Sunday, November 29, 2015

December - A Month of Raccoons

December is Raccoon month at Country Mouse Studio

I recently received an email from a US Marine who had a request.  
He wanted to know if I'd paint a special Raccoon for him.
Him and his wife had an encounter with one while dating
and now after many years of marriage he wanted
to get her a special gift that would mean
a lot to both of them.
Being a raccoon fan myself how could I resist?

Their little fellow needed to have a top hat, a cane and a pocket watch
so here he is!

I know they can cause a lot of grief by getting into your house and garbage but I also know there are many people who love them so this is their month.

I found this sweet story about a Raccoon rescue named Pumpkin on Instagram
Pumpkin the Raccoon


I have always been fond of Raccoons and they were the first wild animal I drew.  I was so pleased one day to meet a kid who had one as a pet.  I was surprised to find that his fur looked soft but was rough and bristly but all the better to shed water, I guess.

Later, we moved to an area that had Raccoons.  I only heard about it because they'd get into everyone's garbage at night.  No one had a good thing to say about them but I hoped I'd see one.

A few more years passed and we moved into a community by a creek.  Then one night on our deck one peered into the patio door.  Before long we had quite a few of them who would come by and visit.


















Saturday, November 7, 2015

Great Gifts for Teachers

Do you need a gift for a teacher.  Christmas is coming soon so now's the time to think about it.

If you have several teachers to buy gifts for these little keychains are only $3.85

An ornament is a great gift that everyone can use.



or how about a pen?  It has the same cute kids holding the word TEACH and saying "Thanks for what you TEACH us!"


A mug is another perfect gift.  Everyone can use one of those.


Now add a matching card ...