Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Negrotti.
Cindy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have lived by the ocean my entire life and started collecting sea glass and other beach treasures when I was a kid. I loved the “hunt” and not knowing what I would find each time I went. For years, I put them in glass jars and just enjoyed them as is. One day about three years ago, I was bored and decided to dump out a jar onto my kitchen table to look at my pieces. I began playing with them and arranging them. It was close to the holidays, so I made A Christmas tree and a snowman. I was pleased with my creations, so I glued them onto a background and put them in a frame.
A close friend who also collected shared a few ideas of how to make a seagull out of the hinge from a clamshell. I left her house and started to think of all the possibilities of things I could make. I made a few more holiday-themed pieces and gave them to family and friend as gifts. People were in awe of my creativity and telling me how talented I was. I kept hearing that I “should be selling these.” I thought a lot about it over the months that followed but was overwhelmed at how to even start a business.
My adult kids both have business degrees and said they could help get me started with a business plan. I started going on more frequent sea glass hunts in the spring, collecting all that I could find locally. It became quite an addiction. The thrill of never knowing what I would find brought me back each low tide to look for more. My collection of glass was really starting to pile up. I retired from my full-time job to take care of my grandchildren part time that June and again started making a few things (a starfish, seahorse, turtle, etc.). I love the challenge of fitting the pieces together like a mosaic.
By late Fall, I had made over 70 pictures, each one different as I never alter the glass. I use it as is. The only thing I do to the glass is clean and sterilize it. no two pieces are exactly alike. I attended my first craft fair that November and I were overwhelmed with how quickly my pictures were being scooped up. I came home with only 6 pictures and quite a bit of money in my pocket. Since that first fair, my business has taken off like wildfire. I am Still doing craft fairs as well as doing business online and from my home, and am doing custom work as well. I have expanded my sea glass hunts to places as far as California and the Caribbean with much success. I travel annually to Florida for shell collection.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a pretty smooth road so far and I am always looking to improve my business. I continue to look for ways to keep costs down (framing, shipping, etc). My biggest struggle is keeping my business to part-time as I don’t want my passion to become a chore. I love what I do.
Please tell us about It’s a C-Sure Thing.
My business is called It’s a C-Sure Thing. The “C” is for Cindy and I like the play on words for “seashore.” I create pictures mainly with sea glass and also use shells and rocks from vacation destinations. I do not alter or cut the glass in any way—I use It just as it was picked. I specialize in creating pictures with peoples treasures from their vacations to create a memory for them.
What sets me apart from others is I handpick everything myself and do not purchase glass from anywhere, or use tumbled glass. Everything I use, with the exception of starfish and sand dollars, is 100% authentic.
I am most proud of the joy my pictures give people. To see the smile on someone’s face when they see my work is everything to me. I love sharing my passion with people.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would have watermarked my creations on my website as there have been people who are copying my designs now.
Contact Info:
- Email: c-surething@comcast.net
- Facebook: It’s a C-Sure Thing
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