Cajun Corner - Vol. 3, No. 47

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 47 – November 26, 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, 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 very Happy Thanksgiving.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with friends.  It was the usual fair of eating until you could barely breathe, took a walk, and then we played an enticing game of Scrabble.  It really was a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We have so much for which to be thankful.

We are still learning our smart phones and still having issues with our U-verse.  Earlier this week the internet went down, again.  This time they sent a repairman who seems to think the problem is in the AT&T wires and not our home wiring.  The internet came up again and we were happy.  It went down again today requiring us to call, again.  We are back on the internet now.  It comes and goes.  I sure wish they would fix the problem.

Today I received The Square.  The Square is the entire reason we got the smart phones and the U-verse in the first place.  The Square allows Cajun Stitchery to accept credit cards.  I must have Wi-Fi available so it should work at the house.  I’m going to the Perdido Bay Golf Club this afternoon where we will have a booth with other local small businesses.  I sure hope we can get Wi-Fi there so I can accept credit cards. 

Buy from local small businesses day is a great idea.  There has been a lot of publicity.  I’m thinking that most shoppers want to buy from local small businesses but the prices that many small businesses have to charge is more than people pay at the Wal-Mart type businesses.  In addition to that, it is the day after Black Friday when shoppers are really hyped about getting bargains.  Cajun Stitchery has drastically reduced the price on many of our items that we will be selling today.  We are also looking into various machines that will help us produce a better product and be able to reduce prices at the same time.  The problem, of course, is that the machines cost a lot of money that we would have to recoup.

The boring needles came in.  I’m a little nervous about using them and I’m waiting for my friend to try her’s first.  I read as much literature as I could find on them, including watching some videos.  It just appears that an attachment is necessary.  I contacted the manufacturer of our machine but they never returned my call.

If anyone is interested in bath robes, let me know.  I’m getting ready to place an order for some waffle weave robes, 48” long, hotel quality, one size fits all.  They are going to cost about $50 each, plus shipping.  Of course, the more I purchase, the lower the shipping rate.

CHRISTMAS is around the corner.  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. 

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

Thank you Marshall Larrivere for the following:

Walking into the bar, Boudreaux said to Charlie

the bartender, “Pour me a stiff one - just had another fight with the

little wife.”

“Oh yeah?” said Charlie, “And how did this one end?”

“When it was over,” Boudreaux replied, “She came

to me on her hands and knees.”

“Really,” said Charles, “Now that's a switch!?

What did she say?”

She said, “Come out from under the bed, you little

coward.”

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

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.

Smoking in Frigid Temperatures

It's Monday and chilly.  It seems like just yesterday that I was in short sleeves and the weather was warm.  Now I'm in long sleeves, fluffy socks, and won't go outside without an overcoat, scarf and something on my head.  I am wearing the fingerless arm warmers from last year.  Those things do the trick.  At times, I need my fingers covered and warm but if I'm going to pick up something or hold something, going fingerless is a real plus.  Not to mention that I love making those things.

I was looking at the scarves in the Etsy Shop and realized those are all warm weather, light weight scarves.  I need to make something a bit more substantial for the cooler months.  Ideas are flowing.

Remember my neighbor in the Air Force?  I saw him yesterday and chided him for not wearing his cell phone holder.  He forgot it at work.  He says he took it off because several of the guys were looking at it and he forgot to put it back on.  Now that's a compliment.  Wish I could get some of the military as customers.

This weekend I began embroidery on webbing in earnest.  I made a design of fleur de lis and began making wristlets to hold keys.  They are looking better and better each time I make them.  In fact, that's why my Air Force neighbor was over here yesterday.  I made him and his wife each a fleur de lis wristlet for their keys.  They are huge Saints fans.  They loved them.

About a week or two ago, a friend of mine mentioned that as beautiful as our work is, it tends to smell of cigarette smoke.  You know that is a good friend who can tell you those things.  Maybe a day or two later, another friend mentioned the same thing.  Poo yie!  That is not good.  We usually do spray everything with Febreze.  So, we decided that we would no longer be smoking in the house.  As of that day, this house has become smoke free.  Of course, that puts us outside in the inclimate weather with our cigarettes.  I know it's a nasty habit and with God's help, someday we will quit.  Of course, all of this happens when we have the first freeze of the year.  We are spending a lot of time outside and communing with nature.  We can see our neighbors coming and going.  It's always good to get outside, but late at night with the frigid wind blowing and we are all bundled up in overcoats by the fire, it gets past the romantic and all you want is warmth.

All of this led me to remember something that I dream about each winter.  Ever since I first read an article about a heat grabber back in the 1970's in Mother Earth News, I have wanted one.  We were in Orlando and it almost didn't seem worth the effort since winter in Orlando lasts maybe a month.  Now that we are in Pensacola we enjoy all four seasons and I sure could use a heat grabber now.  What is a heat grabber, you might ask?  It is a very old concept and apparently simple to do.  It follows the theory of heat rises.  You make a box out of scrap materials (no, not fabric), like wood.  It has a bottom and 3 sides.  The top is glass.  The box is about 6-8 inches tall.  The open end of the box fits into your window and the box should be as wide as your window.  In the middle of the box you place something that you paint black.  The idea is this: the cool air of the room flows into the lower opening of the box in the window.  The heat of the sun shines on the glass on top of the box and as the cool air goes into the box, and around the black painted object, it warms.  Since heat rises, the warm air goes out of the top slot in the window and into the room, thus replacing the cool air with the warm air.  No moveable parts.  You put it in a sunny southern window.  Everything can be made of scrap but the more efficient the materials, the better it warms your room.  For instance, if you insulate the box, it will not lose so much of the warmth and thus your room gets warmer, quicker.  Copper is a good conductor to use in the center by painting it black.

