My milk snake brings all the neighbors to the yard

Today I noticed something very odd.. many people in cars were stopping right in front of my house, peering down at the road and driving off. I finally had enough when a high school jogger girl went jogging by only to stop dead in her tracks in front of my house to scream. I finally had enough. I grabbed the baby, put on my shoes and walked down the driveway to see what it was. I was shocked to see a brown and white stripeyish snake laying there squished in the street. I never seen anything like it! I am afraid of snakes, this one gave me the creeps so inside I went to google this thing. Sure enough, it was an Eastern Milk Snake. They say they are not poisonous but have a painful bite. What is up with all these snakes lately!

Here is a link to the photo:
http://www.reptilesweb.com/reptiles-section/snake-world/eastern-milk-snake.html

Little Toadstool

Here is one of my latest creations using a little tiny bluebird atop a tree. It is so funny how I get attached to these creations, I get sad sometimes when I send them off :)

Obviously, I do not do this to get rich. If I did, I would charge a lot more and hustle my work on all the networking sites. I do not have a Facebook, Myspace or Twitter. I do it not for the money, but because I LOVE doing what I do! I make them at my leisure, when I can and when an idea hits me. ALL of my ideas come from my own mind. That is what I love, I follow no one :)

Toad Houses

Yesterday, my husband decided to close the front window because it was hot and we thought it would be a good idea to turn on the air conditioning. As he was closing the front window, he looked down into the garden and noticed a snake.. The snake was burrowing it's head into the loosened dirt of our freshly planted hydrangea. He yelled out to me "Do snakes dig holes?". I replied, " I think they do live in holes.." . Just as I replied, he witnessed the snake pluck a sleeping toad from under the dirt by the foot and attempt to quickly coil around the little guy. Now, I know, nature can be cruel, but there was somethng gratifying about being in that moment and being the hero for the toad. My husband (who is as sensitive as I am) ran out and shooed the snake away from it's unlucky victim. The snake slithered away hungry on to another destination for lunch. This time I hope he caught a big spider instead.. :) My husband took the toad and placed him in the shade near the garage. The poor little guy was fast asleep and woke up to not only a snake trying to eat him, but then a large human creature lifting him 5 feet into the air and moving him to a new location. The poor little toad must have been in shock! He was a good size toad too, about the size of a large walnut.

I thought about it all day. And I kept thinking about toad houses and how if I had one for the little toads in the garden, would it be a cozy home or a death trap? Would it be a slither in lunch spot for hungry snakes or a safe haven for toads. I think I will leave nature to nature and let the toads find their own homes. I don't think I could live with myself if I set up a buffet for snakes and didn't know it.

I am glad my husband was there to save him, but understand that nature must be allowed to do it's thing, no matter how cruel it may seem. But for one little toad, yesterday was his lucky day :)

Cobblestone Fairy Houses

Here is a photo of my very first fairy house. I made this out of concrete and pebbles. I actually made up my own method (like we always do here) and tested it outside for a whole year before selling a similar one. I actually have one still outside, it has lasted through 2 summers and a whole NY winter and is still strong as can be. I am contemplating making tutorials for these. I will if I come across a demand for them. But right now, it is all in my head :)

Branch Bundles

Oh my goodness.. I went through a phase (and still am!) where I decorated my home in baby fairies in little papoose bundles. I actually sell a small scale terrarium version of a branch bundle in my Etsy shop (http://www.bettysfantasy.etsy.com/) but they are not quite as large and detailed as these ones. I actually donated all of my large branch bundles (except for the full sculpted fawn.. She is still on my wall) to The Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, NY.

Knowing a child smiled because of one of these is priceless~

The First Fairy I Ever Made

I am going through all my old pictures and I found a monumental one in my life. This was the very beginning for me of my love affair with fairies and anything fantasy. This was the VERY first fairy I ever sculpted. I never finished her, she still looks just like this :) I have gone through many stages as an artist (still feel bizarre calling myself that..) and I feel that you have to evolve many times before you really feel fulfilled in what you are doing.

Alice In Wonderland Terrarium

Here is my latest creation, it is a special request that I actually fell in love with :) I have been focusing on a fusion of Kawaii and Matryoshka's lately.

The roses were "painted red" and a little lottle in the back tells Alice to "Drink Me".