Pure Michigan!

I love nothing more than spending time as a family digging in the sand & staring at clear blue water.  We made a quick trip to the lake last weekend, and I thought that I'd share a few quick photos with you!

All photos were taken at Franfort Beach, MI

My kiddos are so fortunate.  They are the 5th generation of my family to enjoy summers in Michigan.  The clear water, white sand, cool breezes, and charming towns make it the perfect summer destination!

And today I'm back to the real world.  Tackling piles of laundry, cleaning, planning some food preservation, and dreaming up what to create with this.  

I'm thinking that a Lois Pearl giveaway may be in the near future!

Grandma Ruby's Pickled Beets

I must admit, gardening was not my favorite activity when I was little.  I much preferred spending time with the livestock or playing on my swing set to spending endless hours weeding the garden.  I did, however, grow up with a healthy appetite for fruits and veggies, along with a huge appreciation for homegrown produce.

Now that I'm "all grown up" I love working in the garden.  We are so lucky that despite this year's drought, Grandpa Stewart's garden is more beautiful than ever.

One of our favorite garden treats is beets!  Don't underestimate this delicious veggie.  We love to eat them boiled.  Out other favorite method of prep?  Pickled of course!

Here are a few pictures from our recent Beet Day!

The Bug had a great time stuffing the jars.

And he couldn't help eating a few bites along the way!

Here's another great way to enjoy beets, a Beet & Goat Cheese Salad!

Boiled beets, cooled and sliced

Crumbled Goat Cheese

Chopped Walnuts

Balsamic Vinegar

Drizzle the balsamic over the beets and top with cheese & walnuts.  It's a great on it's own or atop a bet of fresh spring greens!

What's your favorite garden veggie?   We'll soon be working on canning tomatoes, green beans and pickles too!

Winners!

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to look, read, follow and share!  The blog and Facebook have had so many wonderfully kind comments this week...I'm feelin' the love!

Here are the winners, in the order they were drawn.

#1  Sara K.

#2  Julie Dillman

#3  Mimi & Michael

Congratulations!  

I'll be contacting you in the order your names were drawn.  Packages will be mailed tomorrow in order to arrive by the holiday!

How will you all be spending the 4th?  We'll be missing our little town's fireworks on Saturday, but we're heading to a wonderful wedding!  Hill's baby brother is getting married to the greatest girl, and we are all so excited!  What a great way to spend the weekend, surrounded by family!  

A Big Weekend, and a Giveaway!

This was our second year in a row to participate in the Fishers Freedom Festival.  I was lucky enough to share a booth with my great friend Helen, from Midtown Chic Boutique.  We always have such a terrific time together.  It's really a mini-vacation for us to spend a couple of days together, catch up with old friends, and play dress-up with some of the cutest little girls ever!

The Freedom Festival celebrates our great country, and the 4th of July in particular.  All the patriotism this weekend (and cute kids wearing red, white & blue), has put me in the mood for a giveaway!

Here are the goodies up for grabs!

One-of-a-kind Knot Dress, Size 2T 

2T, Bodice 19", Length 16.5"

One-of-a-kind Knot Dress, Size 4/5

4T, Bodice 24", Length 22"

Hair Flower in Red, White & Blue of course!

We will draw 3 winners on Wednesday of this week!  Items will be mailed on Thursday via Priority Mail in order to arrive by the 4th!

Here is how to enter!

"Like" Lois Pearl on FB!!

"Share" about the giveaway on FB!!

"Follow" this blog!

Please leave a comment on Facebook or on the blog for each activity you complete!  Winners will get to choose their item based on the order their names are drawn.

Best of luck and happy 4th!

An Update....finally!

Has it really been over a month (ok, a bit more than that even) since my last post?  If you are sticking with me and reading this thank you!

This past month has been a whirl-wind for us.

1 big move to the country

+

4 shows in 6 weeks (this is a ton for me!)
+
a family vacation

=

a CRAZY month!

The property that we moved to was built in 1963 by Dr. & Mrs. Jack Walker.  They raised a happy family 4 children here.  Now, we are so very blessed to have the opportunity to raise our little family in this beautiful place.

Here is the view from the house to the main road.  The drive is lined in gorgeous knarly Black Locusts.

The first order of business upon moving was for the men to assemble the new swing set, which overlooks the hill along the river.  The Bug & Hill did the project entirely on their own!

(a view down the hill to the river from the swingset)

My first order of business was ripping out the green outdoor carpet that lined the basement floor.  Yuck!  The poor trash man thankfully hauled it all away.  The floors & walls have all been bleached, and this is where my new studio now resides.  

(Hill, The Bug, and Grandma helped a bunch on this project too!)

Now I have a perfect sewing spot!  It's loaded with natural light from a large window and walkout door.  

The best part is, I get a view of this huge Burr Oak.

Hill & I both grew up in the country on farms, and are so excited to have the opportunity to raise our children that same way.  We're just country folk at heart!

I've been spending loads of time in my new "sweat shop" and I have been creating dozens of dresses for my recent shows.  The last in my series of 4 shows is this weekend!

The Fishers Freedom Festival

Lois Pearl & Midtown Chic Boutique

Booth 135

Saturday & Sunday

If you are in the Fishers area come out and see us!  Lois Pearl will be sharing a booth with our great friend, Midtown Chic Boutique.  We'll be in booth 135 between the playground and food vendors on the south side!

We'll have great selection of goodies!

Dresses

Skirts

Ruffle pants

Hair bobbies

Crayon Rolls

&

Taggy Monsters & Blankets

Now that we're settled, I promise to stay in touch more regularly!   

Be sure to check in tomorrow for a giveaway!

Girls Weekend!

My SIL, Jordan, and I decided that we were long overdue for a girls weekend.  Our idea of a big time?  Lock ourselves in the country, in a house that is 90% empty, and stitch away!

Jordan is just learning to sew.  She decided that an apron would be a great first big project.  After making a run to my parents' farm for dinner and digging through Nana's old aprons, we had a style that was perfect.

A few ripped stitches, and several rounds of rethreading her machine (we all do this) later, she had an original, beautiful, feminine apron!

Her fabric vintage inspired fabric choices were perfect for this style!  Don't you love the button detail at the neck?

She mastered so many techniques in just this one project!  

Ruffles

Top stitching

&

Button holes

How lucky am I that I have a beautiful SIL, who likes me enough to hang out in an empty house in the country sewing away?

The Perfect Top

During my rounds of craft shows and art fairs, I receive more compliments on this little style than any other.

The Reversible Pinafore Top/Tunic

It really might be the perfect top for your little lady.

Great with layers underneath in cold weather.

Great on it's own in warm weather.

Fully reversible....2 tops in one!

I found this spunky orange and pink pig print and whipped up 2 pinafore tops for The Peanut and her cousin. They'll be the cutest girls in the crowd at the county fair hog show this summer!

Several pinafore tops are available in my Lois Pearl etsy shop.  Have a specific color or size in mind?  I'd love to create a custom top just for you!

Lois Pearl items are made of the highest quality fabrics.  All fabric is pre-washed to reduce the likelihood of shrinkage, and only the finest professional construction methods are used.