Interview with Connie Norsworthy, CircleLineStudio

Connie Norsworthy of Circlelinestudio lives in Las Vegas with her husband, Lee, and their kids, Sam, Tommy and Mack as well as two miniature Schnauzers, Lexi and Cava. Connie describes herself as easygoing, spontaneous, hardworking and loyal. When she’s not working, she loves hanging out with her family. They all love to travel and explore. She also loves simple things, ‘like a good cup of coffee or the fragrance of a great candle. I also have a bit of a paper addiction, calendars, planners, pretty papers.‘ Be sure to check out her shop, Circlelinestudio.

How long have you been making wall decals and why did you start?

I started my business in Sept 2008. Mackenzie my daughter and youngest of our kids started first grade leaving me with a full day at home alone. I decided it was a good time to get back into a working environment but didn’t want to work on anyone else’s schedule. I’ve been fortunate to be a stay at home mom and wanted to maintain that freedom. I checked in to a lot of different things and when I came upon this idea, I knew it was a great fit.

What are the supplies needed to make them?

I cut all my decals from removable sheet vinyl.

Where do you get your materials?

I have a distributor in Washington that I order my vinyl from.

Can you tell us a little of your process?

I have a graphic library set up of the decals for sale. Once an order comes in it’s a fairly easy process of loading the vinyl into the vinyl cutter. With a few clicks of the mouse the machine starts to cut the decal. When that’s finished, the decal is ready to be weeded (the process where I remove the extra pieces of vinyl from the design by hand). Once the extra vinyl has been removed, I apply a transfer tape to the design and it’s ready to go.

How long does it take?

The amount of time depends on the design. Simple designs like my elegant chandelier can be done start to finish in 20 minutes. More intricate designs like the funky floral peace sign can take up to an hour.

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Do you have a dedicated work area/room?

I do have a dedicated work area. The vinyl cutter is a large piece of equipment with limited mobility. I have that set up with a large table to do the weeding, taping and packaging. My laptop makes it easy to work anywhere for the design and online parts of my business.

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Is this your full-time job? Hobby? Fun?

It’s a full-time job. There’s a lot that goes into running your own business. There’s also a lot of competition out there so it’s a constant process to keep adding new designs.

Where do you get your ideas for new images?

Most of my new designs come from customer requests. I customer will send me a photo of fabric or a picture they want to design around and I’ll pull together an image for a decal. A lot of times custom work becomes a decal or set in my store.

Do you have a best seller?

I think my best seller right now is the bare tree with 3 birds. People seem drawn the nature designs and birds are a huge trend in home decor right now.

What is your favorite?

I think my favorite is the funky floral peace sign. It has some really fun floral elements, it’s just a fun piece.

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Do you do other kinds of crafts?

I do some quilting. My two sister in laws have a quilt shop in Phoenix, so it’s easy to get inspired for a new quilt project.

What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?

I hope to be continuing along the path I’m on. I have a lot of fun designing new decals and getting them out to people. I love to get photo’s back from customers. It makes it more personal and rewarding.

Have any advice for people trying to start their own handcrafted business?

Find something you love and build your business around that. “If you enjoy what you do, you will never work another day in your life” – Confucius. Think positive, believe in yourself, work hard.