I found a hamster.

This is kind of old news but I wanted to share my found poster with you because I hung it up at my bakery workplace and people seemed to like it so much that I figured it could be worth a blog mention.

Here is the story of the hamster:

I have an elderly neighbor who knows about my fondness for little pets and he knocked on my door awhile ago and told me that he'd found a guinea pig hanging out in our apartment building's trash can shelter. I got pretty excited because I have always wanted a guinea pig and though I wouldn't go out and get one (since we're already fairly overrun with little creatures). If a guinea pig came to me, I figured I could keep it and love it forever.

I gathered my critter-catching accessories (carrier, gloves, a banana and some reading material for the stakeout) and waited for the guinea pig to appear. After a little while, I spotted a tiny face peering out at me and realized that the trash-shelter dweller was actually a hamster (an exceptionally cute hamster with calico spots). To my dismay, an hour or two of my most enticing cooing and banana brandishing left me hamsterless and I opted to put out a have-a-heart trap and wait until morning.

When I woke up, I was greeted by my neighbor at my door with the trapped hamster! Hooray! I made a little nest area in a rubbermaid bin and started making these posters to put up around town. I am very skeptical that the hamster was actually lost and not just abandoned but I figured I would give it a try.

After only a short while a nice new home was found for the hamster! Win!

If you particularly enjoy the art of the found poster. I highly recommend this book.

Acorn is a new man.

Justin and I just gave Acorn his first spa day. Which began with a bubble bath in the tub followed by a fresh rinse in our sink. Then we wrapped him snug in a warm towel and watched an episode of The Daily Show while he dried off. We trimmed his toenails and finished off with an olive oil massage to keep his quills slick and his ears soft.

He is now totally exhausted and napping in his blanket nest under the heat lamp. Oh, to be a hedgehog!

Acorn! Acorn!

We have given our new hedgehog a name. Acorn seems more like a member of the family now that he has one. He is sweetening up to us and beginning to explore his new home. He really is a funny little guy.

I'm looking forward to drawing Acorn and his little black nose. I was never able to draw a hedgehog very well but now that I have a lovely model all the time, I'm sure someday I'll be as comfortable drawing hedgehogs as bunnies!

new friend

As if my family wasn't adorable enough with Hodge and Yoshimi, Justin and I have adopted a new creature. He-who-has-not-yet-been-named is a big prickly hedgehog and he's currently toasting himself under a heat lamp while he adjusts to his new home. He was an unexpected addition but we couldn't resist bringing him home after seeing that our neighbors were giving him up on Craigslist. Eeee!