President Obama Visits Pensacola

A few weeks ago George and I both emailed President Obama stating that it seemed to us that whoever is in charge of this oil spill clean up is making all of the wrong choices.  That we had heard of so many different ways to clean up using environmentally safe methods.  We asked for an explanation of why those methods are not being used.  A day or two after our emails, we heard the President cancelled his trip to Australia and was coming to Pensacola.  Wow!  We felt good about ourselves.  Obviously, it was not our emails that did the trick but an onslaught of similar emails from people on the Gulf Coast wondering the same thing.

President Obama arrived in Alabama on Monday, spent the night in Pensacola, then Tuesday went to Pensacola Beach and then NAS.  The traffic issues were a nightmare while he was here.  Nearly closed down all of Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach.  But what do you expect when the leader of the free world comes to town?  There will always be the complainers.  I was just so happy that he came and saw.  Now I hope he does something.  It was funny because it seemed as though as soon as he said he was coming to the Gulf Coast, BP started looking into Kevin Costner's contraption, as well as other ideas. 

Everything is back to normal now.  We'll see what happens.

Since we couldn't leave our house most of yesterday morning, I allowed myself to sleep late.  Sweet!  Then my usual stuff on the computer.  I've signed up for Google Analytics to see who visits our Etsy site, how they get to the shop, what pages they look at, how long they are on the site, and if they are repeat visitors.  I'm just learning how to decipher all of the information and try to put some logic to it.  I read on an Etsy Forum that there is a website that shows you how many visitors you've had on your Etsy site, whether they are unique, how many times pages are opened, who hearts your shop or your item, and several things.  I joined.  The site connects to your Google Analytic (with your permission, of course).  The site is http://www.craftopolis.com/.  It appears that the people who visit Cajun Stitchery's Store on Etsy come via other venues, such as this blog, Facebook, Kaboodle, Twitter, Tumblr, search engines, etc.  The best I can figure is that no one finds me in searches on Etsy.  I'm trying to figure that one out.  There is another site that I learned about via the Etsy forums called PickClick.  The PickClick site randomly shows items for sale on Etsy.

Insofar as those other sites, Facebook, Kaboodle, Twitter, Tumblr, etc., yes, I joined all of them.  We need name recognition and we need people to visit and purchase from the Etsy site or custom stuff from emailing us.  The Tumblr site is interesting because it's another blog.  I use that one almost like Twitter, a little blurb here and there throughout the day.  It's very easy to maneuver through.  Very user friendly.

Of course, that's not all that we've been doing.  We haven't had many napkin sales lately and we have a surplus of napkins.  When I purchase napkins there is a 5 dozen minimum.  We have a napkin order for black napkins.  We don't have any black napkins in stock, so I ordered a dozen black napkins and 4 dozen other colors.  I think I'm going to embroider on some of the napkins that we do have and put them on Etsy.  Since they will not be custom embroidered, I think I'll charge $5 per napkins, a set of 4 for $20.  There are some cute beachy designs that I've wanted to stitch out for awhile.  Perhaps we'll do that.

The patriotic visor with the blue band and stars on the band have been selling lately.  In fact, we only have two of those left.  We still have plenty of the patriotic visors with the red band, flag on the bill with a yellow stripe down it to show your support for our troops and a US flag on the velcro.  They are still $5 each, without embroidery.  Embroidered names/initials are usually $5. 

Of course, we have dozens of ponytail caps as well and can get just about any kind of cap you like.  Get a cap for the summer and keep the sun from frying the top of your head, not to mention they keep the sun out of your eyes and help reduce the strain to your eyes.

I had an odd thing occur with one of our items on Etsy.  I made a really beautiful Kloth Koozie out of a deep purple spandex fabric and put an embroidered birdhouse on it.  I almost kept that one for myself:.  Anyway, I went to take pictures of the koozie and the photographs kept showing it as a dark blue, rather than purple.  The really odd thing was the birdhouse had all of the correct colors.  A friend of mine who is a photographer suggested changing background and some other stuff.  That didn't work.  After reading the manual, I finally ended up putting the photographs in an editing program and changing the blue to purple that way.  Even looking through the view finder, the koozie looked blue.  It's the darndest thing.  I think it probably has to do with the fabric being so shiny, but I've taken pictures of shiny things before without this problem.  Perplexing.

Tomorrow is my son's 42nd birthday.  It's hard to believe that I have a son who is 42 years old.  He said that his birthday is going to begin this weekend when his wife throws him a birthday party on Friday.  It makes me happy to know that they have been married, I guess, about 13 years now and still going strong.  I'm so proud of both of them.  Happy Birthday Hank!

This coming Sunday is Father's Day.  I need to do something for George.  I think I'll take him to the beach and spend a tranquil day watching the water.  He loves doing that.

C'est tout, mes amis.

