Mardi Gras and Camellias

This weekend was spent at Krewe Den working with the Costume Committee.  I love working on costumes and the do-dads associated with costumes.  The float is looking great.  It's all coming together.  I'm having more fun this year during the Mardi Gras season than I've had for several years.  I think it's because all of the krewe is getting together at Krewe Den to work on the float and costumes and we are even having dance practice at Krewe Den.  We all have such a good time together.  It is a special time.

Our young krewe member, Monette, turned 40 last week.  We gave her a surprise party yesterday.  Several of the girls went in together and bought her a krewe jacket.  She loved it.  The cake was beautifully decorated with mermaids and under the sea motif.  Best of all, she really was surprised.

Our Queen Doris XX also got her krewe jacket this past week.  It's hard to believe this krewe has been together for 20 years.  I've been with them for about 7 years now.  It's a great krewe and a great season.

Of course, with the beautiful weather we have been having, both George and I have a serious case of spring fever.  We have been working in the yard and in our gardens everyday.  The cabbage is growing.  The onions are growing.  We are having more broccoli for dinner tonight.  The oregano is up.  The radishes and lettuce are growing but not ready to harvest.  The garlic is looking beautiful.  The chard is beautiful.  On top of that we have planted our seeds for the spring garden.  The camellias are blooming and are beautiful, both the pink and the red.  In fact, George is out in the yard now planting more seeds.  Sure hope they grow.

I need to get back to embroidery.  Have a good day:>)

Cajun Corner - Vol. 3, No. 8

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 8 – February 25, 2011


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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit our catalog at www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery and www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.


This week has been absolutely gorgeous. The sun has been shining. The weather has been in the 70’s. The birds are chirping. And my dog, Evie, has been lying in the sun. Life is good.

Speaking of birds chirping, we did have one incident this week. One of my neighbors called because a bird fell out of the sky and was just sitting in front of her. I went over and picked up the dove and the poor little thing had a puncture wound to its chest. I know that I have seen hawks soaring overhead all week and can only imagine that a hawk or other bird of prey attacked and lost its grip, dropping the little dove to the ground. The dove was not dead. In fact, it was walking and seemed to want to fly but could not. Our neighbor finally took it to the emergency vet since it was after hours for the Wildlife Sanctuary. The story does not end there. My neighbor was told that doves, this was a mourning dove, mate for life and if the mate doesn’t find this dove, he will die. How awful is that!

It is peculiar that there are animals that mate for life. You would think that after one of them passes away the other would just live alone or find another mate. That is not the case. They literally mate for life and if one goes, the other isn’t far behind. Then, of course, you have other animals that do not mate for life.

All of this reminds me of a story. When we lived in Orlando, I had a beautiful tabby cat. Mandy was her name. As with all of our animals, we take them to the vet and have them spayed/neutered as soon as possible. With house cats, we also have them declawed and de-sprayed. Poor little Mandy was de-everything. When cats are declawed, the vet only takes out the front claws and leaves the hind claws in tact. Mandy loved to sneak out of the house and climb trees and whatnot. One day we saw her walking up and down the sidewalk in front of our house. Her little hips were swishing to and fro. We figured that she was the local kitty hooker because she knew she couldn’t get pregnant. And the tom cats would come. One day she came home and I guess her pimp had gotten angry with her because her throat was sliced all the way across but it wasn’t deep enough to cause massive blood loss. Of course, I was hysterical. That is my way. I cleaned her up and bandaged her and I must have rocked that kitty in my rocker for a month. She survived. That cat lived until she was 18 years old. She moved with us from Orlando, to Georgia, to Pensacola before she died a happy, old, hooker cat.

Speaking of hookers, the design that I have been using for the Nereid birthday presents this year is what I call the Hooker Mermaid. I love stitching this design. On the birthday towels that I’ve been embroidering, she is a full 9 inches tall. For my girls, she must bling, and so her mer-gown is done using Mylar. I use an appliqué background of different simple designs. I’ve used a star, fleur de lis, and other shapes, and then the embroidered Hooker Mermaid is embroidered on top. The towels really are beautiful. At least I think so.

I’m closing shop a bit early today, like last week, so that I can get out to the beach for dance practice and working o the costume committee. It’s hard to imagine that our parade is a week from Sunday. It seems so soon and yet this has been a very long Mardi Gras season.

