Ars acupicturae stellae - Star's Needlepoint Art

Wordless Wednesday (MS900411506)

2012-02-01T17:58:00.002+01:00

Photoless Friday: Owen's next to last exhortation

2012-01-27T00:05:00.000+01:00

Owen's next to the last bit of design advice:

PROPOSITION 36: The principles discoverable in the works of the past belong to us; not so the results. It is taking the end for the means.

Surprised?

I know I was....More......

Looking at the works commended in his Grammar of Ornament, which takes examples from countries all over the world and all across the ages, I wouldn't have expected this.

No mere copying-and-pasting design elements for our Owen, however. No historical pastiches, and they were plentiful during his day, no Neo-Gothic, no Neo-Renaissance, no Neo-Classicism, no Neo-Orientalism, no! no! no!

Then again, maybe I should have expected it.

It rings true to his exhortation about studying nature:

adopt the principles, abhore superficial copying.

If you think about it, it doesn't just cut one way.

Like a two-edged sword, for those loving modernism the implied exhortation is just as strong:

don't turn your nose up at works of the past just because they are "old"; they, too, should be studied in order to distill and profit from their accomplishments.

The farsightedness and continued usefulness of his advice continues to astound me.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T00:26:00.006+01:00

Photoless Friday: Owen Jones countdown

2012-01-20T00:05:00.000+01:00

Only a few more of Owen Jones' precious design principles still left to ponder.

PROPOSITION 35: Imitations, such as the graining of woods, and of the various coloured marbles, [are] allowable only, when the employment of the thing imitated would not have been inconsistent.

huh?...More......

It's easier to understand if you take out the double negative:

PROPOSITION 35: Imitations, such as the graining of woods, and of the various coloured marbles, [are] allowable only, when the employment of the thing imitated would have been consistent.

In other words, in Jones' opinion, artists and architects should use materials, or their imitations, only where they make logical sense.

Today, I think most artists and architects would be more eager to "push the envelope" than this might seem to encourage, but, for all his seemingly hard and fast rules, Jones encouraged keeping true to the principles, not the surface details, of nature.

If we want structure of any kind to seem sturdy, then the materials, or their representations, must seem able to support the "weight" in whatever form it is.

It also means that the contrary is true. If we want to encourage a sense of disorientation, or incapacity, or..., or..., or..., then the structure will be out of materials, or their representations, that do not seem to support the weight.

Klee's twittering machines just sprung to mind.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T13:38:00.002+01:00

Wordless Wednesday

;>

Milan Monday: a beautiful capital from via Manzoni

2012-01-16T21:23:00.006+01:00

Looking for a classicizing capital to top off something in a design, or just make a lovely horizontal pillow, or decoration? Well, here you go!...More......

I developed today's design--free for your personal non-commercial stitching pleasure--out of my own photo of a façade on via Manzoni in Milan. I captured the detail of my photo that I wanted, then I uploaded it into the handy StitchPainter program, forcing the size and shape that I wanted (you CAN do this, but you also can let the photo upload as it will).

The capital has the ancient Greek (handed down through the Renaissance) ionic order scroll curls gussied up with a 19th century taste for decoration.

For more info about the building, and a picture of the whole façade, see my post in my "My Milan (Italy)" blog: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2012/01/via-manzoni-9.html.

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (a handful of Owen Jones)

2012-01-13T06:00:00.001+01:00

Photoless Friday...yeah! For the first time in quite awhile. I'm wanting to be done with this list, though, as interesting as it is and as helpful as it will be, of Owen Jones' design principles, and get to the designing together with you, so here are...More......

...a handful of them all about separating foreground from background:

"PROPOSITION 29: When ornaments in a colour are on a ground of a contasting colour, the ornament should be separated from the ground by an edging of lighter colour; as a red flower on a green ground should have an edging of lighter red.

PROPOSITION 30: When ornaments in a colour are on a gold ground, the ornaments should be separated from the ground by an edging of a darker colour.

PROPOSITION 31: Gold ornaments on any coloured ground should be outlined with black.

PROPOSITION 32: Ornaments of any colour may be separated from grounds of any other colour by edgings of white, gold, or black.

PROPOSITION 33: Ornaments in any color, or in gold, may be used on white or black grounds, without outline or edging.

PROPOSITION 34: In 'self-tints,' tones, or shades of the same colour, a light tint on a dark ground may be used without outline; but a dark ornament on a light ground requires to be outlined with a still darker tint."

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T11:46:00.001+01:00

Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year

2012-01-01T10:45:00.005+01:00

What better way to start the New Year than with something cheery and more meaningful than it might seem.

If you work on an 18-point canvas, the design is sized for a 14"x14" pillow.

Add your own borders, or look up some ideas on my blog by clicking on "borders."

I did the writing with the Bradley Hand ITC font in Paint with the black-and-white feature turned on (reduces edge smudging), copied-and-pasted it into a StitchPainter file, then turned it into a bmp to share with you for your personal non-commercial stitching pleasure.

Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Post-Merry Christmas to all!

2011-12-27T17:30:00.015+01:00

Had so much fun making the Christmas garland that I asked a friend if she wanted one, too. The answer was "yes," but she wanted one not just for Christmas, but to keep out all year 'round...a fabric sculpture. So, I put together a beautiful thoughtfully composed patchwork background color coordinated with her living room onto which I sewed a few simple 'rustic' roses inspired by the wonderful works of a Scottish woman artist at the end of the 19th-beginning of the 20th century named Margaret MacDonald...More......

Margaret was married to Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a famous and talented Scottish architect, whose career and work probably felt the influence of his equally talented wife. For more info on her try here: http://www.scotland.org/features/item/margaret-macdonald/ and here: http://www.huntsearch.gla.ac.uk/cgi-bin/foxweb/huntsearch_Mackintosh/summaryresults.fwx?searchterm=manufac+has+margaret+macdonald&browseMode=on&browseSet=Margaret+Macdonald.

I love the contrast between the sophisticated fabrics and colors and careful sewing of the background with the roses, edges unfinished, a bit 'rustic.'

The patchwork, complete with roses, was sewn into a tube, right sides together, leaving a good 7, or so, inches free at each end to facilitate the sewing of the short end together.

Then the donut-shaped object was fluffed up with stuffing, and the long slit closed. Voilà! It will be a garland of roses for a little abstract horse sculpture in simple lines.

I can't wait to take it to her!

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas to all!

