and how her hubby helps with that task. The next time I was working on clay, my parents were over watching a movie with my hubby and I promptly began shoving blocks of clay under their legs while they were seated on the couch and informed them that they were 'helping in the artistic process,' and to let me know if they needed to get up for any reason."

Aside from having spare warm bodies to help with her "artistic process," her favorite tools are a plain old toothpick and a special 'pin tool' food artist Betsy demonstrated during an IGMA (International Guild of Miniature Artists) Guild School.

"I was lucky enough to take one of Betsy's classes in Maine and loved every minute of it. You can use those tools for tons of things from painting to texturing to shaping. I have learned so much from this very talented lady, and am so grateful for her generosity. I continue to be inspired by so many of the talented artists here at CDHM and also in IGMA," she said.

Her family continues to be supportive of her art - despite any discomfort they may have while "helping with the artistic process" on any given visit.

"They marvel at the size of everything more than anything. My mother-in-law really seems to enjoy it because she only had boys and didn't get to 'do the dollhouse thing' with a daughter. My mom remembers taking me to the local mini shop in New Orleans where I would stare at the little cakes made of plaster for hours."

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