One of my neighbors just called because he heard there is a Mardi Gras parade on the beach tomorrow and he thought our parade was next week. I had to explain that tomorrow is the Kids and Kritters parade on the beach. The kids from the beach school dress up in costume and parade around the pavilion, throwing beads and having a great time. Then everyone brings their dogs, cats, or whatever all dressed in Mardi Gras attire. There are contests and just a lot of kid friendly fun. We took Miss Stinky one year. We had her professionally groomed and I made her a costume and embroidered “Mer-Mute” on the side. It was a lot of fun. Of course, Miss Stinky is too old now and I would never take Evie. Evie is my precious baby – but, apparently, she’s not everyone’s precious baby. She can get agitated from time to time. Its better that she stays at home.

The Krewe of Sirens patches are done and have gone to committee. I’m waiting to hear back from them.

In the meantime, my Mermaid Sharon and I are working on patches for Studio 98. I love making patches and they really are sensible. You can glue or sew them wherever you like without having to purchase a garment. Of course, I think embroidery directly on a garment, like a shirt, for instance, looks better. But I have to admit, there are so many things you can do with a patch. Remember designer pockets? Just glue the patch around 3 sides and you have a pocket. I’ve been making Mylar Fleur De Lis patches for George to decorate his Mardi Gras hat.

There are some new scarves in our Etsy store. One of them has rhinestones. Bling!

Somehow I have ended up with a couple of extra black satin jackets. One is light lined, XL and the other is quilted. If anyone is interested in them, let me know.

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.

Thanks to Marshall Larrivere for the following:

"Wow," Boudreaux thought as he flew down I-10, pushing the pedal even more..

Looking in his rear view mirror, he saw a State Trooper, blue lights flashing and siren blaring. He floored it to 100 mph, then 110, then 120. Suddenly he thought, "What am I doing? I'm too old for dis!" and pulled over to wait for the trooper.

Pulling in behind him, the trooper got out of his vehicle and walked up to Boudreaux. He looked at his watch, then said, "Sir, my shift ends in 30 minutes. Today is Friday. If you can give me a new reason for speeding--a reason I've never before heard -- I'll let you go."

Boudreaux paused then said: "Tree years ago, my wife, Marie, she ran off with a State Trooper. I tought you were bringing her back.

"Have a good day, Sir," replied the trooper.



Did you know:

Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties. The largest parish by population is East Baton Rouge Parish, and the largest by land area is Cameron Parish.

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French Phrase of the Week: J'ai la fièvre printanière. (I have spring fever.) ===============================================

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 catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

S A L E

Zebra Pillowcase (F100AZEB) -- $12.00 each

You'll love the soft feel of our flannel pillowcases! Standard full sized 18" x 31"

Cajun Corner - Vol. 3, No. 7

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 7 – February 21, 2011


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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit our catalog at www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery and www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.

We are well, completely well now. The only remnant of the cold is that we still have a slight cough. George and I are rarely ill, but when we are, we apparently do it in a big way. I am so glad that is over and we can get back to Mardi Gras.

This weekend was mostly spent at our Krewe Den. Yep, we started dance practice on Friday and I’ve been working on the costume committee, too. It’s so nice to spend time with the girls. We always have so much fun together. The weather was simply beautiful and made working outside a pleasure.

Last week a dear friend of mine contacted me wanting patches for their krewe. They are the Krewe of Sirens in Pensacola. I worked with those girls for many years when I was a paralegal. It was so nice to touch base, again. I was going to Krewe Den during the day and working on the patch at night. It’s a little 3 inch patch and, of course, the lettering is always the hard part. Small lettering, as I’ve said before, is about the hardest thing you can do in embroidery. Larger lettering is a piece of cake. I digitized and re-digitized until finally last night I stitched out a patch that I was pleased with and the lettering was legible. I really wanted to use the Mylar on this patch to make it shiny but the Mylar is so shiny that it blurred the lettering. Now that the patch is done to my liking, I’ll go back in and do some tweaking and maybe try the Mylar, again. Now I’m just waiting to hear back from the girls about how they like it.

This year the Nereids had a private party at Krewe Den instead of the Black Tie Ball. I was sick and had to miss it but from the pictures and everything that I’ve heard, the party was a huge success. There is talk that we will start having the party instead of the ball from here on out. One thing that I heard over and over was that there were lots of people, lots of food and music, but you could actually sit down and have a meaningful conversation with people. At the ball everything is so loud that you rarely get a chance to have a conversation.

