Cajun Corner - Vol. 4, No. 33

 

 

Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 33 – September 2, 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.

George has been working with Boudreaux lately.  Now that we have Clothilde, I rarely work with Boudreaux, unless I need to use some of Boudreaux’s hoops.  Boudreaux has a greater variety of hoops than Clothilde.  As time goes by, and money comes in, we’ll get more hoops for Clothilde but for now Clothilde has the biggest hoops and Boudreaux has the largest variety of hoops.  Nevertheless, George had stopped embroidering when he went next door to remodel the house.  He’s back in the saddle, again.  He is definitely my hat guy but can do it all on the embroidery machine. 

It turns out that Clothilde embroiders on structured hats better than Boudreaux.  When we first began embroidery on hats and caps, we simply couldn’t get Boudreaux to stitch on structured hats.  We read periodicals saying that different machines embroider better on various types of head wear.  That must be true because Clothilde does fine with structured hats.  The problem is that Clothilde has to stop all of her beautiful “couture” embroidery to do the hats.  Some day we will replace Boudreaux with an Amaya but that is way down the road.

A local pastor contacted us requesting embroidery on his robe.  The digitizing was done and he brought the robe over for embroidery right before Hurricane Isaac.  As he was leaving, he asked if we were prepared for the storm.  I told him that I prayed the then tropical storm would go someplace else and not hit Pensacola.  We were prepared but I believe in prayer and TS Isaac just had to go elsewhere.  As it turned out, Hurricane Isaac did go elsewhere and we only got some tropical storm winds and rain.  When the pastor returned to pick up his embroidered robe I asked the topic of his sermon this week.  He said, “Forgiveness.”  I told him I was surprised it wasn’t on the power of prayer.

Speaking of Isaac, I was very happy that my friends and family in New Orleans and SW Louisiana were not hurt by the storm.  The ones I’ve been in touch with told me that they never lost electricity but did gain a houseful of guests who had lost electricity and utilities.

As I said, we just got wind gusts and some rain.  The wind did clean out the trees.  Sammy, the 70 pound, 8 month old puppy, must have thought it was Christmas.  He is a retriever, after all.  As the branches would fall from the trees, he was running around retrieving all of the limbs.  George said it would have been nice if he had then stacked them all together, but such was not the case.  Sam has played with tree branches all week, just running around with branches in his mouth.  He is a bit perplexed about a large palm frond that fell.  He tried carrying it around but it was just too big. 

This November I turn 62 years old.  I have debated all year whether or not to apply for early Social Security.  Cajun Stitchery is three and a half years old and doing well for three and a half years.   After vexing over this, I decided to go ahead and apply.  I did the entire thing online.  Now I have to make an appointment with our local Social Security people and bring them my certified birth certificate, and then it is done.  Wow!  It is just amazing to think that I have reached this age.  Does this mean that I am now old and wise? 

Next Sunday the Mystic Krewe of Nereids will be hosting our annual Splash Party at Paradise Bar & Grill on Pensacola Beach.  The event begins at 1:00 p.m.  We will have a dunking booth, lots of water guns, 50/50 raffle, and raffles for water guns and coolers and a whole lot of music and fun.  Please join us and bring a friend.  I think our charity this year is breast cancer.

Cajun Stitchery has embroidered krewe tee shits for the Splash Party.  Just look for the girls in the California Blue tee shirts.  That will be us.

Have a wonderful week.

HAPPY LABOR 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. 

If you think last week’s Louisiana Crazy Laws were, well, crazy, then take a look at some crazy laws in Florida.  True?  I don’t know.  But I found this at http://www.dumblaws.com/laws/united-states/florida

 

Florida Crazy Laws

 

