Getting there, slowly but surely.

I have an unusually long-ish and odd to do list today, I'm sure you won't mind if I start with that so that I may clear my fluffy brain.
In no specific order: (edited to mark off what I was able to finish)
Poop scoop backyard
Cut open window
Install window screen in newly operable window.
De-contaminate tools used in pewter workshop.
Fold Laundry
Make Pork-chops and potatoes
Sort Findings
Wash the car
Give Milly a bath
Debate my sanity
Plan out creations to make
Make some said creations

I would like to be able to get all of that done today. The last two on the list are perpetual though and could become list's of there own.

I took a 3 day intensive workshop over the weekend with Fred Fenster on Pewtersmithing. It was my second time in this workshop and so I was left to tinker somewhat on my own.  I can't work with the stuff in my own studio as pewter contaminates other fine metals. It has such a low melting point that if a spec of it gets on the copper, brass, or silver it would melt a black hole them. So, until I can make a second dedicated space n tools I won't work in it at home.  Anyways, I made a pewter tea strainer. I designed it to sit on top of a cup for when you pour the tea in containing loose leaves. The basket is woven.  I was told that I should try to challenge my self and so I did. Setting in that thin woven basket was a pain, but I did it. The ring on the back is soldered onto the basket, the rest is then fused together. Fusing is welding, except in pewter it's done at a very low temp. Just under 500 degrees Fahrenheit. So I basically melted it together with more pewter.

I also recently made a pair of hand cut and hammered copper earrings.

I'm working on finishing two pairs of woven earrings at the moment. One pair is fine silver and the other pair is green coated copper. Both woven pairs are already claimed work.

At the beginning of the month I had made and donated a pair of fine silver earrings for an art fundraising auction. Unfortunately the auction didn't get the patrons it needed for such. Saturday the earrings were returned to me.  They are titled "Kibou", meaning Hope in Japanese. The fundraiser had been specifically for tsunami relief and was put on by the local Japanese Saturday school here at the University.

I'm also trying to get ready for my first Art Festival, It's The Arts on Main in Kendalville and only one day. I have one month. Whew, will see. I'm mostly interested in seeing how I set up and things go for me. I can't think that I can manage to make a lot of things to actually sell in such short time. Most artist spend the winter months making stock for the summer festivals, with having been in school I didn't have that opportunity. This will mostly be a chance for me to just show my work. Maybe get a commission.

Fiber Basket


I've not really finished in of my fluffy stuff. I'm still working on a sockhead hat, an ishbel shawl, and the plain brown socks.  The stripy scarf, lattice cable hat, and pi blanket are all hibernating. I'm starting to pick the knitting back up on Thursday evenings when I go to knit with my friend. I barely knit at all the last semester of school. I simply did not have the time!   I can say though that this was TOTALLY worth taking up my knitting and social time!  No if ands or buts about it. 

I can now proudly say that I hold a B.F.A in metal smithing from Indiana University. Go me!

Hello World!

Hello! I’d like to introduce my new blog, I’ve tried to blog before with no direction,” Married, with Furballs”. My previous blog went no-where, I never knew what to post and when I did I felt silly because I was rarely posting anyways so why bother? Well I’d like to rectify that. Starting with my blogs title! The title happened this past week while I was happily sitting on the couch after a day of accomplishing some domestic house duties, which I enjoy doing I might add. I’m married and I have 3 furry pets plus a decent fiber stash. So “Married, with Furballs” encompasses a lot of different “furballs”. 2 cats, a dwarf hamster, a fabric stash, a yarn stash, and a fleece/spinning fiber stash. I really enjoy and take pride in keeping my house too. Though, sometimes it does get past me if I’ve been super busy with school or work things. Do not think that my home is Sparkling, I have my off days.

