Cajun Corner - Vol. 4, No. 35

Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 35 – September 16, 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.

It has been another busy week.  The huge headboard embroidery design is finished.  I am very proud of that project.  Now I am repeating the same project for the same client.  This time the embroidery not only includes multiple hoopings, and puff embroidery, but also some metallic thread.  It is the most beautiful project that I have worked on so far.  Sorry, I cannot share photos of the project at this time.  This project has definitely built up my confidence as a professional embroiderer.

Remember earlier that I said that I planned eventually on George handling not only the hats and caps, but the regular day-to-day logo type embroidery.  We are at that point now.  George is brushing up his skills, learning some new skills, and is back at the embroidery machine, Boudreaux, stitching out those orders.  In the meantime, as George says, I am working on the haute couture embroidery.  I call it my Tiffany embroidery.   Soon I hope to be able to move into larger quarters because we have run out of room in our little studio.

Today I was very tired and George insisted that I take the day off.  So, what do you do on your day off?  My hobby and passion is embroidery.  I spent the day on the computer posting photographs of our embroidery on Facebook.  It initiated some good conversations and I even got an order.  I think the people on Facebook will be happy that I have now stopped posting – at least, for awhile.

This year we have bell peppers all over the garden and not one of our chili pepper plants has grown.  How funny is that?  Especially when you consider that last year we had so many chili peppers that we kept ourselves and a local restaurant stocked.  This seems to be the year of the ginger.  Not necessarily edible ginger, but ginger plants.  We have all kinds of ginger plants – including the edible ones.  They are beautiful plants.  Some we don’t even know how they got in our garden.

The tomato plants are in the garden and they are huge but so far all we have are 2 cherry size tomatoes.  I sure hope the beefsteak tomatoes start producing soon. 

Beans are also doing well in the garden, although nothing like last year.  We didn’t plant nearly as many beans this year.

George did, intentionally, turn over a bucket of sweet potatoes to see if we have any.  He got a handful of little sweet potatoes.  I guess we will leave the other bucket alone for now.  Anyone know when we are supposed to dig those things up?  I think we will be replanting these little sweet potatoes that George harvested.

We planted horseradish, again.  It is already growing.  Can’t wait for the taste of fresh horseradish.

We did monogram a little boy’s jacket this week.  Imagine a Blue Angel’s jacket in miniature.  It is the most adorable thing.  It is for a friend’s grandson.  You did good, Gram.

Hopefully this week we will get our new dishwasher.  This washing dishes by hand is getting old.

The Nereids Splash Party was wonderful.  Everyone was soaked and everyone had a great time.

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. 

STARS

a poem by Robert Frost HOW countlessly they congregate O'er our tumultuous snow, Which flows in shapes as tall as trees When wintry winds do blow!-- As if with keenness for our fate, Our faltering few steps on To white rest, and a place of rest Invisible at dawn,-- And yet with neither love nor hate, Those stars like some snow-white Minerva's snow-white marble eyes Without the gift of sight.

 

A little trivia from http://www.triviaplaying.com:

What famous document begins: "When in the course of human events..."?
A: The Declaration of Independence.

What current branch of the U.S. military was a corps of only 50 soldiers when World War I broke out?
A: The U.S. Air Force.

What game was created by French mathematician Blaise Pascal, which he discovered when doing experiments into perpetual motion?
A: The Game of Roulette.

Who said: "I'm the president of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli"?
A: George Bush.

What so-called "war" spawned the dueling slogans "Better Dead Than RED" and "Better Red Than Dead" in the 1950's?
A: The Cold War.

What president was shot while walking to California Governor Jerry Brown' office?
A: Gerald Ford.

Who earned infamy for noting: "A billion dollars isn't worth what it used to be"?
A: J. Paul Getty.

What ethnic group was largely responsible for building most of the early railways in the U.S. West?
A: The Chinese.

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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.

4th of July Party - Food Tent - Creating a Design

Several years back I found the cutest food tent at Dollar Tree.  I have kicked myself for years for not buying several of these food tents.  It opens like an umbrella without the handle.  You open it and put it over your food to keep the flies and bugs off of the dish.  When you need to store it, it closes just like an umbrella.  Not to mention it is red, white and blue. 

