A New Design, A Fresh Approach and A Class you will love!

For months now, I have been hinting at a new Cyberclass.  And here it is -- at long last --  Dolci...

Nouveau Colorway--The Sunburst Bead

Dolci ( pronounced "dole-chaye") means "sweets" in Italian. And it fits these new bead designs perfectly: bite-sized, delicate, and oh so sweet! I am incredibly excited to introduce this class... I feel that this is a new way of doing things, a new way of working with canvas and thread.  It's about details, and it's about presentation--two things I love.

Nouveau Colorway --- The Checkerboard Bead

What sets these beads apart from other jewelry components I have created in the past, is that they are true beads. They are rounded and double sided. They have a 3-dimensionality that has not been done until now.  In the Cyberclass, you will be working with the first 8 designs of a whole new line of  Dolci Bead designs from Adorn. You will learn all of the new techniques needed to create these tiny gems. And they really are tiny--the smallest is as small as a dime!

Nouveau Colorway -- 4 Crescent Bead

It was a long process getting these designs exactly right. We were looking for fiber beads that could be elegant, wearable and sophisticated. A grown up version of fiber jewelry. We wanted there to be a metal element, to give them the ability to hold their own in a finished jewelry piece. We wanted versatility, and above all, an easy way for students to create them.
 

Mod Colorway -- The Stop Sign Bead

And we did it! We got all of that into this class. And we are really proud of it! In addition to that, I put together four registration options, five kit options, and two colorway options! Whew! And you all thought I was kicking back in Israel all summer....

So, go to the website and get more details about Dolci. Read all your options, and see which one suits you best! Registration ends November 15th, 2011, and class begins February 1st, 2012.

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New Free Design - My Family Series

Before I get on with the next installment of the My Family series, I wanted to let you know that I am putting this chapter on my blog with a bit of trepidation.  It might not seem possible, being that I have a blog and that I've been writing about my life, but you must believe me when I tell you that I am a very private person.  This blog has been and still is an exercise for me in opening up, not being afraid to share.  This installment, more than others, is very personal but I feel you can't know anything about my life without knowing about Shiri.  This was originally written 11 years ago, (before Nina came into our lives).  Shiri was a college student then. Now she is a mother, a wife, a lawyer, a beautiful human being and a loving, caring, delightful daughter.  I am leaving this installment exactly as it was in the magazine 11 years ago...

Shiri, Orin and Nomi

My Daughter Shiri

By the time this issue comes to your homes it will be March.  Twenty-one years ago, on the 25th of March, my daughter Shiri was born.  She is my only child.  When Shiri was a few months old, her father and I separated.  I raised her on my own for the next twelve years. 

I came into parenting at the age of 23.  I remember well looking down into my baby’s eyes as she was put on my stomach for the first time.  Her blue round eyes were huge and they gazed up at me with intensity.

Shiri and I spent the next twelve years as a solid unit, she and I facing the world together.  In the first year of her life I was facing a divorce which rocked my world and terrified me.  I had to make immediate changes in my career, becoming the sole provider for our family unit.  I was faced with financial devastation and began a struggle that would last for years.  Planning for my future was a luxury I did not allow myself.   It was Shiri’s future that I would think about at night.  How would I make it all possible for her?

She was an easy baby, very inquisitive, happy and funny.  We spent many hours together, the two of us, and I remember talking to her constantly. From early on Shiri invited me to be a part of her inner most emotional life and she made her way into mine.  Our bond has always been like a metal chain linking the two of us from within.

When she was twelve years old I met Reid and we were married a year later.  Our family unit expanded and Shiri had to make way for a new member.  Just as she did not have any say in her being raised by a single mother, she was now faced with such a big change and she must have been terrified.  The first year of our new life was rocky, but soon Shiri and Reid began establishing a wonderful relationship that has grown into a beautiful combination of love and respect.

I could go on and on about my Shiri.  She is the pride of my life. . . *

*  As I mentioned, this installment came before Nina

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Drum Roll Please.....

When I first started up my website in 1998, I had a lot of people ask me simply: "Why?" Websites and emails were still untested, untrusted waters, but I thought that it would be a great way to reach out to other fiber lovers across the country and across the world.  Well, as it turns out, it was a great move, and I am really proud of what we have achieved over the years through our website, blog and cyberclasses!

SO it is with great excitement that we unveil the new www.ornadesign.com!

Beyond the fabulous new look -- we also put our heads together and looked for ways to meet the needs of the great people that have been our customers over the years. We came up with a new "Notions" section full of the little odds and ends that make life easier.  We will be adding more new items in the next few weeks.  Our Needlepoint Design section has great new pictures and better information. Cyberclasses and Thread Gatherings have been given room to breathe in their own easy to navigate sections.  In fact, keep an eye out for our first Cyberclass announcement for the 2011-2012 season, due out October 1st! Students of this class will get access to our new, simplified, beautified forum board.

