Cajun Corner – Vol. 7, No. 5 – April 13, 2015

Cajun Corner – Vol. 7, No. 5 – April 13, 2015

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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

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

Visit our on-line catalogs at:

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

and www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery.

Ever since I was a young girl in Girl Scouts I've been interested, perhaps concerned is a better word, about the environment.  With that in mind, Earth Day is April 22nd.  One of my cousins posted a very moving video on FaceBook about how everyone should plant a tree on Earth Day.  We are looking into getting a fig tree to plant and join the movement.

That video got me thinking about the environment and wondering if I'm doing all I can to help.  There really are so many things individuals can do or not do to help the environment.  We have a garden and a compost pile.  I'm still driving my little 1995 Geo Metro. Insofar as Cajun Stitchery is concerned, I try to purchase 100% cotton, made in the USA fabric.  Sometimes I can and sometimes I cannot but I sure do work hard searching and trying.  

It dawned on me that rather than throwing away scraps of fabric, which is nearly impossible for me to do anyway, I should make stuff with it.  I do that anyway.  That's nothing new.  As I pondered this, I decided to make stuff from our old clothes, specifically our jeans.  At first I was making some cute dog bones that I saw on the internet.  The dogs love them and they are made out of jeans.  The shape is not perfect yet.  One actually looks more like a wrench than a bone.

Now I'm making plastic bag holder/dispensers. Years ago I made a plastic bag holder/dispenser for our home out of the leg of a pair of jeans.  It really has stood up to time, even when my husband pulls and tugs at it.  It is behind the washer hanging on a hook and you really have to reach for it.  In addition, you simply wash it like you would, well, jeans.

For Easter, I made these adorable fabric carrots from scraps of fabric and stuffed them with small pieces of scrap fabric.

There is a new category in our Etsy Store called "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."  The intent is to sell items reusing/recycling scrap fabric, clothes and whatever else seems applicable.  Your positive comments are always welcome.

If you don't already know and would like to know how to make the plastic bag holder, here are the instructions:

I've found about 13" tall is a good size for us.  Cut off a leg from a pair of jeans.  Give yourself a good 15" or so because of the hems.  Cut off the bottom hem on the jeans.  It's just too bulky.  Sometimes, if the legs flair, I'll simply make them straight by cutting the sides straight (finish the raw edges and seams each side).

Serge or otherwise finish the raw edges at the top and bottom.   If the jean legs flair, simply make them straight by cutting the sides straight (finish the raw edges and seams each side).

If you are going to monogram or embroider anything, now is the time.  Just make sure the embroidery is centered the way you want.  

Turn the finished edges at top and bottom inside about an inch.  Sew the hems leaving enough room to thread elastic through.  Also, leave an opening to insert the elastic.  

Next, insert the elastic.  I thread the thin elastic through, tie it off, and then cut the elastic.  Usually the bottom is pretty tight to allow only one plastic bag out at a time.  The top needs to be tight but loose enough to stuff the plastic bags into it.

The final step is that I cut about a foot or two of that heavy felled seam that runs the side of the jeans.  Just cut it and make a long strip.  Double it up and tack it onto the side of the bag, or wherever you want the strap.

Voila - Finished

If you don't understand any of these instructions, please do not hesitate to contact/comment and I'll be glad to try to help you out.

Peggy Henshall, Owner

Cajun Stitchery

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

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

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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

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

Visit our on-line catalogs at:

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

and www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peggy Henshall, Owner

Cajun Stitchery

www.cajunstitchery.com

www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com

Also, visit us on Twitter and FaceBook

Cajun Corner - Vol. 4, No. 23

Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 23 – June 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.

I saw a photo on Pinterest this week that says it all for last weekend.  Merde! Il Pleut.  I have to add that one to my French repertoire.  I’m surprised that Mama didn’t teach me that one.