2011-12-25T10:42:00.002+01:00

Medieval Christmas cookies baking in Pennsylvania: http://www.medievalists.net/2011/12/24/medieval-christmas-cookies-still-in-fashion/

Christmas in Milan: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-to-all-and-hint-from.html

Merry Christmas to all!

A bit of Christmas sewing

2011-12-23T17:01:00.022+01:00

Have been working like a mad woman for almost three months. Here we are just before Xmas. Offices closed and deadlines met. I'm finally freeeeeee!

What was my first thought, lengthy needlepoint aside?

Sewing and baking, of course!...More......

Baking? Makes my mouth water just to hear the word. I had promised friends real Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies, and the batch came out just fine, as proven by the very necessary taste test: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-promises-and-toll-house.html.

But that doesn't have much to do with needlepoint, does it?

Given the extreme lack of time...I finished work projects just two days before a lunch appointment to which I wanted to take a handmade love gift...out came the sewing machine instead of the needlepoint needle. On the TO DO sheet, a patchwork stuffed hen and a patchwork stuffed Christmas garland: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/12/fun-of-giving-love-gifts.html.

Sketched the hen, then cut the sketch into pattern bits, then cut those out. Didn't forget a gusset to make her tummy nice and puffy!

Sewed the two complete halves, first, comb, beak and gusset, before sewing those together, including the two long yellow wattles just under her little beak.

Then I turned her inside out, stuffed her, and closed up the long slit along one side of the gusset that I had left open just for this purpose.

The garland was fun, too.

I sewed together the green patches, artfully placed, into a long rectangle. Onto the rectangle, I top sewed (with long stitches in a gold-colored thread) the "bulbs."

Here comes the semi-tricky part.

I turned the fabric to put the long right side together, and sewed along the length, taking care to avoid sewing the first five inches or so on both sides (you'll see why in a minute).

Then I turned it right side out, and--facilitated with the opening left by not sewing all the way to the ends--I put the right sides together of the two short ends, and sewed them together, then ironed down the seam allowance of the opening.

Now it was ready for stuffing and--once nicely full, but not too stuffed (so that the wrinkles cast shadows like the uneven surfaces of the garland branches)--top sewing down the opening where I had nicely ironed the seam allowances as guides.

And...voilà! (On a roll, so I made one for myself, too!)

Thank you so much for reading my blog.

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to all!

Have you been good, or bad? Santa's making his list!

2011-12-08T10:07:00.005+01:00

Santa's frantically finishing his toy list...have you been good, or bad, this year?

(Thanks, Microsoft, for the free clip art. This one is MC900285786, which I turned first into a StitchPainter diagram then into a BMP file to share with you here freely for your personal non-commercial stitching pleasure.)

Enjoy! and Merry Christmas!

Xmas gifts and candy cane

2011-12-04T16:50:00.004+01:00

Winding our way to Xmas, here's a small do-able image of presents and a candy cane thanks to the free images of Microsoft clip art (thanks, guys!). I uploaded it into my StitchPainter program, and turned it into a BMP for your personal, non-commercial stitching pleasure.

Enjoy!

T-Day cornucopia

2011-11-20T18:27:00.004+01:00

A bit of time left before T-Day, and what's this holiday without reflection on our blessings, even in adversity, so here's a cornucopia dedicated to...More......

...those who don't have enough to eat, and those who do...who share.

Thank you, Microsoft, for freely sharing your clipart. This is drawn from the MC900354064 image. I uploaded it into StitchPainter, turned it into a diagram, then into a BMP to share with you here for your personal non-commercial stitching pleasure.

Enjoy!

More T-Day...one of my all time favorites: pumpkin pie

2011-11-13T17:29:00.007+01:00

I love T-Day. It's my favorite holiday. One of my favorite things about my favorite holiday is fresh pumpkin pie. Seen here with a lovely cup of tea. And a dollop of whipped cream.

Go for it, it's a holiday....More......

Be calorie conscious tomorrow.

I took the free Microsoft clip art image MC900233497 (thank you, Microsoft!), and turned it into a StitchPainter diagram, and then into this bmp to share with you freely for your personal non-commercial stitching fun.

You still have a couple of weeks til the day!

Hugs from T-Day-less Milan, Italy (sniff! sniff!), enjoy!

Thanksgiving-Pilgrim hats (cute without being too sugary)

2011-11-06T18:44:00.004+01:00

Finding designs that are cute, but not too sugary, isn't easy.

I think this one from the Microsoft free clip art site (MC900413706, thanks Microsoft!) hits the mark, and it adapted well to being a StitchPainter diagram, which I then turned into a BMP image to share with your for your personal non-commercial use.

Just in time to get some stitchin' done before T-Day!

Enjoy!

Frosty the Snowman for more holiday cheer

2011-11-03T20:58:00.004+01:00

Here's another pattern of Christmas cheer...Enjoy!
(Microsoft, thank you, again, for your free graphics...this one's called "inverno"...turned into a StitchPainter diagram, then a BMP to post here for your personal non-commercial use, thanks.)

Christmas is nearer than you think...

2011-10-22T20:23:00.005+02:00

It may be the second half of October, but considering how long it takes to do needlepoint projects, Christmas is nearer than you think.

So here's an adorable mouse I adapted from a free animated gif, turned first into a StitchPainter diagram then into a BMP image for your personal, non-commercial use (for any other use, please contact BOTH me AND the source of the image):

http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/christmas-food.shtml

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday (30)

2011-10-12T02:00:00.001+02:00

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My latest project...in black and white...to see the 2-D / 3-D effect better

2011-10-09T13:01:00.008+02:00

To help you see the 2-dimensional / 3-dimensional "push-me-pull-you" effect of my latest project, I turned it into a black-and-white photograph....More......

See how the background merges with the shadows, even those between the cracks in the feathers and those falling from underneath one feather over the top of the next feather down?

This seemingly simple, but actually quite challenging type of design was inspired by the wonderful work of the Beggarstaff Brothers (who weren't called Beggarstaff, and who weren't brothers, but brothers-in-law) at the turn-of-the-last century: http://arsacupicturaestellae.blogspot.com/2010/08/meteoric-brothers-revolutionize-art.html

Just in case you're new to the blog, and wondering how it looked in color: (http://arsacupicturaestellae.blogspot.com/2011/09/wordless-wednesday-27.html)

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday (29)

2011-10-05T23:10:00.003+02:00

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Milan Monday (44): an urban lakeside scene, complete with little temple and swan!