Of course, the heat grabber only works during the day on sunny days.  But just imagine the electricity you would save.  Frankly, I don't know why this isn't used in schools and other public buildings that are occupied only during the day.

Enough of my eco ranting and raving.  I have to get back to work.  Have a great day.
Bon jour, mes amis.

Cajun Corner Vol. 2, No. 43

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 43 – November 5, 2010


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.

I still haven’t received the certified copy of my birth certificate. I do, however, have a temporary driver’s license, good for 60 days.

Last Saturday, we did entertain Dale, our CPA, with dinner and a fire in the chiminea. The chicken Alfredo on fettuccini, French bread, wine, and yellow cake with chocolate icing – all made by moi – turned out great.

We only had a handful of children for Halloween. Since the neighbors were outside with their candy, we did have an enjoyable time cutting up with them. I embroidered some Halloween tea towels for a couple of our elderly neighbors. Afterwards, we went to another neighbor’s home and drank a bit of wine and enjoyed a pleasant evening.

Monday night we returned to our neighbors’ home for a delightful birthday get together by their chiminea. We had presents, cake and ice cream and a lot of fun and laughter. They really got me when, after singing the Happy Birthday song, they broke into the Five Pounds of Possum song, complete with animation. I received a book, “I really should have stayed home” from one of our neighbors. The book has a variety of short stories from a variety of authors about encountering bad situations while traveling. So far, it’s hilarious. Another friend gave me a beautiful mermaid candle holder; and, another gave jewelry. The best gift of all was my neighbors, themselves.

Since we missed one of our neighbor’s birthday in October, we presented him with a cell phone pouch. He is in the Air Force and at one time kindly gave me several sets of his old camouflage uniforms. I took a couple of the rank insignias off one of the uniforms and made them into a cell phone pouch. Rather than my usual D ring to hang from a purse, I used a clip to clip to a belt. I actually took George’s cell phone holder and more or less fashioned the pouch to look like that. The difference is that I used Velcro to close it at the top. Even George’s manly cell phone pouch allows the cell phone to fall out sometimes. I have such a tendency to make things fluffy and girly; but not this cell phone pouch. It was all man and I even embroidered his name – in a masculine block font – on the front. Well, he put it on and was modeling for us. We laughed so hard. He should have been in Paris on a fashion runway.

Wednesday night was my girls’ night and in their typical fashion celebrated my birthday with wonderful presents, food, conversation, and a decadent multi-chocolate laden cheese cake. I only forgot one bag of presents when I left, or rather when I rolled myself to my car. Those girls really know me well and it showed in the gifts. All sorts of mermaid items, of course, a hummingbird feeder with book, another book named “Wicked Plants”, nice warm socks, a blingy shirt, jewelry, make-up, gift certificate to get my hair done, gift certificate to the Grand Marlin, and the presents just kept rolling in. No one gave me anything embroidered. lol

Wednesday the rain began. We truly needed the rain and it was welcomed. It rained and rained. Warrington started to flood. It kept raining. In fact, it was raining when I left for my girls’ night and raining when I returned. It rained all through the night and into Thursday. The rain subsided by Thursday night and then it started getting cold. In fact, the low today is 39. I don’t do cold well at all. So, I’m bundled up most of the time in heavy coats.

Today I went to a women’s luncheon, and then went to lunch afterward with a dear friend that I haven’t seen in awhile. Remember when I embroider the two little dog coats. That is the friend. We had lunch at Bonelli’s and she bought me dessert for my birthday -- Tiramisu. Yummy.

Speaking of WBL, my friend, Donna, won a free sofa cleaning from one of the girls who has a cleaning business. Donna passed the sofa cleaning onto me because she has a new sofa that doesn’t need to be cleaned. We arranged for Elizabeth to be at my house next Wednesday to clean my sofa. Poor thing, with 3 cats, 2 dogs, one husband and all of the animals that have visited that sofa over the years, the sofa has got to be filthy, even though we vacuum it.

Our educational segment of our WBL meeting was presented by Earlynn Stillwell, a local attorney. Her topic was on cheap and/or free marketing ideas. We were each handed a list of 55 very creative and clever marketing ideas. As Earlynn’s segment closed, Kolleen, said, “Peggy, you will especially be interested in number 44.” I hurriedly searched for number 44 which says “Sex Sells.” I laughed and replied, “I’ve done that!” At that, the meeting continued. It wasn’t until later this afternoon that I realized that Kolleen and I failed to explain those comments. I can only imagine what the other ladies are thinking. The explanation is that earlier this year I read an article that said to find the most popular words and/or phrases used in searches on the internet and then use those words and/or phrases in your internet copy. My search showed that “sex” is the most popular word searched for on the internet. Kolleen and I got into a conversation about how I could use the word “sex” with regard to embroidery. In the end, I put some “red, sexy, handkerchiefs” for sale in my Etsy store.