• It is illegal for a doctor to ask a patient whether they own a gun.
• The state constitution allows for freedom of speech, a trial by jury, and pregnant pigs to not be confined in cages.
• One may not commit any “unnatural acts” with another person.
• Unmarried couples may not commit “lewd acts” and live together in the same residence.
• Corrupting the public morals is defined as a nuisance, and is declared a misdemeanor offense.
• Doors of all public buildings must open outward.
• It is illegal to sell your children.
• Women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer, as can the salon owner.
• A special law prohibits unmarried women from parachuting on Sunday or she shall risk arrest, fine, and/or jailing.
• If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.
• It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit.
• Men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.
• Having sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal.
• It is illegal to skateboard without a license.
• When having sex, only the missionary position is legal.
• You may not fart in a public place after 6 P.
• It is considered an offense to shower naked.
• You are not allowed to break more than three dishes per day, or chip the edges of more than four cups and/or saucers.
• Oral sex is illegal.
• You may not kiss your wife’s breasts

 

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. 12

Cajun Corner – Vol. 4, No. 12 – March 30, 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 past weekend we took a trip to Tampa to visit our son and his family.  My daughter-in-law graduated with her RN degree.  I cannot even express how proud I am of her and the whole family.  This is the first time that George and I were able to visit them at their new home.  They actually live in a little town called Wimauma, Florida, on the outskirts of Tampa.  It was a whirlwind trip.  We left Pensacola early Sunday morning and returned Tuesday afternoon.  The graduation ceremony was Monday evening.

Their home is beautiful.  They had the house built when they lived in Pensacola and moved in when they moved to Wimauma.  They were one of the first homes built in their subdivision.  So, Hank – like his mother – made of point of meeting everyone as they moved into their homes.  He is such a social butterfly.  The neighborhood group gets together frequently.  There are those who like to visit and those who are a bit more private, like any neighborhood.  They even have evenings around the campfire.  I got tickled at them because they neither smoke nor drink but they have a full wine rack.  Hank says it is just for show.  At my house it would be well used.

The graduation ceremony was impressive.  I have never attended a “pinning” before this.  At most graduations the graduating students line up and received their diplomas and shake hands with various people.  It was similar for this pinning except that when they got on stage they sat down and one lady pinned them and another put the nurses cap on them.  I cried and took pictures the whole time.  Something I learned is that when you receive your LPN, you get the nurse’s hat in solid white.  The RN gets the nurse’s hat with the black stripe.  Shernise says that she intends to return to school in the fall and work toward her bachelor’s degree.  Despite many obstacles, this little family has persevered and continues to do better and better.  I love them and I’m very proud of the family.  In fact, Hank and Shernise have been married for 15 years and have a very similar relationship to George and me. 

When we arrived at Hank’s home, they were all tickled at my hair color.  What was really funny is that one of my granddaughter’s had dyed her hair the same color.

While we were away, Evie was enjoying an extended visit at the vets.  It was kind of nice because she got her annual exam, nails trimmed, etc., and was ready when we got home.  She was happy to see us but not really sure what happened.  To make matters worse, George brought home a puppy the next day, Wednesday.   The puppy is named Sammy.  Sammy is 10-12 weeks old, a black Labrador retriever with a white spot on his chest.  The vet says that Sammy is probably full Labrador.  Oh yes, Sammy is also 34 lbs.  Not the little, tiny puppy most people think of when they hear the word “puppy.”  He is tall and lanky.  So far Evie is ignoring Sammy.  I am a bit surprised that Sammy is not very active.  But he is probably just getting used to a new environment.  He did meet the cats last night and barked up a storm.  The cats, of course, are totally indifferent to him.  Since Evie is so attached to me, Sammy is staying with George during the day.  We are actually thinking of making him a carpenter’s belt. 

By the way, on our trip to Tampa, we went via Highway 98 and then Highway 19 to New Port Richey.  George had never been to Mexico Beach and we made it there in time for breakfast on Sunday.  Taking Highway 98 around Mexico Beach and following it to Highway 19 was breathtakingly gorgeous.  The highway was right next to the Gulf for miles.  As gorgeous as the scenic route was, it took considerably longer.  On the way home we took the interstate highways which were much faster.

I learned the map function of my smart phone during the trip and nearly ran the battery dead playing with it.  A little blinky arrow appears on the map showing where you are presently located.  You can zoom in and see the roads around you and even find gas stations and restaurants. 

It is always a good feeling to return home.  The asparagus is ready to start harvesting.  Remember the end of the celery that I planted?  It is growing.  The parsley and catnip are trying to go to seed.  The sweet peas need to be picked.  Ahhh, the garden.

