Ladybug fan going for a world record

Some might consider Sheri Gartner's home infested.The Lakewood resident's split-level is filled with thousands of ladybugs, crawling out of drawers, perched on furniture, even climbing its walls and ceilings."My husband's a numbers guy and he thinks there are well over a thousand," Gartner said.The bugs aren't real, of course. They're part of a ladybug artifact collection Gartner started 40 years ago, when given a ladybug tea set as a child."I never stopped loving them -- they're such fascinating insects," she said.Gartner said she hopes to earn a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for "Most Ladybug Items" -- now held by Mechthild Emmerich in Germany with 916 items.Her collection is confined to two rooms of her home -- a spare bedroom and its adjoining bathroom. "My husband's made rules," Gartner said. "I have to keep everything in 'the bug room,' and now, everything new I get has to be useful."Each of Gartner's treasures has a story behind it.A framed picture of a ladybug that rests on top of a clover was a gift from a visiting exchange student.An intricate silver ladybug mirror was spotted while Gartner vacationed in Mexico.Last year, when Gartner had ankle surgery, she specially ordered a red cast, which she then spotted with large black polka dots."The only thing I'm missing," she said, "is a red Volkswagen Beetle. I always thought that would be perfect for 'the bug lady' to drive around in."Gartner, with the help of 30 friends, will begin tallying up her items on Monday in two-hour increments."Guinness has about 15 pages of rules to follow," she said, noting two witnesses must be present at each counting session.Guinness also presented Gartner with the opportunity to use her record bid to collect fundraising pledges.After touring the Turning Point emergency shelter in Crystal Lake, she "was touched. "It's a homey place for women and children going through tough patches in their lives," she said. "I decided I didn't want to break the record just for myself. I want to be able to support them."She said she thinks of the effort as "ladies helping ladies."Gartner will mail her collection totals and an accompanying DVD to the Guinness Book of World Records headquarters in London next week.She's expecting to hear back in January."I think we should have it in the bag," she said.