2011-10-03T09:24:00.007+02:00

I know, I know...most of my designs are horribly complicated.

Or they LOOK horribly complicated.

Why's that?...More......

Because I'm frantically busy, like all of you, so can't stop to simplify the images simply imported into my StitchPainter program.

Use my designs to inspire you, to set out proportions, to give you a clue of colors.

Then simplify at will.

Here's another good example.

I'd go crazy if I needlepointed this just as it is: a gorgeous urban lakeside scene, complete with decorative temple and swan.

I took my photo, uploaded it into StitchPainter, and turned it into a diagram and then a BMP image to share with you for your personal, non-commercial stitching fun.

If you're interested in knowing more about what it is and where it is in Milan, go to my other blog, My Milan (Italy): http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/10/gorgeous-tempietto-on-urban-lakeside-in.html.

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (28): What else? More Owen Jones!

2011-09-29T07:38:00.003+02:00

Hi, there! It's photoless Friday, again, already! Yup! More great design advice from Owen Jones!

PROPOSITION 28: [color, cont.] Colours should never be allowed to impinge upon each other.

What do you think he meant by that?

When we're done contemplating his design advice, we'll examine it, and try out some examples.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday (28)

2011-09-28T02:00:00.000+02:00

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Milan Monday (43): a lovely lady in a 1930s mosaic

2011-09-26T20:21:00.005+02:00

In honor of women's fashion week in Milan, here's a lovely lady in a 1930s mosaic for the 43rd Milan Monday.

If you want to know more about the image and the photo, see my other blog, My Milan (Italy): http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com.

I captured my photograph, imported it into StitchPainter, then turned it into a BMP to share with you for your personal non-commercial stitching pleasure.

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (27): back to good ol' Owen Jones and his great design advice

2011-09-22T11:54:00.003+02:00

More great design advice from Owen Jones...and the proposition numbers are back in sync with the Photoless Friday numbers...a small silly tidy thrill:

PROPOSITION 27: [color, cont.] Black grounds suffer when opposed to colours which give a luminous complementary.

Wordless Wednesday (27)

2011-09-21T08:50:00.002+02:00

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Milan Monday (42): the Sforza crest, have buckets will travel

2011-09-19T07:00:00.002+02:00

Like family crests? Here's a good one for you straight from the Sforza Castle for Milan Monday.

This diagram, for your personal non-commercial enjoyment, was created by uploading one of my own photos into StitchPainter, then transforming the diagram into a BMP to share with you, here. If the whole thing is too complex, think about working up one of the quarters of the crest, instead.

If you want to know more about the crest and the castle, go to my blog on Milan: My Milan (Italy): http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com.

Enjoy!

Halloween and Fall...whichever floats your boat

2011-09-17T10:18:00.007+02:00

Fall is right around the corner...this afternoon, in fact. Wishful thinking, maybe, because it's been soooo very hot and humid this summer, but we're getting a bit of relief, whether it's a late summer storm, or an early fall one, it doesn't matter. It did, however, put me in the mood for falltime designs, so you can get started for Halloween and the season...More......

For those of you, who don't like anything to do with Halloween (for whatever your reason), this design is easily transformed into something generic for fall: just don't do the jack-o-lantern face on the pumpkin.

As usual, I'm happy to credit the source of the image that I captured, uploaded into StitchPainter, then turned into a BMP to share with you. It's the clipart image MC900250122 from the free Microsoft clipart pages for your personal, non-commercial stitching.

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (26) and StitchPainter: a break from Owen Jones (whew!)

2011-09-09T09:55:00.009+02:00

Maybe you'd like a bit of a break from all that wonderful design advice coming from Owen Jones' "Grammar of Ornament," so I thought I'd give you two hints about other sources for help and inspiration that are related to the StitchPainter program I use....More......

The company, which--for you sewers--also makes GarmentDesigner, is called "Cochenille Design Studio," and it has a web site, a blog and a discussion group.

Web site: http://www.cochenille.com/

Blog: http://cochenilledesignstudio.blogspot.com/ (Very kindly, they have included my "Ars acupicturae stellae" tweets in their tweet box.)

Discussion group (in Yahoo Groups): DesignerSchool. I'd particularly like to encourage all of you doing hand-done cross-stitch and needlepoint to buy their marvelous program, and join in the discussion because--remembering that I get no kick-backs of any kind for any mention of any products--I'm almost the only StitchPainter person in that group, and I'm lonely! Everyone talks about GarmentDesigner (and it makes me want to take up sewing, again), but I'd like a little needlepoint company!

Hope to be seeing you, soon, in the discussion group!

Milan Monday (41): the city's logo

2011-09-05T22:04:00.003+02:00

Can't get the copy-paste function to work in my Paint program...necessary to get stuff into my StitchPainter program...just one of the many little SNAFUs lying in wait for me after a couple of days of much needed R&R...this way, they can get me all stressed back up to normal before I pelt into the rest of the work year, it's like a favor they're doing for me, get it? (I don't.)

So, today's "Milan Monday" will just have to go without a diagram. The image should be easy enough to print and trace, anyway. City logos often have a city-wall-crown over them; you can substitute Milan's theme on the shield with anything of your own.

My Milan (Italy): http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/09/just-back-to-workand-already-theres.html

Here's hoping that your fall starts out better than mine is!

Photoless Friday (25):...yup...Owen Jones on color!

2011-08-26T07:00:00.000+02:00

More thought-provoking design advice from Owen Jones'"The Grammar of Ornament":

PROPOSITION 26: [color, cont.] Colours on white grounds appear darker; on black grounds lighter.

Ponder and enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday (26)

2011-08-24T07:00:00.000+02:00

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Milan Monday (40): a lovely 1930s snippet

2011-08-22T07:00:00.000+02:00

A lovely 1930s snippet for your personal, non-commercial needlepointing and/or cross-stitching.

As usual, I took a snap, then used StitchPainter to turn it into a diagram, then turned it into a BMP for sharing with you.

If you'd like more info about the snap, go to my blog on Milan, My Milan (Italy):

http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (24):...you guessed it...more Owen Jones on color

2011-08-19T07:00:00.000+02:00

We're heading into the home stretch, really we are!

Here is the next design advice snippet from Owen Jones' "Grammar of Ornament":

PROPOSITION 25: [color, cont.] When two different colours are juxtaposed, they receive a double modification; first, as to their tone (the light colour appearing lighter, and the dark colour appearing darker); secondly, as to their hue, each will become tinged with the complementary colour of the other.