Since our 4th of July Party "Under the Live Oak" is outside, we need a means of keeping the flies and bugs off of the food.  As mentioned in the earlier post on this party, we do have the canopy tent, tables and tablecloth.  Now we need something to cover the food.  I began doing searches on the internet for ideas and tutorials on food tents.  The searches revealed a lot of big, regular tents with food inside.  That's not what I wanted.  Finally, there were some food tents like I want when you begin searching for camping and supplies.  Still there weren't a lot.  Pinterest has become my source for so many things these day.  A search in Pinterest for food tents brought up a wealth of food tent ideas.  Of course, I plan on making our's.  Even Pinterest didn't help much with tutorials.  One tutorial that I found was cute.  It was simply a square of tulle or netting with 6" binding on all four sides and weighted with metal washers.  The food tent is flat like a napkin to go over the dish.  I really don't want something that touches the food.  I do want something where you can see the food, so, any kind of solid fabric was out.  I did like the idea of the binding and the washers, though.  It actually reminded me that when Mama used to make curtains, she would tape a bunch of bb's in masking tape and sew into the corner of the hems to weight the curtain down to keep them from curling.  The food tent would need something to hold it down and this is a great idea -- blast from the past.


Netting or tulle would be good, but George felt that it was not sturdy enough.  Men!  Everything has to be tough and durable.  However, since we are outside and there will be several "men" there, it probably is a good idea to find something more durable.  A trip to Lowe's and George came home with a roll of fiberglass screen, 84" by 48".  It is durable.  I can sew and embroider on it.  It is see through.  Perfect!

A trip to Wal-Mart took me to their fabric department.  Yep!  Our Wal-Mart still has a fabric department.  To my surprise, our fabric department has been revamped and enlarged.  The fabric prices have gone up, too.  Nevertheless, I began looking for red, cotton fabric for the trim on the food tent.  They had solid red in silks and satins, even netting, but not in plain broadcloth.  While browsing through a wonderland of fabric, it dawned on me that I've been saving old ripped blue jeans for a long time.  I'll make the binding out of blue jean fabric.  Denim is very durable and it is blue.


Next is to design a pattern.  George and I have talked and talked about what we think the food tent should be.  Should I copy the umbrella food tent that we have?  Should it cover one dish or the whole table?  If we were to use the umbrella food tent, then people would have a plate and utensils in their hands and have to pick up the food tent and put it somewhere so they could dish up their food and replace the food tent.  You would need more than 2 hands for this, plus someplace to put the tent until it is returned over the dish.  We decided that the food tent will need a door that opens and closes.  Not unlike an Indian tent.  We also need a frame.  It needs to be something that can collapse when not in use.  We finally decided on a full table food tent.  The framing will be PVC pipe, shaped kind of like the frame for a swing set.  The fabric will be fiberglass screen with blue denim trim weighted down.  The tent will require some kind of opening for easy accessibility to the food.  Velcro seems to be the obvious choice but we have decided against Velcro because it could be hard to open with one hand.  Right now I'm thinking about an opening more like the Roman shades that I make.  Just pull the cord and wrap around a cleat to keep it up; unwrap the cleat to close.

Another trip to Lowes and George has all of the screening that we will need.  He purchased some small PVC pipe and will play around with the pipe and various couplings this evening.  Once he has the frame made, then I will be able to take measurements and design the pattern for the screen.  In the meantime, I'm cutting up old blue jeans and preparing for the denim trim.

One week until the 4th of July and time is running out.  I feel the pressure:>)

To be continued ...

Cajun Corner - Vol. 3, No. 27

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 27 – July 9, 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 also on Twitter and Facebook.

The 4^th of July weekend was filled with fun.  This weekend is filled with the Blue Angels at the beach.

As planned George and I joined several neighbors for the 4^th and enjoyed our friend from Pennsylvania who plans to move back to the Pensacola area in September.  I did bring my baked bread to the event.  I baked bread all weekend just to make sure that it would turn out okay.  I made bread with my home grown stevia.  It was good but green (stevia is green).  Then I made raisin bread.  George and I ate all of that.  Then I made herb bread with herbs from my garden, and a plain white bread.  We brought the herb and the plain white bread to our 4^th of July gathering but I don’t think anyone ate it.  That’s the problem at a lot of these gatherings.  There is so much food and everyone brings something that you cannot possibly eat it all.

This week, however, has been mostly consumed with my crashed computer.  Yep, last weekend I turned my laptop on and there was no picture; just black.  So, I had to buy a new one, which arrived on Wednesday.  The remainder of the week has been spent loading my programs on the new computer.  Not that I have that many programs.  Actually, Wednesday I had all but my Quick Books Pro loaded.  Working day and night since Thursday, I finally got Quick Books Pro installed today.  I had to buy a new one because the old one doesn’t work with Windows 7.  Poo yie, what a hassle.  I’m just glad it is installed now.  Monday will be spent on bookkeeping.  This is also the reason that Cajun Corner is late this week.

