Three Blue Houses

Hello friends! I thought I would stop by for a quick visit tonight - I have been a little overwhelmed trying to catch up with work obligations and really needed a break from my sewing machine. I have been frantically trying to catch-up with custom sewing orders and finish a couple cross stitch deadlines (two more pieces for Just CrossStitch magazine)...my studio tables are pretty full at the moment and I have been feeling a bit frazzled...so, of course, my husband asks me to whip up a very special baby quilt for someone he works with (you know, in my spare time 😉). My to-do list is nice and full - but I feel extremely blessed to be busy. I have been meaning to stop by and share a couple cross stitch pieces with you - one I stitched for a very dear friend...and one that very dear friend stitched for me...

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know, my personal stitching time is close to non-existent these days - when I'm stitching it is almost exclusively one of my own Blue Ribbon Designs. However, I have an extremely special friend that stitches for me often - in fact, my studio is full of pieces that remind me of her and her kind heart...and I knew I wanted to stitch her a piece for Christmas. I actually had something specific in mind, finished a specific way. Since our recent move, I still have a few large studio boxes in the basement to unpack (I know, shocker)...they are labeled quite well and I have just been grabbing things from them, as needed. Well, when searching for that something specific for my original idea, I ran across a small kit with a tiny desktop frame...I didn't care for the pattern, but I really liked the frame...so I quickly switched gears and started looking for a pattern to fit. I do have my charts and patterns unpacked and accessible in my studio, so I grabbed my large basket of cross stitch stash and found an old Ewe & I & Friends chart, that I thought would be perfect...it's called Three Pink Houses. I explain all of this, because I made quite a few changes to make it exactly what I wanted, but it was a great starting point for what I envisioned! Here is a photo of the original chart...

First of all, I left off the border, so it would fit properly. Next I changed the pink houses to blue...and I personalized it with our initials and the year...I'm pretty sure I moved around a few colors too! I used the DMC colors listed...and for the houses, I used Blue Moon from Classic Colorworks. All in all, I was thrilled with the results and it turned out exactly as I had hoped!

Imagine my smile when I opened my gifts from this special friend and she had stitched a beautiful piece for me, as well. This is Antique Scissors & Spools by Shakespeare's Peddler -  a fabulous addition to my studio...and it looks wonderful with the piece she stitched me for my last birthday (Sew Happy by All Through The Night). Right now, they are both displayed on the high-top counter in my studio, until I get some 3M Command Hooks (my husband says no holes in the walls of our new house). Aren't stitchy friends THE BEST?!! I feel so special and loved...

Our first Christmas in the new house was memorable because I have the very best friends (located all across the country)...my circle may be small, but it is mighty!

It's been the longest day and I am off to relax a wee bit before bedtime. Thank you for visiting with me tonight...I'll do my best to stop back again soon!