Another friend from WBL called me earlier this week to talk about embroidery on webbing. She wanted a special key ring/holder that has webbing on the end with a name embroidered on the webbing. She kept talking about a wristlet. I told her that I need to see what she is talking about and she said she would bring it to our meeting. At the meeting today, she said she could not find one. It’s for a guy, so no fluffy/blingy stuff. She was talking about something about ½ inch wide and long enough to go around a wrist. The thinnest webbing that I have is white and one inch wide but I began playing around with the webbing this afternoon and by gosh, I think I can easily make these things. I’m thinking about making some with Cajun Stitchery embroidered on them. We could embroider names, company names with telephone number or email address, or even just designs.

It’s been a fun week. Tomorrow we are planning on going to the Arts Festival downtown. This birthday is the big 6-0 for me and I am dragging it out as long as I can get away with it.

My friend, Judy, is a grandmother. I told Judy sometime ago that I wanted to make a baby blanket for the baby. The colors in the baby’s room are sherbet colors. The parents decided that they didn’t want to know the sex of the baby until it was born. That put a damper on the baby blanket making for me. I did finish the baby blanket for our little Veronica who was born on October 29th. When I gave the blanket to Judy, she started to cry. Okay Judy, you knew I was making that blanket. There were no surprises. I took the crying as a compliment, but I am mush when any of my girls start crying. And if you don’t nip it in the bud, that crying becomes contagious. I cannot even imagine how to handle that entire group of girls crying. I shudder at the thought.

There are so many birthdays this month that it’s difficult keeping up with all of the gifts. The gift making, designing the embroidery for that particular person, deciding what to embroider on, and all of the things that go into the finished product is simply bliss for me. I let my imagination run wild and the girls don’t seem to mind. But when I get under the gun and fear missing my deadlines, some of the fun does drains away. So, I try to start as early as possible. Trust me; there are some pretty things to be unveiled this month.

The Mylar that I ordered arrived and I embroidered a test design on a towel. Oh my goodness. That stuff is beautiful. Bling, bling, bling. And, it is supposed to be washer and dryer safe. The first item was a towel for me. I told George that we need to use this towel and wash and dry it often to see how it lasts.

We are trying out a new idea with Cajun Stitchery. We are now booking Cajun Stitchery parties. Like the old Tupperware Parties. Our first one is going to be on November 14th. I’m a bit nervous about speaking to a group about embroidery. But I was talking with my son, Hank, today and telling him my concerns. He proceeded to tell me that this will be a piece of cake for me because, “Mom, you would talk to a wall if it would listen. You’ll do fine.” I have put together a power point presentation and slide show. I’m trying to put together some small catalogs but I’m having problems with my printer. It would be nice if this party is received well and others give parties, too. George came up with, yet another, brilliant idea. Rather than overwhelming everyone with all of the catalogs that we receive, we should simply put together a small catalog for this particular purpose. Rather than showing every t-shirt under the sun, we will have one t-shirt. So far, we will have one short sleeve t-shirt, one long sleeve t-shirt, one short sleeve polo, one ladies short sleeve t-shirt, one ladies long sleeve t-shirt, one ladies polo, one micro fleece jacket, one full zip hoodie, etc. I will let the audience know that we can get just about anything they want; they are not limited to our catalog items. Now if I could get my printer to work.

Speaking of my son, he was telling me today that my oldest granddaughter moved out and into her own apartment. She found an embroidery shop to embroider her initials on some napkins. What?! Hank said he didn’t realize that we did that. My own son! My own granddaughter! Guess I need to send them some embroidered napkins.

With all of the rain, the house next door sprung a leak in the roof. That’s a pretty new roof that was put on after Ivan. Luckily, we did not hire any of the fly by night roofers. Our roofer, Freeman’s, is out of Milton and has a 15 year warranty on the workmanship. They came over the first day and looked at the leak and figured out where it was coming from and returned the following day to fix the leak. I would certainly recommend this family business to anyone needing a roofer.

I’m still waiting on the AC guy to come over and give an estimate. Mr. Mattson (the AC guy) had surgery early this week. Nothing terribly serious, just enough to put him out of commission for a day or two. He said he will catch up with me next week.

Christmas is coming and customers are doing their Christmas shopping at Cajun Stitchery. Get this out of the way as soon as you can. For all who have businesses out there, remember that we also sell personalized gift baskets.

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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

One day Boudreaux and Thibodaux were watching TV. A good commercial about a movie came on and it said, "Coming To A Theatre Near You." Boudreaux looked at Thibodaux and said, "Thib how they know where we live?

ΘΘΘΘΘ

French phrase of the week: Tant qu'à toi, t'es toujours en retard! (As for you, you're always late!)

ΘΘΘΘΘ

From my friend, Lynn Cieutat, in a recent email:

This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana (a doctor's Wife), and I want to share it with you.

She was over recently for coffee and smelled the bleach I was using to clean my toilet and counter tops.

This is what she told me.

'I would like to tell you of the benefits of that Plain little ole bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store. What does bleach cost? My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide. Have you ever smelled bleach in a doctor's office? NO!!! Why? Because it smells, and it is not healthy! Ask the nurses who work in the doctor's offices, and ask them if they use bleach at home. They are wiser and know better! Did you also know bleach was invented in the late 40's? It's chlorine, folks! And it was used to kill our Troops. Peroxide was invented during WWI in the 20's. It was used to save and help cleanse the needs of our troops and hospitals.

Please think about this:

1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle)

and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out.

(I do it when I bathe.)

No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter.

Use it instead of mouthwash.

2. Let toothbrushes soak in peroxide to keep them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs

and leave a fresh smell.

Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe,

Or spray it on the counters.

4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board,

pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a

50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them

(especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for

five to ten minutes several times a day.

My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal

with any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water

and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming

your septic system like bleach or most other Disinfectants will.

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your

50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, plugged sinus.

It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria.

Hold for a few minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue.

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a

dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth

and hold it for ten minutes several times a day.

The pain will lessen greatly.

10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair,

spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower

and comb it through.

You will not have the peroxide-burnt blonde hair like

the hair dye packages but more natural highlights if

your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde.

It also lightens gradually, so it's not a drastic change.

11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help get

rid of boils, fungus, or other skin infections.

12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach

to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them.

If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot.

Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water.

Repeat if necessary.

13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors.

There is no smearing, which is why I love it so much for this.

14. Another place it's great is in the bathroom, if someone has

been careless & has peed on the floor around the toilet &

it's begun to smell of urine.

Just put some peroxide in a spray bottle & spray.

In the blink of any eye all the smell will be gone &

The bacteria eliminated! I could go on and on.

It is a little brown bottle no home should be without!

With prices of most necessities rising,

I'm glad there's a way to save tons of money

in such a simple, healthy manner!

'This information really woke me up.

I hope you gain something from it, too.

Pass it on!

Clorox vs. peroxide VERY interesting and inexpensive.

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

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

C’est tout, mes amis

Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

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

SALE OF THE WEEK (Good through Thursday, November 11, 2010)

(Cajun Stitchery maintains a very small inventory in house. When our customers order items from us, we then order the items from the manufacturer. We pass the cost of shipping and/or handling that we incur from the manufacturer to the customer. When we ship items to a customer, we include our shipping cost on the invoice, as well.)

SALE: Long Sleeve Pique Golf shirt with name embroidered on left chest = $23.00 plus applicable tax/shipping

Outer Banks - #2108

Essential Long Sleeve Pique Golf

Colors: bimini blue, black, navy, pine green, bright red, sports grey, white, wine

6.8 oz. 100% combed ring-spun cotton. Three woodtone buttons. Welted collar. Cotton/spandex ribbed cuffs. Side seams. Even finished side vents.

Casual Doesn't Have to be Frumpy

Sometime ago a friend of mine told me that she doesn't like the regular, generic t-shirts because of the crew neckline. She likes a softer, more feminine, neckline. I, personally, like the longer t-shirts, but I have to admit that I'm not crazy about the crewneck, either. My "uniform" at Cajun Stitchery is a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt with our logo embroidered on the left chest area. It is the ultimate in casual and after spending 35+ years in the professional work force, in law offices, and dressing in heels and suits everyday, I decided that my attire would be casual from here on out. Casual but not frumpy.  I've read and viewed projects for changing necklines with embroidery but those basically just add embroidery around the crewneck. It's beautiful, no doubt, much softer and more feminine than the stark crewneck, but still confining.

One of my favorite things to do is browse through all of our stock designs. The heirloom designs have always intrigued me. Some of them are necklines. I found a few necklines where the neck edge is satin stitches and thought that perhaps if I could embroider those necklines onto t-shirts and then just cut out the excess, maybe that would solve the problem. I tried one sometime ago and it did work. The problem was the small space between the shoulder seam and the beginning of the design, maybe an inch or two. I would have to finish those edges somehow. If I could get the design to start at the shoulder seam, that might work. I tried it. That doesn't work because the crew neck collar doesn't have the shoulder seam and the collar edges need to be finished. What I did was get as close as I could to the shoulder seams. Then I embroidered the new neckline with the satin stitched edges. Then I cut as close as possible to the satin stitches without cutting the stitches. The small area of rough edges above the embroidery is hand stitches into a rolled hem, or just folded back and stitched.

I changed the neckline on 3 of my old t-shirts.  I have pulled out a couple more old t-shirts that I want to try different designs, but the 3 that I've done have pleased me.  Yes, I've been wearing them in public.  What a great way to revitalize old t-shirts.  Now this is an environmentally friendly project.  Once you get the hang of it, it's simple to do.  You really don't even neeed to have the embroidery.  Simply take an old t-shirt, sew a straight stitch neck outline.  Cut the outline leaving enough fabric to turn under for a hem.  Hem around the neckline and you are done.  Some of the fancy stitches available on most sewing machine would finish the neckline hem beautifully.  Although I haven't done it, there's no reason to stop at the neckline.  What about a pretty, contoured edge on the bottom hem of the t-shirt or even on the edges of the sleeves?  Cut straight down the center front of the t-shirt, add a zipper, or whatever you like to finish the edges, and you have a light cover shirt/jacket.  You could even attach a collar and/or pockets.  For those cool fall evenings, use a long sleeve t-shirt.  There is no reason to throw out those old t-shirts that aren't stained or ripped.  Even then, with a little ingenuity, you could re-use them.  Put a pocket over a stain or mended rip, embellishments, appliques, etc.

