Bunny Week 2022: "Should I Get a Rabbit?"

Obviously, I love rabbits. Every rabbit has its own personality, but as a whole rabbits are smart, curious, playful, determined, and absolutely adorable. There is no question that they make excellent pets. But that doesn't mean a rabbit is right for all households. While it is very important to me to promote adoption of rescued rabbits, it is even more important to me to prevent people from adopting a rabbit that they will not treat the way it deserves. 

First and foremost, rabbits are NOT Easter gifts. 

   

Read on to see if a rabbit might be right for your family. 

Should I Get a Rabbit? 

• Are you ready to make a 10+ year commitment to caring for a rabbit? House rabbits that are well-cared for can live over 10 years. When you adopt, you are adopting for the life of an animal. 

• Are you able to afford at least 10 years of food and other necessities for a rabbit? Before adopting, look into the costs of consumables (timothy hay, pellets, and litter) your rabbit will need. And don't forget about vet care. Rabbits are considered an exotic animal and need a specialized vet, which can be more expensive and more difficult to find than a vet for a dog or cat.

• Does every member of the household want a rabbit and understand how to properly treat a rabbit? Rabbits are delicate and need a particular kind of care. As an example, toddlers may not understand how critical it is to be gentle with a rabbit and not pick it up. Everyone in the house must know and follow rules about rabbit care.

• Are you able to give a rabbit the space it deserves? Just like dogs and cats, rabbits do not belong in a cages. It is cruel to lock up a rabbit. Rabbits are social creatures who deserve to be loved as members of the family. They need to run and jump, explore, and interact with the family. 

• Is your home safe for a rabbit? Before adopting, learn what kinds of modifications you may need to make in order to provide a rabbit with a safe, indoor environment. 

• Can you accept that a rabbit may cause damage to your possessions? A rabbit who chews is not a bad rabbit. It is simply a rabbit. In the wild, rabbits snip through vines (and will do the same to cords in your house if they're not covered). They dig tunnels (and will dig at carpet if it's loose or if they're not given toys to satisfy their need to dig). They eat bark and twigs (and will chew on baseboards, table legs, etc if they're not provided more appropriate things to chew). No matter how well you prepare, it is possible your rabbit will cause some sort of damage that you didn't anticipate.

If you answered yes to all of the questions, then a rabbit would probably make a wonderful addition to your family. Talk with a local rabbit rescue to begin the process toward adoption. A rescue will help you find just the right rabbit for your family. 

If you have any questions about rabbits and whether one would be right for your family, please ask. I'm happy to share everything I've learned after nearly 11 years of loving and caring for a house rabbit. 

Bunny Week 2022: Marshmallow Bunnies

If this group of marshmallow bunnies doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will! These were so much fun to make. I'm particularly pleased with how the whiskers came out. That was a spontaneous addition and I think they make a big difference. Give them a try! Affiliate links below. 

Marshmallow Bunnies

Materials: 

• Wilton Candy Melts (white and pink)
• parchment paper
• scribe tool
• jumbo marshmallows
• Wilton Food Writer
• Wilton confetti sprinkles (pink and black)

Steps: 

Draw a pair of rabbit ears on a piece of scratch paper. You'll be using this as a guide to keep the ears in proportion with the marshmallow. 

Slide the ear sketch under a piece of parchment paper, then prepare the pink and white Candy Melts following the instructions on the packages. 

Spoon the white candy onto the parchment paper so that it fills the pattern you made for the ears. Immediately use the scribe tool to drizzle a thin line of pink candy on top of the white candy to make the iner ears. Fix any stray bits or lumps with the scribe tool. I found it easiest to keep two scribe tools handy (one for each color). 

Carefully slide the parchment paper over so that the pattern is under a clean area. Repeat the steps to make the next set of ears. Continue until you have all the sets of ears you'll need. Set them aside to harden completely. 

Use the Food Writer to draw mouths on each marshmallow. Pick out enough pink and black confetti sprinkles to give each bunny two eyes and one nose. 

