Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

It's Wednesday morning and already the week has been hopping (a little Easter pun).  Wow! As of this posting Cajun Stitchery has 225 fans on Facebook.  We need to get name recognition and it's looking good. 

The weather has been so beautiful that I can't seem to keep George indoors.  He has been working on the yard and in the garden.  I need to take pictures. 

One of the ladies who won our contest wanted a tablecloth to go with the napkins.  We ordered and received the tablecloth.  The napkins have been stitched out.  Oh, how lovely.  I'm bringing the tablecloth to her tonight and she will decide where she wants the designs on the tablecloth.  She wanted red napkins and tablecloth with a poinsettia and the name "Ballew".  On the tablecloth she wants the poinsettia on opposing corners and the name "Ballew" on opposing corners.  The only questions are: how big does she want the design and how far from the hem?  This will be a beautiful set when finished.

Sometime ago I ran across a place that sold "table in a bag" packages.  They included the tablecloth, over cloth, and chair covering.  That's a really cool idea but expensive.  We get our tablecloths from a factory in California and they seem to have nice napkins, tablecloths and all of the trimmings.  We can sell our own "table in a bag" package for around $100.00.  Embroidery would be an additional charge, of course.  The $100.00 is an approximation since table sizes and number of chairs and settings vary.  Our package would include the napkins, tablecloth, over cloth (in satin), and chair covering.  We can also offer table runners, chair sashes, and the over cloth in satin, organza or taffeta.  We can even get chargers.  I've always admired a pretty table.  Mine is usually covered in computers and notebooks.

Another contest winner debated on whether she wanted white napkins with a black "Z" or a pretty design that we put together with turtles and a "Z".  She finally saw the little turtle napkins that we did for another contestant and she ordered those.

The other contest winner had the red napkins with the conch shell and "Johnson" in script.  I believe those photos were posted earlier with the turtle napkins.

Last week we didn't have anyone enter the contest.  So far this week we have 3 entries.  Come on everyone, join in the fun.  There is no cost to you at all.  The winner gets a set of 4 napkins with napkin friendly embroidery of their choice.  All you have to do to enter is send me an email at peggyhenshall@yahoo.com and tell me a home remedy.  The home remedy could relate to health, housekeeping, gardening, whatever.  The winner will be announced on Friday.  This is our last contest for our anniversary month, so join in the fun.

We had a request for a slot machine design on a tote bag.  The customer found the design at Dakota Collectibles and we had the design in stock.  The problem was that the original design is about 2" square.  A design that small would hardly be noticable on a tote bag.  The rule is that you can usually take a large design and reduce the size, but the reverse is not true.  However, in this instance we increased the design to about 6" square and it looked fine.  Increasing the size of the design naturally increased the stitch count.  It went from about 11,000 stitches to 29,000 stitches.  Since embroidery is sold by the 1,000 stitches, this is an issue.  We then took the design back to the computer program and reduced the density a/k/a stitches.  The stitch count reduced to about 16,000.  Here are photographs of both.  Since this was a sample on density, the thin fabric used caused the registration (line and outlines) to be off considerably.  The registration will clean up when stitched on the proper fabric with the proper stabilizer and hooping.  That wasn't the issue at the moment.  Do you see the difference in the density?  The 29,000 stitch design has colors that appear more bold and bright and clearly delineated.  The 16,000 looks lighter.  It is a cute design.

Easter is coming up Sunday.  If you have any last minute baskets to get, please remember the environment and be eco-friendly.  Rather than plastic Easter grass, use shredded paper.  Avoid using plastic Easter baskets.  Be creative.  We still have some of the little garden totes, insulated lunch bags, and other totes that would make cute Easter baskets.  As corny as it sounds, George and I always color Easter eggs on the Saturday before Easter.  We love doing this and letting the child inside go wild:>)

C'est toute, mes amis.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Odds and Ends

Since our last Cajun Corner we've had a couple of people submit entries for this week's contest.  The winner gets 4 embroidered napkins -- it's free stuff.  The winner will be announced this coming Friday.  Get your entries in by sending me an email at peggyhenshall@yahoo.com.  The contest is to submit home remedies, whether for health, housework, or whatever. 

Saturday evening we had a new friend and CPA over for dinner.  Boiled shrimp with potatoes, corn on the cob, french bread and wine.  She graciously baked and brought a chocolate cake -- yum.  We had a lovely evening even if it did include signing our tax returns.  We just love Dale.  Look her up at Padgett's Business Services in Pensacola.

We took the weekend off.  There was no embroidery this weekend.  I worked a bit on the blanket and George worked in the yard and garden.  It was a quiet, relaxing weekend.

Now we're ready to work.  Today we have some napkins and tablecloths to embroider.  I can't wait to post those pictures.

This week I want to start working on our Etsy site and get that going better than it has been.  We put a couple of items on there during the Mardi Gras season and really haven't done much with it since.  I'm thinking about making more of the little dog harnesses and maybe some aprons.

The Cajun Stitchery Facebook page is working well.  We have 198 fans at this time.  I was really pushing for 200 by the end of the weekend.  But we are only 2 shy of the mark and that's not bad.  I hope to have a lot more by next weekend.

We are planning a neighborhood gathering tonight by the chiminea.  Just a nice fire and a glass of wine.  Everyone has to work tomorrow so it won't be a late night thing.  We just haven't seen each other in a week.  Everyone has been so busy.

Have a wonderful week, mes amis!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Cajun Corner Vol 2 No 12

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 12 – March 26, 2010


Bon Jour! Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit http://www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com/ often.

Cajun Stitchery’s first anniversary has been wonderful and still ongoing. We still are not getting much participation in the contests. No one submitted a response to the contest this week. Come on friends, it’s free stuff. And I love doing this. Only one more week in March and then the contests are over.

This week’s contest: Again, this week Cajun Stitchery would like to know some home remedy ideas. This can be health, cleaning, or household remedies. Doesn’t have to be an essay but you are welcome to do so. Email your response to peggyhenshall@yahoo.com. The winner will be announced next week in Cajun Corner. Prize: 4 embroidered napkins.

Right now I’m anxiously awaiting a response to an email that I sent to a rather exclusive linen company, Ulster Linen Company. They sell wholesale, high quality Irish linen by the yard or item. Their minimum order is rather pricey for me but if I start getting a demand for heirloom type items, I am thinking about biting the bullet and getting something really high quality that you can hand down to your daughters and granddaughters with pride.

