Cajun Corner - Vol. 4, No. 1

Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 1 – January 7. 2012

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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

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

Visit our on-line catalogs at:

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

and www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery.

Ahhh, a new year.  First on the agenda is, Happy Birthday, Mama.  She would have been 94 today. 

The Mardi Gras season is upon us.  Today at 3 p.m. at Paradise Bar & Grill on Pensacola Beach is our King Kake Party.  Everyone is invited and sure to have a great time.  There will be music, and, of course, King Kake.  Most important, though, is we crown our krewe’s new king and queen.  Come on out and party with the Mystic Krewe of Nereids.

My George has celebrated his birthday for nearly a week now.  Happy Birthday, sweetheart.  He is definitely a keeper.

Our fall garden is gone.  The recent frigid temperatures in the 20’s finished those plants.  We had harvested everything we could before the freeze.  It was time.  Ha!  Of course, it was.  First week of January every year, like clockwork, there is a freeze.  We had a freeze for 2 days and now we are back in the 50-70 degree range.  That was just the fall garden.  We also have a winter garden.  George took out all of the old plants and we are getting ready to transplant some broccoli and plant some celery.  Our garlic and carrots are still growing, as is the catnip and parsley.  I love gardening in Florida because you really can garden 12 months out of the year.

Last year may have been the year for Facebook but this year may turn out to be the year of Pinterest.  What is Pinterest, you ask?  Go to www.pinterest.com.  I’m not really sure what you would call it.  It is pictures.  It helps you organize.  Where some bulletin boards on the internet allow you to “post”; Pinterest allows you to “pin”.  It is just their cutesy name for it; or, “posting” may be words where “pinning” is pictures.  Who knows?  You must be “invited” to Pinterest.  If you would like to be “invited”, just let me know and I’ll be glad to send the invitation.  This all sounds so dull.  Let me tell you that from the first time I went to Pinterest, I was hooked.  I simply could not stop looking at the pictures and reading the comments.  It looks like it will be a good venue to post Cajun Stitchery items, and that is the real reason that I’m on Pinterest – but, I simply cannot stop looking at the pictures, and reading the articles.  Once you are registered on Pinterest, you can have as many “boards” as you like.  The boards are used for organizing.  For instance, you can have a board for home décor, or recipes, or gardening, or whatever you like.  You can have as many boards as you like.  As you find things on the internet, or Pinterest, you can put them on the appropriate board for future reference.  Let’s say you want to redecorate your living room.  A search on the internet brings up several photos of your style, or a chair that would work perfectly, or a painting, or whatever.  You would just “pin it” to your board with a tool that you keep in your favorites.  As you collect photos, you can go to your board and start to define how you want to decorate your living room.  You can also save arts and craft tutorials, a good article, whatever you want.  I’m still trying to get used to the organizing of the boards and remembering to click the appropriate board for the items that I’m pinning, but that is just learning.  People are visual.  Pinterest is in our future.  I do not see Pinterest taking the place of Facebook, though.

A friend that I met on Facebook ordered two of our flannel scarves.  One was the “Party Girl” scarf – embellished with rhinestones, of course.  The other was custom.  She wanted a man’s long scarf in black flannel with gold fleur de lis.  I was a bit worried that I would not be able to find solid black flannel, but there was nothing to worry about.  I found the black flannel at the first store.  A search on the internet showed me that men’s sporty, long scarves are the same size as women’s.  They are about 72” long by 10” to 20” wide.   The one I made for her was 72” long by 10” wide.  The fabric was doubled to hide the back of the embroidery.  In my opinion, it would have been too bulky if it were any wider than 10”.  Nevertheless, the scarf turned out so beautiful that I’m making another one to list in our Etsy Store.  After all, the Saints ARE going to the Super Bowl again this year, right?

Our end of the year Etsy sale was a lot of fun.  Several items were sold.  Scarves seem to be the thing that people wanted.  Not only was the sale fun, but it gave me an opportunity to go through all of the items in our Etsy Store and do some extra embellishments here and there.  I was also able to see some things that I want to take out of the store--forever.