Facebook now has “groups.”  I belong to 58 groups, most of which I’ve never even opened to look at them.  I do try to be active on 2 groups.  One is the WBL group, which is the Women’s Business Luncheon group; and, the other is the Support Local Pensacola Businesses group.  Since I’ve spent so much money this week, I’m really trying to get out there and post photographs of my embroidery everywhere.  Support Local Pensacola Businesses group received several photos and comments from me. 

Well, I decided that since it was Blue Angels week, I would post a photograph of my little purse that I made for the Fiesta Ball with the Blue Angels embroidered on it.  I guess timing is everything because several people “Liked” it.  Almost immediately after posting that photo a FB friend that I have never personally met, Mike Cotton, commented “what is your phone number?”  Cajun Stitchery is a business and I have no problem giving out my phone number, which I did.  He called and may want some ball caps and polo shirts.  Woohoo!  He explained that among other things, he is a film maker.  I have heard that this area is trying to build its film industry.  Mike has a television show called “Senior Xtreme” which presents local seniors who participate in various extreme hobbies, athletics, music, etc.  The whole point of the show, I believe, is if you are a senior, get off your sofa and start doing things.  Be active in some way.  Anyway, Mike invited George and me to the premier of the airing of the first show.  It was at Kooter Brown’s.   Laugh if you will but this is not Hollywood and Senior Xtreme is not CSI, either.  We did go and we had an enjoyable evening.  We got to meet Mike in person, and vice versa.  The program appeared very professional and entertaining.  The extreme seniors featured on the program were at the viewing, as well.  Besides, I do want to support local Pensacola businesses and hope they support me.

You know how a carpenter’s home is the last to be repairs; and, a mechanics car always needs a tune-up?  It turns out that an embroiderer doesn’t have a lot of embroidery for herself.  Prior to going to the Senior Xtreme premier (and after loading Quick Books Pro) I spent the day embroidering for me.  I took one of my t-shirts (office uniform) and embroidered a new neckline.  Then I embroidered large flowers on the front and a beautiful lace dragon on the back.  It actually turned out very nice.  I wanted to wear it to the premier and I knew the dress would be casual.  Embroidering a new neckline on t-shirts is a lot of fun.  The important part, of course, is that the crew neckline, that is so constraining, is gone.  Jersey is about the most comfortable fabric available.  Why not turn your comfortable, plain looking t-shirt into a comfortable, stylish shirt?

SALE:  We still have some of the $2 cloth napkins.  These are the 20 inch square, restaurant quality napkins with hemmed edges.  The colors that we have in stock are: 

1.      Purple

2.      Lavender

3.      Royal Blue

4.      White

5.      Teal

6.      Brown

7.      Sea Foam Green

8.      Navy blue

9.      Pink

The pink, navy blue and some white napkins were actually found in my fingertip towel stock this week.  I’m selling all of these (in-stock) napkins for $2 each; first come, first served.  They make great Christmas presents.  I highly suggest you buy them now.

We do have 5 dozen ivory napkins, 20” x 20”, with hemmed edges, restaurant quality, for $4 each.

SALE:  It’s Christmas in July, mes amis.  More stock clearance…fingertip towels for $2 each.  These make beautiful Christmas gifts.  The hot pink is especially fashionable these days.  The black towels would be beautiful with a design or monogram in solid white.  These are the colors in stock:

1.  White

2.  Pink

3.  Yellow

4.  Green

5.  Black

We still have some market baskets in stock: purple, red, hot pink, blue, and the black with white polka dots.  These are the regular sized market baskets that are 18"L x 11.5"W x 9"H with Collapsible/Removable Frame.  The price, without embroidery, ranges from $22 (for solid colors) to $28 (polka dot), each.   A name or initials would be $5.  Of course, the more embroidery you want on the basket, the more the cost.

Last week’s contest was so much fun.  Several people tried to guess the answer.  A few came very close.  In fact, some got the answer, but in English.  My nickname was always in Cajun French.  My mother’s nickname for me was Tit (pronounced teet) Crot.  The winner was Paulette Provost.  She will receive the cute pink canvas purse with her monogram embroidered on it.  Remember, you can only win once every 2 months to give everyone a chance.

CONTEST:  First person to answer correctly is the winner.  What fashion designer made jersey fashionable?

The winner will receive their monogram on a set of 4 in-stock napkins (see above for available colors).

