"I have very few pieces in my collection, but I have many favorite artists, among them dear friend and fellow sculptor Terry Thomas the Dark Faerie," she said.

"My favorite is a beautiful little lavender mermaid she sent me when I was ill. Phyllis Morrow of PGM Sculpting - her girls amaze me - and Marilyn Radzat would have to be on that list as well, what an amazing artist. I rarely keep my sculpts, only the misfits. There are a few that I wish I had kept."

She's since had her work published in Contemporary Doll Collector magazine, sells her work on eBay and at CDHM, and has sold pieces for upwards of hundreds of dollars.

So what's next for this grandmother and mother of three sons? She plans on exhibiting this year and is looking forward to creating even more fanciful figures. Maybe she'll even try out a few new things.

"I'd love to make a dragon or polar bear with fur, not sculpted-on fur," she said. "I don't believe I've made one of those yet. I want to continue to improve my skills and create more serious works of art, if only for my own satisfaction. I don't need to be famous, just happy doing what I do."