school art project she worked on with her daughter. “After completing the project, I completely fell in love with mosaics and tile,” she said. She dove into education hard, learning from professionals in online tile and mosaic forums, devouring books on the subjects and continuing to make mosaics. After a stint as a flooring helper at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, she became an installer of all types of flooring for two years. Over time her business evolved to full-time designing, building custom mosaic sheets and inserts for clients and partners. Chanel Carrizosa For Chanel Carrizosa (see more about her business, with her hus- band Jamen, in the August 2017 TileLetter), a passion for fashion eventually became a thriving career in the tile business although she initially planned to work in makeup and fashion. At 17, “Nordstrom’s told me I needed theatrical makeup experience and would pay half of what I earned with my dad,” she said. She chose the family tile busi- ness, Alexander Marble & Tile in Port Orchard, Wash., learning from her dad, her mom – who also installed tile – and her uncle. When she was 18, she started installing tile on a big custom job, and “can do it all” now. “I’m an industrious, artistic type of person – I have a natural eye for design,” she said, adding that having a “woman’s eye” gives her an advantage in discerning the best “finish” in the house and the things you will be seeing the most. I feel my projects come to life, and feel it is fashion that you get to live in.” Though in the ’90s, her family did not attend shows or pursue edu- c a t i o n a l opportuni- ties, for the WOMEN IN TILE ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Chanel Carrizosa of Icon Tile and Design con- ceives of her tile projects as “fashion you can live in.” There’s a lot of support in the industry for female tile setters, including connections Carrizosa has made with NTCA members, like Erin Albrecht (r.) of J&R Tile in San Antonio. Style, a clean install, and technical excellence are marks of an Icon Tile and Design project. 94 TileLetter | October 2017