What can I say about U-verse?  Well, like my Daddy Johnny used to say, “say bell, like you are ringing a bell.  Then say mad, like you are angry.  Bell Mad (Belle merde).  That’s how you say ‘shit’ in French.”  We have been online and offline all week.  As soon as it seems the thing is working, it goes down, again.  Luckily, there are other things to do on the computer where being online doesn’t matter.  I can do my bookkeeping without being online.  I can play games without being online.  I can write Cajun Corner, although there is a possibility that I won’t be able to actually send it to anyone.

This week I looked at my ever growing collection of scrap fabric and got into a ruffle mood.  I love the ruffle attachment on my sewing machine.  I’ve been ruffling up a storm.  Right now I’m making a little purse that I will never use that is all ruffles.  Cute as it can be.  It is kind of shabby chic.  The sad thing is that I have more purses and bags than some stores.  This one is coral and teal.  It is very pretty but it is also not finished.  Maybe I’ll put it on Etsy and see if anyone wants to buy it. 

While I was in ruffle mode, I ran across directions for a really cool fabric flower.  No, not a ruffled flower.   I want to incorporate the flowers into the ruffled purse, so, I made the flowers out of the same coral and teal fabric.  You know, I’ll probably end up selling this purse for $5 or $10 when I have put days of work into the project.  It doesn’t seem right but buyers are always looking for a bargain.

The roof next door leaked during our rain storms last weekend. We have a 15 year warranty and have had the roofer back 6 or 7 times to fix leaks in the last few years.  They finally made it here late Friday afternoon.  Now they are telling us that the shingles are defective and they took a couple of the shingles and are sending to the manufacturer, who also has a 15 year warranty, for replacements.  They said the whole roof has defective shingles.  Belle merde!  You would think that after returning 6 or 7 times to fix leaks, they would have figured this out years ago.  Oh well, all we can do is wait and see.

After a weekend of CSI Miami, I was totally over it.  Then we saw that CSI Miami is being cancelled on TV.  We didn’t even know it was still on.  It really was a good show and George continues to watch his 3 years worth of DVDs.

My poor cat, Tigger, is not looking well.  I’m afraid the end is near.  He quit eating, so, we got canned tuna in oil.  This has always been his favorite food.  Even as George was opening the can, Tigger came into the kitchen.  We gave him the tuna and he ate and ate, lapping up the liquid.  He probably got some solids in there, too, but left most of the solids.  He sat in front of the tuna just staring at it, as though he really wanted that tuna, but just wouldn’t eat it.  We tried again, today.  Again, Tigger came.  He put his head to the food but never even licked it.  All he did was drink some water.  He is now as light as a feather and even his backbone is showing.  He was Mama’s favorite cat.  He has the most personality of any of our animals.  People who have visited know Tigger because he would tap people on the shoulder for a nice pet or acknowledgement.  It just breaks my heart to know what must be done.

This afternoon George and I attended the Woolly Boogar Bawl at Paradise Bar & Grill on the beach.  The band was great.  The attendance was fabulous.  We probably had more fun at this party than any of the previous ones.  Looking through the crowd, even my accountant showed up.  Of course, she had no idea we would be there.  I saw friends that I hadn’t seen in a long time.  It was just a wonderful party. The Woolly Boogar Bawl in June is our attempt to blow away any hurricanes for the season.  We have another Woolly Boogar Bawl in November where we say goodbye to Hurricane Season for the year.  Any excuse for a party.

Tomorrow is Father’s Day, and, my son, Hank’s, 44^th birthday. 

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

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. 

Found at http://www.cajunfrenchblog.com/2009/02/got-a-cajun-story-to-tell/

I can remember my Cajun Grandmother’s remedy for taking warts off my father’s hands. As a little girl, I watched one day as we (MaMere, Daddy and me) were walking in the wooded area behind her house looking for wild blackberries to pick so she could make us a cobbler. She was only 4’10″ and my Dad towered above her a good two feet. She looked over as my Dad reached out for a wild blackberry bush and said, “Chinni, you got a wart on your hand, son, come ere”. She scowered the ground and I wondered “what in the world is she looking for?” She walked close to a huge pine tree and picked up a piece of wood, bowed her head and closed her eyes. I was completely perplexed! Then she walked over to my Daddy and took his big hand in her tiny one, she rubbed the wood over the wart and handed the wood to my Dad and without skipping a beat, picked up her bucket and starting picking berries again! I watched my Dad as if he had done this a hundred times before; closed his eyes too, then he threw that piece of wood over his right shoulder, picked up his bucket and went back to pickin those berries like nothing had happened!

