Linadelle Banusing had her first child when she was only 17 years old.

At that time, she had to stop her studies and also had no income to support her child. The teenage mom had to think of a way to provide for her baby’s needs until she came up with the idea of picking up an old hobby, which is clay molding.

This interest dates back to her childhood days, with Banusing remembering how her teacher would require them to bring clay to school.

“Nung nursery kasi ako naalala ko pinagdala kami ng teacher ko ng clay. Tapos ‘yung clay na ‘yon nakalagay sa Tupperware,” the 24-year-old digital marketing strategist said in an interview with RepublicAsia.

“Ginagamit kasi namin ‘yung clay na ‘yon tuwing may activities sa school tapos doon na nahasa ‘yung interest ko sa clay,” she added.

Being interested in arts and crafts isn’t something new in her family. She shared that her father is into carpentry as a hobby, while her grandfather is into sculpting.

Banusing reignited her creative spark in 2015, not only to support her then-three-month-old son but also to pursue her passion for arts and crafts.

A self-taught miniaturist, she began exploring more about her craft through online research, where she learned that aside from the clay used in pottery, there’s also a type of clay that can be molded and baked to become solid and sturdy at the same time.

“Polymer clay po kasi ‘yung gamit ko so kailangan niya rin ng i-bake tapos may specific temperature po. ‘Yun po, pinag-aralan ko siya through YouTube lang din po,” Banusing said.

She started venturing into miniatures with only a few sculpting materials and a table. 

“Gumamit pa ko non ng parang stick lang,” she recalled.

Birth of MatLey

Banusing set up a Facebook page for her miniature business, which she named MatLey, a combination of her son’s name and the word clay.

MatLey officially went public in 2016, offering items such as bottle charms, accessories,  keychains, and souvenirs. 

From 2016 until the pandemic hit, Banusing was focused on her miniature business while juggling a part-time job as a virtual assistant. 

After completing single orders, she took her business to another level by accepting large numbers of orders for souvenirs. The largest number she has taken to date is 500. 

Banusing made sure that each detail was still handled by her, even though she needed a helping hand to finish them. 

Miniature is a form of art that creates a model of an object on a very small scale, so paying careful attention to the details is necessary. 

“‘Yung pinaka-challenge ko details kasi ‘yun ‘yung magiging itsura niya. Tapos ‘yung paano siya magiging matibay lalo na ‘pag nasa process na siya ng ishi-ship mo siya sa customer,” she said.

For small orders, it usually takes the miniaturist a week to finish the product, as she has to wait for the client’s approval of the design before she processes the item. Meanwhile, it takes her two weeks to finish big orders, such as souvenirs.

“Ina-ask ko ‘yung customer kung ano yung preferred nilang color scheme, tapos sinasabi naman nila ‘yung mga bet nilang design or elements na pwede kong ilagay. Doon na po ako nagco-come up sa sketch ko. And then after that, doon ko na po gagawin ‘yung actual design through clay. After ng approval, doon ko na siya iba-bake,” she said.

MatLey currently has 1,000 followers on Facebook, catering not only to local customers but also those in other countries like the United States and Canada.

Banusing said that she’s planning to add another product soon: customized keycaps that the younger generation is taking an interest in to personalize their computer keyboards.

Staying motivated 

Banusing has now shifted full-time as a digital marketing strategist, but she still continues her miniature business. 

What keeps her motivated is not only her passion for arts and crafts but also the loyalty of her customers.

One example is a couple who started patronizing her miniatures while they were still dating. A Mini Me keychain was the couple’s first order from her business, and ever since, MatLey has served as a souvenir supplier for all of the couple’s important occasions, including their wedding and the baptism of their child.

“Nakakatuwa rin na alam mo ‘yon parang naaano mo yung process ng buhay nila. Masaksihan ba ng business,” Banusing said.

“Kaya kahit na nagwo-work ako sa corporate job, talagang tinutuloy ko pa rin ‘yung business ko kasi alam kong may mga taong nagtitiwala talaga sa‘kin. ‘Yung loyalty po ng customer, honor po sa’kin,” she added.

Above all, her now-seven-year-old son was essential to MatLey’s ongoing success. He became both the core of the business and his mother’s inspiration for her designs.

“Sabi ko ‘pag gumawa ako ng baby souvenirs, gagawin ko rin parang si Mat na mataba rin ‘yung pisngi. Kaya lahat ng itsura ng clay ko puro mataba ‘yung pisngi,” Banusing said.