Cajun Corner – Vol. 6, No. 11 – April 27, 2014

 

Cajun Corner – Vol. 6, No. 11 – April 27, 2014

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.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.

As mentioned last week, I did embroider our tee shirts with the Pledge of Allegiance.  They turned out so good that I took pictures and posted on our Cajun Stitchery Facebook page.  Not long after posting one lady commented and purchased a tee shirt with the embroidery. Another friend has purchased one, too.  However, as the first lady and I were commenting back and forth, another person decided to comment. That comment was not very nice and basically said I was wrong to use the Pledge of Allegiance for monetary gain.  I didn’t feel the post deserved a comment.  Not long after that someone else posted a very lengthy post regarding the controversy of the Pledge of Allegiance.  I deleted both comments.  A little while later, another person commented that she was pleasantly surprised that no one had posted controversial comments.  Nevertheless, that post received over 1,000 hits.  More than I have ever had for a post on Facebook.

We went to a friend’s home for Easter.  Since George and I ALWAYS color Easter eggs and hide them at her house, she asked that we please refrain from doing this.  Instead, one of her guests was bringing her two little boys and would we please hide the eggs for the children.  We were delighted to do so, of course.  Well, not without a little bit of good ole Cajun fun.  We did color the Easter Eggs.  We did hide them for the little boys.  We did tell our friend that there were 22 eggs – 2 dozen shy 2 eggs that broke.  We did actually only have 20 eggs.  Hahahahahaha!!!!  I wonder if she is still searching for those other 2 eggs.

George has been very busy in the garden and caring for the lawn and plants.  The place is looking very nice right now.  One of our front yard plants is a papyrus.  The papyrus decided to take over the yard.  George dug all of the papyrus up but put one in a half whiskey barrel.  The papyrus looks very nice and we feel good because it won’t take over the yard and yet we still have a specimen to admire.  Funny thing is that as the papyrus has recovered from transplanting and winter, the soil is producing a few surprises of its own.  Johnny Jump Ups are jumping up in the pot along with a few other plants from our yard, including a tomato plant.  Our yard is always entertaining.

Even though the handkerchiefs have been a success in our Etsy store, one of the most popular handkerchiefs has been taken off.  It is the scallop edged hanky that has the thick scallop.  It just never looked right to me.  Oh yes, it is beautiful but as the designer there is something wrong with it.  One thing was that on each scallop there was a stitch or two in the middle that looked bad.  My wonderful embroidery tech taught me how to get rid of those stitches.  The issue is now resolved.  The next issue is unevenness of the threads when detached from the hoop.  I’ve been working on that today.  The outcome is that there will be a few more handkerchief designs available in our Etsy store in the near future.

With all of that said about handkerchiefs, we completed an order this week for three white with lavender stitching handkerchiefs that say, “No Ugly Crying.”  Yes, it is for a wedding.  Our customer is in Canada.  They turned out beautiful.

A gentleman called me this week wanting some patches.  “Do you make patches?” he asked.  Yes, we make patches.  It turned out that he is a truck driver who changed companies or opened his own company and needed some patches to put over the embroidered logos on his pants and shirts. His lovely wife came to the studio and showed me his shirt and approved the patch design.  They are done.  Before she left, I asked her how they found me.  She said that they live in Ensley (a small area just north of Pensacola) and they called every embroiderer they could find but no one made patches.  I suspect no one made small order patches.  Apparently embroiderers have a minimum number of patches required before they will take the order.  Luckily for this couple, they found Cajun Stitchery who will accept small order patches.  It is a shame that more embroiderers don’t take small orders.  There is a demand for “In Memory of” type patches.  As in this case, rather than tossing out good clothes, a nice patch can cover the older emblem.  In fact, any design can be made into a patch.  It is only a matter of putting the square, circle, or geometric shape outside the design. 

Since I was already working on patches, I designed a patch for a friend of mine who works protecting the sea turtles.  The patch has not been stitched out yet, but she loves the design.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK

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. 

No time to read Cajun Corner?  Visit our blog at www.cajunstitchery.blogspot.com and click the Odiogo button to hear the computer read the blog.

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. 45

Cajun Corner – Vol. 3, No. 45 – November 11, 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.

Veteran’s Day is coming to an end.  The Blue Angels Air Show was right over our house today.  It was a fabulous celebration.  The air show continues tomorrow, as well.

