Thanks for visiting my website.  I am Carol and I live in beautiful East Tennessee with my wonderfully supportive and handsome husband and my beautiful and inquisitive daughter.  The picture above is the timberframe "Bead Hut" studio my husband built where I create my lampwork beads.  I became interested in lampworking in 2000 after taking a beginning class from Teresa Brittain http://www.brittainbeads.com/ in Oak Ridge, TN.  I have been working and practicing lampworking since that time.  I have taken additional classes at the Center for Craft in Smithville, TN and have been to Chattanooga and North Carolina for bead retreat weekends and classes.  I am always amazed by the talent of other lampworkers and their willingness to share techniques. I always learn something new and exciting when I visit retreats or classes. 

     I am not a fulltime artist so my day job is that of a Family Nurse Practitioner working 3 days a week in a private practice for a five physician group since 1995.  They are a talented bunch as well.  One is an avid woodturner and most are talented musicians and singers so I am surrounded by artists everyday in some fashion or another.

     For as long as I can recall I have been interested in arts and crafts and my daughter seems to have been bitten by the same desire to create and make things.  We take art lessons weekly and do projects together like painting, clay and sculpture.  This is one of her latest projects!

     My husband is the true artist in the family doing beautiful woodworking projects when he isn’t busy working as an ER physician.  You can find some of his projects here: http://www.woodworkersresource.com/content/dr_rick_popp/ 

     While I have other hobbies like quilting, sewing, painting, clay and jewelry lampworking remains my favorite and most intriguing hobby.  I can see myself continuing it for a long time.  Have fun looking at my work and thanks for visiting.