Treatment for Acne, Blemishes, and Unwanted Freckles:

Mash up 1 cup of strawberries, and then add 2 cups of white vinegar, allowing it to steep on a very low heat for three hours. Strain the pulp and seeds. Massage the remaining liquid on the face and leave overnight. Don't worry, the mixture dries quickly. Wash off in the morning with slightly warm water.

If that remedy did not work: Wet the leaves, mash them thoroughly, into a green paste, and apply them to the blemish.

Another facial recipe for blemishes: Was to mash the strawberries into a juice,

Found at http://jerileewei.hubpages.com/hub/Confessions-of-a-Cajun-Traiteuse---Faith-Healer

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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. 35

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 35 – September 2, 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. 

Visit our new on-line catalog at:

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

Wow!  What a week! 

The Splash party last Sunday was, well, it was a splash.  The weather was hot and the cool water, some ice water, from the squirt guns felt so good.  The turnout was wonderful and as far as I could see a good time was had by all.  If you missed it, you missed a great party.  Make sure you don’t miss it next year.

It is September.  Can you believe it?  We are coasting into fall.  Next on my agenda is the Pensacola Beach Arts & Wine Festival.  Our booth is going to be in the parking lot of the Visitor Information Center.  I should be able to see the Gulf of Mexico from my booth.  You don’t get a sweeter site than that.  George and I have been putting our heads together on our booth all week.  We are sprucing it up.  I don’t want another ugly booth.  We are also limiting our wares to 5 or 6 categories.  We can keep that much neater and people won’t get too overwhelmed.  I am looking forward to it but there is a lot of work to be done in the meantime.

Last night a couple of our neighbors dropped by.  They are wonderful neighbors and I had been asking the guy to help us put a password on our Wi-Fi.  Last night was the night.  He and George got together while his wife and I enjoyed a pleasant evening on the deck.  By the time they left we didn’t have internet service at all.  Bless his heart, he was really trying to help and he is very knowledgeable about computers but our system beat him.  It happens.  On top of everything else, he was tired and stressed out for other reasons.  My genius husband stayed up all night working on the computers and had them all up and running this morning.  Plus, we now have a secure Wi-Fi.  Woohoo!

Today was my speech day at our WBL meeting.  I’ve been working up to it all month.  I think it went well.  I didn’t say everything that I had to say.  I was limited to 5 minutes.  The topic was the steps to getting an item embroidered (1) design, (2) digitize, and (3) embroider.  You’d be surprised at how many people don’t understand this process.  I had my handy dandy who, what, when where, how, and why outline and that helped out a bunch.  Thank goodness I printed it before the internet went out because the internet is where I store that document.  There was a large attendance today.  It was surprising there were so many women because it is the Friday before Labor Day.   

I met another new friend on Facebook this week.  I don’t even remember how it all started but we began messaging each other and before I knew it, we were great friends.  She is a REAL artist.  Her work is beautiful.  She works with MADD.  She makes soap.  And she creates glass art.  One of her pieces is in a local art gallery.  She is so far out of my league that it is not even funny.  She is very encouraging and just a wonderful, pleasant lady.  We actually met, face-to-face, this past Wednesday when I attended, at her request, a local business meeting.  She was just as pleasant in person as over the internet.

Speaking of meetings, the Wednesday business meeting was really nice.  Although my heart belongs to WBL, it was interesting to see the differences in meetings with both men and women.  I believe the name of the group is Pensacola Christian Business.  The speaker was a local prison ministry preacher and he gave an awesome speech.  I left there very happy that I had attended

Next week I’m hoping to attend the Gulf Breeze Toastmasters noon meeting.

