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About the Artist

A little about myself:

Hello! My name is Karla Lester, and I have been making glass beads since the fall of 2002. I live in beautiful Saint Louis, Missouri...go Cardinals, Rams and Blues! :)

In 2000, I graduated from Mizzou with a Bachelors of Science degree in Meteorology (that I sadly never got to use). I currently work at the Edward Jones headquarters as Senior Systems Analyst. Techie by day, beadmaker by night. :)

I am married to my wonderful husband, Dan, and have four adorable animals. The name "SirWatson" comes from my crazy papillon who makes me laugh everyday. He was the perfect inspiration for my business.

How it All Started
In July of 2003, a great movie came out called, The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. For those of you who know me, you know I'm a huge Johnny Depp fan, and I had to see the movie on opening night. I absolutlely loved it and actually saw it 3 times in the theater! Anyway, I thought it'd be fun to try and make a Jack Sparrow costume for Halloween. I began researching Jack's costume and knew I needed some beads like the ones Jack wore in his hair. I did some shopping, but couldn't find any beads that matched the ones in the costume. I visited Glasshopper Studio in hopes of finding some beads, but was out of luck. However, they did offer classes on making glass beads. I decided to take the class so I could make my own beads and since it seemed like fun! I had an absolutely blast and was instantly addicted! In fact, I never finished my Jack Sparrow costume since I couldn't stay away from the glass studio. :)

So, that's how I got hooked on melting glass. Many people think it's an art that came naturally to me, as I'm mainly self-taught (besides my one class at Glasshopper). I have learned many techniques from reading books and from good ol' fashioned trial & error. :)

Watson says, "Hi!"