The gentleman from Oklahoma that ordered the 4 Gator patches from me emailed this week that he was very pleased with his purchase. That always makes me happy. I want to do a good job for everyone and it’s always nice to hear that the customer is pleased. When I don’t hear back from potential customers, it always makes me sad. I never know if they didn’t like the design, if they felt the price was too high, or the quality too low, or what the problem is. I don’t want to call and sound like a nag about it. If you order from me and are not pleased with any aspect of the sale, please, please let me know and perhaps we can do something to make you a happy customer. After all, that is what I want – Happy Customers.

Last week I was contacted by Boxercraft. They sent me their catalog. Wow! The stuff in their catalog is so cool. Probably more geared for younger people but it has some really nice looking clothes, a lot of animal prints, like zebra. I showed the catalog to my friend, Sharon, and she just loved everything. Anyway, I am the new local distributor of Boxercraft. Go to www.boxercraft.com and look at all of their stuff. If you find something that you like, I can get it for you and probably at a better price.

Cajun Stitchery has accounts with many vendors from napkins to robes to all kinds of apparel. If you are looking for something, let me know and I’ll see if I can get it for you via one of our vendors.

The Etsy Store always needs constant care. We’ve been in a couple of treasuries over the past week. I’m still making scarves. You know, my goal is to use up all of the fabric in my house. There is fabric upstairs and downstairs. Even after making all of the stuff that I have made, it hasn’t even put a dent in the fabric.

Another friend of mine has opened a business selling their own special hot sauce. The name is WTF Hot Sauce. We’ve been embroidering black ball caps with WTF embroidered in white on them. Embroidery is one of the simplest and most economical ways to market your product or business. Whether it’s a tote, cap, shirt, or jacket, it’s a great marketing tool.

Well, I have to get back to Boudreaux and embroider some satin jackets. Call or email me if you need anything.

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.



Thanks to Marshall Larrivere for the following:

The day after his wife disappeared in a boating vacation off Lake Verret , Boudreaux answered his door to find two grim-faced local policemen.



"We know it's late, Boudreaux, but we have some information about you wife," said one of the Cajun cops.



"Well,tell me! Did ya'll find her!?"



"Mais, we got some bad news, some good news, and den some really great news.....

What you wanna hear, first?"

Fearing the worst, Boudreaux said

"Gimme me the bad news first."

"I'm sorry to tell you, but this morning we found your wife's body in the water."

"Oh my God!" cried Boudreaux...

Swallowing hard, he asked, "An what's the good news?"

"When we pull her up, she had 6 twenty-five pound blue crabs and 12 jumbo crawfish clinging to her."

"Well if dat's the good news, what be the great news???"

"We plan to pull her up again tomorrow."



Did you know:

As the tallest state capitol in the United States, the building is 450 feet tall with 34 floors. Twenty-five hundred rail cars were needed to bring in the limestone used on the exterior and the interior marbles which came from distant places, including Vermont and Italy. The cost to complete the building was a modest $5 million. The architects used symbolism throughout the design of the building. As the square tower rises, it is cut away to an octagon at the 22nd floor. At this point four allegorical winged figures guard the corners and they represent Law, Science, Philosophy and Art.

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French Phrase of the Week: Vivre la vie à son plus plein (Live life to its fullest.)

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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 catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.
S A L E
Perfect Fit V-Neck Tee from Boxercraft with your name or initials embroidered on left chest = $10.00 (plus sales tax/shipping as applicable)

Features a longer, tunic length and contoured fit. Constructed from extra soft 4.5 oz., 100% combed ringspun cotton.

Sizes – Adult XS-XXL
Sizes – Youth YS-YL

Boxers and Scarves

The big news today is that Cajun Stitchery is now an official dealer for Boxercraft.  You know, boxer shorts.  They carry some of the coolest sportswear, including animal prints.  The apparel line is very popular with the younger people in highschool and college.  Take a look at their online retail store at http://www.boxercraft.com/.


We are still getting better as each day goes by but both George and I are antsy for this bug to completely go away.  George is back working on the house next door today but gets tired easily and it is frustrating him.  I just want to get out of the house and spend some time with my girlfriends on the beach.


However, I also need to be working.  Last week was a real bust for work.  I did get the patches made and mailed to the customer in Oklahoma.  They turned out nice.  Now I'm working on scarves.  I love doing the dainty ladies scarves but lately I'm compelled to make flannel scarves.  The first two flannel scarves had a pretty gold design on one and the other had a dragon.  Both are listed in our Etsy store.  Today I finished two more flannel scarves.  One has two ladies embracing.  Can you tell that I'm missing my girlfriends?  I think it is adorable.  Best friends forever in bright red, looks so good on gray.  I just listed it in the Etsy store.  I'll list the other one later today with the lady in red holding a wine bottle and two glasses. 