Cinderella Is Going To The Ball

Tonight is the Fiesta of Five Flags Ball.  Fiesta had sold out on their tickets, which has never happened before, but their office recently called me and had a cancellation and we were able to get tickets.  So, Cinderella is going to the ball after all. 

We've had more patriotic visor sales and I'm hoping to sell all 2 dozen of them.  Don't forget they are $5 each, without embroidery.  A name or initials are usually another $5.  $10 is not bad for a specialty visor like these.

Now we are into the ponytail caps.  We have 3 dozen of them.  They are going for $5 each, without embroidery.  $5 for most names and initials.  Another really good deal on a specialty cap.

We try to keep the prices as low as possible on our items but we do not try to compete with the Wal-Marts of the world because we are usually purchasing items one a time for custom orders, rather than thousands and millions like the super stores do. 

Another thing about the ball caps is that we have decided that ball caps are the exception to the rule that customers can bring in their own and we will embroider on it.  If anyone wants a ball cap from us, we will have to purchase it.  Turns out that some caps fit different hoops better than others.  We don't want to sell some ugly, funky looking embroidery, which is exactly what happens when the ball cap doesn't fit the hoop.

Etsy has taken up a lot of time this week because I'm trying to learn more about selling online and getting our store in order.  The articles that I've read suggest 60-100 items in an Etsy store is optimal.  We have something like 26 items in there now.  I'm trying to put a new item for sale each day until we reach 100 items.  Hope it works.  And I think my handcrafted items are looking better and better.  Practice makes perfect, you know.

Then there is the Google Analytics.  One of the Etsy articles said to sign up for Google Analytics to see what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong.  That's all fine and good if I could figure out what all of these numbers mean.  I'm getting there, though.  I have learned the SEO means "search engine optimization" and OOAK means "one of a kind".  "Bounce" is when someone clicks on a page in the store and then bounces or clicks right off.  You want a low bounce percentage.  It is interesting to see the items that people view.  Out of 26 items, visitors were only viewing 11 of the items in the store.  Interesting information, now I need to follow the hints accordingly.

Last night George and I were thinking about going to Bands on the Beach but opted for a quiet evening at home with Chinese take-out.  One of our neighbors called around 8 p.m. from Bands on the Beach saying he has never seen the placed so packed with people.  Good Morning America was there with all of the journalists and celebrities looking at our tar balls on the beach.  I didn't see GMA this morning but assume it was from Pensacola Beach.  We do need the business and we do need the awareness.

George has been outside washing and waxing the car.  He keeps coming in because it is so hot out there.  At least now he has the car under the oak tree so he can have some shade while waxing.

I need to get upstairs and back to my sewing machine.

C'est tout, mes amis.

Cajun Corner Vol. 2, No. 21

Cajun Corner – Vol. 2, No. 21 – May 28, 2010

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

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

The good news is that so far the oil has still not landed on the shores of Florida. Prayers continue that our shores be spared. The bad news is the oil is still flowing.

It has been a pretty busy week. We delivered the polo shirts to our new customer Flora-Bama Farms. If you live in this area, please visit Flora-Bama Farms are 6404 Mobile Hwy. It’s a fresh fruit and vegetable market and they have some pretty good deals. They carry a lot of the Amish foods, as well. The prices are very reasonable. You are buying local. It’s a win-win situation. Not to mention they love our embroidery and are thinking about ball caps and aprons.

The neighborhood gang has not gotten together since the going away party. I’m thinking that we need to remedy this situation soon.

The lettuce and other cold weather crops have pretty much been harvested and are gone. So, sad to see that gone but our tomatoes are growing. Each year we have success with the little cherry tomatoes but not the larger tomato. This year George purchased several Better Boy seedlings, instead of starting from seed, and they seem to be working. The tomatoes are still green but if they all turn red, we are going to have a bounty for sure. We also, of course, have the little cherry tomatoes planted. The bell peppers are just about ready to pick. They are green. We have a few that are a pickable size. If we leave them on the plant, they will turn yellow and then red. It looks like bell peppers are going to be a winner this year, too. We still have some carrots and onions in the garden. The parsley is going to seed. The stevia is back and lush. The lemon balm grows everywhere. That is one amazing plant. We had to pull it out of the herb garden (we never planted it there in the first place) and in the process, the mint came out, too. I’m hoping the mint comes back.

George planted some eggplant but just a few. The first year we planted eggplant we had so much I couldn’t give it all away. Of course, now maybe Flora-Bama Farms will take it. Green beans are still growing.

I made one blackberry cobbler this year. We had more blackberries in our little area but after the first harvest, there was never enough at one time to make another cobbler. We were both so impressed at the working with nature aspect of the blackberries that we are going to section off a larger plot that we will weed and allow the blackberries to grow.

