New Painted Canvases and Stitch Club!!

I'm thrilled to be working with Ruth Schmuff of Bedecked and Beadazzled on my new bird series, "Flight", canvases designed, painted and stitched by me. Take a look at this great stitch club offer:
http://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/product/flight/

I hope you decide to join the club! Contact me or Ruth for any questions!

💗

Orna

Read more...

Give me a LIKE?

I'm pretty excited this morning.  I love to be discovered, to be recognized, but really don't we all? It's an honor when someone recommends your work, something you made with your mind, your creativity and your two hands. Even more so to be recognized on one of my favorite lifestyle Israeli websites, it's sort of closing a circle, but in a very good way, I'm kvelling!
(kvell k(ə)vel/verb feel happy and proud. "my mom was kvelling—bursting with pride")

Back in 1988 Michaela Bercu appeared on the cover of American "Vogue".  This Israeli beauty was chosen for Anna Wintour's first Vogue cover since she had taking over the magazine as editor.   Michaela was fresh, natural looking, and seemed so approachable.  It was also the first time a model wore jeans on the cover of Vogue.  I remember that cover very well!

Years later she started her lifestyle website and I am an avid follower.  For me it's nice to stay on top of what's happening on the Israeli front.  Today I am thrilled to have my work praised and displayed on the site.

http://www.mymichaela.com/

Michaela ends the article by saying: " I must say... the beauty in Orna's work starts in the packaging." Now you know how proud that makes me feel!!

See those stars at the bottom left of the photo above with the circle around them?  How about popping over to the website and giving me a 5 star boost?  HERE you go!

Read more...

Fiber Talk, a new podcast for FIBER lovers, and I'm on it!

Click HERE to hear it...

Read more...

I am very proud to share with you...

Some months ago Liz Kalloch contacted me and asked if I would participate in a project she was working on.  In her words:

I'm working on a year-long story/painting project called Tools & Talismans—a series of vignette paintings I'm creating based on photos of tools and talismans from 100 different women that relate to how each of them expresses herself.

We hear a lot these days about the importance of story—from story telling slams to marketers and media specialists creating full blown brands based around a story. Story is how we learn, it's how we connect to each other and to the larger world, and story is not limited to words alone.

I'm contacting creators and healers, thinkers and makers, wordsmiths and visionaries—women whose expression and voice in the world is passionate, strong and brave—asking them to participate. I've already gathered some amazing submissions, the project has momentum and the people who've participated have told me that it’s been an amazing experience for them.

Your needlepoint work is aMAZing, and I love how you've taken a craft that many might consider "old-fashioned" and made it relevant again. I'd love to include your "story" through a gathering of tools and talismans that you use to do your work and tell your stories. 

I was intrigued and interested in being a part of Liz's project. Tools, Liz explained are ones that I use nearly everyday in my work or personal life. Talismans, she explained, refers to anything that is potent or magical or filled with goodness—for me.

I spent some time thinking about what I would like to present that was both useful and meaningful to me.  The photo below is what I sent to Liz.

This is what I wrote:
I am: A Taster of Color
I believe that “presentation” sets the tone of our aesthetic journey. I love to make things look beautiful, the more mundane the objects, the more I search for just the right way to make them hopelessly appealing. Hence my addiction with glass vials, with perfect boxes, with a custom hanging system for all my fibers, (and fibers, and fibers). A little notebook for jotting down lists, an array of lip-glosses for lips that need a little perking up, and my mini business cards that introduce me visually, these are always with me. Sumptuous fibers to drool over, along with my gold plated needles that are, to me, the epitome of indulgence and Ultrasuede, one of man’s great contributions to our world; these are what I make my art with. Tools make me happy, and with my little hammer I form a sheet of metal into an object, what wonder! And then there is the gold bracelet that my grandmother gave me when I was born, with my name beautifully engraved in Hebrew letters. This is where I came from; all the others are where I’m going. When you don’t know where you came from, the journey forward will be very poorly lit.

Liz has entered my story in her Journal. You can see the painting and the story on her site.  Take a look CLICK.

Cool, eh?

Read more...

New Year, New Plans

What's in store for the new year?

• I'll be teaching quite a few classes.  If you'd like to know when and where, send a note my way, (orna@ornadesign.com). 
• Color Class at Orna's studio/home, JULY 17-19, 2015. I will have more details in the next few weeks.  If you think you may be interested, please email me, (orna@ornadesign.com), and I'll put you on the short list.  Here is a preliminary explanation of this fascinating class...

• New painted canvases: 3 birds (hints HERE).  
• I have some b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l new projects baking in the oven, should be ready for you soon!

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

And the wonderful completed projects from my Color Class in Chicago this past summer, keep coming in!  Here is Jackie's finished piece along with her inspiration photograph.  A remarkable job, no doubt!!

Read more...