The market baskets are still selling like hotcakes.  The rhinestoned and Mylar Mystic Krewe of Nereids design is a hit.  Personally, I think each krewe needs to have their own krewe’s design for market baskets since we all carry so much stuff.  The latest market basket order did it up right.  The customer ordered the Nereid design on one side of the basket with her name embroidered on the other side.  It is perfect.  What do you do if you already have a market basket but your basket isn’t purple, green, or gold?  That’s easy.  You get a market basket for Mardi Gras, patriotic holidays, Halloween, and Christmas.  You have a purse to match different colors or seasons, don’t you?  You also need a matching or holiday appropriate market basket, too.

I finally came up with the 2012 design for my Krewe’s birthday gifts.  The design should be revealed today when our first birthday girl of the year receives her gift.  After that, I will be able to show off the new design.  I digitized it myself and I sure hope those girls like it.

Another friend of mine has started a website called www.stronglocalbusiness.com.  She has some really good articles on her website and also has forums and several interactive things.  It is worth a visit.  The whole gist is to buy local and buy made in the USA, thereby creating and saving jobs.  I cannot stress enough my feeling that the USA has an abundance of untapped talent.  I’m not blind to the fact that we live in a world that gets smaller each day due to technology; that there are people starving in third world countries; and that the majority of US citizens cannot imagine living without conveniences that other people in the world cannot imagine having.  However, in order to help others, we need to help ourselves.  The caregiver must also take care of herself/himself to be able to continue being a caregiver.  We all need to buy local and buy items made in the USA.

While making scarves, I did a little research and the number one country in the world that sells fashion scarves is, you guessed it, China.  Number two is India.  My scarves are handmade right here in the USA.  Even our thread comes from a mill in North Carolina.  We can do this, but we need to unite and do this together.  We can turn around our economy and put ourselves in a healthier position to help others.

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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Here is a recipe that I found on Pinterest.  It reminds me of the larger than life chocolate cake that a dear friend of our’s made for George’s birthday.  It also reminds me why I do not like to cook:

Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Cake

Yield: One 6-inch, 3-layer cake

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Yield: Three 6-inch round layers

Serves: 8+

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (180 g/6 oz) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups (300 g/ 10 oz) sugar

3/4 cup (90 g/3 oz) dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder – Extra Dark )

1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL/6 g) baking soda

1 teaspoon (5 mL/4 g) baking powder

1 teaspoon (5 mL/5 g) salt

1/4 cup (60 mL/2 liquid oz) vegetable oil

3/4 cup (190 mL/6 liquid oz) buttermilk

3/4 cup (190 mL/6 liquid oz) hot brewed coffee

2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons (10 mL) vanilla (I use Nielsen-Massey Vanillas 8-oz. Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract )

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (180°C). Prepare three 6-inch round cake pans with butter, parchment paper rounds, and cocoa powder. Tap out excess.

2. In bowl of electric mixer, sift all dry ingredients and add all remaining ingredients to bowl with the dry ingredients and with paddle attachment on mixer, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed (you may need the plastic splash-guard that comes with mixer) and pour into prepared pans. If possible, use digital kitchen scale and weigh divided batter in pans for even layers. Batter will be liquidy.

3. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate pans in oven. Cakes are done when toothpick or skewer comes clean–approximately 30 minutes. Try not to over bake.

4. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes, then loosen edges with a small palette knife, and gently invert onto racks until completely cool.

Salted Caramel Swiss Buttercream (for filling)

Yield: ~4 cups

Ingredients

1 cup (200 g/7 oz) sugar

1/4 cup (60 mL) water

1/4 cup (60 mL) heavy cream

generous pinch of sea salt (and additional sea salt, preferably Fleur de Sel, for sprinkling), for example: Fleur de Sel De Guerande- French Sea Salt; 6oz

1 1/2 cups (340 g/12 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 large egg whites (120 g/4 oz)

1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract

Method

The first step is making the salted caramel (you can also do a non-salted caramel by omitting the sea salt), to set aside to cool while you make the Swiss Buttercream. You then add the cooled caramel sauce it to the buttercream as the very last step. I haven’t tried buying ready-made gourmet caramel sauce and adding it, but I suspect it would taste nothing short of awesome.