Remelt the white candy. Dip the scribe tool into the melted white candy and use it to draw whiskers onto each bunny. Then add dots of melted candy to adhere the black sprinkle eyes and pink sprinkle nose in place. 

To attach the ears to the bunnies, you'll need a warm, flat surface. Something like a frying pan would work, but I just used a small ceramic dish. I filled it with water, then put it in the microwave until the water was boiling. I poured out the water, then inverted the dish on a potholder. 

I picked up a pair of ears using kitchen tongs (so my warm fingers wouldn't melt them) and pressed them gently against the bottom of the hot dish. Then I placed them onto a marshmallow. The candy solidified almost instantly, so I didn't even have to worry about propping the ears up as they dried. 

Each bunny looks a bit different from the rest. Marshmallows surprisingly irregular; I tried to find six that were sort of the same size and shape, but gave up and just picked any six. The fact that the marshmallows differ took away any pressure I might have felt to try to make the ears and faces look identical. 

If you make your own marshmallow bunnies, I'd love to see them. For that matter, I always enjoy seeing any crafts made from my tutorials. My email address is right above my picture - send me a photo of your creations!

Bunny Week 2022: How to Decoupage Napkins onto Coasters

Welcome to Day 2 of Bunny Week 2022!

My 50th birthday celebration was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. One of the "and more" details: Suzzi brought beautiful bunny napkins featuring a rabbit that looks just like Trouble. I loved them. I brought the extras home and used a variety of decoupage techniques to make a set of coasters. 

I don't have a lot of decoupage experience. The little I've done has been with patterned paper or fabric, neither of which are nearly as delicate as a napkin. But despite not having done it myself, I've seen a lot of tutorials about the best ways to decoupage napkins. Not surprisingly, what is "best" varies from person to person. I decided to try four techniques I've seen to determine my personal favorites. Affiliate links below. 

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Four Ways to Decoupage Napkins onto Coasters

Materials:

For all techniques: 

• paper napkins (I couldn't find the ones I have, but linked other cute options below)
• Plaid wooden coasters
• Mod Podge 
• foam brush
• file set
• felt (4" square)
• craft glue

For certain techniques:

• plastic wrap
• lighter
• kitchen tongs
• parchment paper
• iron

Steps: 

Most napkins are either 2-ply or 3-ply. You will only be using the top (printed) ply. The easiest way to separate the plies of the napkin is to barely moisten your fingers and rub gently at the corner. 

For my first coaster, I used the brush to put a generous coat of Mod Podge onto one coaster, then carefully lowered the napkin onto the surface. Starting from one corner, I gently used my fingers to smooth the napkin. This technique works with heavy paper, but (spoiler alert) it is a terrible method for napkins. As you can see, there are wrinkles I didn't get out (particularly in the bottom left), but the bigger issue is that the napkin started to tear in the center. 

For my second coaster, I started by putting a generous coat of Mod Podge on the coaster. I placed the napkin down, covered it with a piece of plastic wrap, and gently smoothed the wrinkles, starting at the center and working out. When I got to the edges, I added more Mod Podge and gently smoothed each down with the help of the plastic wrap. There was no tearing at all, and only minor wrinkling, so this was a huge improvement over my first coaster. 

  

Technique #3 was the one I was most excited to try because it just seemed so crazy. I did all the same steps as with #2 (Mod Podge on coaster, napkin on top, plastic wrap over that, smooth out wrinkles, add Mod Podge to edges, smooth down napkin), but then things went an entirely different direction. 

And an entirely different location: outdoors, on a concrete surface. Holding the coaster in my left hand and a lighter in my right, I lit the napkin on fire. The excess burned away, but when it reached the decoupage, it stopped. Sort of. You can see a small amount of singing by the bunny's nose.

Here's how the back looked. I did not expect the outline of the tongs to show like that. 

