Back in late September and early October, some of my ferret art fans noticed I didn't paint as many ferrets as usual. Have no fear, I am still Ferretstef - I actually painted a lot of ferrets during that time, and now you get to see where they all went!

On September 13th, I was contacted by Valerie Michalski of the Greater Chicago Ferret Association (GCFA). She'd been put in charge of the awards for their "Greatest Ferret Show on Earth" on October 9th, and had been trying to find someone to make custom handpainted trophies; but was having little success, especially given the short time constraints. Then she found my website and fell in love with Buttercup Baby and Whadda Face, they were perfect examples of the art she wanted. Could I make trophies for her show?

Well, yes I can! ;)

Four custom Title Trophies were designed and created, made from hand crafted and painted wood, with a mahogany-stained base:

Ideas bounced back and forth, and before too long, Valerie asked if I could also create themed ACEOs to go with every Specialty Trophy. The GCFA holds a big show, so that means a lot of ACEOs; but I'm up to the task! Here they are, along with three mini canvas paintings I provided for sale at their show:

Here's some photos from the show, with the trophies and ACEOs as presented:

I figured it was time I made some business cards, for distribution at the show. Why not make them collectables too, like ACEOs? Here's my first three featuring some favorite past artwork, and I'll make different ones as time goes on:

All of this was completed in two weeks, even while still making items for Ebay and the website. It was hectic, but fun and amazing to see the results! And I'm happy to say everything was very well received. According to Valerie, "a couple of the judges proclaimed at the show, having attended and judged alot of shows, that these were the best trophies they'd ever seen". Plus, the two ferret Christmas ball ornaments (not pictured) I provided for their raffle proved popular, bringing in a nice profit for the GCFA which helped them offset their cost for the awards!

Dealing with Valerie and the GCFA was terrific, and I hope to work with them again next year!