about me page

Email Me!

My name is Vickie Lee and I make glass beads and jewelry. "You actually make the beads?" they ask. Yep! Beautiful little works of art in miniature made one-at-a-time. I use a torch to melt glass rods onto a piece of wire call a "mandrel", (this creates the hole). This process is called "lampwork" and it's been around for centuries.

In 2004, while looking around on the internet for jewelry components for my fledgling jewelry designs, I stumbled on a website featuring the work of one of the more well-known lampworkers today, Corina Tettinger. I fell in love with glass beads and decided I had to learn how to make these tiny treasures myself. I quickly gobbled up all the information I could find. I searched the internet, read books and watched videos. I bought equipment and set up a studio at my home and I made my first bead in June of that year. I have been making beads full time since then.

I use mainly Italian soft glass at the moment because of all the choices it offers. Often I create beads with a piece of jewelry in mind and I sell my finished work at local art show, usually a couple a year and I sell my beads, (just beads), on Ebay, an online auction.

My work has been described as whimsical, colorful, and happy! Color absolutely makes my world go round and inspiration comes in many forms. While reading the Sunday paper I may see an ad for a colorful set of picnic dishes or a child's toy or book may catch my eye and I'm off to the torch. Fabrics are a wonderful inspiration of me since I've been sewing since I was a little girl.

Am I an artist? I don't know at what point a person becomes a bonafide artist. If you feel like an artist and you create art, are you an artist? There hasn't been any formal art training in my life other than taking a few classes here and there. I'm mostly self-taught. in fact, I enjoy the learning process of a new interest as much as the outcome. My only goal is to amuse myself and possibly inspire others. And to make enough money to continue what I enjoy. Whether it be painting, sewing, sculpting, you name it I've probably tried it. Always looking for that special thing that I could be really good at. I think I found it....

I live with my wonderful husband and four-legged friends on a beautiful island in Washington State.

Some shots of my newly remodeled office/jewelry studio.

I'll take pictures of my bead studio when I clean it up!

email me