Emma Broidery's Blog about me (-:

I was interviewed by the DMC blog queen, a few weeks ago.  We had a fun time chatting.  Usually there is a large lapse in time between the chat and the published interview, and I don't always remember what my answers were to certain questions and whether I sounded intelligent or more of a dimwit!  I think I did OK, you can read for yourself HERE.

Spring is here, can you feel it?!

xo

Orna

Read more...

sniffle, tear, sniffle.

I didn't go to New York.  I'm in bed. Sick.

Sniffle, tear, sniffle.   :(

My mother made this blanket for Nomi out of years and years worth of yarn leftovers.  Smile.

Read more...

My Philadelphia! (watch this video...fun!)

     

       

Just another reminder--the late registration is still open for my ANG three day class "My City, My Skyline"!  By utilizing clever sculpture techniques, this innovative class will teach you how to make your two dimensional work turn three dimensional . Stitch tiny fiber renditions of Philadelphia's most recognizable buildings, including our very special, William Penn adorned City Hall.

This beautiful multi-media design is a new way to approach the canvas, and further discussions of ways to carry this method into your future work will be covered. Join us for this exciting look at three-dimensional needlepoint, and leave town with a beautiful remembrance of your time here!

Read more...

Signs of Spring (plus last minute - Lookie! Lookie!)

I set out this morning, buoyed by the 60 degree weather reports, in search of signs of spring. A little green? Anywhere? I looked and looked, and could not find a sprig nor bud. As I walked I began to notice a different kind of sign: outdoor seating! Yes, the days of a breezy coffee in the sun are surely just around the corner......

Umbrellas popped up like tulips at The Piazza

Windowboxes and seats waiting for the Lunch Hour at Darling's Diner

Seating at One Shot Cafe

As happy as I was to find these man-made signs of spring, I felt a little stymied by the lack of crocus and daffodil I sought. And then.... Esther! With her keen eye, and snooping nose.......

Aha! It's Green.

Hurray for Spring!

 ***        ***        ***        ***  ***        ***  ***        ***  ***        ***  ***        ***  ***        *** 







Just got word that I'm interviewed on this delightful blog.  Thank you, Yoola, for a great group of questions to answer and which made me think!!

Read more...

Tiny packages.

I've always been attracted to miniatures.  Have you ever been to see the miniature rooms at the Chicago Art Institute?  And this Clue game with the miniature rooms in which someone murdered someone with something in a particular room.  I used to spend hours making miniature foods with polymer clay, never did anything with them,  just loved the process.

So now I'm packaging all the DOLCI kits and the silver pieces are going into teeny tiny glass bottles. The LARGE bottles are 7/8"!  I'm having so much fun!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Read more...

Real Treasures.

 

ETSY is an amazing site.  It's sort of a grass roots movement for handmade.   On Etsy you can offer your wares for sale among other handmade items from all over the world.  It's so exciting to see crafted treasures, imaginative items that are most times very affordable.  I have a couple of shops on Etsy, here and here.  One of the neat features on the site is called TREASURY.  It's where you can browse the millions of items for sale and put together a grouping that has a common thread you decide on.  It may be...Things with Wings,  or... In the Morning Light, or... a grouping based on color.  The latter, no surprise I'm sure, is so much fun to put together.  You are asked to place only one item from the same seller, and not include your own items, so you can show others some LOVE! I've put some Treasuries together here, as well as the ones you see above and below.  Take a walk over there, I'm sure you'll have fun!

  

 

This is one of my favorite Treasuries.  I didn't choose a common color 

but it sort of comes out that way.  

 

Read more...

Giveaway!!!

We have much to do here today, so let's begin with two bits of news---firstly, we are retiring some older designs, (Cedars of Lebanon, Reflections of Joy, Entomology and a few others). It's sad to say goodbye, but, as you can see above, I have new designs going up every day!  

Silky Safari is a twist on traditional samplers.  It's full of interesting stitches, and unusual threads, Ultrasuede applique' and beads to top it off.  It is a wonderful design to have fun with! 

Also out this week, Windmills of Color, pictured below. This Kit comes in three colorways. With a focus on color application, color balance and color placement, I wrote the pattern to give the user more options and freedom with their choices!

 

And finally: It's that time again!!!!  It's a Giveaway.

For this Giveaway, I designed a beautiful "Paper Bag" with two contrasting shades of Ultrasuede® to highlight the simple familiar lines of a classic grocery store bag. 

Standing 13 inches tall, and 9 inches wide, it's the perfect bag when you are running errands or just need to take a few things with you. It snaps closed, and is adorned with a couple of whimsical lampwork beads.

To be entered in this drawing, we are going to continue in the spirit of the Color articles I've

been writing for Needlepoint Now over the past months. (If you haven't seen this series, it's a wonderful way to hone your skills as a colorist--to better understand how to use color in a way that speaks for you.)  All you need to do is post a creative, color inspired name for this bag, (click on the post a comment below). Try to take into consideration all that you see in the pictures, and let's see what you come up with! We will announce  a winner (chosen at random from the entrants) on Tuesday November 2nd.

 Good Luck!

Read more...