Enter the World of Ferrets and Weasels

A while back, a friend of mine who is a mom to five ferrets (yes, you read that correctly) asked me to make a sympathy card for her friend whose weasel Toot passed away. She didn't want a typical sympathy card but more of a remembrance card. Weasels live an average of four years but Toot lived six years which made him seemingly immortal so his owner took it very hard when her Little Dinky Doughnut Chicken Man died. I know, the nickname sure makes you chuckle, doesn't it? Toot got this nickname because he was tiny, about the size of your hand. If anyone moved at all, he would run fast like a chicken and hide. Still, he was a tough little chicken. If you left your hand out, he'd take a chunk of you with him as he ran! Or so I've heard.

I made this card 5.25" x 5.25" because I needed the extra space for my design. When my friend sent me photos of Toot, I knew I had to incorporate them into the card which I made in the style of a scrapbook layout. When I signed up to receive Unity's KOTMs, I received a bunch of free stamps and these scrolled frames were included. I used those to highlight the photos of Toot. The background images stamped in black are all from Unity's July 2010 KOTM except for the Forever in our hearts sentiment which is Verve.

To create the background, I stamped the images along the left side first, then added the big lace frame on the right. I angled the frames but didn't pop them on 'til the end. I wrapped the Verve sentiment around the frame, stamped a heart from Tiny Treats: Valentine overlapping the top of the frame and added a clear rhinestone accent.

To create the focus sentiment with Toot's nickname, I used the short dotted lines from Top Ten to spell out each word. Just before cutting the strips, I used the Outlines Alphabet to subtlely ink his name in the background. Did you notice that? My husband said, "That's so cool." ;) Here's a closer look.

I cut the strips, centred them over the lace frame and added a final rhinestone. When I finished this card, I admired it for the longest time. Then my husband said, "You made a card for an animal. Your friends are going to think you have a heart of gold." LOL Isn't he the sweetest? It was nice to hear that because I put off making this card for the longest time. It's never easy to make a sympathy card but I really dreaded making this one since our cat is suffering from cancer. I do love this card and I hope it'll bring a smile to the recipient's face and help her remember her wonderful little Toot.

Before I go, I thought I'd share some photos of our Pit'r with her late brother Hobbes who was a ferret. He passed away while my husband (then boyfriend) was living in Italy. Hobbes is buried in the courtyard of a 13th century castle. Talk about a majestic resting place. We visit him whenever we're in Italy. Pit'r and Hobbes got along really well. Hobbes was the older brother and he thought his sister was a stuffed animal so he loved dragging her around. Pit'r would pretend to hunt Hobbes as if she were a cheetah and he a Thomson's gazelle in the wild serengeti. She'd pounce on him to start wrestling matches but Hobbes would always win! My husband would always have to step in and separate them.

Sources: SU Kraft & Naturals Ivory cardstock; Unity July 2010 Kit of the Month - Happily Ever After; Unity frames; Verve Forever in Our Hearts; PTI Tiny Treats: Valentine; PTI Top Ten; PTI Simple Alphabet; PTI Outlines Alphabet; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Crumb Cake, Rose Red & Pink Pirouette inks; SU Basic Rhinestones; Glue Dots mini dots & pop up relief