I received an email from a gentleman in Memphis last week.  He said that he had purchased some of our Christmas tea towels last year at the Arts & Wine Festival and enjoyed handing them out to his friends.  He will be visiting his condo again this October, but not in time for the festival.  He has ordered 6 tee shirts with various beach type designs.  He actually sent the tee shirts to me via Fed Ex and will pick them up when he arrives in October.

I’m so glad that our Proud To Be A Union Thug can wrap customer received his order in time to take it with him on his Labor Day weekend trip.  He emailed me when he received it and was just elated.  He loves it and that makes me so happy.

We’ve had several inquiries this week into birthday gifts and various gifts.  One lady wanted to order something for a co-worker who loves the Saints and does a lot of entertaining during football season.  I suggested a set of 2 black tea towels with a gold fleur de lis embroidered.  I think that would be beautiful.  Her other co-workers suggested that she get the lady a black scarf with a fleur de lis.  I don’t have any scarves like that in stock but I told her I would check with my wholesalers and see what I could get.  It turned out that I actually found a scarf wholesaler.  Yes, that is all they sell.  I would never have thought that scarves would be that popular an item.  They have some really good prices on some beautiful scarves.  The only problem is they have a minimum.  I’ve got to say that I didn’t think I would find a black scarf.  Not only did I find the long, black scarf, but they also carried a long black scarf covered with gold silk screen printed fleur de lis.  The customer decided to find a scarf locally and get back with me.

In the meantime, I pulled out some soft, black, knitted netting that I have and I made a scarf.  I needed to see how loose the embroidery would need to be.  It didn’t turn out great but it didn’t turn out bad, either.  I’ve made adjustments to the design and if I make another scarf, it will turn out much better. 

That is precisely why embroiderers do a sample stitch-out before stitching on the customer’s fabric.  In fact, I told George that since most of the stitch-outs turn out perfect, rather than doing them on scraps, we need to get little items for the stitch-outs and sell the ones that turn out good.  The bucket hats in the photos are a perfect example of stitch-outs.  If anyone wants these bucket hats, I’ll sell them for $5 each.

Remember that I got the ad in the Escambia/Santa Rosa Bar Association 2011-2012 Directory.  Today at the WBL meeting my friend from Ballinger Publishing presented me with a copy of the directory.  Sure enough, there was my ad.  It is on the inside of the back cover.  That is a wonderful spot for a half page ad.  They did a great job and gave me a great price.  I know that I got a deal.

SALE (good through 9/8/11):  Whether it's a grand party or just a social with friend and family, our table covers will be perfect for your event. Old and unsightly tables will no longer be a problem with our table covers on top.

Each Measures: 90"
100% polyester. Stain & wrinkle resistant.
1 piece, seamless design
Edges are folded & then hemmed
Please note: High-quality material used, weight of this item is very heavy.

Colors:  white, ivory, black, purple, eggplant, fuchsia, chocolate, navy blue, orange, red, royal blue, sage green, silver, turquoise, willow green

$18.00 (normal retail price is $20.33) (price is without embroidery)

CHRISTMAS is around the corner.  Unbelievable, I know.  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. 

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An excerpt from the book Gumbo Ya-Ya, written in 1945, Chapter:  The Cajuns, Page 184:

“A Cajun woman’s life is of course a failure should she not capture a mate, and this dreadful prospect causes her much worry.  The Cajun old maid is so rare as to be the object of both scorn and pity.  From the time she is about fourteen her family begin to nag her about getting herself a husband.  Each night many Cajun girls examine their heels for any tinge f yellow, for such a sign is a certain portent of spinsterhood.  Tante Therese – herself a horrible example – will remember mournfully that at the age of seventeen the fatal yellow tinge appeared on her own heels, and here she is, well into her thirties, and of course without hope, since no man along the bayous wants such an old woman.  Tante Therese reports that eighteen is just about the latest a girl may have hope of marrying.