My fourth technique was my favorite by far. Easy alignment, no wrinkles, no stress. I put a generous coat of Mod Podge onto the front and sides of a coaster, then walked away and let it dry completely. When it was 100% dry, I put the napkin on top, covered it with a piece of parchment paper, and used a hot iron to press it. When the top was sealed, I did each side individually. Check it out - it's perfect!

For each of the coasters, I added two topcoats of Mod Podge, allowing the first coat to dry before adding the second. Then I used a file along the back edges to remove any extra napkin (or napkin ashes). Finally, I glued felt squares to the back. 

This was such a fun experiment and makes me interested in diving deeper into decoupage in the future!

Bunny Week 2022: Wood Bunny

Welcome to Bunny Week 2022! ("It's Like Shark Week, but Fuzzier!") Bunny Week is an annual tradition here at My Creative Life, a time to celebrate All Things Rabbit. I'm starting off Bunny Week with a wooden rabbit. I found it, unfinished, at Target (Easter Wood Bunny Side Profile by Mondo Llama.) With a little paint and patience, I ended up with this: 

Except during the Christmas season when I decorate it with snowmen, our mantel has had the same nine items displayed for well over a decade: a wine bottle engraved with our wedding information, our cake topper, a photo of Steve and me holding Trevor, three of my favorite pictures of Trevor as a baby, a geode, and a potted plant on either end. Nothing representing the fourth member of our family. Now Trouble is represented on the mantel. Trevor thinks I should switch out one of the photos of him with a picture of Trouble, but I pointed out that other pictures of Trouble are visible near the mantel. 

I had two goals in mind when painting the unfinished wood: keep the grain visible and mimic Trouble's unique grey/tan coloring. I started by watering down a reddish brown paint until it was very watery, then used a paper towel to rub it onto the wood like a stain. I covered everything except the tail. I let the paint dry completely, then did the same thing with grey. Finally, I added a layer of white (and covered the tail that time). Together, the three colors make a close match to Trouble's beautiful fur. It's a wonderful addition to the mantel. 

All Things Rabbit (Bunny Week 2021, Day 5)

Welcome to the last day of Bunny Week 2021!  

Steve requested that I put all my Bunny Week material from over the years in one location so that it's easy to share. I did one better: I put absolutely everything on my blog having to do with rabbits in place. There are 50+ craft tutorials, dozens of scrapbook pages, a gift guide, and links to all the informational posts I've done about rabbit behavior and care. It was a ton of work, but I am so glad that All Things Rabbit are now in one spot.  

You can visit the All Things Rabbit page by clicking the graphic above, which now appears on the CRAFTS BY HOLIDAY / TOPIC tab. I'd originally used the bunny donuts for my Edible Crafts icon, but I switched things up. Now there's a new icon for Edible Crafts. 

I made both of them in PicMonkey, of course. 

Having an All Things Rabbit page makes me so happy. I especially love seeing all my bunny crafts and scrapbook layouts about Trouble together. Going through the entire blog to find all the rabbit posts was a great way to remind myself what's here and get ideas for what else I can add. Even though this is the end of Bunny Week until next year, I can guarantee you'll be seeing a lot more bunny content before 2022!

Rabbit Trivia (Bunny Week 2021, Day 4)

Rabbits are fascinating animals. Over the past 10 years since we adopted Trouble, I've been sharing all sorts of information about bunnies and what makes them special. It's time to test yourself to see what you've know!

1. Rabbits belong to the Mammalia class. What is their order?

A) Dermoptera 

B) Edentata

C) Lagomorpha

D) Rodentia

2. How many toenails does a rabbit have?

A) 12

B) 16

C) 18

D) 20

3. Rabbits can see nearly 360°, with one blind spot. Where is it?

A) Directly in front

B) Directly in back

C) On their left

D) On their right

4. Rabbits are missing a physical feature other mammals have. What is it?

A) sweat glands

B) a pancreas

C) a dorsal nerve cord
D) pads on the soles of their feet

5. Rabbit ears are excellent at detecting predators and serve other roles. Which is NOT a function of rabbit ears?

A) regulating temperature

B) attracting a mate

C) communicating emotion / mood
D) maintaining balance while running

6. In the wild, a cottontail lives less than a year on average. Well-cared for house rabbits live significantly longer. How old was the longest-lived known rabbit?