When we finish going through them all, and you've had time to think about each of them and "digest" them, we'll try some designing experiments together.

'Til the next Photoless Friday...Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday (25)

2011-08-17T07:00:00.000+02:00

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Milan Monday (39): a snippet of Art Deco

2011-08-15T23:01:00.004+02:00

A snippet of Milanese Art Deco for this Milan Monday.

I took one of my snaps, turned it into a StitchPainter diagram, and then into a BMP image for your personal, non-commercial enjoyement.

If you're interested in knowing more about the image, see my blog on Milan:

My Milan (Italy): http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (23): More...Owen Jones (surprise!)

2011-08-12T11:45:00.004+02:00

More Owen Jones...surprise!

We're working our way through what I consider to be the more important snippets of great design advice found in his "Grammar of Ornament." (He should have asked me to edit this list before he published it, there's some repetition, only I would have had to have been born more than a hundred years earlier, and my parents hadn't met, yet.)

Today's snippet is:

PROPOSITION 24: [color, cont.] When two tones of the same colour are juxtaposed, the light colour will appear lighter, and the dark colour darker.

Wordless Wednesday (24)

2011-08-10T17:55:00.002+02:00

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Milan Monday (38): a Renaissance family crest

2011-08-08T23:21:00.006+02:00

Like heraldic imagery?

Here's a family crest for you, from the right hand side of a mid 15th century portal in Milan.

I isolated the detail of my photo, and turned it into a StitchPainter diagram, then into a BMP to share with you for your personal, non-commercial enjoyment.

If you want to know more about the doorway, go to my previous (fairly recent) post:
http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/08/bookworms-epigraphy-and-luck-of-non.html.

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (20): More Owen Jones (out of chronological order, to get us back on track...)

2011-08-05T17:13:00.003+02:00

We were up to the published Photoless Friday note n. 22, and the "label" number wasn't tallying.

Hunting here and there, I finally realized that I had skipped n. 20! Sorry!

So, here's more Owen Jones (what else?) on color (what else?), to get us back on track...thanks for your patience!

PROPOSITION 23: [color, cont.] No composition can ever be perfect in which any one of the three primary colours is wanting, either in its natural state or in combination.

Wordless Wednesday (23)

2011-08-03T09:17:00.003+02:00

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Milan Monday (37): another lion!

2011-08-01T14:51:00.006+02:00

Milan Monday, again, already! Time has been flying, I've been so busy at work. Now that it's vacation time, I hope to spend more time with you.... More...

To kick things off, here is another lovely lion on the façade of the Palazzo dei Giuresconsulti in Milan (if you want to know more about the building, see my other blog: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/08/lion-motif-corbel-on-palazzo-dei.html#0).

I turned my photo into a StitchPainter diagram, then into a BMP to share with you for your personal, non-commercial enjoyment.

On an 18-point canvas, it should work up to be about 16" wide by 14" tall.

Hope you like it!

Photoless Friday (22): more...quess what?!...Owen Jones!

2011-07-29T10:42:00.002+02:00

More color advice from Owen Jones (don't get frightened, we're back to the intelligible stuff):

PROPOSITION 22: [color, cont.] The various colours should be so blended that the objects coloured, when viewed at a distance, should present a neutralized bloom.

Milan Monday (36): a frame for your own designs

2011-07-25T21:07:00.005+02:00

Whew! That was quite an intensive and long stretch of non-stop work. Thanks for hanging in there!

As a thanks, here's another Milan Monday, this time ready for your own designs front, center...More......

...and sides!

It's a detail of an architectural fragment in Milan. If you're interested, you can see more about it on my blog dedicated to Milan, My Milan (Italy): http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/07/yeah-worst-is-over-for-nowim-such.html

Wordless Wednesday (22)

2011-07-20T17:08:00.007+02:00

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Photoless Friday (21): More Owen Jones (this one's a mouthful...hang in there!)

2011-07-15T14:36:00.007+02:00

Workin' so hard, would so love to chat and "digest" together with you these great design hints from Owen Jones, but that will have to wait 'til the work load lightens up. For now, here's a whalloping big snatch of his complicated color advice...More......

The other indications about color are easier to understand. These snippets are hard on the brain, but we'd might as well get them out of the way, so we can continue our tour through his advice.

At the end, we'll try to make some sense of what he's told us, and try using it, ourselves, together.

Are your seatbelts fastened? Here goes...!

PROPOSITION 18: (Field’s Chromatic equivalents) The primaries of equal intensities will harmonise or neutralize each other, in the proportions of 3 yellow, 5 red, and 8 blue – integrally as 16. The secondaries in the proportions of 8 orange, 13 purple, 11 green – integrally as 32. The tertiaries, citrine (compound of orange and green), 19; russet (orange and purple), 21; olive (green and purple), 24; -- integrally as 64. It follows that, -- each secondary being a compound of two primaries is neutralized by the remaining primary in the same proportions: thus, 8 of orange by 8 of blue, 11 green by 5 of red, 13 of purple by 3 of yellow. Each tertiary being a binary compound of two secondaries, is neutralized by the remaining secondary: as, 24 of olive by 8 of orange, 21 of russet by 11 of green, 19 of citrine by 13 of purple.

PROPOSITION 19: [color, cont.] The above supposes the colours to be used in their prismatic intensities, but each colour has a variety of tones when mixed with white, or of shades when mixed with grey or black. When a full colour is contrasted with another of a lower tone, the volume of the latter must be proportionally increased.

PROPOSITION 20: [color, cont.] Each colour has a variety of hues, obtained by admixture with other colors, in addition to white, gray, or black: thus we have of yellow, -- orange-yellow on the one side, and lemon yellow on the other; so of red, -- scarlet-red, and crimson-red; and of each varity of tone and shade. When a primary tinged with another primary is contrasted with a secondary, the secondary must have a hue of the third primary.

PROPOSITION 21: [color, cont.] In using the primary colours on moulded surfaces, we should place blue, which retires, on the concave surfaces; yellow, which advances, on the convex; and red, the intermediate colour, on the undersides; separating the colors by white on the vertical planes. When the proportions required by Proposition 18 cannot be obtained, we may procure the balance by a change in the colours themselves: thus, if the surfaces to be coloured should give too much yellow, we should make the red more crimson and the blue more purple, -- i.e., we should take the yellow out of them; so if the surfaces should give too much blue, we should make the yellow more orange and the red more scarlet.