And best of all--we decided to do away with shipping charges---Forever!  That's Free Shipping on all of your ADORN orders. Forever. 

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As part of our new website launch, you will also find the beautiful design Squaredance available for sale. This checkerboard design combines 45 bite-sized squares and a world of stitches and color combination to create a dazzling eclectic spin on a traditional sampler. Utilizing laid stitches, woven stitches, satin stitches and knots, each square combines multiple layered techniques to create tiny vignettes of color and texture. A kit full of silks, metallics, overdyes, filament and Ultrasuede gives you an amazing palette of materials to play with!

  

So, there are a bunch of new good things for you---go check out the new site with all it's bells, whistles and beauty!

And thanks for being a part of everything we do!

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Finally I can show you!!

ANG Seminar of 2012 will be in Philadelphia!  Yea!!  To top it off, ANG will be celebrating a 40 year anniversary.  I was so very excited when I found this out and immediately sat down to design a piece to be taught at Seminar.  It's called "My City, My Skyline".  Now, can I be honest?  I LOVE this piece.  It's very different, it's a combination of all sorts of materials, it's three- dimensional and it includes finishing done by the stitcher.  When it's done it is ready to hang. 

This photo shows all the fiber colors.  What a rainbow, eh? At the bottom of the photo you see the acrylic blocks especially designed and sized for the piece. They are used to bring dimension to each segment of the city. 

 

 
The entire composition is placed on 3/4" artist board, ready for hanging.  Also students will receive a sepia colored photograph of the Philadelphia skyline to place on the artist board and under the stitched pieces.  Check out the buildings in the sepia photo and their stitched interpretation. 

Hang the completed piece on your wall, give it the right lighting, and the city will come to life!

I'd love to see you in this class. 

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Back home.

Even if you didn't know the date, ( AHHHHHH, it's September 1st!!), looking around the city, one could tell instantly what time of year it is. School buses are making their way through the streets, the "water ice" shops are announcing their September close dates, (water ice is a very strange Philly phenomenon), and evenings are beginning to have a breeze and even a little chill. Fresh from our trip back to Israel, we have walked straight into fall, a big change to be sure!

Nina is heading back to school next week, although "back" isn't quite right-- she is starting 5th grade at a new school that's music focused. I am so excited to see what she finds at this new school! I may have Mozart living with me. Or maybe Sid Vicious~ who knows what she will come up with?!? 

As for the studio-- I am getting back in the swing of things. It seems like I was gone for 6 months--it doesn't seem possible it was just shy of a one month. The trip was wonderful.  I saw my family, my friends, and studied metal-smithing with a most extraordinary teacher.  Her name is Uranit and you can see her work here.  She taught me methodically, with an emphasis on preciseness,  quality work, meticulous execution.  I feel I learned so much.  We talked about setting up a work station here at my home so that I could work, practice, design and create metal jewelry.  But I'm afraid of myself.  I enjoy it so much, what if I get caught up in it and ignore my needlework?  What if I am swept away by the magical process of turning a flat piece of metal into a three dimensional object of beauty? Can I really trust myself to take that journey without cheating on my first love, needlepoint? What's a girl to do?

 

I found inspiration back home.  The colors, sounds, smells always perk up my creativity.  I spent lots of time at museums on this trip and that too is a great source of inspiration.  You'll see... 

 

We have all sorts of things coming up this month, we should be announcing an amazing new cyber workshop at the end of the month, (if we can stick to our schedule...)! This one has truly been a labor of love, and if I dare say so, the project looks like no other I have seen! So we are getting back down to work, and watching for fall leaves.

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It's SALE TIME again!!!

Hello All! G here--Orna is away, and as always--I am sorting and cleaning and trying to pare down around the shop. I have just put new Deluxe Packs of Threads on our ETSY site, as well as new 2 new Beginner's Kits in 10 x 10 and 6 x 6. The Beginner's Kits have the very basic tools you need to get you or someone else started in on a brand new project!!  Great in combination with any of our kits on the website! Use coupon code : AMAZING25 to receive 25% off everything on the Etsy site. The Sale ends when I head off for family vacation this Sunday, so use it soon!

 

Keep an eye out for our new class announcements coming in September! We are putting together truly exciting and innovative classes that will offer you more than we have ever been able to before. Stay tuned!

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Hey Australia, you have a winner!

The random number generator went all the way to Australia and our winner is...

Anne S!!

 Congratulations!!

Please send us an email with your address so that these fabulous fibers can head out across the seas to your doorstep.

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A quick reminder - if you have a coupon that ends August 1st, 

   don't forget that you only have 6 more days!

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Leaving very soon.

We leave for Israel on August 1st.   One day it was... we are going to Israel in 4 months and the next day it's... we leave in 9 days!  There never is a good time to pull away from home, work, dog, house, etc. etc.  There is so much to do, argh!