CHRISTMAS is around the corner.  Unbelievable, I know.  But it is July.  Get that Christmas shopping done now and enjoy the holidays.

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 is taken from Wikipedia:

Rougarou represents a variant pronunciation and spelling of the original French loup-garou.^[1] According to Barry Jean Ancelet, an academic expert on Cajun folklore and professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the tale of the rougarou is a common legend across French Louisiana. Both words are used interchangeably in southern Louisiana. Some people call the monster rougarou; others refer to it as the loup garou.

The rougarou legend has been spread for many generations, either directly from French settlers to Louisiana (New France) or via the French Canadian immigrants centuries ago.

In the Cajun legends, the creature is said to prowl the swamps around Acadiana and Greater New Orleans, and possibly the fields or forests of the regions. The rougarou most often is described as a creature with a human body and the head of a wolf or dog, similar to the werewolf legend.

Often the story-telling has been used to inspire fear and obedience. One such example is stories that have been told by elders to persuade Cajun children to behave. According to another variation, the wolf-like beast will hunt down and kill Catholics who do not follow the rules of Lent. This coincides with the French Catholic loup-garou stories, according to which the method for turning into a werewolf is to break Lent seven years in a row.

A common blood sucking legend says that the rougarou is under the spell for 101 days. After that time, the curse is transferred from person to person when the rougarou draws another human’s blood. During that day the creature returns to human form. Although acting sickly, the human refrains from telling others of the situation for fear of being killed.^[2]

Other stories range from the rougarou as a headless horseman to the rougarou being derived from witchcraft. In the latter claim, only a witch can make a rougarou—either by turning into a wolf herself, or by cursing others with lycanthropy.^[

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Thanks to Paulette Provost for the following recipe:

Elephant Stew

1 medium sized elephant

Salt and pepper

2 rabbits (optional)

Cut the elephant in small bite-size pieces.  This will take about 3 months.  Add enough gravy to cover.  Cook over kerosene fire for about 4 weeks at 465 degrees.  This will serve 3,800 people.  If more are expected, 2 rabbits may be added, but do this only in an emergency.  Most people do not like hare in their stew!

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Cajun French Phrase of the Week: chouchoot---------------thingamajig

(Taken from http://louisianacajunslang.com/language.html)

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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.26

 Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 26 – July 1, 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 also on Twitter and Facebook.

It’s here. It is the 4th of July weekend. I sure hope everyone has wonderful plans for the weekend. Have fun but please be safe. Pensacola Beach has so much going on this weekend that I cannot list everything. I suggest that you look up the Island Times on the internet for the list of events, dates and times.

As for George and me, we are staying in the neighborhood. Our Pennsylvania neighbor will be visiting for the 4th of July and we plan on getting together. Everyone brings something to these occasions and I’m bringing bread. In fact, until this is read, the others don’t know that I plan on making the bread myself. Mama would respond, “Well, la di da.” She would also ask me why I would want to do that when there is plenty of bread at the store. The answer is that I have an automatic bread maker that I rarely use and decided to do this. We shall see how this turns out.

Last Sunday we attended the award ceremony for Paradise Bar & Grill. That place was packed. It was also very hot. We had a lovely time and ate our usual cheeseburger at Paradise for dinner.

Another dog collar was made this week. This was for Amber Lee. She is going on vacation with her owners, Shelley and Richard, and like any girl, needed some new vacation attire.

One of my friends was telling me this week that her 3 dogs got loose last week. Someone called her to say her dogs were down the street. Obviously, she was talking to me about getting collars for her dogs.

You never know when that precious pet of yours will get out or be stranded. When George and I lived in Orlando, we had a beautiful, American, golden cocker spaniel that was actually stolen from our back yard. We looked everywhere for her and were finally told that a group of people had been in the neighborhood stealing dogs for scientific experiments. I don’t know how true that is but I do know that I cried many nights over that dog. We never found her.

Last week’s sale on napkins spurred several people to buy them. We were busy embroidering napkins this week. At one point I had orders for more natural colored napkins than I had. I thought I would be smart and get a rush order of napkins in so I could fill all of the orders. That did not work out. I had to tell one potential customer that we simply are out of natural colored napkins.

In fact, you aren’t going to see any more sales for $2 napkins at Cajun Stitchery unless I run across a great sale, myself. All year my wholesalers have been sending emails, brochures, etc., saying that the price of cotton has gone way up and those prices will be reflected in the merchandise that I purchase. When I contacted my napkin supplier, I found that the cost of the napkins has doubled. Not only that, but now I’m required to purchase a minimum of 5 dozen of the same color napkin. The new sale price for any new napkins is going to be $4.

