’re interested in scrapbooking as a business or simply as a hobby, Lala shares that you’ll need these basic tools (preferably all acid-free):

Albums (varies from P100-P2,000)
page protectors (depending on quality, from P20)
pair of scissors (from P40-P900)
paper trimmer (P700-P2,500)
adhesives (between P50-P400)
paper (patterned, cardstock, etc. – ranges from P1 to P80 per page)
embellishments (anything you want to accessorize your scrapbook like cut-out stars, ribbons, etc.)

Remember, you’ll need a sample of your work to share with your prospective clients so you’ll have to create at least a whole album ready for their perusal.

For inquiries on the Happy Scrapper’s Club and Lala Evangelista’s products, please call her at 436-1123 or (0917) 8868557.

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