Did you know…linen is made from flax. Initially, man wore animal skins as garments. As man created more nomadic type communities driving herds, they began wearing clothing made of wool from their sheep. When man started settling down into communities and cultivating the land, they planted flax and their clothing from the flax plant was linen. Linen was the earliest vegetable matter to be woven. Linen is also mentioned in the Bible many times and represents purity. Linen is such a durable fabric that Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen strips. As the tombs have been discovered, other fabrics disintegrated and turned to dust while the linen fabric remained mostly intact. The British Museum in London has mummy linen 6,000 years old. Linen not only is long lasting but harmful germs leave linen alone, making linen extremely sanitary. Otherwise, the linen in the Egyptian tombs would have turned to dust with the other fabrics. The ancient Phoenicians actually introduced flax cultivation to Ireland. The Board of Trustees of the Linen Manufacturers controlled the Irish linen industry for over 100 years (1711-1823). It is due to its success in control of the industry that Irish linen today is looked upon as the high mark in quality among linen manufacturers in the world.

Last Saturday I created a Facebook page for Cajun Stitchery. Many of our Facebook friends commented on the photographs that we’ve posted. I’m trying to post as many of the photographs as I can. We were surprised that we have 178 fans for the Cajun Stitchery Page and we haven’t even been running a week yet. I’m shooting for name recognition as well as sales for Cajun Stitchery. As always, there is an element of fun, too. If you are on Facebook and have not yet become a fan of Cajun Stitchery, please do so.

This week I tried to update the slideshow on the blog. At first I thought I lost all of the old slideshow. Now I have about half of the photos on there that I wanted but at least there are new photos on the slideshow. Cajun Stitchery Facebook page is now connected to the blog.

The exercise of uploading the photos to the Facebook page and working with the slideshow demonstrated to me how many pictures we’ve taken of projects over the last year. I do not have an exact count, and the count changes all of the time, but it is over 300 pictures. Those photographs have become a portfolio as well as a diary.

The other big accomplishment this week was on bookkeeping day, Tuesday. We had a long list of things to do for taxes and bookkeeping and finished. It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders when all of those things were finally done. Don’t you just hate it when you dread doing something and keep putting it off? It is such a feeling of exhilaration when you finally get through it and to the other side.

George is in the garden as I type this. He’s planting onions and carrots today. It really has been a pretty week and wonderful to be in the garden. The whole yard is looking like Spring has sprung.

Always remember that we are just a call or email away at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com or 850-261-2462 and place your order.

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One day Thibodeaux went up to Boudreaux. "You know Boudreaux, I think somethin' wrong wit me."

Boudreaux said, "Mais, Thibodeaux, tell me what's your problem.?"

"Well, Boudreaux," Thibodeaux said. "My whole body is in pain. Everywhere I press on my body it hurts."

"Thibodeaux, I think I know what's wrong with you." Boudreaux replied.

"Tell me Boudreaux, what could it be?"

"Thibodeaux, you need to see the doctor because your finger's broken."

ΘΘΘΘΘ

French phrase of the week: Tu veux aller au bal avec moi à soir? (Do you want to go to the dance with me tonight?)

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Awhile back we met with our local commissioner. During our meeting the conversation went to the environment. He said that the chemicals that we use on our lawn and the chemicals used by professional exterminators are leaching into our ground water and creating a significant problem.

Why do we use chemicals and especially expensive chemicals to do a job that normal, everyday, environmentally friendly products will achieve for a low cost? Here are some tips:

1. Remove bacteria and pesticide residue from produce - Use 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water, wash produce thoroughly.

2. Clean windows and countertops - Use a 50% water and vinegar mixture to clean windows and countertops.

3. Remove shower and bathtub film - Use vinegar full strength on an old wash rag.

4. Toilet bowl stains - Use white distilled vinegar full strength with a scrubber.

5. Furniture polish - Use a 50% olive oil and vinegar mixture and polish furniture with a soft cloth. Be sure to test furniture in an inconspicuous spot first because vinegar is acidic.

6. Clean microwave - Utilize 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in a bowl. Place in the microwave and cook until boiling. Immediately wipe interior of microwave.

7. Wash no-wax floors - Add 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar to a half-gallon of warm water. Mop or scrub floor.

8. Clean kitchen cutting boards - Use vinegar full strength on cutting boards.

9. Wash grass stains out of fabric - Use a 1/3 cup vinegar and 2/3 cup water mixture. Apply to stain and blot.

10. Remove molds and mildew - Use a 50% water and white vinegar mixture for light mildew stains, and full strength white vinegar to kill heavier mildew and mold growth.

Please let me know if there is something that you would like to see in the weekly email. You may always call me at (850) 261-2462 or email me at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com.

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list.

C’est tout, mes amis

Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

P.S. You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the new catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Easter, Spring, Graudations and Weddings

I am a bad neighbor.  My neighbor went on vacation to Boston and loaned her house out to relatives who were coming into the Pensacola area for their vacation.  She asked me to look in on them and make sure they had everything they needed.  They came in Sunday night so we didn't want to bother them.  I assumed they were tired from traveling.  Monday morning the lady called me and we had a friendly chat and they were fine.  I have not made it over there to even introduce myself face-to-face.  It's been crazy around here.  In a good way.  I must make sure I go over there today.

Cajun Stitchery's page on Facebook has consumed my time this week.  I'm trying to get a lot of our photographs of projects on their for all to see.  It's been a kind of blitz of advertisement for us.  Good gosh!  I've taken a lot of photographs and we've done a lot of projects.  One of them George didn't even remember doing.

All of that combined with Spring and a definite urge to be outside.  George has worked in the yard all week.  It is looking great.  Today he's working in the garden.  I'm bound and determined to get on the embroidery machine and stitch away all day. 

The napkins that we embroidered for the church affair were received with delight.  We finished the napkins for our contest winner, Sandi, and she should receive them today.  She wanted red napkins and I sent her several sample designs.  Finally, she said for me to choose a design and surprise her but she likes her full last name and a conch shell.  They turned out nice.  Now we wait and see how Sandi likes them.

Judy, another contest winner, wanted the three turtles design that she and I worked on for one of her Christmas presents.  That design just wasn't going to work on napkins.  It was much too dense.  So, we've decided to use one turtle, instead of three.  I think they will end up looking lovely.

The other contest winner was Amy.  Amy, too, wanted red napkins but then decided she also wanted a red tablecloth.  We are waiting on the delivery of the napkins and tablecloth.  Although we have red napkins, I wanted to make sure it was the same shade of red, so I ordered the napkins with the tablecloth.

Several people have dropped by this week.  I love company.  One of our neighbors is an avid gardener and he and George get together trading plants and seeds.  This week he brought over a plant called feverfew.  I've heard the name but that's about it.  He says that he calls it the "Bayer plant" because it's an herb that is supposed to relieve headaches.  The reason he brought it to us is because we are always trying to find something that will grow under our oak trees.  Plants do not like those trees.  I will say that last year he suggested that we plant the oregano under the big live oak and sure enough the oregano is still alive.  I wouldn't exactly say that it is florishing but it is green. 