Ouch! (The rest of his hints are more straight forward, like the first ones we have seen, so don't worry!)

Back atcha' later, enjoy!

Milan Monday (35): summertime waterside fun

2011-07-11T08:41:00.005+02:00

People who do my kind of work (including translations and text revisions) get the worst loads dumped on them at this time of year (and just before Xmas) because everyone else is winding down for the summer.

Gotta run, but didn't want to leave you without at least a quick "Milan Monday," in honor of all the activities, including sandy fun, planned at Milan's artificial lake, the "Idroscalo" ("Water landing")...so called because it originally was intended for a landing for seaplanes: begun in 1928 in a giant hole in the ground (results of digging for gravel and sand), built in 1935-36, enlarged in 1958-63 and revised in the 1990s.

For more info about this summer's activities there, see my: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/07/photoless-friday-29-whats-on-in-milan.html.

I created this summertime fun needlepoint diagram based on a free clipart of Microsoft (MC900024619) by uploading it into StitchPainter, then changing it into a BMP to share with you for your personal, non-commercial fun.

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (19): still workin' on Owen Jones

2011-07-08T22:36:00.002+02:00

Still working our way through Owen Jones' design advice:

PROPOSITION 17: The primary colours should be used on the upper portions of objects, the secondary and tertiary on the lower.

Wordless Wednesday (21) (diagram based on Microsoft free clip art: MC900168450)

2011-06-29T18:29:00.005+02:00

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Milan Monday (34): Wings for your new week

2011-06-27T07:26:00.004+02:00

Doesn't seem possible, the weeks just fly by: it's Milan Monday, already, again.

Here's a stunning Pegasus I created by capturing one of my photos, turning it into a StitchPainter diagram, then into a BMP for your personal non-commercial use, to wing you on your happy fruitful way for the week.

If you'd like to know more about the image, see my blog My Milan Italy: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Why do I needlepoint (gifts)?

2011-06-26T23:12:00.025+02:00

Why do I needlepoint? I answered that in my first ("Welcome") post: http://arsacupicturaestellae.blogspot.com/2010/06/welcome-first-post.html#0.

But why do I needlepoint gifts?...More...

Gotta do something other than fill my own house with cushions: http://arsacupicturaestellae.blogspot.com/2011/02/surely-im-getting-unpacked-bitonly-bit.html.

But, seriously, it's a productive way to express not just my creativity as best as I can manage, but it also has that old-fashioned pleasure of thinking about what might please the other person, designing it, then actually making it myself.

Here, I had the "bright" idea to make Xmas gifts--all alike, to avoid jealousies (yeah, right)--for my colleagues at work. What had begun as sunglasses cases rapidly turned into (half the size) sachets for undies and stockings drawers, and even so I only managed to finish the designing, needlepointing and hand-finishing the subsequent Easter time. (Note to self: NEVER do that, again.)

Really, though, each stitch is like spending time with that person, thanking them, hugging them. Sometimes (often?) it means more to me than it does to them...and for that reason I keep my gifts small enough to be stuck away in the bottom of a drawer, if so desired: http://arsacupicturaestellae.blogspot.com/2010/06/most-recent-completed-project-thank-you.html (P.S., she loved it, thankfully, and keeps it in her office, where she can see it).

Why all this mushy stuff? Because looking at my calendar, I realized that, thanks to being innundated with Life and Work, my first Ars acupicturae stellae-Star's Needlepoint Art anniversary went by without me noticing: I did the first post on the 12th of June 2010. Does not seem possible.

Thank you to the "vast" crowd, who regularly follow me, to those who might be regular lurkers, and to those checking in now and again.

Writing for you and sharing my hand-done needlepoint love, StitchPainter thoughts and grids, designs and works with you has been very wonderful for me. I hope it was and continues to be for you, too.

Thanks.

Photoless Friday (18): still working our way through important design thoughts to ponder in Owen Jones' book

2011-06-24T21:53:00.005+02:00

"PROPOSITION 16: These object[ive]s are best attained by the use of the primary colours on small surfaces and in small quantities, balanced and supported by the secondary and tertiary colours on the larger masses."

Wordless Wednesday (20)

2011-06-22T21:54:00.003+02:00

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Now you can see how long it takes...

2011-06-19T08:53:00.006+02:00

Another snap of my work-in-progress. After a long day of work, and a quick dinner, I look forward to a good movie, or TV program, and an evening of needlepoint.

After those three, or so, hours of stitching, I've covered perhaps three square inches, if I'm lucky (the stitches are small...18 point).

One reason why there isn't a lot of chatting on this blog...but I hope you enjoy it, anyway. When my daytime work schedule begins to interfere less with my fun (!) in summertime, I hope to get back to sharing more thoughts with you.

Photoless Friday (17): guess what? (More Owen Jones!)

2011-06-17T20:32:00.003+02:00

Can't beat the design advice of Owen Jones:

"PROPOSITION 14: Colour is used to assist in the development of form, and to distinguish objects or parts of objects one from another."

Verrrrrrry Venetian in origin, as opposed to the Florentine tradition emphasizing drawing. There's plenty of that in Owen's writing, too!

Milan Monday (33): a strip of laurel

2011-06-13T09:24:00.007+02:00

Laurel was used to honor a worthy recipient. If you have someone to congratulate for whatever grand accomplishment (a graduation, a promotion, the first book published, the first--or 100th!--hole-in-one, etc.), this strip of laurel can be adadpted for the border.

Enjoy this design that I created out of one of my own photographs imported into StitchPainter, then turned into a BMP, for your personal non-commercial use.

If you'd like to know more about the image and the photo, you can go to my blog about Milan, My Milan Italy: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/06/laurel-for-successful-graduations-and.html#0.

Photoless Friday (16): surprise, surprise, more Owen Jones

2011-06-10T00:44:00.003+02:00

Here it is, Photoless Friday, already.

Time for more Owen Jones...More......

PROPOSITION 13: Flowers or other natural objects should not be used as ornaments, but conventional representations founded upon them sufficiently suggestive to convey the intended image to the mind, without destroying the unity of the object they are employed to decorate. Universally obeyed in the best periods of Art, equally violated when Art declines. [Jones’ cursive]

Huh?

Yeah, I know, his old-time language is sometimes a bit impenetrable.

Here, the meaning is simple: draw inspiration from nature, stylize (don't copy) it, and certainly don't make it into a merely decorative motif.

My spin? Try to adapt the idea to the medium and the project's end goals.

