Cinjo Handmade is a one-woman, micro business in the Sonoran Foothills outside of Phoenix, Arizona. The name "Cinjo" came from combining my first and middle name - Cindy Jo. I grew up in the Valley of the Sun, left after earning a degree in Chemical Engineering and moved back to retire and be near family after a long career in Texas and Illinois.

Needing to keep busy in retirement, I decided to use my beading skills to make wind chimes using stained glass and beads. I learned to cut, drill and grind stained glass and started the business. 

In 2019, I discovered fused glass and fell in love! Fused glass is less likely to chip or break so it worked much better for the chimes. Plus, there are so many design options.

Glass fusing or kiln-forming is an art form that involves using the heat of a kiln to change the shape of glass. Glass is heated to 1100 to 1800 degrees F and either slumped, draped, dropped or cast to form various shapes. Along the way, the glass is embellished, painted, combed or otherwise improved. Each piece is often fused more than 10 hours, sometimes for days. There are so many techniques, it would take more than a lifetime to learn them all. 

I have been enjoying this new phase of my life. I love that I can combine my technical and analytical skills from years of operating chemical plants with my new-found and growing creative side.

Cinjo Handmade products are available online and at local markets and shows. I am also available for custom work. Contact me at cindy@cinjohandmade.com