 

One of my neighbors is in the Air Force.  Because my fabric tends to be very feminine, I asked him to give me his old uniforms, rather than tossing them out.  Oh my, he brought over a bunch.  Now I have the sand camoflage fabric.  I noticed that he left the stripes (patches) on the uniform.  I think that is because he is no longer that rank.  Anyway, I missed his birthday a few days ago and I needed a birthday present.  I also happened to be looking at the uniforms.  The rank insignia patch is the size of a cell phone holder.  He normally keeps his cell phone in his pocket and I've never seen him use a holder.  Well, long story short, I cut out 2 of his patches, sewed a clip that clips to your belt on the back of one patch.  I embroidered his name on the back of another patch and sewed the two patches together.  At the pointed tips of the patches, I sewed some Velcro.  He loved it.  I hope he was being honest.  I probably wouldn't do that one again, only because the patches are so thick and were hard to sew the edges on the sewing machine.  The outline design for that patch is one of my stock designs and I think would make some nice cell phone pouches for guys.

Again, this is the epidemy of environmentally friendly.

 

Evie is Alive and Well

George told me last night that it looks like the next time we will see the sun will be Thursday.  Man, it is rained a lot.  I do love a rainy day and I'm grateful that the temperatures are cooler with the rain, but that's a lot of water.  We certainly are not suffering from a drought here.  Thinking on the bright side, the garden looks lush.  The cherry tomato plants has little tomatoes on it and I am hoping they ripen.

This past weekend my dog, Evie, was sick as a dog.  It started on Friday when she up-chucked until there was nothing left in her little body, and then she kept vomiting up bile.  By Saturday she was exhausted.  I was mainly concerned about keeping her hydrated.  When she would get to the water bowl, she would down the whole thing. By Saturday afternoon, she stopped throwing up the water.  Then she slept.  Her nose and paw pads were very warm.  I tried feeding her boiled rice and chicken without salt or spices, but she would refuse all food.  George and I took shifts sleeping this weekend so that one of us would be with her at all times.  Yesterday, her tail perked up a few times at first.  Then she began eating a bit -- not the rice, though.  Then a bit more.  By dinner, she was begging at the table and she was almost back to normal.  She's fine this morning.  Still isn't eating a lot, but she is coming around.  The weekend before she got sick, too; but not to this extent.  All I can think of is that she got into the mushrooms that have grown all over the yard since the rains began.

There is humor in everything, if you look for it.  I'm always teasing about how I can't/don't cook well.  Even when Evie started eating again, she still refused the rice and chicken that I made for her.  George and I were laughing that even the dog won't eat my food.

A beautiful new scarf was listed on Etsy last night.  In my endeavor to use all of my fabric and notions, I found a pack of pink sequin and pearl butterfly patches.  The ends of the long scarf are embroidered in a design that resembles a ribbon.  Above the ribbon, on each end, are 3 of the butterflies.  It really turned out pretty and blingy.  I listed it late, around 10 p.m., but still had several visitors by this morning.  That's a good sign.  Maybe I'll actually sell one of the scarves.

I've been working hard on those new cell phone pouches, kind of working like an assembly line.  There are 20+ pouches.  I did the handwork while I was sitting with Evie this weekend.  Last night I did the embroidery.  Hopefully, today I'll do the assembly.  It was cute because I brought up a box of scraps from the embroidery room, downstairs.  I put the box on the floor and when I turned around, voila, we had kitty in the box.  The little black manx, Polly, loves to get in that box and even as I'm going through the scraps, she will remain sleeping.  At one point, I covered her up in scraps.  She didn't mind.  So, I took a picture.  Too cute.  When Polly gets out of the box, the yellow and white cat, Tigger, jumps in.  He's much bigger but manages to curl himself up on the scrap fabric.  Now I need to use all of those scraps in projects.  Hmmmm.

I need to get back to work on the pouches.  Have a great day.

C'est tout, mes amis.

Cajun Corner Vol. 2, No. 33

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 33 – August 27, 2010


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.

Splash Party was a huge success!! Did it rain? Oh, yes, it rained. The place was packed and we all had a wonderful time. Grown men and women were acting like children. Can you even imagine what it would have been like if the sun was shining and there was no rain? We still have some caps available for sale. We sold out of the pink visors. If the sun had been shining, I’m sure we would have sold out of all the caps and visors.

I just cannot get over how fast this week has flown by. I totally missed posting on the blog for Wednesday.

The next big event for Cajun Stitchery is the Pensacola Beach Arts & Wine Festival the first weekend in October. Yes, we have registered and will be in the Paddy O’Leary’s parking lot next to the SOB’s booth. Just like last year. I’ve been spending a lot of time upstairs in my Crafting Department this week. If a messy desk is a sign of genius, I’m there. What a mess! I’m sitting at the big computer, the desktop with my trusty Doris the Singer. An L is formed with my regular sewing machine and serger. Then a U is formed with the portable cutting table that George made me. Then an O is formed with my bookcase. Yep, I sure did seal myself up in this thing.

The Crafting Department, which used to be known as our study, has a great view of the park across the street through our sliding glass doors. I love to open the blinds and just watch the people walking and kids playing. Someday I would love to see a craft festival in that park. Every one of our neighbors seems to have such special gifts to offer. This is a quaint neighborhood, very eclectic with wonderful neighbors. We have gardeners, chefs, hairdressers, teachers, caregivers, military and civilian, and a whole array of gifted people. We have young people, as well as older people.

On the ceiling above Doris is a sign that my dear friend, Courtney, gave me a few years ago. The sign simply says “Create.” This is the creation part of Cajun Stitchery. I cut out paper and play with patterns and designs. There have been some truly weird things created up here, as well as a lot of beautiful things.