A) 9 years

B) 12 years

C) 15 years

D) 18 years

7. Approximately 15% of a healthy human's weight is bone. What percentage of a healthy rabbit's body weight is bone?

A) 8%

B) 15%

C) 23%

D) 28% 

8. A healthy human's body temperature is around 98°F. What is a healthy body temperature for a rabbit?

A) 90°F

B) 94°F

C) 98°F

D) 102°F

9. Adult humans have 32 teeth. How many do adult rabbits have?

A) 4

B) 12
C) 28
D) 32

10. A rabbit's teeth never stop growing. How much do the average rabbit's teeth grow in a year?

A) 0.5 inch to 1 inch

B) 1 to 3 inches

C) 3 to 5 inches
D) 5 to 7 inches

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ANSWERS

1. C) Rabbits are lagomorphs. Other members of this order include pikas and hares. 

2. C) Rabbits have four toes and a dew claw on each front foot. They have four toes on each back foot.

3. A) Rabbits have a blind spot directly in front of their nose. 

4. D) Rabbits do not have pads on their feet. Instead, they have a thick cushion of fur. 

5. B) Rabbits use their ears to regulate their temperature, communicate their emotions, and maintain balance when they run. Ears do not play a role in attracting a mate. 

6. D) The longest-lived rabbit reached 18 years old. 

7. A) A rabbit's skeleton makes up approximately 8% of its body weight. 

8. D) A healthy rabbit's body temperature is around 102°F. 

9. C) Adult rabbits have 28 teeth. 

10. C) Rabbit teeth grow from 3-5 inches a year. 

Bunny by the Craft Stick Fence (Bunny Week 2021, Day 3)

It's Day 3 of Bunny Week 2021 and I have another craft for you. Not only is it adorable (if I do say so myself), but this project uses up the craft sticks that have knots and other flaws that kids (and craft bloggers) usually reject. Affiliate links below. 

Bunny by the Craft Stick Fence

Materials:

• craft sticks
• nutmeg brown paint
• green cardstock
• microtip scissors
• craft glue
• painted Model Magic bunny

Steps:

Dig through the craft sticks and find the 14 worst ones you can - knots, uneven, visible grain, etc. 

Mix a small amount of nutmeg brown paint with water to make a stain. Brush it over the craft sticks and let them dry. 

Meanwhile, prepare the cardstock grass. The three steps are show in the photo below:

1. Cut cardstock pieces approximately 1" x 3", then snip to create fringe. (I don't have any, but fringe scissors will speed up this process.) 
2. Snip the ends of the fringe on an angle at random heights. 
3. Bend the fringe to mimic the look of grass, then fold a tab at the bottom. 

Glue the dry craft sticks together to make the fence, then glue the tabs of the grass onto the bottom of the fence. Glue an extra strip of green cardstock to the back of the fence, just peeking out below the grass tufts. Finally, glue the bunny in place.

Rabbit Postage Stamps (Bunny Week 2021, Day 2)

It's Day 2 of Bunny Week!

You already know that I'm obsessed with postage stamps, so it should come as no surprise that I particularly love rabbit postage stamps. In January, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring the brush rabbit. It is exciting simply because it is a rabbit, but even more so because brush rabbits are native to our area. You can read more about the stamp and its design here. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see a rabbit on a postage stamp so soon after the previous appearance. In October 2020, the USPS released Winter Scenes, which includes an adorable rabbit as one of the ten designs.

The next most recent US stamp featuring a rabbit was issued in 2016. It's part of the Pets series, one of my all-time favorites. 

I had to go way back to 1987 to find the next USPS rabbit. Who else remembers the days of 22 cent postage? That's how you know you're old!