The hawk that was sitting on the fence last week, sadly, was found dead on the ground the next morning.  It probably had some sort of hawk disease.

When we returned home we found a package at the back door.  It was our new hoop and table for Clothilde.  The table just snaps into place and is extra large to accommodate large, heavy pieces of fabric.  The hoop can hold a design up to 15” x 18”.  That’s pretty big.  The same night we received another shipment of the stabilizer that I ordered.  So, everything arrived the night that we returned home. 

A couple of the secret embroidery projects can now be revealed.  The towels are bath sheets that were embroidered for a young couple’s wedding.  These designs are pretty large about 13” wide x 5” high.  Brianne’s has rhinestones applied.  The rhinestones did sparkle but I cannot promise they will remain on the towel after too many washings.  The customer who ordered these and provided the bath sheets said that she and her husband received bath sheets when they were married and used and enjoyed them for a long time.  It is a really good idea for wedding gifts.  With a design this large, the satin stitching would be too wide and would appear very loose.  Instead, we used a fill design that replicated two or three rows of satin stitches next to each other.

After we got home I was working on some dog collars.  Now I need to embroider the collar that we got for Sammy.  I still cannot believe that we bought a collar that I can make.

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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Want a beautiful herb garden by your door?  Take 3 or 4 progressively smaller pots.  Fill the largest with potting soil, then place the next size on top and to the back of the first, fill it with potting soil, and so on for each smaller container.  Then plant herb seeds or seedlings in the soil around the base of each of the pots.  When it grows you will have a small terrace of herbs.  Of course, make sure your herb garden gets plenty of sun and water.

Harvest often. Harvesting promotes growth. It keeps plants in their growing cycle instead of letting them mature and finish their life. So stop by your garden before dinner each night and snip away. (Never tear.) You can harvest up to a third of the foliage. And if you see a flower, clip or pinch it off. Once an herb flowers it’s trying to finish its life cycle.

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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. 42

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 42 – October 22, 2011

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

ΘΘΘΘΘ

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

Visit our on-line catalogs at:

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

and www.companycasuals.com/cajunstitchery.

It has been cold this week.  The temperature has dropped into the high 30’s and low 40’s around here.  I think we will be getting back to 50’s to 70’s soon.  So far the garden looks in tact, although it could use a good watering about now.

The other day our Labrador retriever, Evie, went outside with us in the evening and immediately her nose was to the ground smelling.  She was scenting something around the garden and our deck and ended up on top of the deck with her nose in a space between boards.  We didn’t hear or see anything and just went about business.  Later, we decided to step outside again, and a possum was running down our walkway to the driveway.   Evie knew what she was doing.

Last night, when I returned home from an evening with the girls, our back door was ajar.  The wind must have blown it open and George had fallen asleep on the sofa watching a movie.  The problem this is that our cats are house cats.  Their front claws have been removed and I certainly don’t want them outside.  We counted cats and our little black Manx, Poly, was missing.  It was about midnight and we were outside calling, “kitty, kitty, kitty.”  Finally, I looked at Evie and said, “Go find Poly.”  She darted to the back of our garage.  George brought the flashlight.  Sure enough, there was Poly.  Poly is home and safe but she is in the doghouse.  Evie, on the other hand, is being treated as a celebrity.   

Have I told you how wonderful the SBDC is?  Of course, I have.  This week I contacted my business consultant because sales have gone down a bit this year.  Obviously it is because of the economy.  Nevertheless, I needed to brainstorm with my business consultant on available avenues to peruse.  I didn’t hear back from her for a day or two and then I received an email.  She had posed my questions and concerns to several marketing experts and forwarded their answers to me.  I never cease to be amazed at the information and people she has available from which to garner information.  The ideas that issued from that email were totally on key.  I had been thinking of these things but it is so comforting to have the marketing expertise reassuring me of the right direction.  If that wasn’t enough, she has made an appointment to come to me next Wednesday afternoon to brainstorm and discuss my concerns. 

