Putting Ink to Paper

This is a little bit of a delayed post but as they say, better late then never!  Long before Christmas loomed I had already decided that this(last) year I would make the effort to draw all my cards again which I so love.  I am constantly picking up and putting down my drawing instruments but it has definitely been more down this pass couple of years so even when I got crazy busy with work I made myself draw the cards.  Of course, once I got started it was a really nice thing to relax to after a long day at work.  I hadn't really thought about my theme but once I did the first one the rest just flowed out in the same theme.  It felt much more personal and the dedication was for the receiver and no one else of course.  Each one I spent my time inking.

I would decide on the base shape and placement of the names then free flowed from then on adding as much embellishment as until I felt it was finished.  I particularly liked the addition of the fox tail which I added as this is the recipient's favorite animal.  I see them everyday where I live so had plenty of models to draw from!  The red velvet ribbon made it all just that bit more Christmassy and inside I drew a little wreath to add to the decoration.  

They're by no means an oil painting but I loved making them and will try to make all my cards from now on.  I love spending time and effort on anything I gift and cards are no different.  In a world of ready-made and high consumption it's nice to know we all still appreciate that something a bit special.  These particular ones are quite girly so I would like to go a bit harder on my next tries.  Afterall I do have a graphics background...  I particularly enjoyed(do enjoy) typography when I was doing my projects.  Loved putting together logos!

I think I shall be offering them for sale on my etsy at some point.  Personalised cards with names, initials, words, added animal theme...?

It's the thought that counts.  It is indeed. xxx

What's your Major, Town Tramp?

Set in the year 1963, it's the story of a glamorous, not your middle-of-the-road mother; Mrs Flax with her two daughters, Charlotte and Kate.  Charlotte 15, who is very straight and narrow.  Obsessed with Catholicism and a half photo of her father's legs.  Holding to this one memory she has of him from when she was a little girl.  Kate 7, very cute and bubbly who wants to be world champion in swimming, constantly trying to hold her breath under water (in the bath) timing herself each time to try and beat her time.  Every time Mrs Flax has a "relationship" that turns to disaster they all up-sticks and take a roadtrip to another town.  This time they end up in the small town of Eastport, Massachusetts.  As you can imagine, Mrs Flax (Rachel) turns a lot of heads but it is not her who gets into trouble this time...

I wouldn't want to spoil it for you newbies to this so I shall leave the story right there.  But this has to be one of my all-time favourite go-to movies.  I must watch it once or twice every year and it really surprises me when I meet someone and they have no idea which movie I am talking about.  So this is why I wanted to post about it here on my little blog.  I want everyone to be able to enjoy it as much as I do.  And when you get to the end all you want to do is dance along in the kitchen with them!


Enjoy!
Alison xxx

I'll have You, You, and You Please!

So it looks like I have finally finished furnishing my living room thanks to an impromptu nip into the local charity shop back at my "homehome" in Surrey.  I went back to see my sister and pups and before we went to the cinema I quickly visited one of the British Heart Foundation shops.  I used to always swing by when I was around but never actually bought anything from there before.  Until now that is.  Although I did once spot a 1920s Singer sewing machine in the window but I had no room for it at the time.  It was beautiful though.

Well, now I'm a happy girl because the flat is really coming together.  I'll do more posts on the furnishings and decorating for sure.  But for now here are my awesome new additions!

I will take some better photos once the pieces are at mine.  The inside of the wardrobe is super cute.  Cannot wait to sit it next to my Art Deco dresser in my bedroom.  They're going to look such a pair.  The sideboard will take pride of place in my living room along with my other pieces.  The glass front display cabinet might go in the corridor as I already have another display cabinet in the living room but we shall see.  Or I could even have it in my bedroom and replace my old tall display cabinet which houses my handbags??  Hmm... The dilemma.  But I think I will do something with it for certain.  Maybe paint it or just sand it down and re-varnish.  Either way I think they will all look amazing alongside my green velvet sofa!

Once I am happy with the placement of all my furniture I can start arranging all my paintings and prints onto the walls too.   Because you just can't do one before the other.  Not if you don't know where the tall or short pieces will be sitting lol. This is all too exciting and I may just pass out now.  Forgive me if you don't hear from me for a while...