SALE: Right now I still have some of the $2 cloth napkins. These are the 20 inch square, restaurant quality napkins with hemmed edges. The colors that we have in stock are:

1. Purple

2. Lavender

3. Blue

4. Royal Blue

5. White

6. Burgundy

7. Teal

8. Brown

9. Sea Foam Green

I’m selling these (in-stock) napkins at $2 each; first come, first served. They make great Christmas presents. I highly suggest you buy them now.

We do have 5 dozen ivory napkins, 20” x 20”, with hemmed edges, restaurant quality, for $4 each.

We still have some market baskets in stock. I sold the black one this week. It is going to be really cute with a gold monogram and 2 gold fleur de lis. We still have: purple, red, hot pink, blue, and the black with white polka dots. These are the regular sized market baskets that are 18"L x 11.5"W x 9"H with Collapsible/Removable Frame. The price, without embroidery, ranges from $22 (for solid colors) to $28 (polka dot), each. A name or initials would be $5. Of course, the more embroidery you want on the basket, the more the cost.

Last week my neighbor, Charlotte, won the contest. We had several entries. Many of the entries were correct but Charlotte was the first with the answer. Stinky is our oldest pet. She is 16 this year. Remember, you can only win once every 2 months to give everyone a chance.

CONTEST: First person to answer correctly is the winner. What was my mother’s pet name for me?

The winner will receive their monogram on:

Hot Pink Canvas Purse

10.5"L x 6"W x 11.5"H

Snap Closure

Zipper Compartment with Two Open Pockets Inside

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.

Thank you Paulette Doucet Provost for sending the following joke:

Three friends from Church Point, Louisiana were asked, "When you in

your casket, and your friends and church members are mourning over you,

what would you like dem to say?"

Thibodeaux said: "I would like dem to say, I was a wonderful husband,

a fine spiritual leader, and a great family man."

Fontenot commented: "I would like dem to say, I was a wonderful

teacher, and servant of da church, who made a huge difference in

people's lives."

Boudreaux said: "I'd like dem to say, 'Look, he's movin!'"

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French Phrase of the Week: Il fait humide. (It is humid.)

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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. 25

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 25 – JUNE 24, 2011


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, catalog at www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery and www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com often. We are also on Twitter and Facebook.

Hope all of the dads out there had a wonderful Father’s Day. Next holiday is going to be the 4th of July. We’re back to the red, white and blue and there are several patriotic items in our Etsy store. Drop by for a visit.

I was pleased to find out this week that Paradise Bar & Grill is listed in the top 10 bars in Florida. A hardy congratulation goes to Fred and Rene and the gang! The official ceremony is going to be this Sunday. I think it’s at 4:00 but you better double check. Fred is asking everyone to please attend to congratulate Rene and staff.

I may have mentioned this before but I read an article not long ago about dog collars. The article said that it is very important that your cats and dogs have collars with their names and telephone numbers. This is true especially for disaster purposes. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was devastating on pets and their owners. Most were never reunited. My cats do not have collars because they are strictly indoor cats. They have had their front claws removed. After reading that article, I plan on making collars for the cats today and will embroider their name and my phone number on the collars. You don’t know what is going to happen at any given time. Another point is that even if your animal has an identification chip embedded, most people don’t think to take the cute little animal to the vet to check for ID. Nothing against ID chips; they are valuable. Also, if a pet finds itself misplaced, it is probably quite stressed. To see the animal’s name and be able to call him/her by name would be comforting and calming to the pet.

Needless to say this article touched my heart. So, this week Cajun Stitchery has purchased the necessary items to make pet collars. Our very first commercial collar was made this week for Daisy. Miss Daisy’s collar was picked up today. I urge everyone with cats and/or dogs to please get identification collars whether from Cajun Stitchery or elsewhere. We feed our pets healthy, nutritious food. We take them to the veterinarian. We train them. We care for them. We love them. Please also keep them safe with identification.