I wasn't able to find any other rabbit stamps issued by the United States, other than a rabbit in a hat as part of the 2018 Art of Magic set, a stylized Year of the Rabbit stamp from 1999 (the 2011 Year of the Rabbit stamp features kumquats), and this 1997 tribute to Bugs Bunny (affiliate links). If you know of any other realistic rabbit-themed US postage stamps, please tell me in the comments. 

Interestingly, all four of the realistic rabbits featured on our stamps are brown. I get that wild rabbits are typically brown, so that makes sense for three of the stamps, but I'm surprised they didn't choose a different color for the pet rabbit. I'm partial to grey, but house rabbits come in many beautiful shades. 

Speaking of house rabbits, I would love to see a postage stamp honoring House Rabbit Society, which does so much to help rabbits and educate their caregivers. I looked up the stamp selection criteria and found that, while HRS does technically qualify, criteria #10 indicates that "it would be difficult" but that a commemorative postmark is a possibility.

Paper Bunny Quilt (Bunny Week 2021, Day 1)

Welcome to Bunny Week 2021! Bunny Week is an annual tradition here at My Creative Life where we celebrate All Things Rabbit. (Catch Phrase: It's Like Shark Week, but Fuzzier!) 

I'm starting off Bunny Week 2021 with a bunny-inspired paper quilt.

I really like quilts and admire the work that goes into making them. I used to think I wanted to learn to sew a quilt, but over time I realized I just like designing quilts. I love the process of picking the colors and shapes and arranging them to make something beautiful and unique. It gives me another way to play with paper, which is one of my very favorite things to do. 

My primary goal for this quilt was to feature grey rabbits in a soothing, gender-neutral palette. One of my longtime pet peeves is that many rabbit fabrics, patterned papers, and other craft items that feature rabbits are predominantly pink, and often over-the-top girlie. The worst are the ones that say Baby Girl on them. Ugh. Rabbits are loved by people of all ages and genders, and the rabbits themselves are not all female. (Steps off soapbox....)

My inspiration for the design came from photos of fellow rabbit owners who have bonded pairs, trios, and quads. Trouble is an only rabbit and is bonded with us, but many rabbits prefer to have a lagomorph companion. Bonded rabbits spend much of their day snuggling, sometimes side-by-side and other times face-to-face. My favorite bonded trio, sadly now over the Rainbow Bridge, are Bunya, Ethel, and Lucy from the Rabbit Ramblings blog. 

I started my project with a sketch, as I often do because of my aphantasia. I pulled out grey cardstock for my bunnies, cream for a background, and several shades of soft greens, blues, and peaches, which you can see at the top of this photo:

I ended up using just the grey, cream, and two shades of green. I cut the greens and cream into 2" squares, then cut those in half to make triangles, then cut some of those in half to make smaller triangles. Then I played around with the design. In the photo above, you can see that I'm trying out pinwheels (complete in bottom two squares) and the blockier design I ended up using (partially done in the upper two squares). Then I cut out grey bunny bodies and ears, plus cream-colored cottontails. Once I finalized my design, I glued all the triangles in place, added the bunnies, gave them Sharpie eyes and noses, trimmed the background paper, and matted it with grey. 

I love how my paper quilt turned out! I'm going to continue to play with this motif on PicMonkey, digitally switching out the colors and tinkering with the arrangement to see if I can design something I love even more.

A Day in the Life of Trouble deRosier (Bunny Week 2020, Day 5)

The last time I documented a day in the life of Trouble deRosier was way back in 2014 when he was a much younger bunny. Quite a few things have changed since then, so I wanted to do an update.

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Trouble's morning begins around 5:45 am, when I open the door to his cage. He hops out onto the carpet (we've added carpet to cover much of the hardwood floor as he's aged) and puts his chin down near my hand, asking to be petted. When I've groomed him sufficiently, he'll return the favor by licking my hand. He hops back into his cage and looks up expectantly, waiting for me to hand-feed him some pellets. I add a few more pellets (less than 1/4 c. total) to his dish and give him fresh water.

I head upstairs to my computer to start work. Sometimes Trouble follows me, sometimes he doesn't. On this particular morning (Monday 3/31), he didn't. Instead, he relaxed in his cage and played with his toys. 