Wordless Wednesday (19)

2011-06-08T22:19:00.006+02:00

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Milan Monday (32): another amazing lion

2011-06-06T10:28:00.008+02:00

Another amazing lion...if you start looking, Milan is full of them.

In case you need a fan-shaped design, this is a good one, created for your personal, non-commercial use with my StitchPainter program out of one of my recent photos, then turned into a BMP to load onto this site.

If you want to know more about the doorknocker, go to my site about Milan: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/06/another-marvelous-liondoor-knocker.html.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday (18)

2011-06-01T01:46:00.001+02:00

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Milan Monday (31)...ahem...on Tuesday: more lions!

2011-05-31T07:26:00.003+02:00

Not only does time seem to go faster and faster, but there's more and more work (which is not necessarily a bad thing, these days!). So, on Tuesday (ahem), here is the most recent Milan Monday...More......

...a delightful snarling winged lion from the back of Milan's Stazione Centrale (central train station).

If you want to know more about the photo and the building, see my blog on Milan: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com.

I turned one of my photos into a StitchPainter diagram for you, then into a BMP to put online, for your personal, non-commercial stitching pleasure.

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (15): more Owen Jones

2011-05-20T10:24:00.003+02:00

What wonderful design advice for harmonious fulfilling designs. Here's another nugget from Owen Jones' "Grammar of Ornament":

PROPOSITION 12: All junctions of curved lines with curved or of curved lines with straight should be tangential to each other. Natural law. Oriental practice in accordance with it. [Jones’ cursive]

Milan Monday (30): a geometric grill in Viale Majno

2011-05-16T07:33:00.004+02:00

Milan Monday, again, already. This time, a geometric grill in Viale Majno.

For further information about the image I snapped, then turned first into a StitchPainter diagram, then a BMP image for your personal, non-commercial use, see my blog on Milan: My Milan (Italy), http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-lovely-grillwork-this-time.html.

Happy Monday!

Photoless Friday 14: More Owen Jones

2011-05-13T22:18:00.004+02:00

"PROPOSITION 11: In surface decoration all lines should flow out of a parent stem. Every ornament, however distant, should be traced to its branch and root. Oriental practice." [The cursive is Jones’.]

Wordless Wednesday (17)

2011-05-11T23:38:00.003+02:00

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Milan Monday (29): Honeysuckle

2011-05-09T23:01:00.010+02:00

Honeysuckle, such a beautiful plant. Full, green, lush bush with small, delicate, trumpet-shaped, white flowers with a pale yellow throat and a heavenly perfume, so here's one of my photos taken around town, and imported into StitchPainter and transformed into a bmp image for your personal non-commercial use.

Remember, too, that the grid makes the colors look darker than they are.

If you'd like to know more about the plant and the picture, see my blog on Milan, My Milan (Italy): http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/05/honeysuckle.html.

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day (and Happy Birthday, Mom!)

2011-05-08T22:33:00.008+02:00

I designed this "F," the first initial of my mother's first name, and executed the design so many years ago that I didn't have StitchPainter, yet, or I'd share the design with you, too.

Interested in some funny and not so funny advice from moms?

Take a peek at my blog on Milan: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/05/happy-mothers-day-and-some-good-advice.html.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there (and Happy Birthday to my mom, too!)!

Photoless Friday (13): More Owen Jones, Proposition 10

2011-05-06T18:27:00.008+02:00

Love that Owen Jones. For this Photoless Friday, here's his

PROPOSITION 10: Harmony of form consists in the proper balancing and contrast of the straight, the inclined, and the curved.

The origin of his principles in nature are so evident, here.

Often I see what I consider successful design, I see his ideas of harmony and balance.

Wordless Wednesday (16)

2011-05-04T00:29:00.003+02:00

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Wordless Wednesday (16)

2011-05-04T00:18:00.002+02:00

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Milan Monday (28): Milanese Art Nouveau for a beautiful cushion

2011-05-02T20:42:00.008+02:00

Milan Monday, again, already. Just doesn't seem possible.

Here's a gorgeous and fascinating example of the two kinds of Art Nouveau (fluid and based on vegetal forms coming from the French tradition vs. geometric coming from the Viennese tradition) found in Milan.

It should make a gorgeous cushion.

If you want to know more about the original, which I photographed, then turned into a StitchPainter diagram, then transformed into a BMP for your personal non-commercial use, see my blog on Milan, My Milan (Italy): http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-milanese-liberty-art-nouveau.html#0.

Photoless Friday (12): More Owen Jones

2011-04-29T18:05:00.009+02:00

Friday, again, already. VERY busy with special dinner preparations (if desired, follow the progress on my blog dedicated to Milan: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/04/photoless-friday-11-preparations-and.html).

Can't linger, but couldn't turn up the opportunity to share another gem from Owen Jones with you, either. This one is his "Proposition 9":...More......

"PROPOSITION 9: As in every perfect work of Architecture a true proportion will be found to reign between all the members which compose it, so throughout the Decorative Arts every assemblage of forms should be arranged on certain definite proportions; the whole and each particular member should be a multiple of some simple unit. Those proportions will be the most beautiful which it will be most difficult for the eye to detect. Thus the proportion of a double square, or 4 to 8, will be less beautiful than the more subtle ration of 5 to 8; 3 to 6; than 3 to 7; 3 to 9; 3 to 4; than 3 to 5."

Hey, mathematicians out there...is he talking about the Golden Mean (approximately 2/3 to the whole)?

Wordless Wednesday (15)

2011-04-27T09:56:00.005+02:00

Milan Monday (28): a beautiful "mask"

2011-04-25T22:04:00.007+02:00

Milan Monday, again, and already up to number 28.

Here's a lovely female "mask" that I've admired for years. Got a good photo, today, which I turned into a StitchPainter diagram and then a BMP file for your personal non-commercial fun!

Enjoy!

If you'd like to know more about the original image, go to my blog on Milan, "My Milan (Italy)": http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/04/beautiful-architectural-female-mask.html

Wordless Wednesday 14

2011-04-20T07:12:00.002+02:00

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Milan Monday 27: a beautiful classicizing acanthus border

2011-04-18T22:30:00.008+02:00

A beautiful classicizing 15th century acanthus border on the principal portal of Santa Maria delle Grazie (the church to which the refectory, where Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is found, belongs) to brighten your Monday.

I transformed my photograph into a StitchPainter diagram, then saved it as a BMP image, in order to share it with you.