About last November, I received a call from a lady saying that she had an advertising company out of her home where she did advertising on local restaurant menus. The deal was that she provided the restaurant with free menus paid for by the companies advertising on the menu. For the advertising companies, we would get our business card size advertisement on a menu in a popular restaurant for 12 months at a very reasonable cost. In addition, once you lock into a particular cost for advertisement in one menu, you could advertise on any menu that she does for the same amount whether it is today, tomorrow or in 10 years, you would have the same rate. It seemed like a great deal that I could afford with a very small business. In addition, the restaurant would be Native Café on the beach, which has a special place in my heart. I agreed. The lady, in fact it was two ladies, came to my home and showed me the proof for my ad. We discussed changes and ideas. The menu was to come out in January. It was November at the time. I paid her. I signed her paperwork. And I counted the days to see our ad at Native Café. When January arrived, George and I went to Native Café for breakfast and there were no ads on the menu at all. I inquired about the ad with our waitress and she told me that the new menu would be coming out shortly. I called the advertising lady when I got home and she explained that there was a delay and the menus would be out in a couple of weeks. I finally made it back to Native Café last month. Still no ad. The owner came out and told me that there are lots of angry advertisers and he is not happy, either. The lady, who appeared so professional to me, never came through with the menus. In fact, she cashed the checks and no one can find her. She put everyone off long enough so that the bank cannot do anything about the checks. It is really a very sad situation because the idea is brilliant. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved. Haven’t we all seen menus like this with the advertising? Well, I learned my lesson.

People like this make reputable companies look bad. There are reputable companies out there because we have all seen this type of menu. I say this because a friend of mine has a company, Menu-tizing, that does exactly this. She is reputable but I didn’t know about her last November. In fact, Cajun Stitchery will be embroidering her companny shirts soon.

Speaking of shirts for Menu-tizing, our new digitizer is digitizing the embroidery design for Menu-tizing today. This digitizing company has won many awards for their digitizing and I’m looking forward to seeing their work up close and personal. I think this will become a really nice relationship. They told me that all of their digitizing is $30 per design. Of course, lettering and words, unless they are a logo or something that requires digitizing, can be done in-house without a digitizing charge. Same is true for stock designs. Since I have to pay the digitizer upon receipt of the digitizing, the $30 digitizing fee will be required up front.

SALE: Right now I am overloaded with stock, especially cloth napkins. These are the 20 inch square, restaurant quality napkins with hemmed edges. The colors that we have in stock are:

1. Rust

2. Purple

3. Natural

4. Lavender

5. Blue

6. Royal Blue

7. White

8. Burgundy

9. Teal

10. Brown

11. Sea Foam Green

I’m selling these (in-stock) napkins at $2 each; first come, first served.

The market baskets are just adorable and very functional. I have one for myself with the Cajun Stitchery logo embroidered. These market baskets are canvas and really nice. Perhaps it’s because no one else seems to be using market baskets for advertising purposes, but people really do stop to look at them. They have stopped me.

Right now, in stock, we have black, red, purple, navy blue, hot pink, and black with white polka dots. These are all regular size market baskets and the price, without embroidery, ranges from $22 (for solid colors) to $28 (polka dot), each. A name or initials would be $5. Of course, the more embroidery you want on the basket, the more the cost.

I think the purple would be great for Mardi Gras Krewes. Krewes are always lugging around stuff from food, to costumes, to items to create a float. Put your krewe logo on the side of a purple market basket.

We also have a black laptop case($24), a black with white polka dot carryall($14), some blue and white striped canvas purses ($8 each), hot pink purses($8 each), hot pink mini purses($6 each), and a brown purse($8 each). I’ll embroider a monogram (name or initials) for $5.00.

The market baskets have a bunch of uses.

• One customer said they are perfect for a beach tote.

• They make great personalized gifts or gift baskets.

• With your logo embroidered, they are a wonderful advertising tool. If you are like me and always seem to carry a bag with my wares, picking up or delivering items, your logo embroidered on the basket is ideal and unique. It’s an eye catcher.

• Recent embroidery on a market tote was done by embroidering the outline of the word “Mine” and then filling the word with rhinestones. It turned out beautifully. The same technique can be used for any word.

• They also make great picnic baskets. Include a set of matching cloth napkins, a tablecloth, some personalized can wraps, and an assortment of picnic items and you have a great gift. These totes have two mesh pockets on either end on the inside of the basket, as well as plastic feet and a luggage grip. A red market basket with blue or white embroidery, filled with red, white and blue napkins, tablecloth, can wraps, and other picnic items for your 4th of July picnic would be very patriotic.

• Another really great idea is a wedding gift with the names of the bride and groom and the date of the wedding embroidered on the basket. Fill it with household items, linens, or picnic items.

• And don’t forget that this makes a great diaper bag for mom. Embroider the baby’s name on the side. Fill it with diapers, blankets, bottles, and an assortment of baby items. Pink for girls; blue for boys. In fact, today someone came to me at the WBL meeting saying that she thought I brought a baby.

