Snow Days (Part 1)

The Polar Vortex hit Indiana hard last weekend.  This snow loving girl didn't mind at all!  There is nothing prettier than a hike along our river bottom in the snow.  I can remember my parents bundling us up do the same thing when my brother and I were young!

The snow makes for a terrific playground and great pictures!

 A view of the river bottom from our backyard.  Hard to believe that it was totally flooded about a month ago!

 The backyard looking toward the big farm and cattle pasture.

 Henry the bull.

 The back of the family farm.

Huck

Miller

These pictures were taken when the snow was falling and temperatures were around 32 F.  Once the temps dropped below zero our pups only went outside for about a minute at a time.  The bull got to come inside from the bitter cold to a nice warm stall filled with grain and hay.  We're all looking forward to enjoying the balmy high today of 23!  

Perks!

I'll let you in on a little secret, there is a fantastic deal out there right now for Lois Pearl!  Check out My Perks for my deal and great offers from other local Indiana artisans.  

While you're at it, please take a moment to follow the participating artisans on Facebook.  Links to their websites can be found on Bizzy's Blog.  Items from these artisans can be found on Bizzy too!

It's a great chance to get a jump on holiday shopping or a treat for yourself!

Fall 2013 dresses are here!

Sometimes choosing fabrics can be overwhelming.  Sometimes you see a pattern, a color combination, or a design that's just "it".

When Joel Dewberry released his newest fabric line, it was love at first sight.  The hardest part was narrowing my choices down to a few bolts!  Add a splash of Amy Butler's big florals into the mix, and it made for a fun, spirited, and yet classic collection!

Brooke & Dan Brand, of Brand Photo Design did an amazing job of capturing these images.  A special "thank you" to their beautiful daughters, Natalie & Sammi for being my models.  Aren't they gorgeous girls?  Brooke & Dan are so creative and professional, I felt honored to have them photograph my dresses.  Thank you Brand Family!

The "Alice" Knot Dress

The "Amelia" Knot Dress

The "Annie" & The "Addison"

The "Avery"

You can find even more great fall styles listed here on the Lois Pearl Etsy page.  All dresses are available in sizes 12 month to 8 years.  These fabric combination can also be made as peasant dresses if you prefer sleeves.

Thanks so much for stopping in!  More fun items will be making their debut in the coming weeks!

Who is Lois Pearl?

Who's this Lois Pearl lady anyway?

I've been so sporadic about blogging that I'm probably a stranger to anyone reading this.  So, let's get to know one another a bit better.

1.  I live in a small town in Central Indiana.
2.  I can see cattle from my kitchen window.  This makes me ever so happy.
3.  Coffee is my best friend along with my two gray dogs.
4.  If you follow me on Twitter @lois_pearl you'll see lots of pictures of dogs and fabric.
5.  Some of my earliest memories are of watching my mom sew, and of sorting her scraps.
6.  Now while I sew, my little Evy sorts my scraps.
7.  We live "around the corner" from the farm that my family has lived on for 100 years.

8.  If I cook something for you, and you like it, please don't ask me for a recipe.  I probably didn't follow one.
9.  The majority of my sewing patterns were created by me.  I don't like following patterns any more than I like following recipes!
10.  My sewing and furniture refinishing business has taken over our basement, affectionately named "The Sweatshop".
11.  I perfected my sewing skills during my 10 years in 4-H.
12.  Prior to taking on Lois Pearl full time, I sold locally raised beef & pork to restaurants.
13.  I love hiking on the farm with my gray dogs, Miller & Huckleberry.
14.  Both of our dogs are rescues.  In our prior life we fostered both dogs and cats.
15.  Teal is my favorite color of the moment.
16.  Every home that I have lived in has a red front door.
17.  My favorite vacation spot is Frankfort, MI.
18.  I have 4 sewing machines.  The newest addition is a gorgeous antique Singer.
19.  My kiddos are 3 & 5.  The oldest just started Kindergarten in the same classroom where I attended.

20.  My husband is a farm kid too.  We met in college at a cattle show.
21.  We've been married 10 years.
22.  Lois Pearl is named for my grandmother & great-grandmother.  It just has a nice sound to it.
23.  Homemade granola might be the world's most perfect food.
24.  Followed closely by my mom's chicken casserole.
25.  I love organizing things in ROYGBIV (rainbow) order.