While I’m in the Crafting Department, George decided to clean the embroidery room downstairs. Uh oh. Don’t throw out my stuff, dear. He brought up a box of fabric scraps to the Crafting Department. Not having much room left in here, I had him put the box on the floor. Before long, I looked in the box and what do you know, little Polly, the Manx is curled up inside the box, fast asleep. What a precious sight that was! After awhile, I looked over and Tigger, the orange and white Tom cat, had squeezed himself into the box.

While looking at some templates for the bottle apron, I got the idea of, what would that look like if I sewed the sides and bottom? We now have a new style cell phone pouch. In fact, I listed one last night on Etsy. These are simple pouches. They are not as detailed or ornate as the mermaid pouches, but I like them. These will definitely be an item at the Art & Wine Festival.

My goal, and I suppose the goal of all crafters and seamstresses, is to use all the stuff that I have, down to the mere scraps. Then, envisioning that this could ever happen, I would be out of everything and have to go shopping to replenish with new stuff. That’s what I’m trying to do. This is probably not possible. I’ve been trying to do this all of my life. I just get more and more and more stuff.

One day I was contemplating the birthday of one of my Nereid sisters and an idea popped in my head for a design. This year my Nereids all get pillowcases for their birthdays. Anyway, I digitized the design and earlier this week stitched it out. It is the most beautiful design. Alas, I cannot post pictures on the internet because it’s a surprise and we have not yet celebrated her birthday this year. When we do, I will post these pictures everywhere. It’s just gorgeous.

The Nereids have several birthdays coming up and I need to get busy with designs and ideas. George told me the other day that my Nereids all have beautiful embroidered pillowcases. Customers order and we embroider beautiful embroidered pillowcases. But our pillowcases are threadbare. We need to come up with a Henshall design and embroider something for ourselves. You know the old saying that a mechanic’s car never works and a carpenter’s home is always in disrepair. This embroiderer needs to do something for us.

I found a sign language font. Seriously, I did. We were embroidering some pillowcases for a friend of my Aunt Philo’s and I sent a hand towel with the signs for L and U as the lagniappe. OMG! She was surprised. Now I think she is coming up with a million ideas for sign language embroidery. It’s amazing the things you can find on the internet. I put the photograph of her towel on the Cajun Stitchery Facebook page. I need to post it on the blog.

Last night George and I were outside in the garden, harvesting and tending to the garden. It was just turning dusk and we realized how comfortable it was outside. I think it was the first day this summer that we weren’t seriously attacked by mosquitoes and heat. We sat outside for awhile and realized that fall is approaching and we will be able to sit outside more and more. We love doing that; sitting on the deck with a glass of wine as the sun goes down and just loving the environment. As the temperature cools, we will even light the chiminea. Another of life’s simple pleasures.

Speaking of the garden, we are still harvesting bell peppers, carrots and beans but haven’t even begun our fall planting. I’m thinking onions, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, garlic, and celery. Our tomato plants are still lush and beautiful. As the temperatures cool, maybe we can get some tomatoes. Last year we picked the cherry tomatoes well into December. Sassy still has some fruit and I sure hope it ripens this fall. I’d plant brussel sprouts but they don’t seem to do well for us. Maybe we’ll throw in some cabbage, too. Squash doesn’t seem to work well for us, either, but we did get some cucumbers this year and maybe we should just keep trying.

Until last night, I’ve been a slacker this week with the Etsy store. I need to get back into the swing of at least listing one item a day.

I need to find some ice blue thread. The embroidery room has 5 shades of blue and one of the shades if very close but I’m trying to match at bedspread. So, I ordered a couple of shades of ice blue thread from my usual wholesale thread company. Then I ordered some rose, burgundy, navy, and by the time I was finished I spent more than $100 on embroidery thread. I don’t expect the order to arrive until probably last next week but we are going to have thread coming out of our ying yang.

Speaking of ordering, George has embroidered some beautiful caps for the Arts & Wine Festival and ordered 2 dozen more caps which came in the other day. He will be working on his caps downstairs after he finishes his clean up project in the embroidery room. Then he is going to start working on a Cajun Stitchery banner for our booth at the festival. I cannot wait to see the finished banner.

I embroidered monograms for every letter of the alphabet this week on 2 ½ inch, red ribbon. I was going to make luggage tags with the monograms but, in the end, I didn’t like the luggage tags. I love the monograms on the ribbon but it just looked too big for a luggage tag. Now what am I going to do with the rest of the alphabet?

My son, Hank, wants me to make him a cell phone pouch with the Gators insignia. I explained that I cannot because the insignia is licensed, but I can make him a cell phone pouch with a gator on it, but not the official insignia. That licensing thing seems to be difficult for people to understand. There is a fine line between what I can and cannot embroider.

It is football season and I need to make more fleur de lis and gator items. What is your favorite football team? Let me know and you may just find a variance of the mascot on some of our items.

Christmas is coming and customers are starting to do their Christmas shopping at Cajun Stitchery. Get this out of the way as soon as you can. For all who have businesses out there, remember that we also sell gift baskets.

