Memories never looked so good
A part-time hobby has become a full-time job for a Yaxley mother who has set up her own business making bespoke photo albums.
Alison Skinner had been making the scrapbook-style albums for family and friends but, as more and more requests came in, it became a business.
Now Miss Skinner, originally from Scole, has set up her own workshop in the back garden and a website to market her business, with requests coming in all the time.
She said: “A lot of people have got into scrapbooking, and it started for me when I did a scrapbook for my mother with pictures from throughout her life.
“I always liked arts and crafts at school but I had a lot of time on my hands and the albums were a good project. I just want to keep it going and see what happens.”
For now, the hope is to maintain Album 4 U as a cottage industry – Miss Skinner has no desire to head for Dragon’s Den.
Customers can either send in their photographs and have Miss Skinner build the album around them, or make a request for styles, colours or layout of the new album.
The custom albums cost between £230 and £290, while the pre-made items cost between £130 and £230, depending on size.
Kits are also available, providing the basic materials needed for making your own, a halfway house for those trying out scrapbooking.
Techniques used include printing covers and making ‘accordion albums’ which fold out like the musical instrument with pages full of pictures, and ring-tagged, flipbook-style albums.
Every book takes four to six weeks to finish, but the job can be pushed along if needed.
“It does take a long time – one page takes about an hour,” Miss Skinner said.
“People can have as much input into the album as they want.”
Turning the hobby into work while raising a pre-school age son may have made the work-family balance harder, but it does also have its bonuses.
“Now it’s a business I can go to wholesalers and get trade discounts,” she said. “It’s not too difficult to balance the time at the moment, but I’m sure that’ll change when he’s on school holidays.”
WebWatch: www.album4u.co.uk
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Sunday 05 September 2010
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