Cajun Corner – Vol. 7, No. 4 – March 21, 2015

Cajun Corner – Vol. 7, No. 4 – March 21, 2015

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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit us at www.cajunstitchery.com, www.flickr.com/photos/cajunstitchery, and, www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.   We are also on Twitter and Facebook.  

Visit our on-line catalogs at:

http://www.my-catalogs.com/cajunstitchery

and www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery.

Wow!  This year has been crazy so far.  I've been working on a project that actually began in mid-December.  It was a beautiful bed cover.  We took photographs of a gorgeous 17th or 18th century bed cover.  Then I digitized  some of the embroidery from the bed cover.  We finished the new and improved bed cover last week.  This week we are working on matching shams for this beautiful bed.  I don't usually mention the projects that I create for this customer because she prefers that I not show our creations.  That means I cannot post photographs.  So, you don't get to see.  No fun in that.  So, I usually don't mention it.  But I have been busy.

We have the studio that George remodeled and I decorated.  It is so adorable and I love working on my embroidery projects over there.  It came to my attention a few years ago that I really need to start entertaining in the studio.  I don't really have a store front.  I take orders mostly over the internet.  But I love using our projects to decorate the studio.  Insofar as a store front, Cajun Stitchery is more, shall we say, exclusive, by invitation only.  These projects need to be seen for sales purposes, of course, but for art purposes as well.  My girlfriends have been giving me platters and all sorts of fancy dishes and stuff to assist me in entertaining.  This year the entertainment began in earnest.  

To say that I'm not a great cook is an understatement.  I'm not really interested in cooking and therefore, I don't cook well.  I tend to agree with something my mother told me years ago.  We can sew and wear or use the item for years and have that good feeling of accomplishing something beautiful for a very long time.  When you cook, the dish may indeed be a work of art, but then, people come along and eat it and it is gone.  Or, if no one eats it, it rots and it is gone.  Nope.  I prefer a longer lasting good feeling.

Anyway, I decided to cook chili one night this past winter and told George to come over for dinner at the studio.  Well, I had the ground beef in the skillet and the beans in a pot and everything was cooking pretty much all day.  That's when I noticed it.  I looked at my hands and realized I had broken a nail and couldn't find it.  Visions of the nail in the ground beef or beans was tormenting me.  I searched through those 2 pots for hours thinking whether or not I should tell George.  Maybe the nail wouldn't end up in his plate.  If it did...that was just too disgusting to think.  I searched and searched totally mortified.  Distraught, I hung my head and walked to my embroidery machine.  There on the floor was my nail.  Whew!  So, my entertaining attempt had some stress involved.

Later, I decided to invite my CPA and dear friend over for dinner, wine and taxes.  It was a riveting evening.  Absolutely nothing like wine while doing your taxes.  LOL  That evening we had boiled shrimp, potatoes and corn.  Success!  Both dinner and taxes went just fine.

Last November I invited several of our friends to the studio for shrimp gumbo.  The gumbo was delicious but I noticed one of my friends did not eat it.  I asked why and was informed that even though he lives on the waterfront, and has a big, beautiful fishing boat, he doesn't like seafood.  I had no idea and was, of course, disturbed that a guest would go hungry at my party.  

After Mardi Gras this year, I invited my friend, as well as others, to a Meat-Fest dinner.  Everything was meat and no seafood was allowed.  It was very interesting.  I will tell you that chocolate covered bacon is fabulous and you simply cannot eat just one.  The appetizer was a meat tray of luncheon meat that I rolled into little tubes with little pots of mustard and mayonnaise for dipping.  The main course was pulled pork with barbeque sauce.  Dessert was the chocolate covered bacon and ground beef brownies.  The ground beef brownies were interesting because the recipe said that many people are allergic to nuts and the brownie recipe merely substituted two tablespoons of fried ground beef for the nuts.  Otherwise, it was a normal brownie recipe.  One guest brought hot wings and another brought bacon cupcakes.  The bacon cupcakes were maple flavored cupcakes with bacon on top.  Delicious.  We had so much fun at the Meat-Fest party that some of the guests are planning Meat-Fest 2016.