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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

A long time ago, Boudreaux and Thibodeaux decided to go out west. They were in a covered wagon but somehow got separated from the wagon train. Boudreaux was in the front driving while Thibodeaux was relaxing in the back. All of a sudden, Boudreaux heard a yell from Thibodeaux in the back: "Hey, Boudreaux, there's Indians on horses back here chasing us." Boudreaux said, "Thibodeaux, how big are they?" Holding his finger and thumb about 2 inches apart, Thibodeaux said, "Mais, Boudreaux, they only about this big." "That's okay, Thibodeaux," Boudreaux said. "Tell me when dey get bigger." About ten minutes later, Boudreaux yelled out, "Hey, Thibodeaux, how big are those Indians?" "Mais, Boudreaux, dey are about tree feet tall." Boudreaux yelled back, "That's still okay, Thibodeaux, but tell me when dey get bigger." Ten minutes after that, Boudreaux cried out again, "Thibodeaux, how big are those Indians now." "Mais, Boudreaux, dey as big as you and me!!" "Well, shoot 'em!" screamed Boudreaux, "shoot 'em!" "Mais, Boudreaux, I can't," said Thibodeaux, holding his finger and thumb about 2 inches apart. "I've known 'em since they was dis big!"

ΘΘΘΘΘ

French phrase of the week: pain de maïs cornbread. pain perdu French toast.

ΘΘΘΘΘ

From: http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Asthma.html

Wow! There are tons of home remedies for asthma:

Asthma treatment using Honey

Honey is one of the most common home remedies for asthma. It is said that if a jug of honey is held under the nose of an asthma patient and he inhales the air that comes into contact with it, he starts breathing easier and deeper.

Asthma treatment using Figs

Among fruits, figs have proved very valuable in asthma. They give comfort to the patient by draining off the phlegm. Three or four dry figs should be cleaned thoroughly with warm water and soaked overnight.

Asthma treatment using Lemon

Lemon is another fruit found beneficial in the treatment of asthma. The juice of one lemon, diluted in a glass of water and taken with meals, will bring good results

Asthma treatment using Indian Gooseberry

Indian gooseberry has also proved valuable in asthma. Five grams of gooseberry mixed with one tablespoon of honey forms an effective medicinal tonic for the treatment of this disease. It should be taken every morning

Asthma treatment using Bitter Gourd Roots

The roots of the bitter gourd plant have been used in folk medicine for asthma since ancient times. A teaspoon of the root paste, mixed with an equal amount of honey or juice of the holy basil leaves, given once every night for a month, acts as an excellent medicine for this disease.

Asthma treatment using Drumstick Leaves

A soup prepared from drumstick leaves, and taken once daily, has been found beneficial in the treatment of asthma. This soup is prepared by adding a handful of leaves to 180ml of water and boiling it for five minutes. After being allowed to cool, a little salt, pepper, and lime juice may be added to this soup.

Asthma treatment using Ginger

A teaspoon of fresh ginger juice, mixed with a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey to taste, acts as an excellent expectorant in cases of asthma. The decoction of fenugreek can be made by mixing one tablespoon of fenugreek seeds in a cupful of water. This remedy should be taken once in the morning and once in the evening.

Asthma treatment using Garlic

Garlic is another effective home remedy for asthma. Ten garlic cloves, boiled in 30 ml of milk, make an excellent medicine for the early stages of asthma. This mixture should he taken once daily by the patient. Steaming ginger tea with two minced garlic cloves in it, can also help to keep the problem under control, and should be taken in the morning and evening.

Asthma treatment using Bishop's Weed

The herb bishop's weed has been found valuable in asthma. Half a teaspoon of bishop's weed should be mixed in a glass of buttermilk and taken twice daily. It is an effective remedy for relieving difficult expectoration caused by dried-up phlegm. A hot poultice of the seeds should be used for dry fomentation to the chest twice daily. The patient can also inhale steam twice a day from boiling water mixed with carom seeds. It will dilate the bronchial passages.

Asthma treatment using Safflower

Safflower seeds are beneficial in the treatment of bronchial asthma. Half a teaspoon of powder of the dry seeds, mixed with a tablespoon of honey, can be taken once or twice a day in treating this disease. This acts as an expectorant and reduces the spasms by liquefying the tenacious sputum. An infusion of five grams of flowers mixed with one tablespoon of honey, taken once daily, is also useful in this disease.

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

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

C’est tout, mes amis

Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

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

SALE OF THE WEEK (Good through Thursday, September 2, 2010)

SALE: Short Sleeve Denim Shirt sizes S-XL with first name or initials embroidered for $25.00

Sierra Pacific - #0211

Short Sleeve Denim

Catalog page: 17

6.5 oz. 100% cotton. Button down collar. Double needle stitching with 2-ply back yoke. Wood-style buttons with spare. Left chest pocket and locker loop. No back pleat.

Cajun Corner Vol. 2, No. 24

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 24 – June 18, 2010

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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

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

Father’s Day is Sunday. Make sure you treat your father special, at least for that one day. If you are near the Gulf Coast, take him out to dinner on the beach. Those businesses really need patrons since the tourist count is down. I think I’m going to take George to the beach this weekend to celebrate.

Speaking of the beach, last weekend we went to the beach and ate at Peg Leg Pete’s and then went down to Ft. Pickens. I wrote the story in the Monday blog but the lady at the gate asked George is he was 62. He got a life time pass to all federal parks for $10. There are a few perks with getting old. Ha-ha.

This week has been consumed with Etsy. I’m trying to put something new on Etsy everyday. There is so much competition on the internet. Suffice it to say that I joined Twitter, Kaboodle, Tumblr, Google Analytic and StumbleUpon in addition to Linkedin, Facebook, Blogger, Picassa, Feedjit, Etsy and some others that I already belong to. I post on the Blogger site every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, routinely. Tumblr is also a blog and I’ve gotten to like that one a bit because I can blog snippets during the day and post pictures of things I’m doing. I’m not sure I can handle all of these but I need to get customers. I need to continually evaluate what are my pros and what are my cons. I can read, write, sew, and embroider. And I have been reading everything I can get my hands on to market the Etsy shop. I’ve implemented most everything that I can. Then I found one forum on Etsy where the shop owner said they did all of the tweets, links, hits and found in the end, the thing that worked was just to do what they love doing – crafting and posting the items for sale.

