Debbie Johnson Ceramics

Cindy Dunlap, owner of Cindy’s Heart, designs lovely jewelry sets from her heart to yours. I recently interviewed Cindy and she shared about her creative process, her inspiration, and her favorite materials.

At the beginning of her creative journey, Cindy met a kindred spirit, Janice. Janice made beaded watch bands that were interchangeable with her watch face. Cindy expressed interest in those watch bands and wanted to learn how to make them. Janice gave her a catalog, she ordered some beads, and Janice taught her how to make them. Cindy found that she loved it and started making more than watch bands. She read books and watched tutorials on how to make jewelry. Her friends liked her creations and wanted to buy pieces, so she decided to try selling her jewelry at a craft show. Her first craft show was in 2007 and she was hooked.

Janice and Cindy are still close friends and they love to do craft shows together. Every December, they put on a craft show at their office and that is always a lot of fun.

Inspiration comes from many places for Cindy: Beading catalogs, supplier websites, department stores, online tutorials, women’s clothing catalogs, magazines, and even jewelry worn by others. Learning is a big part of the process as well. If she is unsure of how to do something, she researches it online. She is always ready to try new techniques and increase her knowledge in jewelry making.

Her process begins with visualizing in her mind what she is going to create and then she sits down and starts putting the materials together.

“I am a perfectionist and will try different beads and patterns until I find just the right combination. Sometimes I will create a set in two hours and other times I spend six hours because I am not satisfied and keep trying different patterns and beads,” says Cindy.

She is often inspired by trends she finds in magazines, catalogs, and websites. She has also noticed that bead suppliers tend to follow trends, so as she purchases materials, she is going with the flow of what is current.

Cindy often designs new work based on what beads she has on hand. Since she likes Czech glass beads she orders a lot of different shapes in the same color. Five years ago, using some of her color assortment of Robin’s Egg blue beads, she designed a floral necklace that came out very pretty and became quite popular. The beautiful monochromatic necklace was created with just what she had on hand.

Each artist has unique methods for their workflow. One of Cindy’s methods of organization is to sort and put materials together in zip lock bags for sets as soon as shipments come in from her suppliers. She can easily go through the bags anytime and pick what she wants to work on next. Sometimes when shipments arrive, she receives something so beautiful she wants to create something with it right away. “I feel that way when I receive an order from Debbie Johnson Ceramics!”

Value to customers is important. Cindy always creates complete 3-piece sets (necklace, earrings, bracelet) when she has enough materials and, if not, then 2-piece sets (necklace, earrings). She always sells the complete sets together which creates a good value and convenience for her customers. Her goal is to make quality jewelry sets that have some complexity and are not just simple stringing of beads. The sets are also easy to wear and fuss-free.

As the years have gone by, she has honed her artistic and technical skills to create beautiful pieces. The evolution of her jewelry has dictated that she make her pieces durable so that there is no breakage or coming apart after someone has made a purchase. Over time she started buying higher quality components, such as sterling silver, 100% copper or brass, and 14K gold-filled. Cindy is particular about the quality of materials she incorporates in her work because she wants the end result to be the best quality jewelry.

Cindy also designs her new pieces based upon seasonal needs. Since she sells on Etsy and at craft shows, seasonal items are important and need to be planned and executed ahead of time. She also makes custom pieces upon request. She provides some nice extras for her customers such as a free bracelet resizing and earring adjustment, or she will switch earrings to posts or clip-on, when a customer desires.

Cindy has both a creative drive and a business drive. Her work is lovely and quality. She wants to keep her customers happy and her volume of repeat customers is a testimony to her dedication to always have something new.

The most creative time for Cindy is after dinner and into the night. She has been known to stay up very late working in her second-floor home studio. She says, “I do not get sleepy when I am creating, I just let the process flow.” Her studio/workshop is in her home, and it is her happy place. It is filled to the brim with beads, findings, craft show supplies, and equipment to photograph my jewelry for Etsy. She can get away from everything and create, which is very therapeutic. Her sweet little Boston Terrier, Holly, loves to join her there.

When asked which are her favorite beads she quickly answered, “Glass beads made in the Czech Republic. They have so many different sizes, colors, designs, and finishes. They are very beautiful and of excellent quality. I find it fascinating that the Czech people have been making glass beads for over 1,000 years. The area where they are made was once called Bohemia. In the 16th-Century Bohemian artisans refined glass-making techniques that made their beads world famous. In the 1800s the Industrial Revolution led to the mass production of molded pressed glass beads. I am partial to flower and leaf beads and their selection is quite extensive. Gemstone beads and pendants are my next favorite and I love to create with those too.”

You can find Cindy at local San Antonio craft shows during the fall and on Etsy.

Cindy shared some final thoughts, “As bad as Covid was with halting our nation and having to shelter-in-place, it provided me with a great opportunity. I had been selling jewelry at craft shows since 2007 and always dreamed of opening a shop on Etsy. During the shelter-in-place in 2020, I came to realize that there would not be any craft shows that year. Since I was working from home, I found the time to photograph my jewelry and set up Cindy’s Heart Design on Etsy. I opened my shop on May 1, 2020, and sales were slow in the beginning but I stuck with it and I’m glad I did. Some of the craft shows I sold at annually never came back after Covid and I have noticed that craft shows are not as popular as they once were. Etsy will keep me busy when I retire from my accounting work, and even though running a business is a lot of work, it is very fulfilling.”

You can find Cindy’s work at Cindy’s Heart on Etsy. Find her on Pinterest here.