I'm working in the evenings on a throw blanket that I'm making.  I'm using test samples from many of last year's projects.  Sure hope this turns out nice.  It is taking a long time.

Yesterday was Tuesday and Tuesdays at Cajun Stitchery are bookkeeping days.  Our new friend and CPA had several projects for me to do and we did them all.  It was such a good feeling by the end of the day to have plowed through all of that stuff and have it behind us. 

The Junkanoo jackets are gone.  Leigh came over Monday after work and we loaded all of them into her car.  We had jackets hanging everywhere.  Once they were gone, the house looked empty.

We have one more Nereid jacket to do.  We had the jacket and last week George was working on it and the hood got caught under the sash of the embroidery machine and pulled the design askew.  We tried pulling out all of the stitches but finally realized that even if we got all of the stitches out, it wouldn't look as nice as we would like.  So, we ordered a new jacket that should arrive today or tomorrow.

There is one more week in March.  So we will have another contest this Friday.

I guess the next thing is Easter, Spring, graduations and weddings.  We are heading into the graduation and wedding time of the year.  If time permits, I think I'll stitch out several appropriate designs.  Remember heirloom for both weddings and graduations. 

C'est toute, mes amis.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Who Let The Cats Out?

Another wonderful weekend.  Saturday I figured out how to get a Cajun Stitchery page on Facebook.  That's when I also figured out how to get Facebook friends on this blog.  Pretty cool.  Anyway, it was like a media blitz on Facebook with my posts and pictures.  I want everyone to see what we do and love to do. 

Saturday afternoon we attended a birthday party on the beach.  One of my friends was telling me about a raffle or event coming up at her church and Cajun Stitchery offered to donate a set of 4 embroidered napkins for the cause.  That evening the napkins were embroidered.  We used a seahorse motif in beachy colors. 

Friday night we had embroidered a set of napkins for a neighbor.  He was so funny about the napkins.  He and I worked on the computer helping him select the perfect design of his choice and the best colors and in the end he was pleased as punch.

Sunday we went to the Fairhope Arts & Craft Festival and had a wonderful time.  Several people from the neighborhood went and we met up with George's sister.  We were hungry for lunch but the rest of the group wanted to look at the crafts and not stop to eat.  So, George, his sister and I split from the other group and went to eat, then look at crafts, listen to music, and see all of the sights.  We even went into the Fairhope Museum and learned the history of Fairhope.  All in all it was a wonderful day.

By the time we got home, we sat down to chill out and watch a movie.  We fell asleep on the sofas.  Evie, our labrador retriever, kept trying to get me up.  I kept pushing her away and she would grab my hand and jostle it.  Well, there was no waking me up.  When I finally did get up, I immediately noticed the back door was open.  George was also asleep on the sofa and as I jumped up, I woke him up and told him.  It all took a second to happen.  We both ran to the back door.  All three of our cats were outside.  Our cats are all indoor cats.  They've had their front claws removed.  Tigger and Sylvester were sitting on our deck, close to the back door, looking very bewildered.  Tigger, who was a stray kitten and begged to come into our family, wanted no part of outdoor life and ran right back into the house.  I guess he was afraid that we would close the door and he wouldn't be able to get back in.  Sylvester, our tuxedo cat, has never been outside other than on walks with us while we carry him, also looked as though he didn't know what he was doing there and ran into the house.  Then there is Polly, the little manx cat.  Polly was on the lawn near the deck, perfectly content to do her own thing.  While the other two cats would have long term emotional disorders if left outside without a means of returning to the climate controlled house, Polly, on the other hand, is curious about everything and insists on having everything her own way.  The other two will come to their names.  Polly knows her name but will come when she darn well feels like it.  George went around one side of the deck; I went around the other.  George knelt down to call Polly and she bolted.  Luckily, she bolted into my arms, but almost through my arms.  George said the NFL would be on our doorsteps recruiting me had they seen the tackle I made on that cat.  Even at that she nearly slipped through my arms. 

All's well that ends well, and all of the cats were retrieved and back in the house.  But, I must say how pleased I am with the dogs.  Apparently, while Evie was trying to wake me up, Stinky was working on George.  They knew something was wrong.  We just didn't close the back door tight and the wind must have blown it open.  Last night our dogs got special treats for the heroes that they are.

We found the cute little garden tote bags in a couple of other colors:  pink/brown and green/light green.  We also found the fanny packs in several colors.  The fanny packs, however, are no longer for sale because I wore the one I embroidered for me to Fairhope.  It worked fine but by the end of the day the zipper broke and the construction was just not a good quality construction.


C'est toute, mes amis.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Cajun Corner Vol. 2, No. 10

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 10 – March 13, 2010


Bon Jour! Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit us at www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.

Cajun Stitchery’s first anniversary has been wonderful and still ongoing. We still are not getting as much participation in the contests as anticipated, but we are getting enough for a winner each week. I guess I have a lot to learn about contests.

This week’s contest winner is D.J. Zemenick. D.J. won a set for 4 napkins with the embroidery of her choice. D.J. said: “My pet peeve is finding so much plastic on the beach. Balloons and plastic bags get blown into the Gulf of Mexico and cause harm or even death to our endangered sea turtles when they mistake plastic in the water for a jellyfish (which they eat) and then choke on it or it creates a blockage in their stomach. Since it is so easy for an empty plastic bag to get blown away in our strong island breezes, I'm a strong advocate of using cloth/canvas shopping bags when I shop.” Isn’t that a great response for the contest? Of course, DJ and others have Cajun Stitchery bags and our bags are always available. Visit DJ on her blog at www.barrierislandgirl.blogspot.com. DJ is one heck of a photographer.

This week’s contest: This week Cajun Stitchery would like to know some home remedy ideas. This can be health, cleaning, or household remedies. Doesn’t have to be an essay but you are welcome to do so. Email your response to peggyhenshall@yahoo.com. The winner will be announced next week in Cajun Corner. Prize: 4 embroidered napkins.

Junkanoo jackets are done. Embroidering the names on the jackets was a piece of cake, except… First, we found that several of the jackets had patches glued, and I mean glued solid, onto the area that we were going to embroider the names. That’s when we discovered (thank you Amy) Goof-Off. This stuff is fabulous. So, we got the patches off and embroidered the names. We embroidered what everyone had written on a piece of paper in their pockets, or for those without papers in their pockets we figured out whose jacket it was and embroidered their name. One of the ladies wrote her entire name. We embroidered as she had written, only to find out later that she didn’t want her entire name but only her first name. It took us three days to meticulously take out each and every one of those embroidered stitches. George and I were taking turns. After staring at the tiny stitches for so long you had to get up and focus on other things. All is well that ends well and we got the stitches out, embroidered her first name and it looks great.