I’m lined up to have a booth at Gallery Night on November 18^th  in downtown Pensacola and at the Perdido Bay Golf Club on November 26^th.  Don’t forget to buy from local small businesses on November 26^th.  It occurred to me this week that the reason people shop at malls is because all of the stores are under one roof.  Just telling people to shop local small businesses is not good enough.  How are people going to find small businesses who work out of their homes, like me?  So, I made a suggestion to our wonderful Women’s Business Luncheon group that we need to find places to gather and have booths on the 26^th.  I really thought the perfect venue would be our Small Business Development Center.  I asked if we would be allowed to set up in their parking lot, which is just on the outskirts of downtown.  I still haven’t received a response.  In the meantime, another member has arranged for us to set up at the Perdido Bay Golf Club from 1-5 p.m.  She set aside a table and chair for Cajun Stitchery.  So, that’s where we are going to be.  If you are in the area, come on over to Perdido Bay Golf Club on Saturday, November 26^th between 1-5 p.m.   Meet some of your local small businesses and do your Christmas shopping.  Of course, it would be nice if there were areas set up all over town to spotlight our local small businesses.

It is getting busy now.  I’ve been working with several friends trying to learn how to make cold calls.  It really all started last weekend.  I was messaging a friend and was still pondering why people loved my merchandise at the craft fair, they touched, they commented, but then would walk away without purchasing anything.  I’m thinking that I am doing something wrong.  So, while we were messaging, she decided that I need to meet a lady who owns a new local small business.  Before the conversation was over I had an appointment for Tuesday.  Tuesday arrived and I did meet with the lady.  I made up a packet of information about Cajun Stitchery and embroidery, including my price list.  I brought one of my catalogs and even created a sample embroidered logo for her to see my work.  I walked in wearing my black fleur de lis scarf with rhinestones.  Another friend happened to be there and she really did all of the work for me.  She told the owner how she orders her embroidery from me and is a completely satisfied customer.  The rest was just chit chat.  Once her logo is done by her graphic designer, she is going to send it to me to have digitized and embroidered on aprons and smocks.  She also wants some scarves made.  We had a very pleasant conversation and have even arranged to meet again next week.  It was a good meeting.

Later, I thanked my friend and was telling her about the meeting when she decided that I needed to come to her office and practice cold calls.   While we sat and chatted I told her that was probably the first cold call that I’ve ever made.  In disbelief she asked how I got business.  I said, “I have a lot of friend and I talked about embroidery a lot.”  In fact, all of my business is via word of mouth.  At this she said that I needed to meet with a friend who is some sort of executive at Circle K.  That was humorous because that night George and I were going to our weekly Scrabble game which included a friend who is an executive at Circle K.  She wants me to put my can wraps on consignment. 

That evening I talked with my friend who said this probably is a good idea.  If I can get this lady to put my can wraps in her local Circle K stores on consignment, then we will be able to see how they sell.  I sent the introductory email to the lady today but so far have not received a response.  So, say a prayer that this works.  In fact, George and I are talking about printing out labels saying, “Made in the USA” to put on the can wraps and everything else that I make.  The nice thing about the can wraps is that they already have their own Can Wrap Rap by 2-Short Cajun Mama.

While I was on my first cold call, the lady showed me The Square.  Right now the only way that I can accept payment via credit cards is through PayPal.  The reason is because the credit card machine cost money, there’s a monthly fee, all in addition to a percentage taken from each credit card swipe.  The Square, however, is a little one inch device that plugs into the top of a smart phone.  It is the credit card swiper.  There is still a percentage charged for each swipe but no bulky machine and no monthly charge.  Now I can accept credit cards at craft fairs, home parties, wherever I am at the time.  I would rather carry a debit or credit card on me than cash.  I assume others feel the same way.  So, George and I have ordered 2 smart phones from AT&T which should arrive on Monday.  We have rearranged our phone package so don’t be alarmed if I’m off line and without phone service on Monday.

My birthday carried over into this week.  I finally had to quit eating completely except for all of the wonderful dinners and wine that I’m receiving.  My Wednesday night ladies were wonderful, as usual.  Our little nurse was still wearing her nurse’s hat from last week.  I received even more birthday presents this week.  As George says, “Looks like this birthday is going to last all month.”  Sure hope so.

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.

I still have some red and white, regular furry Christmas Stockings, approximately 17 inches long.  I will be glad to embroider a name on them for $7.00 each (includes the stocking).  I also made a pattern for a regular Christmas stocking, same size, which is pretty simple.  I’ll make the stocking and add the name for $12.00.  Let me know if you are interested. They are fully lined.  Fabric will change depending on what I have available at the time of the order.

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. 

===============================================================

Thank you Marshall Larrivere for the following:

Boudreaux opened the morning newspaper and was

dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had died. He

quickly phoned his best friend, Landry.

“Did you see the paper?” asked Boudreaux. “They

say I died!!”

“Yes, I saw it!” replied Landry. “Where ya callin' from?”

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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.