Sunday, October 28, 2012

Cajun Corner - Vol. 4, No. 41

 


Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 41 – October 28, 2012

 

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

 

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Last weekend a dear friend of ours passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack.  He was only 60 years old.  This week I’ve learned that my dear Aunt Philo is in poor health.  It is that time where life stops giving and start taking.

I know there is a season for all things but I don’t like to be sad.  It seems to me that if you let sadness into your life, it can become all consuming.  Besides, sadness is not going to make things better.  Of course, you don’t want to appear heartless, either.  Usually when things are sad around the house I try to come up with something uniquely humorous.  There used to be a game where you put your head in a picture frame and the first in the audience to laugh lost the game.  We have played that game many times in our family.

Do you remember the Laverne and Shirley show from back in the 1970’s?  There was one show where Shirley was trying to cheer up Laverne and drew an upside down face on her forehead, then bent over backwards on the sofa so it would look like a right side up drawing.  You’d have to see it to get the humor.  Yes, I did that once.  In fact, I was playing around with the kids and did that.  We all laughed and the game was over but I forgot to wash my forehead.  The doorbell rang.  The visitor kept staring at me for sometime before he asked what was on my forehead.  I rushed off to wash my face. 

Then there was the time that I ran into the room with a scarf tied around my head and I was a ninja.  That caused a real belly laugh.  I’ve done backbends, splits and various other acrobatics to get a laugh when the family is blue.  The laughter usually comes when I realize that I cannot get myself out of the position in which I just put my body.  Most of the time, I just use laughter.  How can anyone stay sad when someone around them is laughing?  It is not possible.

A friend of mine loves goose down pillows.  Well, we weren’t that fancy when I was growing up.  Mama had chicken feather pillows.  Each morning there would be feathers littered all over my bed because the hard ends would poke through the ticking and I would pull them out in my sleep.  Mama would gather them up and save them.  Ever so often Mama would make new pillows and we would spend the day pouring the chicken feathers into the new ticking.  Feathers would be all over the place.  The pillow topic is pertinent because I am washing my bedroom pillows.  They don’t get washed as often as they should but I am washing them.  They will be all clean and fluffed tonight; although these pillows aren’t even chicken feathers but rather polyester fiber.

Last night many of the girls got together at a friend’s home on the beach.  We were officially going over to visit our friend who just lost her significant other and was spending a few days on the beach.  Unofficially, we were planning a belated birthday party for the hostess.  Oh what fun we had!  Our birthday girl did not see this one coming.  Since I am the official gift hander outer, she received gifts that were placed on the sofa next to her.  One after another she unwrapped beautiful and fabulous gifts.  She finished opening the gifts on the sofa and was picking up the tissue paper and bows when I told her to hold on, there was another stack of gifts right behind her.  The gifts just kept coming.  Then we had the birthday cake.  OMG!  This cake was peanut butter and nothing less than a slice of heaven.  I’m sure it did not contain any calories at all.  It was so light and fluffy and tasted so good.

Tomorrow night the Krewe of Wrecks first meeting for 2013 Mardi Gras Season.  Oh my goodness, how times flies. 

This past week Cajun Stitchery’s Etsy store began stocking its Christmas items.  We have less than two months until Christmas.  Drop by when you get a chance and browse a bit.  In the meantime, I will be listed the items in the attached photos soon.

Have a wonderful week.
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With Christmas right around the corner, here is a simple DIY project that would make a nice and useful Christmas gift for anyone.  Found this at http://familycrafts.about.com/od/indoordecorationscrafts/ss/Chalkboard-Cupboard-Door-Craft.htm

Learn how you can make a fun and unique chalkboard out of an old cupboard door. Search through second hand stores or yard sales to find unwanted doors, or you can even buy an inexpensive, unfinished one at your local home improvement store. This chalkboard is fun to use in a kitchen, an office, or any other room.

Instead of using an old cupboard door, why not paint the doors that are on your cupboards!?! I think this would be a fun way to decorate a toy room, office, or craft room.

·                        Age Guideline: 8 Years and Up

·                        Time Required: 60 minutes (Does not include drying time)

The above age and time guidelines are estimates. This project can be modified to suit other ages and may take more or less time depending on your circumstances.

Materials Needed:

·                        Cupboard Door (I got mine at a home improvement store)

·                        Spray Paint Primer (compare prices)

·                        Chalkboard Brush-On Paint (compare prices)

·                        Paint

·                        Small Piece of Felt (to use as an eraser)

·                        Chalk (compare prices)

·                        Masking Tape

·                        Paint Brush

·                        Newspaper

Instructions to Make Chalkboard Cupboard Door:

I used a spray paint primer and a brush on chalkboard and latex paint. You can use either brush on paint or spray paint. It really doesn't make a different, it is just a matter of personal preference.

Start out by making sure your cupboard door is clean and dust free. If possible, remove the handle. If you cannot remove the handle, cover it completely with masking tape.

Cover your work surface with newspaper (I also use wax paper sometimes). Make sure you work in a well ventilated area. Set your cupboard door on the work surface and grab your primer. Use thin layers of the primer to cover it. Wait until one layer is dry to the touch before adding another. When you are done with the primer, let it set to completely dry (follow the directions on your paint can).

Once the primer is dry, you are ready to paint the border of the door. I chose a red paint. You can tape off the center area of the cupboard door if you like, but I was just careful when I painted around the edges. Use as many layers as you need to get the shade you want. Like with the primer, when you are done painting the border, let it set to completely dry (follow the directions on your paint can).

Now, you are ready for the chalkboard paint. Use a quality paint brush to apply a few layers, allowing each one to dry between coats. Let the chalkboard paint cure for as long as the paint can says. My chalkboard paint can also suggested I condition the chalkboard paint by rubbing the side of the chalk over it and then wiping it off. Don't skip this step, I did with another project and I could not totally erase the lines.

Now you can use your new cupboard door chalkboard and enjoy! If you want to hang it, you can screw it directly to the wall and paint the screw heads. You can also use eye hooks screwed to the top or buy picture hanging hardware to attach to the back of the cupboard door.

I hope you enjoy making this craft. If you do make it, make sure you send in a photo so it can be posted here. You can also get your own crafts published. You can be one of the first to know when new craft projects are posted by taking a few moments to sign up for the Family Crafts Newsletter and you can also chat about crafts with others in the Family Crafts Forum.

 
 
C’est tout, mes amis
Peggy Henshall
Cajun Stitchery
(850) 261-2462
P.S.  You are always welcome to stop by and look at all of the catalogs and pass some time with me, cher.

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