The Junkanoos are a group of simply wonderful people. I have shopped with them, ate with them, drank with them, partied with them, and each and every one that I know on the krewe is simply a wonderful human being. You know they captured my heart when they held the Kritter Krawl and make donations to the Humane Society.

I remembered to bring my camera and took pictures of the pillowcases that I embroidered for a friend. She had just washed the pillowcases and they were a bit wrinkled but at least I have the photos for posterity.

My discussion last week about Hope Chests created an email conversation with one of my dear, sweet friends. Kathi has a way with words and so I’m going to let her say it herself: “I've never heard of starting a hope chest for someone else (unless of course you're the mother and can't wait to get this child out of your house!). Back 'in my day' the girls started a hope chest in their teens; in the 'hope' of marrying to, basically, get out of their parents’ homes. There were not a lot of other choices for females then unless you had parents rich enough to send you to college (where they 'hoped' their girls would find an educated husband). My eldest sister was the only one in my family (with a total of 4 girls) to actually have a hope chest. I don't really remember what she put in the chest.”

You know I simply cannot resist a good research project and this was just too tempting. My research showed that a Hope Chest could be started or added to by anyone. The actual "hope chest", the elaborate ones, were passed down from mother to daughter. Whatever the girl received through her life that would be classified as a household item would or could be placed in their hope chest. Frequently, the hope chest was simply a drawer where the girl collected the items. The hope chest is also known as trousseau, dowry, cedar chest, glory box, kast, or schrank chest.

Historically, mothers taught daughters to sew, embroider, knit, crochet, etc., and the daughters would put her items in her hope chest as she made them.

"Back in my day" we had bridal showers, as we have today, where the girl was given items for her home. The "Hope Chest" by Lane Furniture became popular after WWII when the Lane Company completed its government contract building ammunition boxes. Lane Furniture was then created and specialized in Hope Chests a/k/a cedar chests. They pushed a huge, successful, marketing campaign for their Hope Chests. The Lane Furniture Company has since gone out of business.

There seems to be a resurrection of hope a/k/a cedar chests nowadays for men and women. Since the cedar will protect even important documents, they are now used to keep passports, birth certificates, and other documents, as well as the traditional blankets and other household items.

Personally, I think a hope chest is a wonderful thing and would love to see it back in vogue. It's romantic, yet practical. Sadly, I don't believe mothers teach daughters those fine arts of homemaking much anymore. I’m just a romantic at heart.

George finished scrapping the living room ceiling. Now he needs to do his magic and paint the ceiling.

We did an experiment with the gold thread. Sitting side-by-side the spools are the identical colors. However, once we stitched a little design, the difference was apparent. I guess there is just nothing like the shine of that metallic thread. The photographs of the experiment were posted on the blog earlier this week. Take a look and let me know your comments, please.

Tax season is a breeze this year. My new tax/financial guru, Dale Jones, has my stuff all in order. I now have a new reason to get outside, professional help with my taxes: it frees me up to make money and complete our orders. Had I been doing the taxes this week, Cajun Stitchery’s orders would have backed up for sure. I believe my Mama would even be impressed. I still have several lists of things to do that Dale has requested but I’m working on that. At Cajun Stitchery Tuesdays are bookkeeping day. That’s the day that George tiptoes around the house because I’m usually muttering under my breath at QuickBooks or some other computer software.

Cajun Corner is not late this week. I have a luncheon to attend today and I want to make sure this issue is received timely. Yes, it is 2:00 a.m. and I’m typing. I have always been my most creative in the wee hours of the morning. In fact, the same was true for Mama and Nancy.

I have to share a story with you. When Nancy and I were still in school, in the early 1960’s, neither one of us liked to do homework. Mama was always on us to get our homework done but she worked and it was hard to get us to do homework after school because she wasn’t there. We were always doing our homework at the last minute. It’s a miracle that either one of us graduated. Mama realized that all of us were more creative in the wee hours of the morning a/k/a late night. So, she imposed a new rule. We all went to bed at 7:00 p.m. and she woke us up at 3:00 a.m. to do our homework. The new rule lasted maybe three days. We were the grumpiest, most cantankerous three females on earth for those few mornings. The flaw in her plan was that none of us were morning people.

Always remember that we are just a call or email away at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com or 850-261-2462 and place your order.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Thibodeaux came back from a 28 day hitch offshore. He had made him a big check. So Thibodeaux decided to go to Gulotta's in New Iberia and buy himself a brand new pair of patent leather boots. After buying the boots, Thibodeaux decided to go dancing at La Poussierre in Breaux Bridge to break in his new boots. At the dance Thibodeaux asked Marie if she want to waltz. She said, "Mais yea, Thibodeaux." In the middle of dancing, Thibodeaux asked Marie, "You got some blue panties on?" Marie replied, "Yea, how you know dat?" Thibodeaux said, "Because I could see the reflection in my brand new patent leather boots." Thibodeaux then asked Claudette if she wanted to dance. She agreed. In the middle of dancing Thibodeaux asked, "You got some red panties on?" Claudette said, "Yea, how you know dat?" Thibodeaux said, "Because I could see the reflection in my brand new pair of patent leather boots." Thibodeaux then asked Clotile if she wanted to dance. She agreed. In the middle of dancing Thibodeaux asked, "Clotile, you not wearing any panties, huh?" Clotile said, "Mais non, Thibodeaux." Thibodeaux caught his breath and said in relief, "Thank God, I thought I had a crack in my brand new pair of patent leather boots."

ΘΘΘΘΘ

French phrase of the week: Descends de là droite asteur! (Get down from there right now!)

ΘΘΘΘΘ

From: http://www.plantea.com/coffee-bag-container-garden.htm

The next time you order an espresso to go, ask for a burlap coffee bag, to go, too. Lightweight (and free!) coffee bags are a unique way to add gardening space to your yard, and recycle at the same.

You can plant any kind of annual flowers, vegetables and herbs in burlap coffee bags. Strawberries work great, too! Here's how you do it:

1. Set a coffee bag in place, against a tree, under a shrub, or among a clump of perennials.

2. Roll down the top edge until you have the height you want. The rounded collar around the top is gentle on plants that hang over the edge.

3. Fill the bag with pre-dampened, all-purpose potting soil (or fill halfway with compost and/or garden soil and then top off with potting soil). No need to worry about drainage: The burlap bag holds moisture, yet drains well and stays upright.

4. Plant with seedlings, like you would a regular container. For a filled-out effect, experiment with cutting slits on the sides and poking seedlings in the holes.

Burlap coffee bags provide you with instant container gardens that adapt to any garden and landscape situation. Because they sit gently on the earth, you can use burlap containers to fill spaces and shape in, and around, existing beds.