No doubt my largest handicap is that Cajun Stitchery does not have a store front.  My store front is actually the internet.  In this day and age having a store front on the internet is not a bad thing.  I just need to stay on top of the latest social networks and make my store front pop.  The problem with that is I can just spread myself so far.  I could hire someone or a company to work with my website, but there is a problem with that.   The problem is that I wouldn’t be able to get in there and change things around without the assistance of others.  It is the same reason that I drive a stick shift.  I have more control.  I’m going to have to find a happy medium and I do have some ideas.

One of the ideas is to kick it up a notch.  Embroidery is not a cheap commodity.  Just look at tee shirts.  Screen printing is beautiful.  I have seen some really over the top screen printing designs, but put that art into embroidery and you have elegance, professionalism, class, durability, and the look that goes from everyday to special occasion.  There are embroidery techniques to satisfy everyone’s style, including the teenagers and young professionals.  Hopefully, you will begin seeing some embroidery from Cajun Stitchery that is more artsy and stylish and a notch better than in the past.  Logos will always be our bread and butter and we have that down pat.  Small business has become one of my passions and I will always be searching out new and better ways to allow small businesses the luxury of embroidery.  I just have this artsy, creative side of me that wants to burst out.

Before I forget, I still have the box for non-perishable food for the homeless shelters.  If you are in the area, drop off some non-perishables.  The food drive is going on to December.

Right now I’m working on a table runner for MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).  They are having their Monster Mash next Saturday evening at the Artel Gallery in Pensacola.  If you haven’t bought tickets, you need to do so.  Contact me and I’ll put in touch with the right people.  Insofar as the table runner is concerned, I should have been finished with it yesterday but it won’t be ready until Monday.  It is a peacock design.  Actually, I was looking through my stock designs and came across an Asian set with a beautiful peacock.  Once I started playing around with the peacock, I was hooked.  I stitched the peacock onto some teal colored fabric as a stitch-out.  Wow!  Gorgeous!  That stitch-out will become something but right now I have to stay focused on the runner.  In my “kick it up a notch” mode, I’m using a thin, shiny, brocade looking fabric, in a brownish-goldish color.  The embroidery design, alone, is beautiful.  I added some small touches of metallic thread.  Next I plan to line the runner with a very thin, black tricot.  I don’t want the runner heavy or bulky.  Then I will affix rhinestones and tassels.  I am debating on some smaller background designs to adhere the tricot to the runner but I haven’t decided that for sure.

I’ve sold several can wraps with the new Cajun saying on them. 

The Coffee House coupon is no longer available.  Toucansave’s new coupon is for a massage therapist.  For $28 you get a deal worth $250.  Now, that is a good deal.  Wouldn’t that make a great Christmas present?

I’ll be making some more “You Have A Booger” handkerchiefs soon.  I put those in our Etsy store for $10 each.  I’ll make these handkerchiefs this week’s sale.  This week only, I’ll sell them for $7.00 each.  We now also carry men’s white handkerchiefs.

All cell phone holders in our Etsy store are half price ($5.00), so stop by www.cajunstitchery.etsy.com and get some cute cell phone holders as gifts for Christmas.

CHRISTMAS is around the corner.  Get that Christmas shopping done now and enjoy the holidays.

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

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Thank you Paulette Provost for the following:

A large group of Iraqi soldiers are moving down a road South of Basra, when they hear a voice call out from behind a sand dune. "One Louisiana Cajun soldier is better than ten Iraqi."

The Iraqi commander quickly orders 10 of his best men over the dune, where upon a gun battle breaks out and continues for a few minutes. Then silence.

The voice once again calls out, "One Louisiana Cajun is better than one hundred Iraqi."

Furious, the Iraqi commander sends his next best 100 troops over the dune, and instantly a huge gun fight commences. After 10 minutes of battle. Again, silence.

The Cajun voice calls out again, "One Louisiana Cajun is better than one thousand Iraqi."

The enraged Iraqi commander musters 1,000 fighters, and sends them to the other side of the dune. Rifle fire, machine guns, grenades, rockets and cannon fire ring out as a terrible battle is fought.  Then silence.

Eventually, one badly wounded Iraqi fighter crawls back over the dune, and with his dying words tells his commander, "Don't send any more men, it's a trap. There's two of them."

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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.