I mentioned school; I’m in my final semester of a B.F.A degree in metalsmithing. My specialty in metals seems to be becoming fine filigree work. I do appreciate the other forms of metal work as I also like to work in pewter. Well ok. I do small sculpture and filigree jewelry right now. I really hope to learn to set cut gems soon and would absolutely love to learn enamel work. One step at a time and one day at a time though. I don’t have my own torch set up yet in my personal studio here at home. Soon enough, then I will get to some basic enamel work. Can’t wait! I have my first exhibition gallery show in the end of March this year, the artist opening is April 1st. I’m hoping it being on April fool’s day means nothing. *crosses fingers* So far everything is going real well for me in regards to the show. I don’t plan to post any of my work on here though till closer to show time; don’t want to ruin it you know. ;)

I hope to regularly share recipes of things I recently made here in my blog. I think I shall call this section Nom Nom of the moment. It could be daily or weekly, not sure yet. It will probably happen as the Noms happen. I love to cook and I have to substitute ingredients regularly for dietary allergies. So many things I make are personal concoctions or hodgepodges of having read 10 other things to come up with one. I won’t post it unless it meets Nommy criteria! So here we go…

Nom Nom of the moment!


Turkey Meatballs with a kick.
Makes 12 golf ball sized meatballs (Serves 4)

1 pound plain ground turkey
1/2 a medium onion minced
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 garlic powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9 x 13 jellyroll pan with foil. (it’s the baking sheet with a raised rim)

2. Using your hands (don’t forget to take off your rings!), mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Then shape the meat mush into balls the size of golf balls (about 1.5 inches) in your hands and arrange them on the lined baking sheet.

3. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheet for 15 minutes.

Enjoy on your favorite spaghetti or cut them in half to make into meatball sandwiches with your favorite red sauce! I might add some mozzarella cheese slices if I had it in a sandwich.

Fiber Basket
In this section I’m going to talk about my fiber love… projects I have going and so forth. Whether it is a sewing, knitting, weaving, or spinning related thing; if it’s fiber, here it will be.

Knitting… oh dear. I just looked and it seems I have 7ish things on the needles waiting to be finished. I seriously need to finish one of them very soon as it is to be a gift for a friend whom is due in … 5 weeks? I don’t want to say specifically what it is as I want it to be a surprise, just in case they see this. The other items include 3 hats, a tiny plushie, a shawl, and a pair of socks. I should really get on top of this knitting!

The hats stories go like this. One was going to be a Christmas gift but I didn’t start it till after the school semester was over, well that was the doom, I had too much other stuff going on to get it finished. It’s about halfway. Another is a heavily cabled wonder I was working on in scrumptious misti alpaca in a crème color. It was set down and forgotten. The third I started in October and is very simple mindless knitting. It’s my travel project. Except I’m always the one driving. Ha!

The shawl? Well the yarn it turns out I’m not thrilled with at all. I will probably still finish it though. I think I will love it when I’m done, I’m just not enjoying working with the yarn. I see knots in the skein for one thing.

The tiny plushie? Well I realized I had no eyes for it after I made the head and set it aside in my desk drawer. Someone sent me awesome blue eyes for it and I added them to the drawer so the kitten wouldn’t run off with them. They are still there.

Those evil socks…. I knit one and realized that even though I was on gauge and knitting the pattern as stated for my size they where WAY TO BIG AROUND!!!!! They fit my Husband… that bad. So I lengthened them. One is done and I’m to the heel flap of the second. I work on them every now and then. I have little heart to work hard on them as they would have been the first pair of socks for ME. ME ME ME!!! But they aren’t now, so it’s disappointing a bit sometimes to work on them. Though, my husband loves them a lot already. That’s what has my heart back into working on them. But they are pretty plain socks to work. One problem, It has taken me a year to knit one.

So maybe I can use blogging to help push myself to finish these darn knitting projects. There is a Shawl I really want to knit and I’ve decided I absolutely cannot start it till I finish up this mess of knitting. No if ands or buts about it! So maybe you guys can help keep me inline and knitting! I sure hope so.

I will be trying to post at the very least weekly, if I manage daily to every other day that would be epic. So here’s to a fresh start and a New Year!

~Hugs~