1. Place 130 grams (5 ounces or 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) of the sugar and the water in a medium saucepan to a boil over medium heat. Brush down the sides of the pot with a dampened pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Stop stirring and cook until caramel is dark amber, gently swirling from time to time. Remove from heat, and slowly add cream, whisking by hand until smooth. It will be splatter, so be careful. Whisk in sea salt. Let cool.

2. Place butter in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (flat beater) and beat on medium speed (I use #4 on my mixer), until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

3. Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer clean with lemon juice, and place egg whites and remaining sugar into bowl over a pot of simmering (not boiling–you don’t want to cook the eggs). Whisk occasionally and gently until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160° on a candy thermometer.

4. Remove the bowl from heat, and place back onto the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form (about 5-6 minutes). Once the bottom of the bowl is neutral and no longer warm to the touch, reduce speed to medium-low, and add beaten butter, one cup at a time, whisking well after each addition.

5. Switch to paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add cooled caramel, and beat until smooth (about 3-5 minutes).

6. Prepare to taste the most incredible buttercream you will ever encounter.

*Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Caramel Buttercream

Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Yield: ~5 cups

Ingredients

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (45 g/1.5 oz) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I use Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder – Extra Dark )

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (90 mL/3 oz) boiling water

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks/341 g/12 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (63 g/2 oz) confectioners’ (icing/powdered) sugar

Pinch of salt

1 pound (454 g/16 oz) good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Method

1. Combine cocoa powder and the boiling water in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, and stir until it cocoa has dissolved.

2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (flat beater), beat the butter, the icing sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until it is pale and fluffy–about 5 minutes.

3. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add melted chocolate (cooled), beating until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

4. Beat in the cocoa mixture until well incorporated.

Notes:

1. Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 1 month in an airtight container.

2. Before using, bring to room temperature (usually overnight on counter does the trick), and beat on low speed until smooth.

*Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

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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.

Bad Habits

This weekend was busy, busy, busy.  Saturday was the Mystic Krewe of Nereid's King Kake Party ushering in the Mardi Gras season on Pensacola Beach.  We had a blast and the turn out was fabulous.  Several of the local krewes always come out to support us and we are so grateful to them.  The party was definitely a success.  Our new king and queen were crowned and both seemed very surprised.  King Pierce and Queen Daisy shall reign in 2011.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, a dear friend to everyone on the beach, including myself, passed away unexpectedly last week.  The King Kake Party included a tribute to our Mary.  Mary's funeral was Monday.

While at the King Kake Party, I met a group from a new, local krewe, The Krewe of Bad Habits.  Don't you just love the name.  They said they may be contacting me later for some embroidery work on their logo.  Right now they are waiting to receive their tux jackets that are being made out of lame'.  I think I have previously talked about my feelings about lame'.  There are some things about lame' that I do like.  No doubt about it, lame' is as shiney as fabric comes.  I just hope the krewe isn't spending a lot of money on lame' jackets because they may not last very long.

I received several compliments on the last Cajun Corner.  My friend, Melanie, stopped me at the King Kake Party to tell me that she enjoys reading Cajun Corner.  Thank you so much, Melanie.  I just love the feedback from everyone.

January is loaded with birthdays.  George's birthday is the 2nd and his sister, Kathie's, is the 11th.  Each year we get together for lunch/brunch to celebrate.  We did the birthday lunch this past Sunday.  Kathie brought two of her neighbors/friends with her.  They were delightful people -- Pat and Peter. 