A week later I had my Mardi Gras krewe over for our monthly meeting and dinner.  Our krewe is an all female krewe.  The girls always bring various dishes.  This dinner theme was Mexican.  I made tacos.  We had a margarita station.  I cannot really tell you what all was served because I spent most of the evening at the margarita station.  We all agreed that we definitely need a repeat of this gathering.

After all of that entertaining, I was tired of cooking.  Guess we'll give the entertaining a rest for now but I definitely am planning a 4th of July shindig.

Peggy Henshall, Owner

Cajun Stitchery

www.cajunstitchery.com

www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com

Also, visit us on Twitter and FaceBook

Cajun Corner - Vol. 5, No. 26

 

Cajun Corner – Vol. 5, No. 26 – July 6, 2013

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

 

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit us at www.cajunstitchery.com, www.flickr.com/photos/cajunstitchery, and, www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.   We are also on Twitter and Facebook. 

Visit our on-line catalogs at:

http://www.imprintit.biz/cgi-bin/cobrand/site.w?location=olc/catalog-home.w&top=catalog&frasmes=no&target=main&sponsor=000699

and www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery.

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4^th of July.    Our’s was peaceful.  We had plans to go to a friend’s home for the festivities.  Sadly, she had to cancel because her uncle had a massive stroke and she thought she might have to catch a flight to Boston on the 4^th.

A couple of girls from my krewe and I had made joint hair appointments for July 5^th.  Unfortunately, we had to cancel the hair appointments.

On top of the cancellations it has been raining cats and dogs since July 4^th.

George and I watched the New York City fireworks show on TV and a couple of neighbors dropped by to visit.  It is always pleasant when these neighbors visit.  They are a couple of comedians, like Gracie Allen and George Burns.  They started telling jokes and between the four of us the jokes simply got worse and worse, until we were laughing because the jokes were so bad.

A lot of digitizing has been going on at Cajun Stitchery as well as stitching out some really cute Mickey Mouse designs. 

During the process of checking out pricing with one of our wholesalers, I noticed some adorable baby and children onesies, bibs, and tee shirts.  First, I saw the little onesies with the tutu.  These actually come in black, white, and raspberry.  They are completely out of the raspberry color.  I fell in love with these little onesies.  Then I saw the little red, white and blue patriotic onesie.  I simply had to buy some of them.  In fact, I also bought some of the little tee shirts with the tutu.  See the attached photographs and visit our online catalog at http://www.imprintit.biz/cgi-bin/cobrand/site.w?location=olc/catalog-home.w&top=catalog&frasmes=no&target=main&sponsor=000699.  Since I was purchasing the onesie tutus, the tee shirt tutus, and the red, white and blue onesies, what the heck, I went ahead and purchased some of their little white jersey bibs.   For the little boys, yes, they have camo onesies and tee shirts.  So, if you need baby presents, come see me.  Since my precious great granddaughter’s, Kayla’s birthday is August 4^th, she is getting one of each.

Kayla loves Mickey Mouse.  I’ve got most, if not all, of the Disney embroidery stock designs.  Mickey now adorns the little white tutu onesie.  I fiddled around with another of the Mickey designs and realized that it wasn’t red, white and blue and also wouldn’t work on the black onesie.  I was just compelled to stitch the design out, so, I made a bib with the design on it.  I’m not sure if it will go on Etsy or if it will become part of Kayla’s birthday.  There is a cute red, white and blue Mickey Mouse design that will go on the patriotic onesie. 

This morning we couldn’t get hot water.  Yep, the water heater passed away.  Do not panic.  We have hot water next door.  George has been diligently working all day on finding the best and most perfect water heater for us.  The problem has been that it has to fit in a closet in the living room.  These days the water heaters can be pretty big.  Initially we thought about the tankless water heater.  The problem seems to be additional circuit breakers are required.  Now we are thinking about heat pump water heaters. 

Whatever we get cannot come too soon.  I’ve been washing dishes by hand all day.  Since I was washing dishes I also cooked dinner.  It was just a homemade hamburger helper type dish but it was really good and I used bell peppers, tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic, cayenne pepper sauce, and parsley all from our garden.  That mixed with ground meat and macaroni and cheese equals a big YUM. 

While I was in the garden harvesting dinner, I pulled up one of our carrots.  Wow!  That was a huge carrot.  The carrot was so big that I measured it.  It was nine inches of beautiful carrot.  I think I see George’s famous carrot salad in our near future.

