Year of the Hamster?

Here at Itty Bitty Ladybug we've been stumped - it's the Year of the Rat and we've had a tough time finding cute and fun items to celebrate the Chinese New Year. We feel bad. After all, the rat was certainly clever enough to finish first in the Amazing Race. Hard working, thrifty and healthy the Rat has many wonderful qualities. But let's face it, the Rat is far from cute.

So, we were delighted to find a little blurb in today's paper about how prices are rising in China for HAMSTERS as people look to honor the Year of the Rat. That's right - hamsters. Hamsters are considered lucky in China and they are definitely more cuddly than a pet rat. Also, the Cantonese and Mandarin word for "rat" translates in such a way that could include hamsters and moles. Who knew? Anyone up for a hamster tee?