Cajun Corner - Vol. 4, No. 4

Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 4 – February 4, 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.

This week has been filled with the Krewe of Bananimals. They seem to be a really fun krewe on the beach and have decided that Cajun Stitchery will do their jacket back embroidery.  The design that they chose is so much fun and very colorful.  So far this week we’ve stitched out two of the jacket backs.  We are starting to get calls from the krewe for directions to the studio and lots and lots of questions.  The most unusual question was if we could stitch the design on white fabric so the jacket owner can stitch the fabric onto the jacket.  She was somewhat concerned that a white jacket would get ruined easily and she just hates to pay for the embroidery only to throw it away after a season.  Her solution is to have me embroider the design on white fabric that she will attach to the jacket and then remove when she is finished with the jacket and put it on a new one.  She didn’t request a patch, which would involve additional digitizing and embroidery stitch count.  George actually came up with the best solution:  when you are finished with the jacket, just cut the design out of the back and sew it onto the new jacket.  Nevertheless, I explained to the lady that she would need to get some white fabric about the same weight and color as her jacket.  It is easy to say you are going to get white fabric but truthfully there are so many shades of white.  Getting the wrong shade of white is not very attractive.   The whole concept of attaching the white fabric eludes me.  But she knew what she wanted to do.  If she has a creative vision, I certainly will not stand in her way.

The idea of being able to embroider for new customers is very exciting to me.  I get to meet new friends and provide a service that comes from my heart.

From now until Mardi Gras I will be spending most of my weekends at Krewe Den with the Costume Committee.  This year will mostly entail alterations of our costumes.  There is also a special project that needs embroidering.  You just cannot beat hanging out and working with special friends, on a beautiful beach, doing what you love to do.  If this is a dream, please don’t wake me.

Last night was our Krewe Kocktail Party at Krewe Den.  Last year was the first year we had the cocktail party rather than our usual ball.  George and I could not attend because we had the flu.  All year I’ve heard about the wonderful time everyone had.  This year we definitely were going to attend and, indeed, we did.  It was fabulous.  It was everything the girls said.  Although we did have music, it wasn’t the loud, blaring music that you would have at a ball.  We were able to actually have conversations and enjoy getting to know people in a comfortable setting.  One of the highlights for me is getting to know our Love Slaves and Mermaidens better.  These people do a lot of work for us and they deserve to play with us, as well.   The food, of course, was delicious and just kept coming.  George and I brought our bottle of wine, but about my second glass, I noticed a punch bowl.  I really think that “punch” is definitely the correct word to describe that drink.  When I finally spilled my drink all over the floor and gathered napkins to clean it up, it was time to bid our farewells and go home.  We had enough fun for one evening. 

There hasn’t been a lot of time this week for playing on Pinterest, although I do try to look at the pictures when I can. 

Our Etsy Store needs some work.  In fact, December and January were the best two months that we have had at the Etsy Store.  I really need to get to work on it and put some new blingy stuff in the store.  I also want to work on more fashion scarves, Made in the USA, of course.

One of the joys of gardening is being able to share.  A neighbor dropped by the other day and left with a pot of thyme and some hyssop plants.

Have a wonderful week and don’t forget to SMILE:>)

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. 

Craft Project:

Take cheap, mismatched plates and glasses, glue together and spray paint.  Voila!  Unique cake stands.  (Found this on Pinterest.)

Another Pinterest find:

How to fix broken powder makeup http://www.katrinalomidze.com/2009/06/fix-your-broken-powder-makeup.html

Here are the steps!

• Add a few small drops of rubbing alcohol into your broken powder makeup compact or casing.

• After you add the alcohol to the broken powder you will notice it seep into the powder causing it to become soft.

• Smudge the soft soaking powder around, making it into a paste-like substance and re-form it by smoothing it out with your finger. You will know exactly what to do!

• You can then smooth the surface out with the bottom of a spoon if you choose to, but remember that it does not have to be perfect to work perfectly.