Also on Sunday a friend from Central Florida arrived in Pensacola on a business trip.  She will be here until Wednesday.  We took her out to eat on Sunday and last night she was at the house for gumbo.  We call her Turtle.  It's true and she likes the name.  She is absolutely adorable and is an embroidery machine technician.  I love it when we can spend time with Turtle because we can talk embroidery for hours.  And you know I am passionate about my embroidery.

Turtle actually has the sequin attachment.  I was able to show her some of our Mylar work and share some Mylar with her.  It made me feel good that she agreed that the Mylar is just as blingy as the sequins.

Last week I added several items to our Etsy store -- all were handkerchiefs with mylar designs.  I still have more handkerchiefs to add to the store.  There have been some people looking at them but not nearly as many as I thought there would be.  To be fair, I have been so busy with other things that part of the problem is probably because I need to get in there and do more marketing. 

We have more black satin jacket orders that I need to place this week.  Those black satin jackets have been a real hit.

I'm really looking forward to this coming weekend.  It's our annual bead trip to Mobile.  We spend the weekend at our friend, Marilyn's, home and the weekend is full of shopping.  Then each night all of the girls get together and party -- just the girls.  We drink and talk and sing and dance and laugh.  It's a wonderful weekend and I look forward to it every year.  One year, one of the girls happened into a dollar store of some sort and found slippers with blinky lights.  A bunch of us each bought a pair and that night when we all changed into our "after 5's", we came our with our blinky slippers.  The girls that didn't have them were so envious.  We laughed and played with our blingy slippers all night long.  I still have mine somewhere; although I'm sure they no longer blink.

Got to get back to work.  Have a nice day everyone:>)

Banners, Pillows and COLORS

George has been working on our banners for out tent at the Arts & Wine Festival.  You may recall that last year we took photos and later realized there wasn't one thing that said we were Cajun Stitchery.  Ahhh, learning experiences are so much fun.  Ha!  We will have two 10 foot embroidered banners saying "Cajun Stitchery" on the 2 sides of the tent.  Inside will be the Cajun Stitchery pillows hanging from the back.  "Cajun Stitchery pillows?" you might ask.  Yes, that has been my project.  I have made little pillows for each letter of C-a-j-u-n-S-t-i-t-c-h-e-r-y.  Each letter is about a foot square, I guess.  They have D rings in the top and we plan on suspending them from the back of the tent.  If that isn't enough, this year we are bringing our CD player and playing cajun music.  That is all in addition to the Cajun Stitchery aprons we wore last year.  See.  We can learn.

When I finally got to the machine yesterday, I stitched out some Who Dat luggage tags that we plan to sell at the festival.  I have a few more cell phone pouches to make but that should do it for the cell phone pouches.  Then we are all into luggage tags.  There will be several designs but I do plan on having several Who Dat tags, gator tags, and possibly some Vietnam Vet tags.  Then I need to make the bottle aprons.

George has some more ballcaps to embroider.

All of that is on top of and keeping up with our day-to-day orders and trying to stay on top of the Etsy store.  Yes, it's a lot of work but we love working together and we love what we are doing.  We really can be quite creative, given the chance. lol

While I was waiting on the machine yesterday, I was piddling on the sewing machine and made some, shall we say, unusual handkerchiefs.  Two of them have been listed on Etsy.  I plan on listing the last one later today. 

I'll be leaving early this evening, actually late afternoon, to attend COLORS at the Grand Marlin.  COLORS stands for something that I never remember.  It really is just an excuse for the beach people and friends to get together once a month at different bars and restaurants on the beach. 

After COLORS we are going to our usual Wednesday night girls dinner.  Tonight is one of the girls birthdays.  I am so excited because I can finally give her the pillowcases that I made for her and then, later, show pictures of them on the internet.  When I embroider for gifts, I am free to go all out and not be constrained by the price of the stitches.  George and I worked it out and the embroidery alone on these pillowcases would be over $88.  They are unique and beautiful.  That leave one more set of pillowcases that I haven't been able to share over the internet and those should be delivered next week.

Stay tuned.
C'est tout, mes amis.

Cajun Corner Vol. 2, No. 32

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 32 – august 20, 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.

