My name is Kristin Norman and I am the artist behind Sydney Designs. When I am not crafting with vintage wallpaper, I am running around with my 4 year old son. When I was in my early twenties, I decided I wanted to “make something and sell it” in order to stay home with my future kids. I worked with a lot of different materials and earned a degree in studio art from the University of Washington.

While I was in school, I scored a collection of vintage wallpaper from an old farmhouse in the Midwest, and Sydney Designs was born. I believe sometimes our materials choose us instead of the other way around. In my case it was 650 rolls of wallpaper from the thirties and forties. All of my products are handmade by me in my home studio.

I work mostly at night, when my son is asleep. Each night I come into my studio and sit down to whatever project I need to work on. Sometimes it’s cards, so lots of glue and paper cutting. It may be pendants, which involves cutting glass, wrapping and soldering. Rings are all about glue, and the encaustic panels let me melt wax and use a heat gun.

The best part about what I do is the time I get to spend with my son, and that I get to be creative everyday. The worst part would have to be the mild isolation. When you work for yourself you don’t always have people around to bounce ideas off of. I rely heavily on my local craft community.

website: www.sydneydesigns.com
Shop Etsy: www.sydneydesigns.etsy.com