If you want to know more about the relief and the church, go to the blog post on my blog dedicated to Milan, "My Milan (Italy)": http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/04/delicate-and-exquisite-classicizing.html.

Photoless Friday (11): A promise is a promise: Owen Jones, The Grammar of Ornament

2011-04-15T21:45:00.039+02:00

I may not have the memory of an elephant, but my sense of guilt does. I had promised, when I first opened this blog, to finish reading Owen Jones' Grammar of Ornament, and share his wise and still fresh design principles, despite the fact that more than 150 years have passed since it was first published in 1856. Yes, 1856. What could he have said way back then that could still be so inspiring? You'll be pleasantly surprised....More......

Just think for a minute what someone born in London in 1809 saw and felt and experienced. A positive and negative whirlwind of cultural, political and economic developments, including the Grand Tour and the Industrial Revolution, which bring us right back to our architect Owen, who--and he wasn't alone--looked around him in England, and didn't like the buildings and things he saw, so he wrote up cures for the ills, and published them--a list of general principles, then examples drawn from art of all ages and places the world over--for the benefit of artists, architects, industrialists and the general public.

Putting his words into today's language, his self-declared goals were to explain and illustrate his idea of good architectural decoration, which he believed derived from following the general principles of design found in nature, not copying either it, or past styles, slavishly.

Some of his comments ring literally through the centuries, if not millennia, in occidental art: harmony and appropriateness of design, proportion and color; in good art, nothing can be added, or taken away, and leave the design equally good, or even improve it; study nature, then idealize it, and so on and so forth.

Good start, but not so very helpful until the components are defined, so, on this Photoless Friday, let's jump over these generics, and get straight to my first summary of his thoughts I personally find helpful for designing, and I hope that they'll be helpful for you, too.

This one comes from his Proposition n. 6: Beauty of form is produced by lines growing out one from the other in gradual undulations.

Jones' comment on ancient Greek art takes it one helpful step further: the three great laws which we find everywhere in nature—radiation from the parent stem, proportionate distribution of the areas, and the tangential curvature of the lines—are always obeyed.

Wordless Wednesday (13)

2011-04-13T22:16:00.006+02:00

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Milan Monday 26: acanthus

2011-04-11T08:59:00.009+02:00

Monday, already! It seems to arrive faster and faster.

Here's a lovely classicizing acanthus pattern, which will work beautifully for borders, a table runner, or a bell pull.

I created the design out of one of my own photos using StitchPainter, then turned it into a BMP for your personal non-commercial use.

If you'd like to know more about the inspiring architectural decoration, see my blog on Milan, "My Milan (Italy)": http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/04/lovely-acanthus.html#0.

Slow, but sure progress

2011-04-10T14:38:00.007+02:00

Slow, but sure, progress on that other "Thank You" gift I mentioned quite awhile ago. (I'm pretty sure the intended recipient isn't sneaking a peek at her gift, because she doesn't read English, so I should be pretty safe!)

The design went through various mutations,...More......

...beginning with something much more detailed and realistic, maybe interesting in and of itself, but the desired impact, message, wasn't there, so, like any sef-respecting modern artist (I do live in my own time, after all, as much as I am not comfortable in it quite often), I pared down, and pared down, and pared down til I got to the essence of what I was wanting to express.

Whether I succeed, or not, in your opinion, you'll be able to see for yourself at the journey's end.

For now, here's another snapshot of the work-in-progress, which I designed with my StitchPainter program.

Can you tell, yet, what it's going to be?

Wordless Wednesday (12)...ahem...posted on Thursday

2011-04-07T10:16:00.004+02:00

Sunday links (01)

2011-04-03T10:34:00.006+02:00

Some of the bloggers I follow post interesting links on Sunday, so I thought I'd give it a try, but nothing inspired me much 'til this popped up on Facebook.

An exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on 18th century girls' "homework" embroideries:

http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/embroideries-colonial-boston-0

Enjoy!

(P.S., "tent stitch" and "continental stitch" are two kinds of needlepoint, so it is relevant to this blog!)

Wordless Wednesday 11

2011-03-30T08:35:00.005+02:00

Milan Monday 25: a circular floral pattern good for a cushion

2011-03-28T11:20:00.005+02:00

Went to a local open air market on Friday, and saw this circular floral motif on a building, which I thought would work up nicely as a cushion, so I snapped it, turned it into a StitchPainter diagram, then a BMP image to share with you for your non-commercial personal enjoyment.

If you want to know more about the design, see my blog "My Milan (Italy)": http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/03/lovely-bit-of-floral-architectural.html.

Have fun!

Photoless Friday (10): Needlepoint on About.com

2011-03-25T22:45:00.004+01:00

Great sources for all sorts of info, of course, About.com has some very informative and interesting pages on needlepoint.

I'll be sharing more links, and I've almost finished that long-promised reading of Owen Jones' book on design principles...we'll be exploring that really soon.

In the meantime, work goes ahead on the gift needlepoint in progress. It felt so good, so relaxing, so fulfilling, after such a long time of not being able to do any(move and flu included since I'd done some).

I'm getting sleeeeeeeeeeeeeepy ... must go ... goooooooooooooooooooooooo

Wordless Wednesday (10)

2011-03-23T13:09:00.004+01:00

Milan Monday (24), again!...already!

2011-03-21T07:27:00.006+01:00

Time whizzes by. It seems like almost yesterday that I posted the last "Milan Monday." Work, rushing around, being now tired, now frustrated, now satisfied with a day well spent. (Expected) appointments, surprises (which I hate), routine tasks to do in an unroutinely manner. Finally a long delightful walk on Sunday, and to bed too late, then, too soon, the alarm, Good Morning!

Here's a snippet of more lovely architectural decoration that can be used as a repeating border pattern. As usual, I turned the photo into a StitchPainter pattern, then saved it as a BMP file, to share with you.

To know more about the photo, go to my blog on Milan, My Milan (Italy): http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/03/via-piero-della-francesca-and-lovely.html.

Enjoy!

A balcony for a border (Milan Monday 23)

2011-03-14T23:44:00.006+01:00

Happy Monday to you!

Here's a gorgeous balcony in Piazza Wagner to cut-and-paste, perhaps as a repeating border.

If you're interested in the building, see my blog on Milan: My Milan (Italy), http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/03/delightful-liberty-building-in-piazza.html.

Bye for now!