• Let it dry overnight for best results.

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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. 4, No. 3

Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 3 – January 27, 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.

The Mardi Gras season is definitely upon us now.  We are getting our Krewe Den this weekend.  All Nereids are to try on last year’s costume, put it on a hanger with your name pinned to it, attach a note saying if it needs to be taken in, let out, any rips or repairs needed, etc., and have your costume at Krewe Den in the Costume Department before next Wednesday.

The Nauga Brunch is tomorrow beginning at 10 a.m.   All of those attending please wear your animal print pajamas and join those Naugas for THE party of the year on the beach.

Last Friday was the Mystic Krewe of Nereids Moon pie Party.  That was the best moon pie party that we’ve had since I became entangled with these crazy Nereids.  The crowd was huge.  The music was loud.  The moon pies were all over the place.  I know I danced so much that I worried that I wouldn’t be able to move the next day.  Since this is our year of the Dancing Queen, she had us all on stage doing last year’s dance routine.  It was pure and simple fun, fun, and more fun. 

I’m still fascinated with Pinterest.  One Pinterest item that I read a week or so ago said that rather than using a dryer sheet to get out the static cling from your clothes, lightly wad up a piece of aluminum foil and throw that in the dryer.  We did it and it works.  The aluminum foil comes out wadded tightly but there is no static cling AND you can use the foil over and over again.  This reminded me of my daddy.  I remember when I was a little girl living in Lafayette, one day my hair was standing on end with static cling.  My daddy told me to go hold onto the metal plumbing pipe.  I did and voila the static cling was gone.  I think the aluminum foil in the dryer must be along the same principle as holding onto the metal plumbing pipe.

George and I have had a couple of really nice, big, carrot salads lately.  Just mix shredded carrots, raisins, and a bit of mayonnaise.  There simply is nothing like fresh vegetables right out of the garden.  Right now we are harvesting carrots and have planted more.  About now, Mama would be commenting on carrots being so good for your eyes.  When I was little she would tell me to eat my carrots so I could see well.  I’d eat them and she’d says, “What can you see now that you’ve eaten your carrots?  You should be able to see really good now.”  It is a shame that we’ve never been able to grow beets here.  Mama loved beets, as I do.  She would tell me to eat my beets so that I would get smart. We have some broccoli plants that have not begun to produce yet.  This year we remembered to plant celery in January.  I sure hope it grows.  Oh yes, the sweet peas are growing, too.  If that’s not enough, the camellias and snapdragons are blooming. 

There is a bit of sad news this week.  Our little white, spaniel mix dog was put down on Monday.  Stinky was 17 years old.  George got Stinky when he worked for the zoo.  The wife of the owner of the zoo couldn’t keep Stinky anymore and asked George if he would like to have her.  I don’t think she ever weighed more than 25 pounds and this last year she was less than 20 pounds.  I remember the day George brought her home.  She was sitting in the passenger seat of his black truck and the contrast between the little white dog and the black truck made her look so pretty.  She was a beautiful dog.  We had pizza for dinner that night and our other dogs were trained not to touch our food.  I didn’t think anything about leaving my pizza on a plate in the living room while I went to get a drink.  The next thing I knew this little white dog had my pizza in her mouth and was running across the living room floor.  At Christmas she would lay down on the sofa next to me and as I would open presents, I would put the sticky bows on her head.  She was adorable.  One year we dressed her up as a MerMutt and took her to the beach for the Critter Crawl.  We could tell that age was getting to her this past year.  She began having tumors; her teeth were bad; she had cataracts; she had a bad back that atrophied, just a lot of old age problems.  Monday morning she couldn’t walk.  We took her to the vet and it was time.  Normally, George would send me to pay the bill while they euthanized, but, I held her.  I held her in my arms as they gave her a sedative and then THE shot.  I still held onto her, petting and caressing her sweet little body.  The vet listened for her heartbeat and told us she was gone.  I continued holding her and stroking her soft, white fur.  My little friend for so many years was asleep and peaceful.  Tears were streaming down our faces.  We said our goodbyes.  There was a beauty about this.  It is hard to explain.  I know that she is in heaven running in a large field.  She could run like the wind in her younger days.  I do miss our little Stinky but I’m so grateful that she is no longer suffering.  She is in a better place and I will see her again someday.

