And the Merriest of Christmas's...

 to you, my dear blogging friends!!

Do you think this guy is busy enough? Whittling away at that special toy? This is just one of my favorite ornaments that adorn the family tree. What is one of your favorites, other than the handmade ones? Do any of you readers, have specific collections, such as a theme, or brand, like Hallmark ornaments? Would love to hear about it, if you do!

I was able to finish The Primitive Needle's Earth Sampler a few weeks ago, not the greatest picture:

Primitive Needle's Earth Sampler

Tree of Life Linens Cocoa Double Dip 40 ct

Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Art Fibers

Substituted white cat for middle motif, in memory of a family pet

Here is a pic of the outside of the Belfonte house...looks so strange without the customary white snow to make it a truly wintery Christmas scene. Grass is greener than it was all summer, strange!

I am pleased that I have everything ready for Christmas. Usually this time of the year, I am frantically putting things together at the last minute, and that really does take away alot of joy in the moment. So, that said, I am hoping that you all are ready for your celebration of Christmas, with your family and friends this weekend. I am waiting with anticipation for my children and grandchildren to arrive for our family gathering on Christmas Day. Lots of good food, good company and good gifts, after reading that timeless Christmas Story. I wish you joy and lots of peace, dear friends and readers... the kind of peace that can only come to the heart, through the grace of God.

What is Christmas without Christ?

Love, Jan

TOO long away....BUT...

I am here now with a bit of an update on my life on Belfonte Lane! I am sure that I won't get everything shared of my year and I say that, because it has been since the end of February 2011, since I have made a blog post here! I feel badly about that, because I so enjoy posting and having you visit and sharing somewhat in my life, with you all special and dear, blog readers! Anyway, I hope to not stay away so long again, but we all know how life gets, I just need to make a strong effort to have 'make a blog post' at the tops of those never-ending lists that I am always making! Ha!! I am very much hoping that 2012 will usher in a year, a bit more organized, but even if it isn't, I want to be able to come here and post some! I have missed you all!!!

I haven't managed an overabundance of stitching this year, lots of that time, I have been focusing on my design models and stuff for Retreat, but I did manage to finish up this a few weeks ago! Not sure yet, what kind of finish to plan for this, but since it is so late in the season, I have a bit of time before I need to decide.

Blackbird Designs Waiting for the Harvest

GAST Pumpkin Pie and Dark Chocolate
32 Ct R&R American Chestnut

And another wip that is not quite done yet...I was having fun with buttons around it, and it might appear to be done, but isn't yet! Maybe next week I can share a finish of it, and maybe a bit more progress pics. It does motivate to get out my stitching more, just by taking pictures and sharing them with you all here! And also your wonderful words which cheerlead me on to a finish!

Primitive Needle's Earth Sampler
Weeks and GAST fibers, with one substitution and change of motif
Tree of Life Linens Cocoa Double Dip, 40 ct


This has been a fun stitch, several of my online friends and I have been doing a private SAL to remember Lisa and this is the design I chose to stitch. My prayers are still with her family, especially this time of year, the first holiday time they will be without her presence, and I know that it will be a hard time. I do hope to finish this little sweet sampler up soon and get it framed and on my wall. I substituted the motif that looked like a white strawberry with dark seeds, have no idea what it was, so I decided to put in a little white kitty in it's place, to remember a special cat that owned our family for awhile, named Monica.

That is it for the stitchey pics, but I do have some outside pictures that I took well over a month ago, when autumn 2011 was in full swing, so allow me to share them with you all, because if I wait another day or two, I fear that everyone's (including my own) mind will be on Christmas and snow and winter!

My Backyard Foliage behind the property fence

Belfonte Front Porch with Pumpkins and Ferns

Flowers did wonderful this summer and the mums just set everything off!

My Favorite Mum

And I couldn't not share a picture of my grandbabies....

Pumpkin Pickin' with Daddy, just their sizes too!

Happy Girl, Alexandra Catherine, aka Allie Bug

I will be returning soon, with more stitchey pics and updates! Thanks for visiting with me, and getting to the end, and for those of you, that leave me a comment, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I will do my best to visit your blogs soon!