Toodles peeps,

Alison xxx

I Want to Ask You Things

I don't much attend the cinema.  I mean I love films.  Absolutely.  But I just don't tend to go to the big screen often.  That is until I get completely drawn in by some visual or poster or soundtrack or other which just makes me want to sit in the dark and absorb every little detail playing out in front of me.  Carol was one of these such movies.

It was mesmerising.  Beautiful.  Absolutely stunning.  It was a feeling beyond words.  I was completely drawn in from the very first flicker of the screen to the very last credit playing against the soundtrack.  It emotionally absorbed me and pulled me in every which way.  I cried a lot.  Heavy crying.  Hot tears.  Not just because of the story which unfolded before my eyes but because it triggered feelings inside me so real.  My heart drowned in its depths.  Their silent knowing glances.

Cate Blanchett whom I just absolutely adore.  Perfectly casted opposite the quiet, shy Rooney Mara.  It was perfection.  One film that will stay with me forever.  Along with its wonderful soundtrack.

Of course I cannot leave without mentioning and crediting the wonderful work of triple Academy Award-winning costume designer Sandy Powell for the to-die-for wardrobe.  To have Carols wardrobe would be a dream...  1952.  The fifties style, early enough so that it still captures the essence of the forties.  J'adore.

Alison xxx

One Looong Year Later...

How quickly a year pasts by.  Apparently the older you get the quicker a year seems to pass by.  The logic?  Something to do with how relative the time is to our own age.  I morbidly think it's because every year seems shorter to the last because we secretly think about how much closer we all are to our deaths.  But that's only if you don't get hit by a bus whilst crossing the road I guess!

I really haven't forgotten about my little blog here as you might think.  Oh no.  Far from it as all my social media is interlinked and really all began because of lovely said blog.  I just really haven't found the time but for some reason I find myself here once again.  Maybe it is because I have been trying my damnedest to get back to doing all the things I love again this end part of the last year.  Someone I met really inspired me to be inspired.  To really put my time back into drawing, writing, reading...  Just actually doing things.  Of course I should really inspire myself but we all get a little lost every now and again.

Many a good and bad events have happened over the course of 2015 and I can truly say I am looking forward to a new year. This past year has been more than testing for me to say the least. Although all was not lost and some good things did occur.  Along with the many hair changes of Alison as per usual so nothing changes there.

I'm sure when I last posted I still had my to-die-for waist length turquoise mermaid hair. Well, a lot has changed since.  I went from this...

To this... Chopchopchop!

This was the first photo of the new hair.

And then well, I just went all out blonde because that's the colour I have always wanted to be!

Then preceded to dye my bangs various temporary colours.

Now I get to strut around pretending to be a "Blonde Bombshell"

Starting to grow my hair out again already because damn I miss the long locks!  Going to see how well the hair holds out with the continuous bleaching.  As they say, once you go blonde... you never go back... Lol.


Why has my year been testing you ask...?  Well, I somehow managed to suffer not one but two heartbreaks.  Must be a record.  Seems I thought it would be a good idea to get over the first heartbreak by getting a second one.  And then I revisited the first one.  How silly of me.  As you can imagine I ended the year in a hot mess of tears and heartache, literally on the last day of the year.  At least 2016 can only look up right?  Funny thing is I thought about my first love from many a years ago a lot this past year.  I'm not sure you ever get over those who meant a lot to you in your life.
I don't generally get too personal on here, not when it involves me being upset anyway.  But I guess these events really affected me and if I am to reflect on the last twelve months it wouldn't be truthful to leave them out.  Where am I now?  I have no idea and I'm not sure I will ever know to be certain.

At least it wasn't all doom and gloom for me.  I finally moved into my very own flat at the end of summer!  Back to Ol' London Town I went.  Moved into a nice little sixties block of flats.  There was and still is a lot to do but slowly and surely it is getting there bit by bit.  I had the builders in for well over a month gutting and doing all the prep and lining, flooring, ceiling, doors etc etc.  I put in a whole new bathroom and kitchen too so you can imagine the work involved.  The only room that is completely finished is the spare room because this was finished modern style (for now) so it was quick and easy.  Every little detail I have painstakingly hand picked to my specification and apparently I'm a very difficult customer according to my sister who was basically project managing the whole thing.  Everything turned into a small fight between having what I wanted and my budget. In the end most things in the flat are what I want with a few small exceptions which I have had to compromise on but not too drastically.  Plus I have plenty of time to get everything just as I want it in the long run.  I just wish I moved in with the flat just as I'd like it to be!

