Issa started scrapbooking 13 years ago when she got pregnant with her first child, Luigi. She didn’t even know that what she was doing was aptly called “scrapbooking.” It was however in 2001 that she got serious about the craft. She met Timi Mercado who then introduced her to Cora Mijares and Liezl Arellano. It was then that they, the LB Scrapaholics, became a group.

Issa has setup her scrapbooking corner in their living room. This, she points out, is the biggest place in the house so getting some space to call her “own” wasn't a problem. Scrapping in the living room also enables her to monitor and play with her youngest child while she goes about doing her page.

Issa, just like Liezl Arellano, feels she can scrap better when she knows where everything is at any given time. Hence, Issa is a stickler for having a sense of order in her scrapbooking space.

Issa’s space has been arranged for functionality and ease more than anything else. One word came to mind when I saw Issa’s “space” – NEAT. The entire house, just like her space was neat and perfectly organized!

Papers/Stickers
Her papers are arranged in drawers near her working table. Stickers are placed in clear books according to function and use.

Tools/Embellishments
Tools and various embellishments are stored in separate drawers. Her most commonly used tools are neatly arranged in a box on her scrapping table.

Alphabets/Shape Die Cuts
Issa has a lot of alphabet and shape die cuts. She arranges them alphabetically at first, then further arranges them by category - in trays! Her trays are like ice cube trays, only bigger! And they fit neatly into her drawers too!

Pictures
Most of her pictures are in digital format. She burns them regularly on CDs. Each CD is labeled appropriately and filed according to dates. This, she said, makes it easier for her to choose pictures she wants developed for her scrapping projects.

Issa’s Tips:
Do a routine check-up and inventory of everything you have to make sure that you don’t buy the same thing twice! Clean your storage area every now and then. It would help you know some of the stuff you own which you still haven’t fully utilized. Check your pens and adhesives once in a while. Make sure that they don’t dry up faster than they have to.