REMINDER: SPLASH PARTY, tomorrow, August 21, 2010, beginning at 3 p.m. at Paradise Bar & Grill on Pensacola Beach. I will be selling caps, visors, and tickets to games. Come join us and Love It Local. A portion of the proceeds will go to fight breast cancer. Bring your super soaker. There is a trophy for the best mermaid and merman costume.

Cajun Stitchery’s Etsy store has been buzzing this week. Something new has been listed everyday. Some pretty pink embroidered handkerchiefs were listed at the beginning of the week and a pair of coral colored ladies gloves were listed yesterday. You should stop by and take a look at the gloves. They are fun to make but do take a lot of time because of the teeny tiny pattern pieces, especially the gussets. But they are 100% handmade.

Earlier this week I made some luggage tags. They are cute and easy. I posted pictures of them on Facebook and, frankly, was surprised to receive favorable comments. If people like them, I need to make sure we have a price. Five dollars is my usual response for simple, little items. So, I listed them at $5, or $10 personalized. George was appalled. He said that was way too much for luggage tags. I tended to agree with him, but anything less than $5 is hardly worth the effort of turning on the embroidery machine. We decided to do some research on the internet. OMG! We were so surprised to find that not only was our price reasonable, but almost on the low end for embroidered luggage tags. As a consequence of our research, we have a lot more ideas on embroidery for luggage tags. Heck, I saw some that were simply a strip of webbing with an embroidered name, sewn onto a D ring and selling for $12-$15 each. There were several fashioned after the pattern that I used going for $10 or more each with simply a letter of the alphabet embroidered. I altered the pattern though. The pattern requires a piece of fabric with the embroidery, then, sew the vinyl pocket for the slip in piece of paper with your name, etc. I felt that was too flimsy and instead, wrap the whole thing in vinyl, making it sturdier and completely water proof. Pictures are posted on earlier blogs this week. Take a look.

It’s not easy trying to list at least one item a day on Etsy. Not only does it take the time to create the item, but, at least for me, the decision of what I am going to make and what fabric, design, etc., takes the most time.

Last night was a rough one at our house. It started yesterday afternoon when my dog, Evie, kept coming over to me and smacking her mouth. I didn’t think anything of it because I was engrossed in making the ladies gloves. Then it happened. She vomited all over the floor. It was disgusting. I put her outside and proceeded to clean up the mess. Afterwards everything seemed to be fine. I continued with my day, sewing, meetings, dinner, etc. Then there she was, smacking her mouth and for the second time in the day, it did not click what she wanted. She wanted me to let her outside NOW! So, she puked all over the kitchen floor. Thank God all of our floors are ceramic tile, upstairs and down. Nevertheless, it was disgusting. I went to get the paper towels and we were out of paper towels. Yuk! She stayed outside for awhile and I let her back in. By this time the vomiting caused a bit of dehydration, so she went to her water bowl and drank and drank, turned around, smacking her mouth, and there she went yet again. This time I was on the telephone. You’ve heard the saying “sick as a dog.” Well, that is very sick, and very sad. We made her stay outside for quite awhile and put her water bowl outside with her. Around 1 a.m. she was finally able to hold the water down and stopped regurgitating. That poor dog was pitiful. We sat up with her until about 3 a.m. when we felt that her problem subsided enough to go to bed. There is nothing worse than waking in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and walking through dog puke. She has been fine since then. All we can figure is that she must have eaten something in the yard that was either poisonous or simply did not agree with her system. It could have been mushrooms or anything. She seems fine this morning; however, we are a bit tired.

We are still getting a few cucumbers from the garden. The bell peppers are still growing but we aren’t harvesting as many. The green beans are still actively producing beans.

We stayed close to home last weekend for our anniversary. We did go to the Naval Museum’s IMAX theatre and saw the movie “Hubble.” That was simply awesome. Makes you feel so small in this giant universe. We also went out to eat and had drinks with friends. But mostly we just stayed at home.

