oH how awful! At least when you drive around and spot them in someones yard, you will know their yours.
I'm lucky I live off the road, down a slope and you can barely see my roof much less anything in the yard..

BTW I'd check the local flea market this weekend. If you spot them, get the license tag on their car. Do not confront them, but report them to the police.

Look at it this way, you can always make more, and aparently someone loved them enough to steal them..

p.s. If you make more, make them really heavy.. lol

Buy little signs for the yard, some security company or other, put a fake camera onsite, and very noticable..

Oh --- that REALLY hurts . I'm sorry that happened to you Sorie6 . I know how you feel --
I had my mirrored mosaiced bowling ball stolen off of my front porch . I was upset beyond belief. It was MY creation !
Usually the "crimes" around here are from kids - we have a high school close by . I still hestitate to put anything of value close to the street after that incident. It's a shame that we have to think that way . I trust in Karma ..
what goes around comes around ( eventually )

(((( Hugs ))))

How awful! Ever since people have stolen hanging pots of flowers in front of my apartment, I have been leery of putting things light enough for people to walk away with in a front yard. It is a shame. The only thing I'd put out front (or where someone could see them) would be something made of concrete or that would be secured to something. In my one apartment where I had the plants stolen, I actually chained and padlocked the flowers I got to replace them to some eye hooks. I was tempted to put razor blades around the pots but thought I'd end up cutting myself. lol

I agree with dulcimerduo that your next totems should be very heavy. I'd put gravel around them so it would be hard for someone to get a good footing and it would make too much noise when they'd step on it. Even funnier would be one of those deer deterents with the motion sensor that starts a sprinkler going to scare them off. he-he I'd hide in the bushes to watch that! lol

I feel for ya, sorie6! And I can't wait to see what you come up with to replace them!

I'm going to make MORE and give my wonderful neighbor another one. She was nice enough to buy 2 from me. Only one was stolen and they were in the same flower bed go figure.
thanks everyone for understanding and thanks for letting me vent!!

It is such a shame ... everything I make for near the front of the house now has the plans made for chains & stakes included. On the stained glass & mosaic forum - there is a lady that got a bowling ball with the name "CARL" engraved in it. She glued ROOFING NAILS around the whole thing - points outward - spray painted it and it looked awesome . I dare anyone to steal Carl from her !!

LOLOLLL

Put a sign on a stake right where you both had the totems and say, 'do not be afraid but I got your pic, PD will see you soon'. They will get rid of them quick (probably got them for mothers day).

Could cement them into the ground! Shame we have to "nail things down" surprisingly tho when my DD was here working on my computer I had gone through front door locked it & forgot the garage was open 4 hrs. later & after dark I told her to go out the garage way so I could see her get in her SUV safely & discovered it still open, I looked all around & nothing was missing!! I live near L.A. so it's not so bad after all. My garden hose is inside garage as it got stolen yrs ago twice so we just turned pipe & faucet around & put it in garage so it could be locked up. DS left new bike by front door 1 yr. & it disappeared , so have had pretty good & safe neighborhood all these yrs except for that, even though now lot of people are from other countries. Jan

Replace it with something ugly like a stack of old tires

Oh, I'm so sorry Sorie! What a shame that people have to stoop to stealing! Maybe you should make a nice shiny metal one and hook it up to an electric wire to give them a little jolt next time.....could work!

Hope you either find out who did it or can make new ones to replace them....still I'm really sorry....it would really upset me too! :(

I'm so sorry Sorie! My experience with thieves is that they often pick up something when on foot then get tired of carrying it and ditch it. I would venture a guess that since they only took two totems there were 2 people on foot. I don't know what your neighborhood is like if there are any vacant or hidden places within about a half a mile check them out! Walk around and see what you can see.
Also junk stores are a good place to check. Once a tenant stole wood stoves from a land lord where I used to rent and he sold them to a junk store. I'm the one who found them - I recognized them because they used to be in my apartment!
Take care.
kathy

I am very sorry for the loss of the totems! I know how you feel. Like Luna, I have had plants (in nice macrame hangers) stolen off the front porch. I too put locks, and eyebolts on the porch! In the Fall of 2007, I had a 14 ft cargo trailer stolen from the yard--partially loaded with the things we were moving from our cabin in Indiana. So I really do understand about thieves! They caught the guy who had stolen over 30 trailers in about 8 months, but the Sheriffs dept never contacted any owners that we know of. DD called and they would not return her calls. Insurance in Florida is capped at $1000 for any cargo trailer ($4400 price tag). But I did get payment for some of the contents. Small consolation for things that cannot be replaced.
Thanks for letting me vent here with you!

20 something years ago when a building was being built in our downtown, the workmen left their tools out protected only by an orange snow fence. And shop keepers left their keys under the door mat so the clerk could use it in the morning. Now its gotten bad as the population has increased, its unthinkable to do anything like that!
We still don't usually lock our back door when we leave the house (and never whenwe are home), but we probably should.
kathy

nonacook I understand about the trailer. My son had one stolen with a lot of their belongings in it and never got any of it back! Sorry about your loss!
concretenprinroses: I know we never lock our doors when we are home and half the time leave garage door open!! We do lock them when we leave. We do live in the city.
Thanks every one for helping me get over this. It helps to vent and Thanks nonacook for venting too!!

Hi
You might do what a neighbor of mine did. Put an ad in the paper offering a "reward" for the return. When it's returned "reward" them with a call to the police lol
Might work for you also gary

I was thinking of putting up signs around the neighborhood!
Wondered if that would work.

I feel your pain!! Someone stole my garden lady from my yard a couple of years ago,and before that they stole a big hanging plant from my front porch,hanger and all that dh had macramed.Really pi**es me off.
Kathi

I can't beleive people don't have anything better to do. I don't even know why they would want the totem!
Taking a beautiful hanging basket would p*** me off to. Sorry that happen to you kathi!
I'll be putting my totems in the back from now on!

I'm a Wizard of Oz fan...I once made a scarecrow for my veggie garden...I painted the face and hair and dressed her like Dorothy. I went to the fabric store and bought vinyl blue and white check to make her dress out of and white for her apron. She turned out adorable...and someone took her...

I know how you feel.

patti

OHH I'll bet she was adorable!! I just finished a totem for my neighbor (one that had it stolen) I hope she likes it. Also made a bird bath. Will post pics when they dry and I can take them outside. They are so much prettier in the sunlight.