Sunday, November 2, 2008

Meet the Beadlady




Who: Angeli Verzosa Sobrepena

What: Chocoholic, insomniac, bookworm, hermit, Martha Stewart-wannabe (except for the jail stint ha!)

Age: 23

Occupation: Full-time crafter, Part-time freelance writer, Occasional stylist

Favorite material: Polymer Clay, Fabric

Blog: http://www.beadladyangeli.blogspot.com



"She Makes Clay Cool and Chic"

By Pam Pastor
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Last updated 17:35:00 04/29/2008

MANILA, Philippines—Twenty-three-year-old Angeli V. Sobrepena started like many young accessories designers—by stringing together beads bought from stores in Quiapo.

“I was making way more stuff than I could wear. Beading is addicting, so I found myself with too many necklaces, bracelets and, most especially, earrings! I loved making earrings! It’s ironic but my ears aren’t even pierced!”

But after a year, Sobrepena got bored. In the desire to be more creative, she started looking for unusual materials. She found a book that taught her how to make beads using polymer clay. Soon, she was hooked.

“I no longer had to content myself with the boring beads from the local bead shops. After years of research and trial and error, I now make my own beads.”

Polymer clay has given Angeli the creative freedom to make unique beads—including realistic-looking sweets.

“I can create beads inspired by anything under the sun! The material’s versatility has allowed me to create unusual pieces. And that uniqueness is what my brand is all about.”

The BS Development Communication graduate with a major in Development Journalism from UP Los BaƱos has been selling accessories under her brand Angeli’s Art Beads.

She painstakingly makes each bead by hand and so her customers can be sure that every piece they buy from Sobrepena is a masterpiece created by her.

“Our pieces are for the individual with discriminating taste, someone who has great attention to detail, someone who recognizes high-quality craftsmanship.”

Her all-time bestsellers are her cupcakes.

“People collect them. I can’t stop making them even if I wanted to. People request for them constantly and I don’t have the heart to turn down cupcake requests. Now, I have three different sizes—teeny tiny for kids, regular and giant. They’re so popular probably because my icing looks very realistic and very colorful, so they’re pleasing to the eye.”

She has her own appetite to thank for her creative ideas. “Most of the time, it is my being matakaw that gives me ideas. I love sweets, especially chocolate! Thus, my dessert collection,” says Sobrepena.

She recently launched two collections—Bitten (“It features realistic chocolate-covered truffles with bites”) and a still unnamed collection that features very intricate beads peppered with tiny flowers, vines and leaves.

Her Bitten collection was a big hit at a recent bazaar. “They thought I was giving out chocolate samples! I placed them on a cake stand, so they looked even more realistic. I’m a chocoholic—I need a dose of chocolate everyday! So Bitten is the answer to those days when you just can’t get your daily dose.”

Her customers also love her Poetry collection, which includes necklaces with chunky words written in script. Her Love Letter bracelets are also a big hit. “They have an envelope charm from which you can pull out a ‘secret’ message.”

Inspiring stories

More than the urge to be creative, the desire to help her parents is another strong factor for Sobrepena.

“I am inspired by rags-to-riches stories, like John Gokongwei’s. I’m not a rich kid, I have no capital, so stories like that make me believe I can do this. My parents serve as my motivation; I want this business to flourish so I can help with the expenses.”

There are countless young entrepreneurs on Multiply today, but Sobrepena knows she stands out.

“I don’t make what’s uso, instead I try to make something new, something surprising. I get bored easily, so I usually make one-of-a-kind pieces. My collections are one-time releases.”

“I always try to introduce something new to the market, something original. Once you post something on Multiply, the next thing you know, someone else is making a similar thing. So if you want to set your creations apart from everyone else’s, you constantly need to come up with something new. This way, by the time it gets cloned, you’re already on to a different design,” she adds.

Quality is something very important to Sobrepena. She doesn’t mind spending hours on a single creation.

“I also make sure that my pieces are sturdy, and will not crumble or break after some time. For every single cupcake I produce, there are probably two rejects which are actually okay-looking but are not to my standards. I see to it that all the details in my work are close to perfect. If you see my creations, you’ll notice how realistic they are. I’ve been doing this for five years now, so you can expect good quality.”

17 comments:

  1. nice haircut, sis. pareho nang short ang hair natin. :)

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  2. Wow that's a LOT of clay! :) I'm jealous, your workstation's so organized. Mine is a complete disaster! :P

    Congratulations on all your achievements! :)

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  3. Congrats Jill!!! Keep the goodies coming! =)

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  4. KuraAcHa!!! AnG BaBaEnG wLanG PaHiNgA!! heheh cOnGratS!!

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  5. Jill, gusto ko yung lagayan ng clay mo. :) Saan meron yan? May pink? =P

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  6. Isn't this the "I'm a sweet tooth" article? I laugh every time I remember someone else's grammatically incorrect spin-off comment. :D
    Miss you, Ms Angeli. Buhay na ulit ako sa Multiply. Let's catch up at the workshop on the 22nd. Mwah!

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  7. you inspire me ms.angeli! me mga workshops pa ba next month?:D

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  8. hi ms angeli...very inspiring po mga handcraft nyo..when po magkaka-workshop ulit...tnx po

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  9. hi angelie!! it was nice chatting with you! hay i really like to attend your resin workshop..still not sure about my sched..:( hope to chat with you again soon!:)

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  10. Hi Angeli! :)
    We (look at the top of your guestbook ;;) really enjoyed your shop at Cubao X, though it wasn't officially open.

    Kudos to your shop,
    Esme P.
    http://messyhairandeverythingelse.tumblr.com

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  11. Your studio looks a lot more organized than mine! You do nice work.

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  12. do you have a shop here in manila ? where can i find it ? thanks :)

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  13. hi angeli, I've been a crafter and just started experimenting on polymer clay recently, I just took a workshop last week held here in Bacolod, and I think its the first (or second) polymer clay workshop offered here, I know you're from Bacolod too 'coz we were classmates in elementary, if you remember me... its michelle, classmates, seatmates and maybe friends as much as I can remember.. anyway, its a heck of a talent you got there.. very nice work indeed.. hopefully, you'll come back here in Bacolod and will also conduct a workshop..

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  14. hi may polymare workshop kaba ngyon july?plzz txt me kung meron ?09398200642 wait ko tlg promiseeee

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