Don’t forget the flour sack towels with the little mermaids on them.  They are $15 each.  There is one for sale in our Etsy store.  More can be made.  Get ‘em while they are hot.

Have a wonderful week

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. 

No time to read Cajun Corner?  Visit our blog at www.cajunstitchery.blogspot.com and click the Odiogo button to hear the computer read the blog.

Your Car and Vinegar:

Keep car windows frost-free overnight in winter by coating them with a solution of 3 parts white distilled vinegar to 1 part water.

Polish car chrome with full-strength white distilled vinegar on a soft cloth.

Remove unwanted decals and bumper stickers by covering them with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar, or by repeatedly spraying them with full-strength white distilled vinegar. They should peel off in a couple of hours.

Rid the windshield wipers of road grime by wiping them with a white distilled vinegar-soaked cloth.

Remove the leftover odor after a rider has been carsick by leaving a bowl of white distilled vinegar overnight on the floor.

Get rid of hard water stains on your car with a rinse made from 3 parts soft water to one part white distilled vinegar.

Wipe vinyl upholstery with a mixture of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water.

Remove winter road salt residue on car carpeting by spraying with a mixture of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water, then blot with a soft towel.

Remove the hazy film that builds up on inside windows by spraying with white distilled vinegar.

Remove dirt and stains from car carpeting with a mixture of half white distilled vinegar and half water.

When doing car maintenance, soak rusty bolts and screws with white distilled vinegar to make them easier to remove.

Loosen chewing gum stuck to carpeting or upholstery by soaking it in white distilled vinegar.

Create an all-purpose window cleaner with a few ounces of white distilled vinegar in a quart of water.

Give leather upholstery an extra shine by cleaning it with hot white distilled vinegar and rinsing with soapy water.

Make your car extra shiny by adding a few drops of white distilled vinegar to your bucket of water.HEARD BY MILLIONS.*
BUT, JUST BEFORE HE RE-ENTERED THE
LANDER, HE MADE THE ENIGMATIC REMARK
"GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY."
MANY PEOPLE AT NASA THOUGHT IT WAS A
CASUAL REMARK CONCERNING SOME
RIVAL SOVIET COSMONAUT. HOWEVER, UPON
CHECKING, THERE WAS NO GORSKY
IN EITHER THE RUSSIAN OR AMERICAN SPACE
PROGRAMS.
OVER THE YEARS, MANY PEOPLE
QUESTIONED ARMSTRONG AS TO WHAT THE -
“GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY” STATEMENT
MEANT, BUT ARMSTRONG ALWAYS JUST SMILED.
ON JULY 5, 1995, IN TAMPA BAY,
FLORIDA , WHILE ANSWERING QUESTIONS
FOLLOWING A SPEECH, A REPORTER BROUGHT
UP THE 26-YEAR-OLD QUESTION ABOUT MR. GORSKY TO ARMSTRONG.
THIS TIME HE FINALLY RESPONDED
BECAUSE MR. GORSKY HAD DIED, SO NEIL
ARMSTRONG FELT HE COULD NOW ANSWER
THE QUESTION.
HERE IS THE ANSWER TO "WHO WAS MR. GORSKY":
IN 1938, WHEN HE WAS A KID IN A
SMALL MID-WESTERN TOWN , HE WAS
PLAYING BASEBALL WITH A FRIEND IN THE
BACKYARD.
HIS FRIEND HIT THE BALL, WHICH LANDED IN HIS NEIGHBOUR'S YARD
BY THEIR BEDROOM WINDOW.
HIS NEIGHBOURS WERE MR. AND MRS.
GORSKY. AS HE LEANED DOWN TO PICK
UP THE BALL, YOUNG ARMSTRONG HEARD MRS.
GORSKY SHOUTING AT MR. GORSKY
"SEX! YOU WANT SEX?! YOU'LL GET SEX WHEN THE KID NEXT DOOR WALKS ON THE MOON!
IT BROKE THE PLACE UP.
NEIL ARMSTRONG'S FAMILY CONFIRMED
THIS IS A TRUE STORY.