Since I have been participating on the Etsy forums I was included in a “Treasury” this week. I was so excited. A treasury is where other shop owners at Etsy pick a theme and then chose 12 of their favorite items from other Etsiers’ stores to feature in the “Treasury.” That was real nice because it kind of meant to me that it was acceptance by my peers on Etsy.

Between Google Analytics and Feedjit (both are analytics showing the statistics of visitors and other technical stuff) my visitors to Etsy come either directly to our shop or via Kaboodle. A lot come from this blog and blogs that have listed us in their favorites. If you have a blog, please include Cajun Stitchery and we will be glad to reciprocate.

The patriotic visors with the stripes on the bill, blue headband and stars on the headband are now SOLD OUT. Yay!!! We still have the visors with the flag on the bill, red headband and the flag on the Velcro closure in the back. $5 for the visor plus $5 for most embroidered names or initials.

We also have a dozen burgundy ponytail caps and a dozen khaki with green bill ponytail caps. Passing on that sale is the same deal $5 per cap and $5 for most names or initials embroidered.

My friend, DJ, stopped by this week to visit and pick up her mermaid droid phone holders. We had such a lovely time. I only wish she could have stayed longer.

It’s getting hotter and hotter outside and the garden kind of weeps in the middle of the day but that garden just gets prettier and prettier. We have been harvesting tomatoes and bell peppers.

I’m still working on Etsy. I’ve rearranged our store on Etsy several times. I’m trying to get a new item on their everyday, although some days I don’t. Now I’m reading the forums and participating in that way. Etsy says that by participating in the forums you get your name out to other Etsiers and that’s a good thing.

One of my friends has ordered a set of 4 black napkins with red embroidery for a wedding gift. The engaged couple have registered for red and black plates. These napkins are going to be beautiful. Since my friend is working out of town right now, I’ve proposed that we do these napkins through Etsy and I can wrap the gift, include the card, and send onto the newlyweds, who are also out of town. Ha! Customers don’t even need to come to the house anymore, if they don’t want to. We can handle it all. Service with a smile:>)

I also have another set of pillowcases to design and embroider for someone special in my life.

I better get back to work. Have a wonderful week, everyone.

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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

Years ago, when Boudreaux was a college freshman, being fresh off the farm, and a rather healthy young man, he figured he'd try out for the football team. "Can you tackle?" asked the coach. "Watch dis," Boudreaux told him, and proceeded to run smack into a telephone pole, shattering it to splinters. "Wow," said the coach. "I'm impressed. Can you run?" "Mais, sure I can run," said Boudreaux. He was off like a shot, and, in just over nine seconds, he had run a hundred yard dash. "Great!" exclaimed the excited coach. "But can you pass a football?" Boudreaux rolled his eyes, hesitated for a few seconds. "Mais, Coach," he said, "if I can swallow it, I can probably pass it."

ΘΘΘΘΘ

French phrase of the week: puits d'huile oil well

ΘΘΘΘΘ

From: http://www.dailyecotips.com/

When you live in a hot part of the country during the summer, you know how important your air conditioner is to your comfort. It is also important that it doesn’t drive up your energy costs and there are some simple things that you can do that can keep this from happening.

• Thermal Curtains- These are a great solution to keep heat sources, like sunlight, from entering your house. For those on a budget you can just put these in the rooms that get the most sunlight. If you don’t want to go and buy new curtains and have heavy curtains you put up in the winter, they will work just as well.

• Blinds- If you have blinds up closing them will help to keep most of the sunlight out of your house and keep the house cooler during the day.

• AC Itself- Turn it off when you are not in the house to enjoy it. This seems like a simple tip but letting it run while you are not in the house uses energy that you don’t enjoy. Also if you are home alone and have window units, only keep the one on in the room that you are in. This will save energy cost and keep you comfortable.

• Blankets- It doesn’t seem possible that I would be talking about blankets and heat but it does happen. Instead of turning the air conditioning down so much at night, use a lighter blanket and you can turn the temperature up and save on energy.

• Maintenance- Clean your air conditioner if you have central air. Upgrade to an Energy Star unit if you have window units. This will keep your wallet and the Earth happy.

• Shade- When considering where to put your air conditioning unit, make sure that they are in the shade. This will keep the air conditioner from having to work so hard and will not use as much energy.

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

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

C’est tout, mes amis

Peggy Henshall

Cajun Stitchery

(850) 261-2462

cajunstitchery@yahoo.com

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

SALE OF THE WEEK (Good through Thursday, June 24, 2010)

PONYTAIL CAP SALE!!!

We have one dozen of each of the burgundy and green bill with khaki crown ponytail cap styles in the photographs. This sale is for these 2 dozen visors. First come, first serve.

The ponytail caps have a brass slide closure.

Sale: one ponytail cap without embroidery is $5.00 plus tax/shipping. We will be glad to embroider on the cap, upon request. Most embroidered names or initials are only $5.00.
(Note: We still have a few of the patriotic visors for $5 each, first come, first serve, until they are gone.)