Because they are biodegradable, plan on using your coffee bag(s) for one season. At the end of the season, they are soft and pliable. At that point, just break it apart and distribute the soil around the garden. Bury the burlap bag in the garden or in the compost pile where it will decompose.

Yes, believe it or not, coffee shops are great sources of gardening supplies. Coffee grounds are a wonderful non-toxic, home remedy for keeping slugs and snails at bay (read the whole article) and many coffee shops are more than happy to give you their used grounds!

Please let me know if there is something that you would like to see in the weekly email. You may always call me at (850) 261-2462 or email me at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com.

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list.

C’est tout, mes amis

Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

P.S. You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the new catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day.  I hope everyone wore their green today.

The cute little fanny pack and the garden tool bag were a hit.  Look at our last post for photographs of these items.  One lady wanted the garden tool bag but wanted it in a different color.  It only comes in blue.  It is so cute that I'm seriously thinking about making some to sell on Etsy.  Keep an eye out at our etsy shop http://www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com/

This Exfoliating Bath Mitt comes in several colors, as seen in the photograph.  We are able to stitch a small design on these, including a name or initials.  I don't have one with embroidery to show you.  They have a rough texture for exfoliating.  The only way I know of describing it is a soft rough texture.  It is certainly not like a steel wool kind of rough.  The colors are all in pastels and would look lovely for a nice Spring or Easter gift of bath luxuries with some nice soaps, bubble bath, a pretty matching towel and the like.  In fact, I kept one for myself and plan to use it for all of our scrap soap pieces.  Just put the too small bars of soap in there (rather than tossing them in the garbage) and use this bath mitt to bathe or shower.  Perfect!

We've been working on a couple of dog harnesses for little dogs, Tatu and Smoochy.  The customer works at a local law firm, Michels & Booth, and provided the ready made harnesses.  I digitized the logo, names, and the motto "Don't Be A VictimTwice."  With the embroidery machine, we did the buttonholes and used the sewing machine to sew in the buttons and "D" ring.  Each harness took 6 hoopings.  I think they turned out cute.  Here is another item that appears simple to make and may appear in our Etsy store.

Until next time, cher.

Monday, March 15, 2010

The Outcome of A Shopping Adventure

Okay.  Before we even start this post, I apologize for the quality of some of these pictures.  I am not a photographer.

If you read this past Cajun Corner, then you know that I have been trying to come up with an alternative to metallic thread.  Bottom line is that metallic thread embroidery will cost you more whether from Cajun Stitchery or anyplace else.  There are various reasons for this but simply put, metallic thread is really made from metal and the up and down motion of the embroidery machine causes friction, which causes the thread to break.  So, as an embroiderer, you have to slow the machine down to a crawl.  Time is money and if it takes more time to work with metallic thread, then the cost will be more.

All of this said, we started wondering if gold, shiny thread could give the illusion of metallic.  Since we purchase our thread from a mill in North Carolina and the mill offers five shades of whatever color you want, we ordered five shades of non-metallic gold thread.  Holding the spools of thread next to each other, they were dead on with the color.  But, alas, as you can see, stitched out there is a difference.  It is the same shade of gold, only one is metallic and the other not.  That's not to say the non-metallic gold isn't beautiful.  It is. 

The little bag that I used for our metallic vs. non-metallic gold experiment is adorable.  This little bag has pockets on the outside, around the front with an elastic cord above the pockets.  The purported use of the little bag is for gardening.  Put your scissors or spade or whatever in the outside pockets.  The elastic cord holds the handles so they don't fall out.  Then you have additional space on the inside of the bag.  The handles are a light webbing fabric.  I saw those little bags and just had to have one. 

The first idea that came to mind was to use this bag as a substitute for plastic Easter baskets.  The bags are constructed with the recycled fabric like the Wal-Mart bags.  Who wouldn't want to wake up Easter morning with this little basket filled with gardening utensils, seeds, and other garden paraphenalia?  Taken on another vein, think of Easter grass in the center (let's try to use strips of paper rather than that plastic grass) with the usual goodies, chocolate Easter bunnies, Peeps, jelly beans, and maybe a beautifully colored boiled egg in each pocket.  The person's name could even be embroidered on the back side or around the rim.  The pockets would be so cute to place little stuffed bunnies.  Consider this bag as a make-up bag.  Another idea would be to put your napkins, salt and pepper shakers, perhaps your plastic (preferably the real thing, rather than plastic) knives and forks, and anything else that would fit for a picnic.  If you hang your clothes outside to dry, this would make a great clothes pin carrier. 

When I purchased the bag I was really hoping to be able to embroider on the pockets, but they are too small to hoop.  As you can see there is no problem embroidering around the top edge or even on the back side.  I just think these bags are adorable.  If you are interested, place an order for your bag in time for Easter.  There is a caveat, however:  if you want the bags, let me know now so that I can find them again.  They are only available as long as I can locate the local supply.  We will be glad to sell them with an embroidered name on the back for $7.00, plus tax and/or shipping.  If enough people think they are as darling as I do, I may consider making them myself.

I forgot to take pictures of the latest pillowcases.  They were beautiful.  Hopefully, I will visit the recipient of the pillowcases this week and, as long as I remember to bring my camera, I'll take photos.  In the meantime, I did take photographs of the sample design that we embroidered.  This design was on the 3" hem of the pillowcases on each side with the name in the middle.  They are very "heirloom."  This not only makes a wonderful gift for most occasions, but consider getting a set for yourself to pass onto your children, or to include in a Hope Chest.

While shopping I found this cute fanny pack.  I've never had a fanny pack in my life.  I've always avoided them because they would draw attention to my large fanny.  On the other hand, there are numerous times when I would prefer not to carry a purse but still have someplace to put my cell phone, money, keys, driver's license, etc.  I bit the bullet and purchased this cute fanny pack.  Of course, fanny packs are small intentionally but we still could put some cute small designs and even my name on this one.  It has two zippered pockets.  One is a small zippered pocket that could hold your  money or credit card.  The other is larger and can hold cell phones, keys, and other items.

Same caveat for the fanny pack as for the cute garden tote, above.  Cajun Stitchery will sell the fanny pack with embroidered name or initials for $7.00 plus tax and/or shipping as long as we can find them, again.

The last item that I want to share today is a 6-pack tote.  This tote is extremely light weight and insulated.  There have been articles written on embroidery on insulated or water proof items.  Embroidery perforates with stitches and at those points can allow moisture in on water proof things or release the heat or cold on insulated items.  To overcome these shortcomings, the back of the embroidery needs to be covered with glue.

This is the type of cooler that I used to use for my lunch at work.  They are the size of a 6-pack with room to put a little ice, if you like.  What I really liked about the one I had was that when they are empty, they fold up and can be stored anywhere.  I would fold it up and put it in my purse after lunch.

