Seller Spotlight: Diva Watts Designs

Join us for another exciting installment in our Seller Spotlight series, where we celebrate the array of talented independent designers selling in our marketplace. In this edition, we chat with Stacey from Diva Watts Designs.

Image credit: Diva Watts Designs

We discovered Stacey's shop after seeing her Glowforge Cooking Temps SVG | Engraved Cutting Board SVG trending in the Laser Engraving category, and it's just made us want to buy a Glowforge even more so than we already did!

Read on to discover Stacey's creative process, top tips for other sellers, proudest achievement since opening her shop, and so much more.

Hey Stacey! Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hello everyone, my name is Stacey from Diva Watts Designs. My husband, two daughters, and I moved to the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, in 2014. We have lived in many places throughout the years, but Texas truly feels like our forever home.

Image credit: Diva Watts Designs' Coffee Bar - Kitchen Sign - Open 24 Hours - Fresh Brewed SVG'

Since childhood, I have had a passion for art. I have explored many mediums throughout the years, from drawing to painting and everything in between. When I was gifted my first iPad and Apple Pencil, I discovered a newfound love for digital art. I created the name of my brand from the nickname "Diva" that my husband gave me when we started dating. And the "Watts" portion is a shortened version of my last name.

I began my journey into graphic design after my youngest daughter, Betty, passed away unexpectedly at age 7 in January 2019. I quickly found that designing became a therapeutic way for me to create something beautiful from my grief. I have based many of my designs around grief and family. You will often find glimpses of my daughter, Betty, in my designs. Betty has not only inspired me to design but, in many ways, has been my partner.

Image credit: Diva Watts Designs' Monogram Wreath Family Last Name Farmhouse Sign SVG'

I began my journey selling my designs by opening an Etsy shop and discovered Design Bundles shortly afterward. I have been on Design Bundles since February 2019. Design Bundles has been my favorite marketplace that I am a part of. The staff at Design Bundles cares about its artists, and I truly feel like I am part of a family.

I have had the honor of being a Plus Designer for over a year. I absolutely love being a part of the Plus team. If you aren't a Plus member, I highly recommend becoming one. You get so many wonderful fonts, cut files, and so much more at such a great value. There are so many talented and well-known designers who are part of the Plus team.

Image credit: Diva Watts Designs' Hello My Pretties SVG | Round Halloween Sign Design'

What is your favorite product to design, and how did you discover it as a niche?

My favorite products to design are cutting files, which include SVG's. I was given a Cricut machine for Christmas in 2018 and loved how easy it was to create beautiful projects with ease. So naturally, when I began designing, I gravitated towards learning to design cutting files. I use a mixture of word art and hand-drawn art in my designs. I have expanded to creating laser files after purchasing a Glowforge machine. I hope to soon add even more variety to my shop by expanding my product range.

My niche has been designs with a "farmhouse" flair. I have a strong passion for home decor, so many of my designs are created for that purpose.

How would you describe your style?

My style is "farmhouse chic" and "minimalistic." I try to create designs that are easy for beginners and have gradually been adding more advanced designs for the seasoned maker. I have found that as my knowledge and skill level have grown, I am able to venture outside of my comfort zone, creating more advanced designs. But my end goal is to always create clean, user-friendly designs for all.

Image credit: Diva Watts Designs' Lemonade SVG | Farmhouse Lemons Sign | DXF and More'

What (or who) inspires you to make new designs?

As I mentioned previously, after losing my daughter, Betty, she has inspired many of my designs. She continues to inspire me to push forward and strive to create the best designs that I can. Designs that are created from my heart and designs that honor her memory. I always try to keep up with the trends by exploring home decor stores and Pinterest as well.

What does a typical day look like for you behind the scenes?

My workday begins once my oldest daughter gets off to school. I usually design until 5 pm. I work full-time hours, if not longer, depending on what is going on during a particular week. I try to keep the weekends free to spend time with my husband and daughter. Having a life/work balance was difficult for me in the beginning, but now I have started to strike a good balance between the two. At nights before bed, I often find myself drawing on my iPad as a way of decompressing from the busy day.

Image credit: Diva Watts Designs' 3D Christmas Signs | Glowforge SVG | Set of 6 Designs'

What is your designing tool (or tools) of choice?

My tools of choice are my iPad Pro with my Apple Pencil and my MacBook Pro, where I use Adobe Illustrator to design.

What's your best-selling item?

I have around 1500 designs currently in my shop. My best-selling design to date has been my "Like Branches On A Tree Design" which has been featured in a bundle, design of the day, and $1 Deals Day.

Image credit: Diva Watts Designs' Like Branches on a Tree Family - Customizable SVG'

What's something you wish you knew when you started designing?

When I started designing, I did so by blindly going in and "learning as I go." For a long time, I was intimidated by Illustrator and chose to use Photoshop and Inkscape. I wish that I had been more confident and started learning Illustrator sooner. I also wish I had learned more about keywords and how valuable they are. I made many rookie mistakes, but I grew from them and feel that I am a better designer for having made them.



What tips do you have for any new designers wanting to start selling?

I have a few tips for new designers. First and foremost is to be consistent. Success doesn't happen overnight. You have to upload at least weekly, if not daily, in the beginning. And when designing, create designs that make you happy. I have found that creating what I truly love reflects in my sales. If you don't believe in your designs, then you can't expect others to either. You also want to make sure your preview images are done well. You want your potential customer to see what your design has the potential to look like. Imagine being at a restaurant and being presented with two plates. Both have the same meal, but one is sloppily placed on a paper plate. The other is well presented and garnished on fine china. Both taste the same, but which would you choose? I, for one, would want the nicely presented one. Presentation is key. And lastly and most importantly is to not give up, believe in yourself, and believe in what you are creating.

Image credit: Diva Watts Designs' Hot Cocoa Recipe SVG | Christmas SVG | Farmhouse Recipe SVG'

Do you have any future goals for your Design Bundles shop?

My biggest goal is to continue building on what I have created. I want to explore adding other products to my shop. I just want to continue being true to myself by creating designs from my heart that I love. And by doing so, I am able to continue honoring Betty's memory.

Where can we find you online?

You can find me online on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and on my website.

Thanks so much, Stacey, for taking part in the Design Bundles Seller Spotlight series. We loved learning more about you, your creative process, inspiration, and top tips. And a big thanks to our wonderful readers and designer community. Stay tuned for the next installment of the Seller Spotlight series.