I think that's all of the flannel that I have.  I'll find some more fabric for the next group of scarves.  Stay tuned:>)

Cajun Corner - Vol. 3, No. 6

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 6 – February 11, 2011


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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit our catalog at www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery and www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.

Last Saturday was the infamous Nauga Party on the beach. The Dock was packed with people. Thank goodness for our King Pierce and sweet Judy for saving a table for us. We stayed about an hour and a half or two hours and left. It actually was a miscommunication between George and me. Honest to goodness the noise level in that place was so loud you couldn’t even hear yourself think. We had a wonderful time. As it turned out, we left at a perfect time. By the time we got home I was sick as a dog and went directly to bed.

Today was the first day this week that I’ve actually worked. I was still sick in bed on Tuesday. By Wednesday I started feeling a little bit better and sat up for most of the day. Yesterday was a bit better and today I’m starting to regain my strength and could work. It hit George hard on Tuesday and he’s still in bed. I have to agree with George, “What a wasted week!”

The Nereids are having a fun party tomorrow night at krewe den and I just hate to miss it. I can’t afford a relapse and need to be home to take care of George.

As you can imagine, there’s not much to report this week.

Earlier this week, while lying on the sofa, the phone rang. It was a gentleman asking if I could make some patches for his golf bag. To make a long story short, I think he found my website and called. He is in Oklahoma. The patches were done today and will be mailed to him on Monday. The system worked perfectly. Between email and the phone I was able to put a design together for him and email him the computer simulated design for his approval. Upon his approval, I sent him the PayPal invoice, which he paid. I love it when a plan comes together.

Several years ago when I was working with the brain injury groups, I met a young girl with a brain injury who I believe lives in Pennsylvania. We have always kept in touch via email. She is now in her early 20’s. Her name is Ali. Ali sent me an email this week about an incident that she thought was funny. She was holding up a peanut for her bird while saying, “Birdie want a peanut?” Her dad had taught one of their birds to say, “Birdie want a peanut?” by doing the same thing. So, she thought she’d give it a try. After repeating this several times, her sister yelled at her from the other room saying, “Ali, doves don’t talk.”

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.

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Thanks to Marshall Larrivere for the following:

In Louisiana , this fella, Boudreaux, had a bad vehicle accident, caused by an 18-wheeler that ran a stop sign.

In court, the trucking company's fancy lawyer was questioning Boudreaux:

Didn't you say, at the scene of the accident, "I'm fine"? the lawyer asked..

Boudreaux responded, "Let me told you what happened. Me, I had jus loaded my favorite mule, Bessie, into da . ."

"I didn't ask for any details," the lawyer interrupted.

"Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, "I'm fine!"?

Boudreaux said, "I had jus got Bessie into da trailer and I was driving down da road . . "

The lawyer interrupted again and said, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the State Policeman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to answer the question."

By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Boudreaux's answer and said to the lawyer, "I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule, Bessie.."

Boudreaux thanked the Judge and proceeded, "I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into da trailer and was driving her down da highway when dis huge semi-truck and trailer ran da stop sign and smacked my truck right in da side. Me, I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into da udder.. I was hurting, real bad and didn't want to move at tall. But, I could herd ole Bessie moanin and groanin. Me, I knew she was in some kind o' terrible shape just by her groans.

Shortly after da accident, a State Policeman, he came on da scene. He herd Bessie moanin' and groanin' so, him, he went over ta her. After he took hisself a look at her, he took out his gun and shot her between da eyes.

Den da Patrolman came cross d a road, gun in hand, and looked at me, and said 'How are you feeling?...'"

"...Now what da hell would you say?!"

Did you know:

The pelican in the Louisiana flag is an old symbol of protection - an old legend tells of a mother pelican tearing flesh from herself to feed her young; this pelican represents the state protecting the people and their land.

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French Phrase of the Week: J'ai la grippe (I have the flu)

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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 catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

Cajun Corner Vol. 3, No. 5

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 5 – February 4, 2011


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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit our  catalog at www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery and www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.

Last weekend was another wild and fun, Mardi Gras weekend. We started out with our Moon Pie Party on Friday night. That was a great party. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make it such a success. We had all of our light sticks, lighted scepters, and lighted everything. More than once I found myself dancing on the stage. Congratulations go to Amy for winning the 50/50.