Nice to meet you!  If you enjoy pictures of the farm, sewing, and food, than we have a lot in common!  I hope that you'll stop back soon!

Preschool Sunday

This little peanut loves color, ruffles, twirling, and pink!

So I shouldn't have been surprised when we came up with this combo.  I told her that for her special "Preschool Sunday" program we would design a dress together.  Here is a glimpse of our creation.

The straps are fully adjustable and pull through a buttonhole in the back.  They tie up in the sweetest little bow!

Miss Evy also insisted that she needed coordinating ruffle pants.  She chose this pink polka dot fabric.  I love that it will go with so many of her other dresses and tees this summer.

The perfect outfit for the girl on the go!

I have a feeling that my little assistant and I will be working together quite a bit when her brother heads off to Kindergarten next year.  It was such a treat to spend some extra time together.  Hopefully she'll learn to love to sew just like her mama and grandma!

Pssst.....this super cute combo is just too good to keep to myself.  It's available now in my Etsy shop!  Just click HERE.

The Kitchen Reveal....finally!

It's been a whirlwind 10 months for our family.  Last Spring, we made the decision to move to my hometown.  There was a beautiful country property adjacent to my parent's farm that we had the opportunity to buy.  Hill and I have always said that our ideal home would be a ranch, with a walkout, in the country.  Well....we got it!

We spent the summer working on the outside and after much planning....and replanning finally started remodeling the interior in October.  Between kids, construction, and Lois Pearl I just haven't had time to blog about what we've been doing.  Over the next couple of weeks I'll try to bring you up to speed!

First, we'll start with the kitchen.  Here is what it looked like when the previous owner was still living in our home.

It was a "U" shaped galley style kitchen.  Traffic in the home came in the back door and right through the main kitchen area.

The kitchen flowed into the Hearth Room and had an adjacent eating area.  The back wall of the Hearth room had a bank of 3 large closets...and lots of paneling.

Here is the kitchen now, taken from the same vantage point.

The wall that had been on the right just beyond the island was removed, along with a portion of the hallway ceiling.  We now have a nice, open living concept.  Perfect for entertaining!

I love that the microwave is hidden down low.  Now the kids can make their own popcorn!

 It's amazing what a difference removing the paneling and painting the ceiling, walls, and trim has made!

*Note the sleepy Weimie in the picture.  Spoiled??

We owe a huge "Thank You" to Gary West at Great Kitchen and Baths in Muncie, IN for designing such a great family space for us.  

It feels great to be in our "forever" home!

A Birthday Surprise at Kelsay Farms

For The Bug's 5th birthday yesterday I told him that I had a day of surprises planned. He was so excited!  We started off with lunch at our favorite spot, Jimmy Johns, and then headed just south of Indy to Kelsay Farms for a day of fun outside on the farm.

The kids were so excited when we pulled up and they saw this giant Bale Mountain.  This is every kids dream!

We toured the milking parlor, where our wonderful friend, Amy, was giving the tour.  Amy and her husband Joe have been great friends of ours ever since our Purdue years.  One of my favorite things about our Indiana Ag friends is that no matter how much time passes, things always seem to stay the same.  Amy, Joe, and their three children all work on the farm, along with the rest of their family . This year, the farm is celebrating an amazing 175th anniversary!

After the milking parlor we checked out the barn where the cows get to hang out.  The kids thought it was so cool that the cows get to take naps on water beds!

One of my favorite parts of the farm was getting to see some of the babies.  This sweet little calf named Sprinkles let the kiddos snuggle right up to it.  She even sucked Nate's finger.  He learned all about how calves don't have top teeth.

We made sure to check out the corn maze, and big and little tractors.  It's amazing how BIG farm equipment is these days!

The rides on the Moo Choo Express and the hay wagon were big hits too!

We finished the day with a wallow in the corn pit & milkshake.

Finally we picked some big fat pumpkins that will make great Jack'O Lantern in a couple of weeks.

If you are interested in experiencing the Kelsay Farm Tour, be sure to check out their website.  They are open all weekends through October 28th.

www.kelsayfarms.com

Whether you know a lot, or a little about farming, I promise that you will learn something new and have a ton of fun while you're at it.

Thanks Amy for a great day!