The jasmine is just about finished blooming. That plant has such a wonderful smell. I hope it just covers the entire fence. Speaking of a wonderful smell, the gardenia bushes have been looking pretty sad for the past few years. We think it has to do with them being in a shaded area. George cut them down, almost to the ground. I noticed yesterday that one lone gardenia is blooming from a tiny branch almost on the ground. We have another small gardenia bush that George grew from a clipping that is also blossoming now. Another fabulous smell for our yard.

The lilies are spectacular this year. I took pictures of some of them and posted on Facebook and put more pictures earlier this week on the blog. Some of the lilies smell and others do not.

We planted a little flower garden outside of Mama’s room when she moved in. I wanted her to be able to see beautiful flowers when she awoke in the mornings. That room is now the Cajun Stitchery embroidery room. There is a beautiful blue hydrangea in bloom right now. She would be so pleased. She loved hydrangeas.

With the flowers and plants come the birds. The birds have also been spectacular this spring. The red tailed hawks are not nesting in their usual oak tree. We have had a plethora of cardinals, as well as an array of other species. It’s like they all decided to move into a bird paradise. They drink out of the solar waterfall. They bath in the sprinklers, they eat in the garden. That’s the life. My cats just sit in the window all day staring at the birds, with an occasional meow.

We had many baby grapes on the vine this year. We still have a lot but are noticing that as the grapes are getting bigger, the grapes on the clusters are thinning and we are thinking the birds are enjoying our grapes. Last year George and I were able to enjoy one little bunch of grapes from our vine. I hope the birds leave enough for us this year.

I haven’t made any more cell phone holders. It took days to put the ones I did make on Etsy because I didn’t want to “flood the market” with all of the cell phone holders in one day. We have had a lot of visitors to the store, looking and browsing. Etsy remains a classroom for me in retail. I’m learning a lot.

We had another order for a couple of tee shirts for my Aunt Philo’s bowling team. Seems a couple of gentlemen have decided to join and, of course, needed their own team shirt. You know my aunt is now 92 years old, deaf, has compromised vision and bowls. I am so proud of her.

The really big news this week has been ball caps. YES! The cap sash issue has been conquered. George can put that cap sash on easily. He hooped our first cap and stitched out our Cajun Stitchery logo without a problem. I’ve been wearing that cap all week. We ordered several “practice” ball caps and we are working on all of it. There will still be a learning curve until we get it down perfectly. Part of that curve is in the digitizing. We already have some orders. I digitized the requested design and it stitched out fine on flat fabric but messed up on the cap frame. Who knew? Digitizing for caps requires some special techniques. I’m learning.

I never knew there was a whole lingo for hats and caps. There are structured and unstructured, different size crowns, different size bills, different fabric requires different techniques. We have read instructions and watched videos until I think we are embroidering caps in our sleep.

Several months ago a friend gave us a “ponytail” cap and asked us to learn to embroider on ball caps. The ponytail cap has an opening in the back larger than usual to accommodate ponytails. I looked up the company on the tag and found a really good cap company. This week I send the required documentation to allow Cajun Stitchery to purchase wholesale from this company. To try them out, we ordered two dozen patriotic visors. The prices are good. We ordered the visors delivered UPS ground. The visors arrived yesterday – one day delivery. So far, I’m very impressed with this company. The patriotic visors are our sale of the week. See below.

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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The pretty young schoolteacher was concerned about one of her eleven year old students, "Tee" Boo. Taking him aside after class one day, she asked, " 'Tee', why has your schoolwork been so poor lately?" " Mais, I can't concentrate, Teacher !" replied :"Tee". "I done fell in love." "Oh, is that so?" said the teacher, holding back an urge to smile. "And with whom?" "Mais, wid you," he answered. "But 'Tee'," exclaimed the secretly pleased young lady, "don't you see how silly that is? It's true that I would like a husband of my own someday; but I don't want a child." "Oh, don't worry, Teacher" said "Tee" reassuringly, "I'll be careful."

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French phrase of the week: Mon père peut pas manger son gombo sans craquettes. (My father cannot eat gumbo without crackers.)

ΘΘΘΘΘ

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

Traveling:

Before You Leave

Make sure your water heater is on the lowest setting

Turn off air conditioner or put on reasonable temperature for animals and plants

Unplug energy hog appliances

Traveling Eco-Friendly

Use the bus or train instead of flying.

Travel with a group. These packages can be found with any travel agent.

Hotels

Find a eco-friendly hotel before leaving.

Reuse towels while in the hotel.

When leaving the hotel turn off air conditioner if no one will be in the room.

Tourism

Walk around the town or use public transportation. If on a group package, they will have a bus for you to travel on while site seeing.

Eat from the local menu.

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 3, 2010)

WE CAN EMBROIDER ON BALL CAPS SALE!!!!

We have one dozen of each of the patriotic visor styles in the photographs. This sale is for these 2 dozen visors. First come, first serve.

The visor with the red, white, blue, and yellow bill has a red band.

Sale: one patriotic visor without embroidery is $5.00 plus tax/shipping. We will be glad to embroider on the band, upon request.