Trouble has trained Steve to give him a piece of Shredded Wheat each morning. When Trevor or I go in the kitchen and get out cereal, nothing happens. When Steve gets out cereal, Trouble is there like a shot.  

With a full tummy, Trouble headed to his farm box for a quick snooze. 

About 30 minutes later, he was back in his cage eating breakfast. 

He came out of his cage and put his chin down for grooming. I took his picture instead (fully intending to groom him after snapping a quick photo)....

... but I wasn't quick enough. Trouble was offended by the fact that I ignore his request (demand) and hopped two feet away, then slowly and deliberately turned his back to me, watching me the whole time to make sure I knew how offensive I'd been. 

Of course, I apologized right away (after snapping that photo) and petted him until he forgave me. Steve walked by on his way to the kitchen, passing by the piano. That's where we keep the Healthy Snacker sampler set (affiliate link) that Steve bought Trouble for Christmas. Trouble darted away from me and started circling around Steve, begging for a snacker. 

Despite living with us for 9 years (during which time we have NEVER taken a treat away from him after giving it to him), Trouble still darts away with his Snacker.

I headed back upstairs. Trouble moved to the rug at the foot of the stairs, watched Steve go back to his office, and then looked over at Trevor doing schoolwork in the family room. He played in his Cottontail Cottage for awhile, then made a stop at the Hay Buffet, and visited the litterbox. 

Around 9:30, Trouble joined me upstairs. 

He spent some time playing in the master bedroom (allowed) and then snuck into the craft room (not allowed) before settling down beneath my office chair. Most mornings he does Predator Evasion Practice around this time, repeatedly zooming back and forth from under our bed, down the hall, then under Trevor's bed. As a prey animal, it's important to keep your escape skills sharp. 

When Trouble is under my chair and wants my attention, he'll nose-bonk against my leg. I give him a scritch and that's usually good. But if I haven't gotten the correct message, or did an insufficient job petting him, he'll give a sharp tug on my pant leg. It's hard to ignore.   

By the time I was ready for lunch, Trouble had moved under the folding chair which is now permanently next to my desk. The first time I put it there so Trevor and I could work together on something on my computer, Trouble made it clear that this was his new favorite nap location. And so it stays.  

When I checked on him after lunch and PE (the three of us do a daily walk together after lunch now as part of Trevor's distance learning), Trouble was completely zonked. 

As I went about my afternoon in and out of the craft room, up and down the stairs doing laundry, and in and out the back door to do some gardening, Trouble stayed upstairs under my desk dozing. 

I picked greens (carrot tops, dandelion leaves and flowers, beet greens, and mint) and scattered them throughout Trouble's cage. I used to put his greens in his food dish, but a few years ago I learned it is best to let rabbits use their foraging skills. So now I tuck greens in and around his toys so that he can discover them. 

By 7:45 pm, Trouble was ready for playtime. Here, he's trying to get me to play catch with him with his beloved Spool. It is one of his very favorite toys. (And yes, I did put down the camera and play with him.)

Trouble stayed upstairs until around 8:00 pm. There he is on the landing.

Hi, Trouble!

Around 8:30, I cleaned his litterbox, refreshed his water, and gave him his nightly banana ration (one very thin slice), which is one of his favorite treats. He hopped into his cage and immediately started foraging for his greens. Dandelions are his favorites, followed by carrot tops. He always eats those first. I locked Trouble in his cage and wished good night to the best bunny ever. 

Bunny in a Box (Bunny Week 2020, Day 4)

Cats are famous for their love of boxes. If they can possibly squeeze themselves into a box, they will. Rabbits are the same. Leave out a box, particularly one with a 'roof' on it, and there will be a bunny in that box in no time. 

Bunny in a Box (affiliate link)

When we're not sure where Trouble is, the first thing we do is check all the boxes. If he's not out and about getting into things or hanging out with the family, that's usually where he is. Rabbits are awesome.