On Saturday our krewe attended the Junkanoo’s Third Annual Chili Cook-Off. Yes, Cowboy Carl made it there with the chili. The girls did a wonderful job of decorating our table and area. We all wore pieces of our cowgirl costume, except for me. I wore the whole thing with the suede skirt and vest and the gold, pointed toed boots. It took several days for my feet to recover. It was all worth it because we won 1st place. It was a bit odd for me to watch my krewe receive the aprons that I embroidered earlier in the week. Haha. That was a fun day, too. I even think Cowboy Carl enjoyed the event.

Sunday I hunkered down to do the lettering for the Krewe of Bad Habits. By golly, I got it done and did a good job, I might add. The completed design was emailed to them on Monday.

Remember the mylar embroidery on our tux jackets. I used the mylar embroidery to avoid snagging our cuffs and losing the sequins. Well, it kind of worked as planned. The mylar embroidery did perfect. The satin stitching around it caught on everything, just like the sequins did. And it wasn’t the satin stitching all the way around the cuffs, just on the inside toward the body because it snagged on my pins. I think that if I put a few layers of Elmers glue, or some permanent glue that dries clear, over the satin stitching, then the snagging issue should be solved.

The big secret from last week was Ella’s birthday present. She received the diva mermaid on a clam shell on her white towel. The colors were just breathtaking. They turned out so much better than I had anticipated. The clam shell was appliquéd using a very soft pink colored fabric and outlined in a deep purple. The diva mermaid was, of course, done in mylar embroidery with a medium purple and lavender. Of course, the stitch out is hanging in my bathroom. George says I need to start giving the stitch outs away because we don’t have room for so many towels. He knows by the end of the year we will have a krewe-ful of towels. I loved Courtney’s response. She said that they all have their own pillowcases to take on our overnighters and now they are all going to have their own towels. Hmmm, I wonder what next year will bring.

Tomorrow is Nauga. Yep, the Krewe of Nauga has one event and that is a pajama party tomorrow morning at 10:30. With just one event, this krewe has over 500 members. That should say a lot for the fun involved. The attire is to wear your pajamas. The cost is $15 per person and I believe they serve breakfast. The party is open to the public. As I’ve said before, George and I have never attended the Nauga Party and this will be our first year. George absolutely refuses to wear pajamas. That’s okay because many just come in jeans and a sweatshirt or whatever. The theme is animal print. Last year our precious Judy showed up dressed as a one eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater and was horrified to find out that she was crowned Nauga Queen. Her picture was in all of the local newspapers with her face painted purple. Personally, I thought she was adorable.

I’ve been trying to work on the Etsy shop this week. I’m trying to get some more scarves in the store and since I’ve been freezing this week (the highs have been in the 40’s) I’m working on some flannel, plaid scarves. Chrissy arrived at Krewe Den this past Wednesday with the most adorable scarf. It was black. Felt like velour, loosely woven. On one end was a big “Who Dat?” written in gold, glitter paint and outlined in rhinestones. Absolutely gorgeous! I may do a “Who Dat?” scarf later but not right now.

As I’ve written before, the girls are always complaining about crew neck t-shirts. The crew neck is so confining. This year, one of my vendors, has what appears to be a nice scoop neck tee. It’s an Anvil Women’s Sheer Scoop Neck Tee. This is the sale of the week. It’s short sleeved. To keep the price down, due to shipping, I have to sell in lots of 10 to get the price.

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.

My favorite poem:

Are you almost disgusted with life, little man?

I'll tell you a wonderful trick

that will bring you contentment, if anything can

Do something for somebody, quick!

Are you awfully tired with play, little girl?

Wearied, discouraged, and sick-

I'll tell you the loveliest game in the world,

Do something for somebody quick!

Though it rains like the rain of the flood, little man

and the clouds are forbidding and thick,

You can make the sun shine in your soul, little man

Do something for somebody, quick!

Though the stars are like brass overhead, little girl,

and the walks like a well-heated brick

and our earthly affairs in a terrible whirl,

Do something for somebody, quick!

Did you know:

Louisiana contains 41 percent of the coastal marshland in the United States.