Lovely acanthus leaves and grill work (Milan Monday 22)

2011-03-07T19:26:00.004+01:00

Yeah! Milan Monday! And life is getting enough back to normal to allow me to celebrate it with you!...More......

Here's a detail of the gorgeous fence in front of the Villa Romeo-Faccanoni, which I spent eons cleaning up before turning it into this StitchPainter design, then a BMP file for your personal, non-commercial fun!

If you want to know more about the original, you can see my blog on Milan, "My Milan (Italy)": http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/03/lovely-acanthus-leaves-and-grill-work.html

Enjoy!

Surely, I'm getting unpacked a bit...("Only a bit, though, and stop calling me 'Shirley'!")

2011-02-19T20:32:00.015+01:00

My dad's jokes make me laugh more, now, than they did then.

(me) "I feel like an ice cream!"

pinch-pinch

(him) "Funny, you don't feel like an ice cream to me!"

(me) "Aaahhh, daaaaaad!"

or...More......

...anything beginning with "Surely,..." which evoked comments about the subsequent part of the sentence, followed in rapid-fire by "...and stop calling me "Shirley!"

heh heh heh

Surely by now I'm getting some of the moving boxes unpacked, and some of the stuff put away.

Key word: "some."

My needlepoint cushions have found their new homes, though.

Two on the little etagère seen upon entering the living room, and...

...the rest up on the top of the big bookcase...right where they'll be hard to dust, but away from sticky hands.

Progress on the current project is still at a standstill.

Did Jack London ever write a sequel called The Call of the Boxes?

Milan Monday (21): a gorgeous corbel

2011-02-14T07:45:00.007+01:00

Milan Monday back again, yeah! After the move,...More......

...everything is still topsy turvy, but one element of feeling a normal rhythm of life is trying to get back to blogging, and spending time with you.

So, here's a simple, but absolutely gorgeous corbel,which should sit nicely in the center of a 16x18" pillow with a border of your choice. If you're needlepointing a table runner, or a window valance, in a traditional style, it would be the perfect center element.

If you want to know more about the corbel, go to my blog on Milan, My Milan (Italy): http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/02/gorgeous-corbel-on-corso-xxii-marzo.html#0.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday (09)

2011-02-09T19:44:00.003+01:00

Moving hiatus...and not the emotional kind...unfortunately

2011-01-17T11:42:00.005+01:00

The move looms....

So it's time for a hiatus--a break in continuity, according to the handy dandy Merriam-Webster online dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hiatus)--until the move is done, and--keeping our fingers crossed--the transferral of phone and internet service goes smoothly.

I might be able to "chat" with you a time, or two, before the early part of February, but if I don't, you'll know I haven't fallen off the edge of the world...just into a seemingly never-ending vortex of boxes.

In the meantime, here's an appropriate saying to stitch up, "BLESS THIS MESS," which I created for your personal, non-commercial use, just for this occasion. To keep you company, while I'm being blown about by the whirlwind.

Keep well and safe til then!

Photoless Friday (09): What inspires you to do needlepoint, or cross-stitch, projects?

2011-01-14T20:19:00.011+01:00

Photoless Friday, again, and life is still getting in the way of needlepointing. The date of the move nears, so my every spare moment, day or evening, is dedicated to sorting, giving away, tossing out, deciding where furniture and stuff will be put in the new place and boxing. My needlepoint supplies already are safely tucked into their new homes: the clear plastic boxes mentioned in an earlier post.

I'm longing for the return of a more normal rhythm of life, which includes...More......

...more time for blogging and a hearty dose of time for stretching out my legs, putting up my feet, and getting out the needlepoint project in progress (still that Thank You project mentioned awhile back).

Couldn't resist pulling out the computer for a few words with you before hitting the chores, and I got to thinking: what is it that inspires me to do specific needlepoint projects?

Gifts, hopefully appreciated, but small enough to be put away in the back of a drawer, if not.

Specific moments, or feelings, to be remembered and shared.

Artistic challenges.

How about you?

Wordless Wednesday (08)

2011-01-12T18:10:00.001+01:00

(http://arsacupicturaestellae.blogspot.com/2011/01/milan-monday-20-bounty-and-good-harvest.html)

Milan Monday (20): Bounty and Good Harvest

2011-01-10T11:25:00.008+01:00

Twenty...that's a nice round number with which to start the New Year's series of "Milan Monday."

Today, there is yet another good thought for 2011: Bounty, aka Good Harvest...More......

She's a delightful female personification on a building in Milan (if you want to know more about the artist and building, go to this message on my "My Milan (Italy)" blog: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2010/12/whirlwind-gorgeous-afternoon-its-long.html (You'll have to click on "More," and scroll down to find it...I got a bit carried away that day!)

As usual, I used a photo of my own, uploaded it into StitchPainter, created the diagram, then made it into a BMP file to share with you for your personal, non-commercial uses.

Calling all wives and girlfriends of grain farmers! Here's a great project for a cushion for your house!

May the New Year bring us all serenity, in all its forms.

So, it's a New Year..."Count your blessings"

2011-01-08T22:59:00.005+01:00

So, it's a New Year.

Have you made your needlepoint New Year's resolutions, yet?...More......

I'm looking forward to the end of the whirlwind, so I can dedicate more time to needlepointing. Got a bit more done on the present-in-progress.

In the meantime, today's needlepoint diagram seems appropriate for beginning a New Year on a positive note: "Count your blessings."

Milan Monday (sort of) (19)

2011-01-03T08:09:00.009+01:00

Happy First Monday of the New Year! Let's hope that 2011 will be (much) better than 2010! A Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Serene New Year to you all!

What better way to start out the New Year than with an angel!...More......

On Monday, I try to post something that piques your interest in Milan, Italy. Capturing the Christmas lights already is hard, but getting the right angle and lighting and lack of surrounding distractions suitable for turning into a needlepoint design is beyond my possibilities of time and patience, so while on my blog dedicated to Milan, you'll find a snap taken down a street with trumpeting angel Christmas lights, here is my needlepoint/cross-stitch diagram, which I created by uploading the free Microsoft image, MC900331465, of a trumpeting angel into my StitchPainter program, and then turning it into a BMP image for your personal, non-commercial use.

A hearty thanks to Microsoft (and all others providing good, free clip art!)

If you want to see the original photo, please go to my blog dedicated to Milan: "My Milan (Italy)" http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/01/trumpeting-angels-to-herald-in-new-year.html.

Thanks so much for following my blogs, a hearty welcome for 2011!