Have your name embroidered on it so everyone will know that it belongs to you.  All sides, including top and bottom can be embroidered on this cooler.  Just remember to cover the inside of the embroidery with glue, let dry, and you are ready to go.  The carrying strap is made of nylon webbing.  This would also make a darling Easter basket.  Fill with Easter grass and put chocolate bunnies, eggs and whatever you like in it.  Wrap it in cellophane with a beautiful bow and this would make a lovely Easter basket.  We have tons of stock designs, including Easter designs, which would look lovely on this bag.  Today must be $7.00 day.  This item, with your name or initials embroidered is $7.00 plus tax and/or shipping.

Have a wonderful day, cher!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Cajun Corner, Vol. 2, No. 10

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 10 – March 13, 2010


Bon Jour! Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit http://www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com/ often.

Cajun Stitchery’s first anniversary has been wonderful and still ongoing. Our terrific neighbors presented Cajun Stitchery with a congratulations card and a bottle of wine. Woohoo! We are not getting as much participation in the contests as anticipated. I guess I have a lot to learn about contests.

This week’s contest winner is Judy Loignon. Judy won a set for 4 napkins with the embroidery of her choice. Judy says what she likes most about Cajun Stitchery is the personal service. She likes the fact that we will work with our customers to create the perfect design. Thank you, Judy, for such kind words and input.

This week’s contest: This week Cajun Stitchery would like to know some eco-friendly ideas. Doesn’t have to be an essay but you are welcome to do so. The winner will be announced next week in Cajun Corner. Prize: 4 embroidered napkins.

This past week we have been working on Junkanoo jackets. Queen Junkanoo Leigh Weaver gave her gift to the krewe by hiring Cajun Stitchery to embroider the krewe’s first names on their jackets. Things were going just fine until we hit the ones that had glued patches over the pocket where the embroidery should go. A friend of ours introduced us to Goof-Off. Apparently, we are the last people around not to know about Goof-Off. This stuff will take glue off of fabric, remove dried latex paint, lipstick, oil, and just about anything. We tried it and it worked on the glued patches; although, some of the color came off of the sequins, but not too much. Later in the week, we were working on a Nereid jacket and the hood slipped under the sash and got grease on it. Not a problem. That Goof-Off got the grease out instantly. This is really good stuff and I’m happy to keep it in our supply cabinet for those unexpected times.

I embroidered the pillowcases and they turned out more than fabulous. You know what I forgot to do? That’s right. I forgot to take photographs of the pillowcases. This forgetting thing is really getting on my last nerve. All is well that ends well and if I can remember to bring my camera next Wednesday, I can take photographs of the pillowcases. I really want those pillowcases to have the look and quality of heirloom. These pillowcases and the designs really captured that heirloom feeling. It is funny because the girls were looking at the pillowcases and immediately started talking about the heirloom pillowcases that have been handed down in their own families and what to do with them when the fabric gets old and unusable.

I am now thinking about putting together hope chests for my two granddaughters. More research will be needed because I have questions. If you put a hope chest together, you cannot use the married name because you don’t know what it will be. Do you use the first name only? You also don’t know what size bed they will have. In the olden days, they had either a twin or double bed, but now we have queen and king size, as well. What size sheets do you use? What if she never gets married? Does she still get a hope chest? If not, isn’t that unfair? If so, when do you give the hope chest because you may be giving it prematurely? If anyone knows the proper etiquette for a hope chest, please send me an email. I would love to know.

George has been busy working on our ceilings this week. He is scrapping the popcorn ceilings and plans to repaint them without the popcorn. This, of course, got us into the mood to redecorate. Here’s the thing. We love our little home and the colors are perfect the way they are. I guess we just need fresh paint and a real good spring cleaning. Maybe I’ll make some new curtains and chair covers.

Oh, oh, oh. You know the issue about metallic thread? Most embroiderers don’t like to use metallic thread because of the problems posed. You have to slow the machine to a crawl, loosen the tension, and pray a lot. All of this is because metallic thread is actually made from metal. The up and down movement of the needle, plus the metallic thread going through the eye of the needle causes friction and then thread breaks. If an embroiderer even offers metallic thread, the price will be higher than normal because the time consumed in the embroidery will be so much more than using other, non-metallic, thread.

The normal thread that we use is very shiny but not metallic. We purchase our thread direct from a mill in Gastonia, NC. Usually we purchase five shades of whatever color we get. The mill is able to provide any color you want. We started wondering if we purchased five shades of gold, how close would that look to the metallic gold thread? Well, we ordered five shades of gold and a new spool of gold metallic thread. We were elated to find the identical color to the metallic gold. We can now offer the gold non-metallic at the same price as any other embroidery. Metallic gold is always available, but at a higher price.

It is tax season. If you knew my Mama, you would know that she prided herself on doing her own taxes and she chided me the few times that I did not do my own taxes. She passed away when she was almost 91 years old and had done her own taxes even that last year. She told me that when she first purchased the apartments that she did hire someone to do her taxes and then used those as a guideline for herself for the years afterwards.

I have a different take on the tax thing. I feel that I’m intelligent enough to read through the guidelines and do my own taxes, if I wanted or needed. But there are advantages to having a professional do your taxes. Obviously, a professional will be up-to-date on the tax laws and you are assured not to miss any tax breaks available. As a business owner, I know other people could do their own embroidery, but I would hope they look at Cajun Stitchery as giving a professional look to the embroidery as well as doing the things that a home embroiderer either could not or would not do. That’s how I feel about tax returns. In addition and depending on who does your taxes, you get a lot of valuable financial information.

All of that said, Cajun Stitchery has a new member to its team: Dale Jones, CPA/Accountant and new franchise owner of Padgett’s Business Services. Dale and I met at a Woman’s Business Luncheon and hit it off right away. We had lunch together earlier this week to discuss doing Cajun Stitchery’s taxes. She was hired right away. Her prices are reasonable and she understands small business very well. Best of all, she understood me, where I want Cajun Stitchery to go and what I want it to do.

I guess you noticed that Cajun Corner is a day late this week. I spent all day yesterday with our assistant county commissioner and Code Enforcement officers cleaning up the neighborhood. Then last night we spent the evening next door with the neighbors and one last hoorah with our friends from Pennsylvania. They returned home this morning.

Always remember that we are just a call or email away at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com or 850-261-2462 and place your order.

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Thanks to Helen for this week’s joke:

Beau Jocques and Fernest are quietly sitting in a boat fishing on the bayou,

chewing tobacco and drinking beer when suddenly Beau Jocques says,

"I think I'm gonna divorce my wife - she ain't spoke to

me in over 2 months."

Fernest spits, sips his beer and says, "Better think it over...