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French Phrase of the Week: Le Parti de Nauga (Nauga Party)

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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 catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

SALE OF THE WEEK (Good through Thursday, February 10, 2011)

SALE: 10 Anvil Sheer Scoop Neck Tee for $8 each ($80) [size S-XL] embroidery is additional charge

Colors: black, Caribbean blue (out of size S), hot pink, mocha, silver (out of size S), white

391 Anvil Sheer Scoop Neck Tee

• 3.2 oz. 100% ring spun cotton; preshrunk

• Classic countoured silhouette with side seam

• Display tape and single-needle seamed collarette

• Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem

Girls, Costumes and Parties

Wednesday nights are always so refreshing to me.  The girls are hilarious.  The food is always over the top.  Last night was no different.  We celebrated Ella's birthday.  I gave her a towel with the diva mermaid.  The applique shape was a clam shell using a light pink see through fabric.  This mermaid was in purple and lavender.  It looks so good with the pink background.  I think she really liked it.  This is the third diva mermaid towel that I've done.  The first had a star applique, and the second had a fleur de lis applique.  The next birthday is in March.  Wonder what I'll do for that one.

We only had one mishap last night. One of the girls tripped over a hand truck in the dark and probably has a lump on her head this morning.  Float work is about to begin.

My costume is probably the one that needed the most work, since I lost a little weight last year.  I worked on the costume yesterday until it was in tip top shape.  The rest of the costume work will be repairing costumes.

Poor Etsy has been neglected and I hope to put some new items in the shop today.  I'm thinking about some of the patches that I've been doing lately but then I want to do some scarves.

A friend had a beautiful scarf on last night.  She got it in New Orleans.  Black and gold with gold glitter paint and rhinestones. 

Not a lot to report today.  It's cold outside.  George is working on kitchen cabinets at the house next door.  I need to harvest some broccoli, but all I want to do is embroider.

This Saturday will be our first Nauga Party.  The Krewe of Nauga touts one party a year but 500 members, and it's true.  It begins Saturday at 10:30 a.m.  You are supposed to wear your pajamas.  Animal print is the look you want to achieve.  There is no way George will go in pajamas, so we will attend in blue jeans and sweatshirts.  We are sure to have a wonderful time.

C'est tout, mes amis.

Exhausted But Ready to Embroider

What a weekend we had.  Friday night was the Nereids Moon Pie Party.  That was a blast.  Thanks to everyone who came out to support us and join in the festivities.  Then Saturday (I was still aching from Friday night) was the Junkanoos Chili Cook-Off.  Yes, we made it there with our chili and won 1st place.  It was so funny because last week I embroidered the aprons that we won.
George and I wore our tux jackets with the new mylar embroidery cuffs on the sleeves.  The reason I changed the cuffs from sequins to mylar embroidery was because the sequins catch on everything and I was always pulling threads and losing sequins.  Eventually, the sequins and cuff look tattered.  Well, the mylar embroidery held up great.  Just like I planned.  The problem was the satin stitching around the mylar embroidery caught on everything, just like the sequins.  After looking at our jackets, it appears that the side of the cuff facing our bodies are the part causing the problems.  They usually catch on the pins that we wear.  So, I'm thinking about putting some clear drying glue over the satin stitching in that area.  It will probably require several layers of glue.

Those two parties were about all I could handle for the weekend.  I am getting old.  Next Saturday is the Nauga Party.  Required attire is pajamas, preferably animal print.  This will be the first Nauga party that we've attended but I understand they are a hoot.

The cabbage, onions, carrots, chard, and broccoli are looking good in the garden.  The broccoli has a head on it and we need to start eating broccoli.  George planted celery, peppers, and several other things in the garden yesterday.  We usually don't plant in January but this year we want celery and, I guess, he just planted other things at the same time.  I love our garden.  I didn't get any pansies or petunias to add color to the yard this winter.  Except for the occasional camellia bloom, everything is green and brown -- more brown.

The embroidery studio is a mess.  I need to get in there today and straighten things out.

An embroidery friend suggested rather than using tearaway stabilizer for making patches, to use a plastic that she gets from the hardware store.  I purchased the plastic and can't wait to get started on those designer pockets and other patches.

This month I've learned digitizing.  I know, I have a long way to go before I can hold myself out as a really good digitizer, but I did learn to digitize lettering other than block type lettering using a fill stitch.  Doing my own digitizing gives me a great freedom to create my own designs. 

I've had so much fun with the towels that I've been giving as birthday presents this year.  The 9" tall diva design is just captivating to me.  The digitizing and creating the background applique is a lot of fun, too.  Applique sure saves a lot of stitches and comes in handy on fabrics, like terrycloth, where you would otherwise need a backing of some sort to prevent the threads from popping through the embroidery or the embroidery from sinking and disappearing in the pile.