Turning points

“Then one day my sister (who also lives in Australia now) started talking to me about scrapbooking. I had never really thought it was something I’d be interested in, but then I picked it up one day and thought, ‘actually this is quite good’. And once you start you can’t stop. So we came up with the idea of starting a scrapbooking business together. I thought there was a gap in the market and it was something I would love to do, so with a very small amount of money and a website, we got our business started.

“We sell a wide range of scrapbooking products but have really focused on bringing scrapbooking out of the album – it’s called off the page. We do a lot of home decor – lamps, tables, clocks, cushions, and we’ve just launched a whole range of wire products that people can use to display photos.

“The business has been running for two years and it’s really taken off. I start work as soon as I drop my two girls at school and my sister does the same. We work from 9am until 3pm rock solid. Then I do very little between 3 and 8pm and then work again from 8pm until 1am.

“It’s great having the flexibility to work around family. My life is completely full but you only have one life and I love doing this. It means I can be there for my kids and do the work I love. Working for other people, you just don’t have that degree of flexibility. I’ll never go back to being a pharmacist, not in a million years. This is it for me. This is a perfect fit. I’m in my element. I’ve never worked so hard in my life, but I love it.” For more information visit, www.scrapapple.com.au

WORDS: Karen Spresser PHOTOGRAPHY: Scott Hawkins STYLING: Stav Hortis

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