This weekend is the big SPLASH party. Our Krewe was busy this week gathering give away's from local businesses and preparing for the party. If you are local, you do not want to miss this event. There will be a best mermaid and best merman costume trophies, so wear your best costume. Don’t forget to bring your super soaker!

George has been working on caps this week for the Arts & Wine Festival in October. In fact, if I don’t have anything else today, I may list one of these caps on Etsy.

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.

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Boudreaux and Thibodeaux were sitting on Boudreaux's porch. Boudreaux was holding his new puppy. It had the face of a chow, the body of a weenie dog, and the hair of a poodle. Thibodeaux couldn't resist any longer. He asked Boudreaux, "Mais, Boudreaux, what kind of thing is that?" Boudreaux said, "It's a somma dog." Thibodeaux said, "A somma dog?" Boudreaux says, "Mais yeah, somma this and somma dat."

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French phrase of the week: Je voulais pas m'obstiner avec ma mère. (I didn't want to argue with my mother.)

ΘΘΘΘΘ

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

Alzheimer is an age related disease

Exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not yet known. Many factors contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Age is considered to be the major factor. Scientists are not clear whether this disease is hereditary or not. People with high blood pressure, smoking habit and high cholesterol levels are at high risk of this disease. A head injury long back or Down’s syndrome also increases the chances of Alzheimer’s disease.

Herbal Remedies for Alzheimer

Ginkgo biloba is the mainly prescribed medicine for most neurological disorders. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which protects brain cells from damage. Phosphatidylserine, Huperzine A and Vinpocetine are some other herbal remedies for Alzheimer’s disease.

Foods with antioxidants are beneficial

Alzheimer’s patient should avoid high fat and high calorie diets. They must also abstain from salt, alcohol, cigarette smoking, processed foods, refined carbohydrates and environmental toxins. Inflammatory agents like anti-oxidants are also beneficial for Alzheimer’s patients. Therefore patients with Alzheimer’s disease must eat a diet which contains antioxidants like vitamin A, vitamin C, green tea and so on.

Good to keep the brain occupied

Perform some brain exercise like solving puzzles.

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, August 26, 2010)

SALE: Tank top with first name or initials embroidered for $25.00

Bella - #B8407

Helena Vintage Racerback Tank

Colors: Aqua, Black

3.8 oz. 55% cotton/45% polyester. 36 single combed ring-spun jersey. Low scoop neckline with wide self neckband. Blousy, feminine fit with wide banded bottom.

Mardi Gras Season - Week 1

Last Saturday was our King Kake Party welcoming in the Mardi Gras season.  Our parade is always the Sunday before Mardi Gras.  This year our parade day will also be Valentine's Day.  There should be plenty of purple, green and gold hearts popping up this year.

Monday was the best day that Cajun Stitchery has had yet.  We were busy morning until night.  It was wonderful.

Tuesday we came down with a bug of some sort.  I'm over it now but George has it.  Sore throat, achy body, and totally fatigued.  At least for me it was only a 24 hour thing.  Hope the same is true for George.

The Junkanoo jackets keep on coming.  Yippee!  Our friend, Jerry, brought his over on Monday and he and George did the guy bonding thing and before you know it George had to have Jerry's jacket done by the morning.  It was done and Jerry was at the house Tuesday morning to pick it up.  Jerry did get a little bonus -- he had his name embroidered on the front.

Who dat!  If the Saints weren't my team before, they sure are now (they were before, too).  We have embroidered the Krewe of Drew and fleur de lis designs on everything. 

Those fingerless gloves are also a big hit.  Here's a photo of the latest design.  I really like the new design with the fabric doubled.  It is so soft, comfortable and warm.  I am allergic to wool.  I doubt you will ever find me sewing or embroidering anything with wool in it.  But I also don't like scratchy things on my skin.  By scratchy things, that can even mean the feel of harsh thread on the underside of gloves or garments.  That's why the new pattern design impresses me so much because there is nothing scratchy on it, just a soft jersey fabric.  Sweet.