I would just like to leave you now, with a special prayer of blessing this Thanksgiving week, for you and your loved ones! Give Thanks!!

Love, Jan

2011 Tree of Life Samplings Retreat News...

please visit my Tree of Life Samplings Blog, for the latest news and info about the 2012 Retreat being planned!

Link is in right side bar, thanks so much!!

I really need to find the time to make a blog post soon! I have missed it more then you know!!

Love, Jan

New Beginnings and An Old Friend....

Hello, hello! I certainly wanted to get a post in sooner, but alas the month of February has flown by, like it usually does, I might add! It is my birthday month, and with the few days short that it boasts, it is almost always quick and over, with the blink of an eye! I hope that all of you have had decent weather, although we have had some weirdness going on at times and with the creeks and rivers being at flood stage, that is always a concern! But all is good for now, supposed to dry up and warm up (a bit) for a few days, before the weekend and the forecast of more precipitation!

With today being the last day of the month, I am determined to get this post, posted! I have been working on several things, so it doesn't appear that I have made much progress on anything, but I have had a blast doing what I am doing, so that is what counts!! Progress will come, I just need to stay at it!

I actually have Three "New" Beginnings this month, which is a great deal for me! Many of you, might think that is silly, especially those of you that joined in the January Crazy Challenge of starting how-many-new-starts-was-that-again???? Anyway, I love and have loved looking at all of the wonderful new starts out there, but to be honest if I had started that many, I would have been definitely found certifiable!!!


First off is Blackbird Designs Anniversaries of the Heart, A Wish For You:

I am doing this all on one piece of fabric, 40 ct Silkweaver's Purely Primitive, one thread of recommended over dyeds over two threads (with a couple of substitutions). I am doing them in NOT the same order as the talented ladies of Blackbird Designs is releasing them. I just felt that this one would look better first, and I will be doing this particular square to celebrate my youngest daughter, Ashley. Hope to finish it up in the next week, we shall see!

Secondly is Mary Glover:

Very little done on this project, but it is started! Thanks to Siobhan and her wonderful enabling, when I saw this sampler and the details on her blog, I just had to do it myself! Please visit Siobhan's blog, if you have not already been there, her projects and pictures are a true feast for the eyes and will definitely not disappoint! Also she has the details on how to sign up, obtain and take part in this SAL. She also has a recent picture of her progress and she has quite a bit more done on it! I did convert the DMC to NPI's, if you would like to have that list, please let me know, and I will edit this post later, with my conversions! I am such a silk snob when it comes to sampler stitching these days! I am stitching it over two threads, with two threads on 32 ct...I forget the name of the color now, although I do know it is an R&R!

Thirdly, here is my birthday start, Needleprint's Marianne Wenn Sampler:

Again, very little accomplished, but it is a start and I am so loving this one! I shared with you all, in a previous post, my conversions from the DMC to NPI silks and I chose 36 ct R&R Flax Fields, stitched with one thread over two threads. I WILL finish this sampler, someday!

NEXTLY (oh my goodness, I am going to have some friends all over that form of english usage, but I don't care,  I like the sound of it!) a re-introduction of a very old friend, Plum Street Samplers Seven Days of Creation:

I am not sure what YEAR I started this, Paulette, do you? Sorry, dear friend, I am not putting you on the spot! I do know though, it has been several years, and when I got it out of the wip bag, I thought to myself, self, you have that almost half done, it needs to be finished and on the wall! So, I vowed, once I got it in the scroll rods to work on it as often as I can and get more progress done on it. Because it is so very pretty!! I am stitching it on 36 ct R&R Creme Brulee with my conversion of DMC to Crescent Colours cottons.

BTW, Paulette is a very dear and old friend too, and if you haven't yet purchased or stitched any of her designs, you are missing out! Her creativeness is so heartfelt and she puts so much of herself in to each and every design! I have them all, and hope to live long enough to stitch many more of them!

Well, I guess that is it for this month! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read my posts; everytime you leave a comment, I am blessed immeasurably! Today, I am thankful to the Living God for friends such as yourself, whom I have learned from and developed many, many happy memories!!

I hope this video works....it is of my 20 month old Allie Bug, going on 30 years, reading the daily paper!

Love, Jan