I hope to be able to do a post on some of the progress I have made in the flat.  When I finally get down and dirty with the decor, painting some atomic-esque mid-century details into the kitchen.  This will be a big project but I have to focus on my future ice-cream coloured pink and mint fifties kitchen.  It is in my sight and I will get to the end of it if it kills me!  I have also collected so many prints over the years that I need to frame and finally have up onto walls.  I have my eye on a couple of other things for my bedroom walls but already I have some pieces of vintage lingerie which I want to put into box frames to display.

A couple of pretties for my walls...

I won't post too much about my flat here and now.  I promise to do more on it later.  Soon!
I'll end this post with a little photo of a painting.  A painting an artist painted of me.  Jack Richardson.  I visited Jack at his flat a couple of weeks after we met.  Sat very still for many hours.  He even praised me on how well I sat haha.  Jack did a life "drawing" of me there and then.  But he'd also been working on a piece from one of my photographs.  I'm looking forward to seeing the finished piece but of course I know these things takes time.  Might do another sitting.  My new career as a life model!

I hope this will be the first of many more posts and my permanent return to the blogging game.

Already a week into the new year.  Time is flying by...

Toodles,

Alison xxx


Ps. I had intended to post this before the weekend but then I gallivanted off to Brighton to put a little fun back into my life.  Then of course we all woke up to some very sad news on Monday morning.

May you rest in peace Mr David Bowie Robert Jones.  Beautiful on so many levels.

Hand in Glove

I have a thing for gloves... Especially when we are discussing opera length leather loveliness.  The long awaited line by Dita Von Teese which launched recently is like a dream to me.  If you haven't had a chance to gaze your eyes over them, may I present to you a selection of my favourites.

The Flirteese

The Sophisticate 

Perfect for riding I'd say.

The Bon Bon

Sooo cute!

The Erotique

Love the contrast buttons.

The Femme Totale

For all us stocking lovers...

The Flirteese Demi

And last but not least - The Erotique Opera...

My favourite of them all!

I first spotted Erotique on one of the images for Dita's lingerie line Von Follies.  In particular, on the Madame X sets.  There was word that Dita shot with her personal collection of beautiful gloves but also word that a line of delicious styles were being produced by the lady herself.  I was thrilled to hear this; even if I would only be dreaming of owning a pair for myself.

All these beauties and more styles are available at Just One Eye.  I hear Valentines is just around the corner...

Have a good evening,

Alison xxx

Old Style Weekend 2014

Helloooo there.  I know, I know.  It's been another few months since I posted something.  Although not without trying mind.  I just never quite get the time to finish a write-up to post.  Anyhooo, on-wards and upwards...  Feeling the winter air blowing in I cast my mind back to the summer.

I knew I couldn't skip posting about Sweden's Old Style Weekend hosted by A-Bombers.  Especially as I missed going to last years event.  Of course it's more about hanging out and having fun with friends than anything else.  But oh what fun!

Here's a little photo taster of my long weekend away...

On our way.  Woohoo!

Malin joined me as backseat baby for once.

Relaxing a little before the rest of the guys showed up.

Our "Camp" for the weekend :)

Friday night... 

A selfie with my Blondie. Always.

Also sporting my new Luxulite necklace there.

The lovers.

The nice shot...

My favourite shot...!  Hehee.

Saturday fun...

My not so great photo from the hillside.

A video I found from the Hill Climb at Devils Peak.

 The sexiest guy in a band from the weekend ;)

Love a hot guy in a wife-beater. 

Wearing my gorgeous electric blue Vavavoom jumpsuit from Tarantula!

Absolutely love it and thinking of buying it in another colour. 

My hair completely dropped out with all the dancing!

Did a shoe change to keep on dancing...

I spent the majority of the weekend hanging out with friends rather then participating at the event as such.  Missed most of the bands.  It was super fun though!  As always, I hope to go again next year.

Love you Sweden!

Alison xxx