Retiree ventures into decoupage art to increase income

By Rashidah Abd Rahim

MELAKA, Aug 6 (Bernama) -- A deep interest in the art of decoupage, spanning more than 30 years, has turned into a rewarding source of income for retiree Saedah Jeragan, 63, after venturing into the creative industry business four years ago.        Decoupage is one of the most creative art projects and perhaps the most personal means of expressing one’s interest and creativity. It is the art of decorating an object by gluing coloured paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects.

Saedah who produces various types of craft using a special type of tissue paper imported from Germany said there was a growing interest among people in decoupage art and that translates into a high demand for decoupage products like souvenirs, tissue box, water bottle containers and bags.

The small and medium sized entrepreneur who uses the Facebook and Instagram platforms under THE 'tiaraartcraft' brand said her technique of using the decoupage art on various types of material like plastics, cloth, wood and porcelain, gives her clients and customers a good option to choose from.

"I have been drawn to decoupage art since my young days but did not venture into the creative business due to various commitments. Being a civil servant I had to juggle between family and work, so there was no serious advance into the commercialisation part.

"However, when I retired four years ago, I started to spend more time and gave my full attention to produce various art forms using the decoupage craft. Products that I created soon gained popularity and that inspired me to expand the business,” she told Bernama when met at the third edition of the Kembara RIUH Keluarga Malaysia: RIUH NAU! at Dataran Pahlawan here today.

The mother of four said her involvement in the art of decoupage was a form of theraphy for her soul, due to the focus, creativity and patience needed to come out with ideas to produce more products that can attract the attention of prospective clients.

Saedah said the price range of decoupage art products sold, would largely depend on the type of creativity and quality involved, while products sold by her ranged from  RM15 to RM150, depending on the size.

"On average, I can generate an income of about RM1,000 a month but such income is not fixed becuase income can increase to about RM5,000 at times when orders are placed for special programmes, functions or events," she said.

She also urged youths, housewifes and single mothers to venture into the art of decoupage so as to generate a source of income.

Saedah said the government through Kraftangan Malaysia was always ready to assist and provide support to promote young and new entrepreneurs to expose their products to new markets.

“There are vast opportunities made available by the government through several agencies so we as aspiring entrepreneurs must seize such opportunities quickly. In the past it was difficult to study techniques involved in the art of decoupage but now we have avenues like YouTube, WhatsApp groups, video clips to learn and produce creative products,” she said.

-- BERNAMA