Genevieve will be here to take care of things in the studio and to watch over Esther.  (Poor Esther has had surgery on her hind leg and needs love and attention).  Any needlepoint issues you may have, Genevieve will be here to help. She will also be busy photographing for our BRAND NEW WEBSITE,  ooops I let that slip...

This is one of the most busiest times I can remember at the studio.  We have eight (8!) new projects in the works, lots of teaching for next year, lots of new needlepoint jewelry coming and lots of new concepts we are very excited about.  Nina is holding a little preview.

I'm packing work to take with me.  A very small preview of Hanging Gardens is shown on the right.  It's not nice to talk about favorites, it's like declaring you have a favorite child, therefore I won't say that this is one of my favorites designs ever.  I hope to come home with most of it done.  Between family and friends I haven't seen in three years, between private lessons I will be taking with a fantastic jewelry designer and improving my soldering skills, between excursions to see sites Nina is begging to visit, I will do my best to make great progress on this piece.

But there are 9 more days of work so... on Tuesday we will be announcing the winner of the kit for "Reid" in the family series.  Don't forget to tune in for that.  

See you soon!   

xo  Orna

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New design, Reid

I couldn't bring myself to write on the blog until I had the next free design installment ready for you.  When I first told you all that I would be posting this series I thought, "oh, I'll just copy and paste it up on the blog, it should be a no brainer!"  But why do things easily if I can make them a project.  I decided that I wanted to present the installments in the new ADORN format, redo the illustrations and charts to be their best and just spruce it all up for you.  That takes longer.

So here is the next installment. It's about Reid, my husband.  Some of you have met him and know he is a sweetheart and very, very encouraging of my work and my love of art.  So, Reidi, to you!

My Family – Reid
From my column in Needlepoint Now 2001

I have often heard discussions about whether each of us has a destined partner, one lid for one pot.  If that is so, what if this one special mate is half way around the world?  How will the magical meeting take place? I don’t consider myself a believer in some great plan that guides each of us to our destiny, but let me tell you a story which tested my disbelief…

In 1985 Reid Willis accepted a three month assignment in the San Francisco Bay Area and upon arriving he began looking for a synagogue to attend.  He was told to visit Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, California and a colleague at work joined him for a Friday night service.  “It was a packed house that night”, he tells, “It turned out that I was attending a special event.  The rabbi was going on sabbatical for a year and the congregation turned out in record numbers to pay tribute to him.  Several members of the congregation advanced to the pulpit to sing the praises of this good and wise man.  The President of the board spoke, the Executive Vice-President, other board members spoke. And Eva Sulzer spoke.  Eva was 90 years old.  She was about 4’11” tall and probably tipped the scale at 92 lbs.  She had a strong Yiddish accent and a booming voice.  She obviously had experience as a public speaker because she spoke eloquently and at length but without the aid of notes.  I got a chance to meet Eva after this service and I liked her.  She was a character!  I made up my mind that I would attend every Friday night services at this synagogue for the following three months of my stay.  And I did.”

Reid moved back to Michigan at the end of his assignment.   He never saw Eva Sulzer again, but interestingly enough when he moved back to California a few years later, he became friendly with her daughter, Selma Grossman.  They both were members of the choir and were very active in the synagogue.  For the next five years Reid moved on to make his mark at Temple Isaiah and was elected to the board.  On the first Sunday in February of 1992 Reid attended a lecture at the synagogue and found a seat next to his friend Selma.  When they had a chance to chat Selma told Reid about her cousin’s daughter, an Israeli named Orna who had come to the States with her 10-year old daughter, Shiri.

“Selma told me that Orna was a teacher in the Sunday School and would I be interested in meeting her?  What a nice way to ask, I thought.  No pressure, only if I was interested.  A few minutes later a woman walked into our room and Selma gave me the elbow. ‘That’s her,’ she said.  Yes, I thought, I would be very interested in meeting her.”

Eva Sulzer was my great aunt. I have very warm childhood memories of her.  She was a great supporter of my meager attempt at poetry writing and saved paintings and drawings of mine sent to her over the years.  During my childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area my family and I would spend many wonderful weekends at Selma’s home, and often Eva would be there with us.  When we moved back to Israel in 1969,  I continued to correspond with Eva.  I saw her very infrequently and was saddened to hear of her death. 

In 1985, the year Reid Willis visited Temple Isaiah and met Eva, I was living in Israel.  I was divorced by then, working hard to support my daughter and myself and had no plans of ever moving back to the United States.  Was it just a coincidence that Reid met my great aunt years before he ever met me?  That he walked into the Synagogue on that particular Friday night when my great aunt was on the podium speaking?  Was it a coincidence that the day Selma told him about me and then asked if he would like to meet me, just minutes later I walked into the very same room? 

Or are we a pot and it’s lid?

Please don't forget to make sure you are registered as a follower on the blog.  
This design has a wonderful pack of threads and you wouldn't want to miss out 
on winning it as a gift!!

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