All of my work in our Etsy Store is beginning to pay off.  Last month and this month have been our absolute best months ever with the Etsy Store.  We still need to increase sales more, but these 2 months have been very encouraging.  This week I received a call from a young lady who had made a purchase from us on Etsy.  She has not received her purchase yet and she made the purchase on January 5^th.  This is the first time we’ve had any problem with our Etsy customers.  As it turned out, she gave us the wrong address.  Apparently she moved from her last apartment to her new apartment during this time period.  I told her to please see if the package arrived at the old address and if she did not receive it or had any problems, I would make her another.  I want happy customers.  Her demeanor totally changed and she said, “Really?”  Yep, I want happy customers, period.

This year the Mardi Gras season is pretty short.  Our parade on the beach is on February 19^th.  One of the krewes from Pensacola contacted me wanting patches.  Several ladies in this krewe are friends of mine from my legal career days.  The krewe will be meeting at the end of January and deciding how many patches they want.  Right now I have an order for one.  One is a beginning.  The krewe I the Krewe of Sirens and the patch is a mermaid.  As I told a friend recently, I am up to my ears in mermaids and I love it.

I have several other projects on my plate right now.  If they all come through we are going to have a very busy Mardi Gras season, indeed. 

The krewes that have contacted me have all said the same thing that the Nereids are saying right now:  “Oh my gosh, Mardi Gras is here and we aren’t ready!”  Last minute orders are becoming the routine.

Have a wonderful week and don’t forget to SMILE:>)

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

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Thanks to Chuck Steele for this contribution:

Even if you're a non-believer you need to read this! BELIEVE IT OR
NOT, IT’S AN INTERESTING TALE!

Louisiana Ghost Story (true story)
This happened about 6 months ago on Louisiana Hwy 57, just outside of
Dulac, a little town in the bayou country of Louisiana, and while it
sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock tale, it's real.
An Ohio businessman, Saul Rubins, abandoned his disabled vehicle on
the side of the road, and attempted to hitchhike. The night was pitch
dark in the middle of a thunderstorm. Time passed slowly and no cars
went by. It was raining so hard he could hardly see his hand in front
of his face.

Suddenly, through the sheets of rain, he saw a car moving slowly,
approaching and appearing ghostlike in the rain. It slowly and
silently crept toward him and stopped. Desperately needing a ride,
Saul jumped in the car and closed the door. Only then did he realize
that there was no one behind the wheel and no sound of an engine to be
heard over the rain.

Again the car crept silently forward and Saul was terrified, too
scared to think of jumping out and running... He saw that the car was
approaching a sharp curve and, still too scared to jump out, he
started to pray and beg for his life; he was sure the ghost car would
go off the road and into the bayou and he would then drown!

But just before the curve, a shadowy hand appeared at the driver's
window, reached in and turned the steering wheel, guiding the car
safely around the bend. Then, just as silently, the hand disappeared
through the window and Saul was alone again.

Paralyzed with fear, Saul watched the hand reappear every time they
reached a curve. Finally, scared nearly to death, Saul had all he
could take, jumped out of the car, and ran to town...

Wet and in shock, he went into Schmoopy's. Voice quavering, he ordered
two cups of coffee, black, and then told everybody about his
supernatural experience. The room became silent and everybody got
goose bumps when they realized Saul was telling the truth and was not
just some drunk. About 30 minutes later two Cajuns, dripping wet,
walked into Schmoopy's and one says to the other,

"Look, Boudreaux, ders dat idiot what rode in our car when we wuz
pushin' it in DA rain!!!"

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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.

Mardi Gras and Camellias

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

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

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

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

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