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. 4, No. 25

Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 25 – July 7, 2012

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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Don’t forget to visit our blog at www.cajunstitchery.blogspot.com, and www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often.   We are also on Twitter and Facebook. 

Visit our on-line catalogs at:

http://www.imprintit.biz/cgi-bin/cobrand/site.w?location=olc/catalog-home.w&top=catalog&frasmes=no&target=main&sponsor=000699

and www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery.

Did you miss me?  I know.  I should have emailed last week to say there was not going to be a Cajun Corner.  I really thought I would write one but Friday turned into Saturday and before you know it, it is today. 

The week before the 4^th of July was very busy.  You see, we planned a party for the 4^th under our Live Oak tree.  A simple 4^th of July party turned into quite the ordeal.  Since we knew it would be hot during the day and guests were invited to arrive between noon and 1:00 p.m., we decided to put the Cajun Stitchery canopy up for additional shade.  Since we were doing that, we might as well use the Cajun Stitchery folding tables for the food.  Since we were going to put the food outside, we needed some sort of cover so the bugs, birds and critters would not devour our food before we could eat it.  I decided to make a food tent.

I think I mentioned the food tent idea in the last issue.  The pile of old blue jeans were ripped apart and cut and sewn to make a huge role of six inch wide bias tape.  George built the frame for the food tent our of PVC pipe.  He actually built two of them; one for each table.  The fiberglass screen came in the size of 48” wide and 84” long.  We placed the screen over the frame and I fiddled around with it, placing pins where needed and up the stairs I went to see Doris in her sewing machine capacity.  Up and down the stairs in my off hours were spent creating the tent.  The screen wasn’t long enough and I had to take part of another role of screen.  That’s what we bought it for.  Once the screen part of the tent was sewn, the blue jean bias tape was pinned and then stitched around the bottom.  The pieces of the blue jeans which are the seams were perfect for ties.  The front of the screen was cut up to the middle to create a flap opening for getting the food.  Then the flap required more bias tape.  It looked very nice.  I ran out of time in the middle of attaching the ties.  We did put the food tent out and I pinned ties where needed.

Dollar Tree was our source of decorations and we were red, white and blue everywhere.

The menu was going to be barbeque beef sandwiches, hot dogs, potato salad, and apple pie with vanilla ice cream.  The recipes came from allrecipes.com.  George did most of the shopping during the weekend while I was working on some rush orders for Cajun Stitchery.  Tuesday was filled with cooking and cleaning the house.  I was still working on the food tent Tuesday night.  Wednesday morning arrived and the bbq sauce was made. 

I had seen some real neat ideas for watermelon on Pinterest.  George got 2 watermelons and Wednesday morning I began carving the watermelons.  The first one was to cut the rind of the watermelon into the shape of a basket.  I used a magic marker to draw the lines and then carefully cut the shape with a knife.  Then all of the fruit was scooped out.  It turned out really cute.  The watermelon was then filled with watermelon pieces, cantaloupe pieces, and blueberries.  To top it off, I added toothpicks with little USA flags on them.

The second watermelon idea also came from Pinterest.  The idea is to stand the watermelon on end, cut off the top, scoop out the fruit and fill with ginger ale mixed with the watermelon juice.  I looked at that watermelon and knew there was going to be a disaster if I stood that thing on end.  Instead, the watermelon was placed on its side and an oval lid was carved out of the top.  The fruit was scooped out and the lid replaced.  I decided to wait until the party began before adding the ginger ale.

Guests were bringing bean salad, coleslaw, baked beans, potato chips, and a neighbor brought over a cake with the icing design of the US flag.

The canopy and tables were placed under the tree.  The food tent was placed on the longer table.  As the guests began to arrive, so did the rain.  In all we had 16 people in attendance.  Most were in my kitchen.  By the time we were ready to eat; we just ate in the kitchen and had a wonderful time.  A few were sitting on lawn chairs under the canopy.  After we ate, the rain subsided.  We spent the rest of the afternoon under the canopy.  Never even put the food outside.  Everyone just went into the house to get food when they wanted some.  There was so much food and everyone loved the barbeque beef.  There simply was no need to cook the hot dogs.  Insofar as the watermelons were concerned, we all ate some of the fruit but the watermelon with the ginger ale turned out to be unnecessary and one watermelon too much.  We have bags and bags of fruit in the refrigerator.  In fact, George and I have eaten leftovers every night since the party.