“But, says Tante Therese, there are many ways of rendering a man susceptible, though they didn’t work in her case.  Powder made from a green lizard dried in the sun, when thrown upon the object of a girl’s desire, makes him her victim.  Or she might ask him to dinner and put the scrapings from the four corners of the dinner table into his coffee.  She may also put parings from her fingernails into his pockets, or write him a letter in her own blood.  For an immediate proposal, she should tie a rooster under her porch, seat the man in a rocking chair right over the fowl, sit beside him, and wait.  He can’t help but fall in love with her then.”

Cajun French Phrase of the Week:

Je vais the passer une callotte= I will give you a slap
Mes pied sont trempe= my feet are wet
Joie de vivre= Joy of living

Taken from:  http://www.acadian-roots.com/cajun-names.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. 29

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 29 – July 22, 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.

This has been a fun week.  Our new account with Senior Xtremers has kept us busy.  I looked on the BLAB TV programming schedule and Senior Xtremers will air today at 2 p.m.  If you are in the area, you should watch the show.  The merchandise will be sold on their website at www.seniorxtremers.com, which is under construction but there are some pictures and videos available.

I missed Wednesday night with my girlfriends this week because George and I needed some time alone.  We were celebrating George finishing some electrical work next door, as well as Cajun Stitchery’s new client.  It was a nice evening.

This week also held another meeting with my new friend and WBL colleague, Jennifer Harrison.  Jennifer is a very interesting young lady.  She is part owner of Gulf Coast Premier Promotions.  This girl can maneuver herself on the internet.  I was impressed.  GCPP can create a website for you and run it, too, if you want. 

It is very interesting to me the new businesses and occupations that evolve from computer technology.  A lot of people are starting their businesses at home via their computer and the internet.  Not everybody is a good salesperson.  Not everybody has a large marketing budget.  The internet seems to be the perfect tool.  You have to make your presence known on the internet.  You need to get search engines to pick your website up and show it when people search for your area of expertise.  You also have to garner a good reputation.  Just having a website is not enough.  Marketing requires you to constant work at it.  You are building a business.  If you are successful on the internet, the entire world sees you.  Otherwise, well, you can figure that out.  The problem is that it is not as easy as it sounds.  If you are constantly on the internet marketing yourself, you don’t really have a lot of time to process orders or do your own work.  Marketing takes a lot of time.  As a sole proprietor with no employees, working out of your home, you have to do the job of the business, including bookkeeping, clerical work, answering phones, sales, marketing, keeping your stock up to date and current, etc.  That’s a lot of work.

New businesses like GCPP can handle this marketing and internet for you.  They can get you on various sites, such as, Facebook, Google+, website, blogs, advertising, etc.  They can keep plugging your name in and making sure the SEO (search engines) are picking you up.  They can manage your social media, promote your website, and organize you on the internet.  Who would have thought, even 10 years ago, that this type of business would ever be needed?  Technology is so fascinating.  I wonder what the next new business opportunity will be with the internet?

GCPP is on the cutting edge, all they need now are some pretty shirts with their logo embroidered. Lol 

I have a new theory about computers.  My last laptop and my new laptop are refurbished Gateway computers.  They are refurbished at the factory and updated with the most current OS (Windows7 for my new computer).  I’ve got the speed and I’ve got the memory (500 gigabytes).  The old laptop lasted for about 5 years.  But since technology is such that your computer is outdated within 3 years, why pay for a new top of the line computer system?  I suggest opting for a much lower priced refurbished computer that will last at least as long as the current technology.  This kind of speaks to the ecology part of my brain.  There isn’t a whole lot you can do with an old computer, but buying refurbished computers makes me feel sort of earth friendly.

 One of my nieces introduced me to Google+ recently.  Apparently Google+ is trying to create its own sort of social media similar to Facebook.  I’m still learning it but it appears to me to be a combination of MySpace and Facebook at this point.  I remember when MySpace was all the rage.  Then came Facebook and you almost never hear about MySpace anymore.  Is Google+ the next step?  Time will tell.