• Fill it with your cleaning items and take it from room to room as you clean the house.

• Same with gardening items. Don’t forget to include a pretty little apron.

• The possibilities are endless.

The 4th of July is next weekend. We now have the red, white and blue stripe, and the blue, white and red stripe webbing, 1.25” wide. There are more rhinestone flag buckles. If you are interested in a pretty terrific gift or patriotic attire for the 4th of July, George will make the patriotic belt for $10 each. Just let us know the waist size. About 6 inches are added to the waist size for proper adjustment of the belt.

I can’t believe that no one won last week’s contest. My very first job in Pensacola was my job for 14/15 years. I worked at the Levin Papantonio law firm as a paralegal.

CONTEST: First person to answer correctly is the winner. Which one of my pets, Stinky, Evie, Sylvester, Tigger, or Poly is the oldest? The winner will receive a set of 4 cloth napkins, restaurant quality, and 20” x 20” with your initials/monogram. (Color choice depends on what is in stock.)

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.

Thank you Kim von Aspern-Parker for sending the following joke:

The Louisiana State Police had received numerous reports of illegal cockfights being held in the area around Abbeville and had sent their famous Detective Boudreaux from Thibodeaux to investigate.

Boudreaux promptly began his investigation and then reported to his Commander the next morning.

"Dey is tree main groups involve in dis rooster Fightin", he began. "Good work! Who are they?" the Commander asked.

Boudreaux replied confidently, "De Texas Aggies, de local Cajuns, and de Mafia from N'awlins".

Puzzled, the Commander asked, "Now Boudreaux, how did you find all that out > in one night?"

"Well," he replied, "I went down and done seen dat rooster fight in person. And I knowed immedjiately dat dem Aggies was involved when a Duck was entered in the fight."

The Commander nodded, "I'll buy that. But what about the others?"

Boudreaux nodded knowingly, "Well, I knowed de Cajuns was involved when sum_body bet on de duck!" "Ah, I see, I see....." sighed the sergeant,

"And how did you figure the Mafia was involved?" "De duck won."

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French Phrase of the Week: éclairs de chaleur (summer lightning)

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

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. 23

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 23 – JUNE 10, 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 also on Twitter and Facebook.

Before I go any further, someone named Mary emailed me this week and asked to be removed from this newsletter list. I tried every way that I know to figure out which Mary it was that wants to be removed. I could not find the last name, or even the email address. It just kept coming up as Mary. I replied to sender asking for her name so that I could remove her from the list but I have not received a reply. If you wish to be removed from the emailing list, please do let me know but please, please, let me know your name and email address. Mary, I apologize if your name has not been deleted. Please let me know which Mary you are – we have several on the list.

As I made my costume for the Fiesta Ball, I posted photos and comments on the blog, as well as Facebook. I had no idea so many people were following this costume creation. As the very last touch to the costume, on Wednesday, I embroidered a little evening bag made from the fabric in my costume. The embroidery design was the Blue Angels with “100th Anniversary” and “Naval Aviation.” Wednesday evening arrived and, although I haven’t seen any really good pictures of George and me together, we made a really cute couple. Looking back, of course, I would have changed a few things but the costumes worked and we had a fabulous time. By the way, George made his own belt out of blue, white and red striped webbing and a rhinestone flag belt buckle. He looked great!

As we arrived at the ball, we met our friends, Morrie, Kathi, Paulette, and Deb outside. Kathi brought the blinking items and I was completing the costume outside the front door. Yes, I adorned the red, white and blue tinsel wig with the blinking, plastic, red, silver and blue tiara. There were several necklaces placed around my neck. All were red, white and blue and blinking. Then we attached pins. Then came the white boa with the blinking lights. Except for the basic costume that I made, Kathi, Paulette and I were adorned the same. Well, Paulette didn’t wear the tinsel wig. Finally, we were all dressed and ready to make our entrance.

This is an all krewe ball, so don’t think we were the only ones in costume. Oh, no. There were fabulous costumes from the Myoki Indians with all of their feathers to the very formal and elegant gowns and tuxedos. There were pirates and Alice in Wonderland costumes. Kings and Queens of all of the krewes were announced. It was quite a sight.

Once we entered, we found the Krewe of Junkanoo table. You can’t miss the Krewe of Junkanoo because they are such a rowdy bunch. Besides they were one of the first tables. To our surprise the Mystic Krewe of Nereids had a table next to the Krewe of Junkanoos. It goes without saying that putting those 2 tables so close was the beginning of a rip roaring good time. We kept mentioning that some of our people were missing. Nevertheless, we got our drinks and more and more of our krewe arrived.