Women like that are hard to find."

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French phrase of the week: La boutique appartenait à Peggy Henshall. (The store belonged to Peggy Henshall.)

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The best time to turn over garden soil is during the last quarter of the moon (decreasing moon phase) because that's when the water table has dropped to its lowest point. This means there is less moisture in the soil. Taking your back into consideration, it is easier to turn soil over when there is less moisture in it!

Please let me know if there is something that you would like to see in the weekly email. You may always call me at (850) 261-2462 or email me at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com.

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list.

C’est tout, mes amis

Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

P.S. You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the new catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Cajun Stitchery First Year Anniversary

Yesterday, March 9th was our first year anniversary.  How exciting is that?  We made it one whole year.  We worked on Junkanoo jackets and I started a throw blanket.  The blanket is going to be covered in our samples from last year.  Kind of a commemorative blanket.  It will take awhile to finish but I'm sure I'll post pictures.  Now onto the 2nd year, may it be twice as wonderful as the first!!!!

Our job with the Junkanoo jackets was to put each person's name above the pocket.  Sounds simple enough and for most it was simple.  Then there are those jackets that the krewe members glued patches over the jacket pocket in the place where we need to embroider.  We tried gently pulling to see if the glue wasn't too bound.  We are down to our last 4 jackets and have to figure a way of getting those patches off.

I'm meeting with our CPA tomorrow, so today is probably going to be consumed in printing out reports and getting ready for the meeting.

Since tonight is my girls night out, I need to finish my friend's birthday present.  I'll post pictures later.  It is a pair of pillowcases and the design is beautiful.  Now I have to stitch it out.

George is busying himself with inventory today.  Last week we ordered several items that were running low, and, I admit it, a few fun things.  We are waiting on the thread to arrive.  We ordered another spool of gold metallic thread but then started thinking that since we can order any color under the sun, that we should order gold poly thread and see how close to metallic it looks.  We ordered 5 shades of gold.  I can't wait to see if it really looks gold.

So many things to do and so little time.  I'll close this post for now, but I'll be back:>)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Is This Spring?

Our neighbor's company arrived from Pennsylvania with kayakes strapped to the top of the SUV.  They said it was freezing up north.  So, I'm glad we are in sunny Florida.  Although we've had our share of cold weather this winter.

Spring fever has overcome me.  The past couple of days have been gorgeous and I'm hoping and praying that spring is here and winter is gone.  We assessed the winter damage to the yard and garden.  Some things are budding and some things we are praying over and hope they survived. 

We planted the asparagus two years ago and the instructions said to let it grow without harvesting it for two years, then we could start harvesting each year.  Last year everytime we looked at the asparagus there were new sprouts and it was so tempting to pick.  However, we were obedient to the instructions.  Over the past few weeks we've had 3 little asparagus sprouts that we've harvested and nothing else.  The one batch of asparagus plants on the south side of the house haven't had any shoots.  Asparagus is supposed to like the cold, so, I'm hoping it survived and will provide lots of tasty asparagus for our table this year and years to come.  It's just not looking real good right now.

We've been eating the lettuce, baby carrots, onion tops, parsley, and broccoli lately.  This is my first time growing lettuce other than iceberg.  I expected large plants but they are actually rather small.  I thought that they were stunted.  We went out to eat the other day and I was looking at the salad bar and their romaine lettuce looks just like mine, same size and everything.  In that case, I guess our's is doing good.  It does taste good. 

The pansys are blooming.  They are so pretty and colorful.  Such a nice plant to have during the winter and spring.  On those days where there is nothing but overcast skies and frigid temperatures, the pansies sit in their pots bright yellow, purple, blue, and red.  It's nourishment for my soul.

Garden and yard plants should start budding soon and the landscape should turn lush.  The proof of this is in the blueberry bushes planted last fall.  Look at the buds.  Sassy the Satsuma is doing fine, too.


The parsley is unbelievable.  I cut back the old, harvested a bunch, and thinned out the plants and they are still beautiful.  Look above for the parsley picture.

Now we need to get out there and plant tomatoes, peppers, peas, and beans.

Enough of the garden.  This blog is about embroidery, although I do get carried away with the beauty of nature.  Staying in the nature theme, here is a beautiful pelican design embroidered on the back of a fleece jacket.  Now that is pretty.  The design is about 8" or 9" tall.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Cajun Corner Vol 2, No. 9

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 09 – March 5, 2010


Bon Jour! Welcome to Cajun Stitchery’s weekly email and welcome to our family.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit http://www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com/ often.

As of next Tuesday, March 9, 2010, Cajun Stitchery will have been in business for one full year. Can you believe we have survived the first year? Wow! A year ago we had no idea if this venture would survive and we have met so many wonderful and supportive people throughout this year.

The contest winner was Amy DePew who suggested that we have a contest each week during the month of March. Amy won a set of 4 napkins with her choice of napkin friendly embroidery. She has chosen red napkins with a poinsettia and the name “Ballew.” We immediately went into contest mode and had an impromptu contest which Sandi Johnson won. Sandi has also won a set of 4 napkins with her choice of napkin friendly embroidery.

This week’s contest: This week Cajun Stitchery would like to know what you like about Cajun Stitchery. Doesn’t have to be an essay but you are welcome to do so. Have you had a good experience with us? Tell us about it. Is there a design that you have particularly liked? Let us know. What have you enjoyed the most about Cajun Stitchery this past year? The winner will be announced next week in Cajun Corner.

This past week we embroidered an adorable southwestern lizard on a set of napkins for a neighbor. The photos are in earlier blogs from this past week.

We discovered via a neighbor that the Pensacola Visitor’s Center is selling some really nice beach mats with an attached inflatable pillow for $2.50 each. The beauty is that the cover for these mats can be embroidered and we have already done a couple. This is a really good deal for the mat. The mat is large enough to have a picnic. Photos of this project were posted in a blog earlier this week. These mats would make terrific gifts for anyone who enjoys picnicking or just laying out in the sun or on the beach. My friend is giving them to friends visiting from out of state. Buy one at the Visitor’s Center and bring it over to Cajun Stitchery who will embroider a large name for $10. The entire gift would cost $12.50 plus tax. Not a bad gift or price.

Spring is just on the horizon and not a moment too soon. We have spring fever over here. Hopefully next week will be nice enough to play in the garden and start planting new things and harvesting other things. This year I really want to try to get some nice sized tomatoes growing. You know that we always have good luck with the cherry tomatoes but for some reason we haven’t had much luck with the larger tomatoes. Once again, we’ll try. Never give up.

The other day I needed to place an order for some supplies. Most of my ordering is via the internet. I ended up with $65 worth of a thread order. I just had a wonderful time shopping. Then I went to order stabilizer and ended up ordering 20 gross of rhinestones. Mama used to tell me to go shopping for myself when I was feeling down. I’m not feeling down but I am suffering from spring fever. What are we going to do with 20 gross of rhinestones?