It was a fun party.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  I totally forgot to tell everyone that we had vanilla ice cream for the pie.

After everyone left, George and I just kind of crashed in front of the television for the evening.

Thursday brought a couple of customer appointments and an order for labels.  George decided that the canopy and food tent should stay outside to dry in the heat all day.  It isn’t good to pack these things away when they are wet.

When I awoke on Friday we were having quite the lightning storm.  The canopy and food tent got wet, again.  Our power went out and was out for 11 hours.  George and I played cards and took lots of naps.  There really wasn’t much else for us to do.  Although we were anxious to get the power back on, I think our bodies needed the rest.  Despite all of the naps of the day, at bedtime we both fell fast asleep without a problem.

Today, the canopy and food tent were still outside drying.  Sure hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.

The shabby chic, ruffled purse with flowers and rhinestones that was listed in our Etsy Store for $10 has been sold.

Have a wonderful week.

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. 

The following was found at http://www.history.com/shows/swamp-people/articles/the-atchafalaya-swamp.  I thought it was interesting:

Sprawling over a million-acre swath of southern Louisiana, the Atchafalaya River Basin is the largest swamp in the United States and one of the country's most ecologically varied regions. Its wetlands, bayous and marshes are home to 300 species of birds, 90 species of fish and shellfish and 54 species of reptiles and amphibians, including the great American alligator. It owes much of its haunting and mysterious beauty to the towering, moss-draped bald cypress trees that thrive in its swamp waters.

For hundreds of years, the Basin's human dwellers—from the Native Americans who harvested its timber to the present-day Cajuns who hunt alligators in its murky depths—have subsisted on its many bountiful resources. In the second half of the 18th century, the region became a refuge for several thousand French colonists who had been expelled from Acadie, part of present-day Nova Scotia, for refusing to swear allegiance to the British crown and church. Known as the Acadians, the settlers adapted their way of life to the changeable nature of the Basin's wetland environment, where water levels fluctuate depending on the season, by favoring houseboats and campsites to more permanent homes. Many began growing sugarcane and other crops in the fertile bayou soil, while others made a living as loggers, hunters, trappers or fishermen.

The Acadian community grew and prospered, eventually giving birth to the distinctly Louisianan "Cajun" culture, known throughout the world for its food, music and unique dialect. Today, the Cajuns make up a significant part of southern Louisiana's population, and many continue to embrace the lifestyle and traditions of their ancestors.

In spite of the region's natural bounty and unmistakable splendor, swamp living has never been easy for the Cajuns and other residents of the Atchafalaya Basin. For instance, the disastrous Great Flood of 1927 decimated many communities, sparking a mass exodus that dramatically reduced the region's population. But to many people born and raised in the cradle of the lush and majestic Atchafalaya, the dangers and challenges they face are an accepted–and even welcome–part of life.

==========================================

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.

4th of July Party - Under the Live Oak

George and I decided to have a 4th of July gathering at our house.  It all began at a Memorial Day party at a friend's home.  One of the guests said that she had never seen our Live Oak.  The hostess was talking about how beautiful and large our Live Oak is.  I said, "Let's have a 4th of July party underneath our Live Oak."  Thus, plans for this occasion began. 


We have never been big on grilling outdoors.  We have nothing against grilling; we just never got into it.  We do own a grill but use it only when we have hurricanes or are without electricity for an extensive length of time.  Heck, I hardly cook at all.  Whatever food we plan on serving will have to be prepared and cooked in my kitchen. 

The first thing to do for the party is planning the menu, right?  It is the 4th of July, so, I want an Americana/Patriotic theme.  What is more American than BBQ, hot dogs, potato salad, and apple pie?  I headed for Allrecipes.com and found a recipe for BBQ beef sandwiches, apple pie, and pastry shells.  Pinterest was helpful, too.  They had a watermelon that was made to sit flat on a table.  You scoop out the innerds and pour in ginger ale and the watermelon not only flavors the ginger ale but acts as the container, as well.  I love that idea.  There was also another watermelon idea where you cut the watermelon to look like a basket and scoop out the pulp and fill with the balled pulp from the watermelon and a cantaloupe, and add some blue berries.  It is really cute.  Maybe not exactly red, white and blue, but close.  Throw in some hot dog and hamburger buns and condements.  That should do it.