Oh but I had another visitor this week.  My friend and consultant from the UWF Small Business Development Center met with me this week at the house.  Janet has taught me so much about business.  I refer everyone in business or starting a new business to her.  She told me this week that every county in every state has a SBDC.  They even have a national association.  Funny.  This is the only one I have ever heard about.  These people give group courses on business.  They meet with you individually.  Whatever you like.  And you know what?  They really are business consultants.  Of course, my Janet, affectionately known as “my peep”, is the best of the best.  I can honestly say that I have a business consultant. 

Let me tell you a little about what these people do.  One of the best things that they do is that they watch my back.  I can email or call my peep anytime and tell her what’s on my mind about Cajun Stitchery.  She never tells me to do this or that.  She is much too classy for that.  She and her staff will research ideas for me and show me options.  Sometimes, in business, as in life, it is just nice to have someone who wants you to succeed and that you can bounce an idea off of. 

If you are in business and don’t have a real, written, business plan, you have no idea what you are missing.  Janet told me early on that it wasn’t so much finishing the business plan that was important.  The important thing is the process of creating the business plan.  My background crosses t’s and dots I’s.  My business plan was pretty thorough.  To-date, I don’t think my business plan is completed, nor will it ever be.  It is more of a living document for me that changes with the time and circumstances and keeps Cajun Stitchery on track and aiming for success.

If you have a business, whether it is just an idea right now, or you have been in business for years, I highly suggest that you search out your local SBDC and get yourself a business consultant.  The cost:  absolutely free.

The white beach towels arrived.  As much as I have struggled trying to figure out how to determine a good towel over the internet, these are beautiful towels.  By the way, the trick to figuring out a good towel over the internet is weight.  The towels are 100% cotton, velour on one side and loops on the other.  When they arrived I measured and they were 35” x 61”.  I washed and dried all of the towels and they now measure 35” x 60”.  They are all pre-shrunk now and ready for embroidery.  Cajun Stitchery is selling these towels for $20 each.  Drape this pretty towel on the back of your beach chair and let the embroidery show over the back.

I did a little research on the internet to get a feel for how much a beach towel would cost.  First of all, unless you go to a custom embroiderer or wholesaler, I couldn’t find white beach towels for sale, at all.  Second, when I did find them with a custom embroiderer, let’s just say that $20 is a real good deal.  I can also get other types of beach towels from cabana stripes, animal print, solid colors, jaquard, or with designs.  My wholesaler does have a minimum requirement and these are nice towels.  These would make nice presents.

We still have some of the $2 cloth napkins, $4 cloth napkins, market baskets, and fingertip towels.   We also have several ball caps, visors and ponytail caps in stock.

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 http://www.louisianacajun.com/main.asp?URL=http://www.terriau.org/bayu.htm&id=chg

WHAT IS A CAJUN?

What shall I say about a Cajun?
They are utterly impractical, never predictable,
Something irascible, quite inexplicable, Cajun...
Strange blend of shyness, pride and conceit.
And stubborn refusal to bow in defeat...
He's spoiling and ready to argue and fight,
Yet the smile of a child fills his soul with delight..
His eyes are the quickest to well up in tears,
Yet his strength is the strongest to banish your fears...
His faith is as fierce as his devotion is grand..
And there's no middle ground on which he will stand..
He's wild and he's gentle, he's good and he's bad,
He's proud and he's humble, he's happy and sad..
He's in love with the ocean, the earth and the skies.
He's enamored with beauty wherever it lies..
He's victor and victim, a star and a clod,
But mostly he's Cajun and in love with his God..

Author Unknown

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Cajun French Phrase of the Week:

• Ca c'est bon- That's good!
• C'est magnifique- That is great!
• Mon cher- My dear.
• Fais-do-do- An Acadian dance.
• Lagniappe- Something extra, similar to a bonus.
• Laisser les bons temps rouler- Let the good times roll!
• Bonjour Mes Amis- Good day my friends.
• Merci Beaucoup- Thank you very much.

Taken from: http://www.cajuncrawfishpie.com/cajun-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.