Hopefully today I will get a chance to stitch out a new pillowcase design that I think will be adorable.

Don’t forget that the pillowcases are available for sale. The price will vary depending on the embroidery requested. Our pillowcases are white, standard size, hotel quality pillowcases. We have chosen white because it matches everything. The pillowcases themselves are $15.00 for a pair, plus the embroidery and sales tax/shipping. These would make wonderful, unique gifts for weddings, birthdays, showers, holidays and don’t forget graduation. Take advantage of our stock designs, too.

Did you know that it is easier to thread a needle if you put a piece of white paper or fabric behind the eye of the needle?
Always remember that we are just a call or email away at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com or 850-261-2462 and place your order.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Thibodaux and Boudreaux was talking and Boudreaux says, hey Thibodaux do you know a woman got a YET. Naw says Thibodaux, women aint got a YET. Yea she do says Boudreaux, a woman got a YET. How you know a woman got a YET, says Thibodaux. Cause it say so rat here in da paper,"Woman Shot, bullet in her YET."

ΘΘΘΘΘ

French phrase of the week: Cet homme est beaucoup amoureux. (That man is a womanizer.)

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Taken From: http://www.ehow.com/how_2170738_ecofriendly-garden.html

How to create an eco friendly garden:

1. Step 1

Conserve water. Instead of turning on the sprinkler and letting it run for hours, consider a drip-irrigation system in your garden. If you do opt for the sprinkler, make sure that is in good condition and is not clogged, to avoid the need to run it longer than usual.

2. Step 2

Go native. With your plants, that is. Local plants will grow best in your soil with the least assistance from chemicals, so avoid anything not native to your region, if possible. You will reduce the need to ship plants to your area, too. You may be happily surprised by the selection afforded you with your indigenous plants, fruits and vegetables.

3. Step 3

Avoid chemicals. The toxins in your pesticides and fertilizers can end up in your water run off leading to your sewers and local drains. You can find organic versions of these products in most home improvement and garden stores and can result in healthier plants and a cleaner water supply.

4. Step 4

Keep the woods safe. Meaning keep the wood products you use for your fencing or décor ecologically-friendly. Bamboo is a green option that will not only create a unique backdrop for your garden, but is a hearty grower and lives a long time. Make sure any other wood you buy isn't endangered.

5. Step 5

For Pete's sake...don't use peat. Many people use peat for décor and moisture retention in their garden, but this resource is slow to regenerate and is not effectively sustainable. Keep your resources for your garden sustainable by opting for items that are easy and economical to quickly replace, so there is always a strong supply available.

6. Step 6

Let the sun shine in. it may go without saying that your garden needs sunlight, but so do your garden lights and accessories. Opt for solar generated lights or fountains to lower your traditional energy source use.

Please let me know if there is something that you would like to see in the weekly email. You may always call me at (850) 261-2462 or email me at cajunstitchery@yahoo.com.

If you are not a subscriber and would like to receive Cajun Corner weekly, please email cajunstitchery@yahoo.com and let me know to put you on our email list.

C’est tout, mes amis

Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

P.S. You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the new catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

Monday, March 1, 2010

And The Winner Is...

The contest winner is my good friend, Amy Cheshire DePew.  She has won a set of 4 napkins with the napkin friendly design of her choice.  She has already chosen red napkins with the name "Ballew" on them.  Amy's contest entry idea was for Cajun Stitchery to have a contest a week giving away weekly embroidery prizes.

So, let's have a contest.  Since Cajun Corner comes out each Friday, let's make this contest due this coming Friday.  Thereafter, the contest will be Friday to Friday.  Paradise Inn or Paradise Bar and Grill on Pensacola Beach will be having a huge birthday party this coming Friday night.  The first person to tell me the name of one of the honored birthday ladies who is turning 50 years old wins a set for 4 napkins with the embroidery friendly design of your choice on them.

A neighbor came by the house yesterday.  She had been to the Pensacola Visitor Center down by the new fishing pier.  While at the Visitor Center she purchased some really cool beach mats.  The beach mats' manufacturer is a company called Toppers and we have purchased their items before.  If you recall the beach bag with the zippered cooler in the bottom that was the rage last year.  That was from Toppers.  They have really neat stuff.  I looked all over the internet to find these beach mats and have been unsuccessful so far.  However, at the Visitor Center you can purchase them for $2.50.  They are vinyl with an inflatable pillow.  They fold onto themselves for easy carrying.  The pocket is non-woven.  It's the same kind of recycled fabric used in the Wal-Mart bags.  The reverse side of the pocket is blank and I can embroider on it.  She is expecting company from out-of-state in a few weeks and I have embroidered their names on the mat pockets.  So, let me encourage everyone to drop by the Visitor Center and pick up one of these really cool mats for $2.50.  Bring it over to Cajun Stitchery and for $5, we'll embroider your name on it.  Here are photographs of the mats.  She got a red one and a blue one.  I don't know if they have other colors or not.  Look at the size of these mats.  They are nice and big.  You could even spread one of these out and have a picnic on the beach.  Then blow up the pillow and lay down for awhile and get a tan.  Stick a book or whatever in the pocket and you are ready for a fun day at the beach.

I have some other photographs that I cannot show because they are birthday presents that have not been given yet.  One lady brought over two very delicate, lady's handkerchiefs.  Frankly, I was a bit concerned embroidering on such delicate, airy fabric.  They turned out beautiful and surprizingly were not difficult to embroider on at all.

The neighbors who received the set of four napkins with the colorful southwestern lizards were so surprised and thrilled that they didn't stop talking about the napkins all evening.  Since the purpose of going to their home was to have dinner, we, of course, used the new napkins.  I, of course, spilled a drop of red wine on my napkins.  That really shouldn't be hard to get out with some Resolve or other spot cleaner. 

George and I have also decided that on appropriate items, bigger than our paper bags, we will be using cloth bags, recycled when we can.  The new look will have our logo embroidered on it.  Right now we are using the remainder of the little bags that we sold last fall.  We will probably end up with a canvas or recycled fabric type of bag.  Look out Jareds and Tiffany, when you get a gift in a bag with the Cajun Stitchery logo on it, you will know that you are receiving high quality embroidery goods.

We have also decided that talk it cheap and we need to put up or shut up.  Cajun Stitchery cares about its community and we have decided that 10% of every purchase will go to a local charity.  The check will be delivered monthly.  Each month we will chose a charity of the month.  Everyone is welcome to make suggestions as to which charity will receive the monthly donation.  Who knows, we may even have contests for each month's charity.

C'est toute mon amis