Next are the invitations.  How many people can we accommodate?  Who do we want to invite?  Of course, everyone at the Memorial Day party, since they were originally invited.  There were 8 of us at the Memorial Day party.  I have to invite our neighborhood group because, well, we have a terrific neighborhood.  Add 8 more.  I have two very dear friends who are single women and I wanted to invite them because I like them and they may not have anything to do on that day.  Also, they would fit in well with this group.  The invitation list grew to 18.  The invitations were sent, either orally or via email.  Nothing formal here.  Actually the original list was for 14.  As time went by it grew to 18.  All except for one responded that they will be here for the party.  The one is a maybe.


A quick trip to Dollar Tree early on got a lot of decorations, sparklers, plates, bowls.  Since the group has grown to 18, we will probably have to visit Dollar Tree once again for additional items.

Since the party will begin around noon to 1 p.m., this is going to be in the heat of the day.  The nice thing is that it is under the Live Oak which makes the temp drop about 10 degrees from the blazing sun.  George and I decided that bubbles will be a fun and cool thing and we want to get party favors of bubbles for the group.  I'm also thinking that cardboard fans may be in line, as well.

Cajun Stitchery has its own canopy tent, which just happens to be blue, as well as, 2 tables with matching blue tablecloths. 

We have about 9 chairs.  We will need to get more chairs but can also ask our guests to bring their folding lawn/beach chairs.  We all have them.

Several of the guests are insisting on bringing something.  With these additions, the menu has grown to include baked beans, coleslaw, 3 bean salad, and chips.  Maybe I'll make a bean dip, too.

To Be Continued...

A Computer, The Internet, And A Digitial Camera

It's been hot, hot, hot lately.  Of course, it has.  Today is the official first day of summer.

We went to the beach yesterday.  The water was beautiful and clear.  As we drove along Ft. Pickens Road we saw two schools of dolphins playing in the water at two different sites.  There is something therapeutic about going to the beach.  We had a lovely lunch at Peg Leg's Pete and then drove down to Ft. Pickens.  We walked through the fort, not very thoroughly though.  It was just too hot to be outside. 

When we returned home, we worked sporatically in the garden.  George saw a video about gardening propagation that said that when you take clippings to dip the end of the clipping in honey.  You use the honey like any rooting agent.  He was outside with his honey.  We'll see if the clippings grow.  Today we have a huge, beautiful hybiscus flower blooming.  Our solar waterfall has been going dry.  We were worried that it might have a crack in it but it turns out that all of the neighborhood animals are stopping by for a drink.  The birds, squirrels, stray cats and who knows what else are draining the little pot of water.  We are going to have to refill two or three times a day.  But it's worth it. 

Finally, George and I got on the computer and George is learning the digitizing program.  He's doing real well with it.  So, we played around with designs for awhile. 

I had placed some red napkins with a 4th of July embroidered design on Etsy and last night decided that I wanted the same napkin in blue and white.  They all turned out beautiful and are for sale on Etsy now.  Sure hope someone buys them.

I made another kloth koozie the other day that I need to put on Etsy.  I had some scrap, deep purple velvet and sewed an embroidered Muwaa red lips on it.  It looks pretty cute.

I'm in the process of making a little purse with the embroidered slot machine design, back and front on black spandex.  I wasn't going to make any more totes or purses but this has just kind of evolved.  I just need to put a strap and closure on it and it will be done. 

It feels so good to be able to help someone.  A friend of mine, who lives locally, is presently in Tennessee working for the government helping flood victims.  She was obligated to send a wedding gift to some friends but wasn't able to go shopping.  She ordered some napkins from Cajun Stitchery.  Via emails and messaging we created the design and the napkins really turned out beautiful.  She was able to purchase the napkins, which were reserved for her, on Etsy.  We wrapped the gift and put a card inside and will be mailing it this morning directly to the bride and groom.  She was even able to choose the cards she wanted from what we had available and then tell me what to write on the card.  It was such a load off of her shoulders and we were more than happy to help out.  A computer, the internet, and a digital camera.  That's all it took.

C'est toute, mes amis.