My mother always taught me to mingle with crowds and this event was no different. During my mingling, I found our lost friends on the other end of the room. The Krewe of Wrecks (our mother krewe) was on the other end of the room. Some were disappointed that their table wasn’t with our table. Not me. Traveling back and forth between tables gave me the opportunity to meet people and have a good time.

The band stopped and the various krewes performed their dances. They were all so good. People unfamiliar with Krewes usually don’t understand the effort and expense that goes into costumes, dances, floats, pins, beads, and a myriad of things. I think most Krewes, at least around here, meet monthly, all year round. There’s a lot of work involved.

While watching performances and mingling, a nice couple asked to take my picture. I obliged; then headed for our krewe table. Shortly, afterwards the same gentleman approached me and said, “Please don’t leave. You are going to win for the best individual costume.” I asked his name and he said, “Glenn.” Sure enough, after announcing the winner of the krewe performances, I was announced as the winner for best individual costume. I wish I had been a bit more sober at the time so I could savor the moment. As luck would have it, I wasn’t. Did Glenn know what an honor that was for me? Out of all of the wonderful costumes in the room, I was singled out. Did Glenn watch me make this costume on the internet? So many people approached me at the ball saying that they watched as the costume was made. Well, Glenn, whoever you are, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Finally, the evening came to a close. The memories of this wonderful Fiesta Ball will be with me forever.

When George and I arrived home from the Ball, there was a huge box at our front door. The market baskets arrived from a new vendor. These market baskets are canvas and really nice. Right now, in stock, we have black, red, purple, navy blue, royal blue, hot pink, and black with white polka dots. These are all regular size market baskets and the price, without embroidery, ranges from $22 to $28, each. We also have some hot pink mini market baskets for $14, each, without embroidery. There is a black laptop case($24), a black with white polka dot carryall($14), some blue and white striped canvas purses ($8 each), hot pink purses($8 each), hot pink mini purses($6 each), and a brown purse($8 each). I’ll embroider a monogram (name or initials) for $5.00.

The market baskets have a bunch of uses.

• One customer said they are perfect for a beach tote.

• They make great personalized gifts or gift baskets.

• With your logo embroidered, they are a wonderful advertising tool. If you are like me and always seem to carry a bag with my wares, picking up or delivering items, your logo embroidered on the basket is ideal and unique. It’s an eye catcher.

• Recent embroidery on a market tote was done by embroidering the outline of the word “Mine” and then filling the word with rhinestones. It turned out beautifully.

• They also make great picnic baskets. Include a set of matching cloth napkins, a tablecloth, some personalized can wraps, and an assortment of picnic items and you have a great gift. These totes have two mesh pockets on either end on the inside of the basket, as well as plastic feet and a luggage grip. A red market basket with blue or white embroidery, filled with red, white and blue napkins, tablecloth, can wraps, and other picnic items for your 4th of July picnic would be very patriotic.

• Another really great idea is a wedding gift with the names of the bride and groom and the date of the wedding embroidered on the basket. Fill it with household items, linens, or picnic items.

• And don’t forget that this makes a great diaper bag for mom. Embroider the baby’s name on the side. Fill it with diapers, blankets, bottles, and an assortment of baby items. Pink for girls; blue for boys.

• Fill it with your cleaning items and take it from room to room as you clean the house.

• Same with gardening items. Don’t forget to include a pretty little apron.

• The possibilities are endless.

We now have the red, white and blue stripe, and the blue, white and red stripe webbing, 1.25” wide. There are more rhinestone flag buckles. If you are interested in a pretty terrific Father’s Day gift, George will make the patriotic belt for $10 each. Just let us know the waist size. About 6 inches are added to the waist size for proper adjustment of the belt. Better hurry because Father’s Day is on June 19th.

SALE: Good through next Thursday, June 16th. Adjustable can wrap with your name or initials embroidered for $5 each. They usually sell for $7 each or $5 each when purchasing 10 or more. Never lose your drink again.

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.

Thank you Kathi for sending the following joke:

Boudreaux bought his wife Marie a piano for her birthday. A few weeks later, Fontenot inquired how she was doing with it.

"Oh," said Boudreaux, "I persuaded her to switch to a clarinet." "How come?" asked Fontenot. "Well," Boudreaux answered, "because with a clarinet she can't sing."

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French Phrase of the Week: The following was taken from LSU.edu:

C’est un beau temps. (It’s nice weather out.) ===============================================

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.