Awesome Alien

Awesome Alien t-shirt design by Alison Day Designs

"From out of thin air - an alien - you feeling ok? And . . . why? . . . Have you seen any lately?" asks a cynical voice.

"Yup, fine thanks and no, I haven't sighted one, awesome or otherwise. The design was inspired by a children's story I've written and illustrated. Incidentally, it is not about aliens at all. The story in turn is based on a mural I painted many moons ago, for my son. I've been in the throes of publishing the story ever since."

"How long ago would that be?"

"For . . . um . . . dare I say it . . . [ whispering ] over 10 years," I reply.

"OMG 10 years! What have you been doing? Growing the trees and making the paper too?" says the taunting voice.

"No I haven't and don't be so facetious!" I snarl. "Life in general has been the cause of the numerous shelvings, as well as a minor hiccup - leading to a total rewrite."

"So, what now?" goads the voice.

"At the moment, the story is being edited by a fresh pair of eyes and then. . ."

"Yes? . . . And then, . . . then what?"

"Then, I am going to steam forward, into the unchartered (for me anyway) land of self-publishing and bring the bugger out, once and for all, as a fabulous children's story book!"

[ Cue syncronized glazed over looks from family members and friends ]

"Ha! Pigs might fly." laughs the voice.

"You think? Well, you just watch this space . . ."

© Alison Day Designs

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Banshee Moon

It's been a while since I took part in an illustration call-up for Amelia's Magazine.

So, ... feeling inspired, here's my illustration of: Tallulah Rendall. For the accompanying article written by Amelia Gregory, about Tallulah and her new album: The Banshee and the Moon >>> HERE

 

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Etsy

 

On a Stick!

Here are a couple of photos I took of an Indian, street artist duo that I spotted on a Spring jaunt to Rome earlier this year together with my sister.

They had set up their act round the corner from the Pantheon. Both were meditating and amazingly whilst doing so, one was holding the other up in the air, ... on a stick! Needless to say they drew a lot of curiosity from passers-by.

So, what do you think and any ideas how they did it? ;)

© Alison Day Designs

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Strange is the Beast

Anyone else got the bad habit of watching TV and being online at the same time?

Guilty as charged. I do it all the time, my iPad sits pride of place, like a tame cat, on the arm of my red leather sofa. 

My excuse? Apart from the obvious addictive element, it has become an extension of my world. In an instant, I note down ideas, surf to interesting programme-related websites, interact on social media and monitor my emails. A multi-tasking delight, or is it?

Sometimes, however, I forget to close app windows when I am busy with something else, which shows me as online. On one such occasion, a contact from a well known social media site popped up professing to be bored. Always willing to help and have a chat - I engaged. Smart move or not, this interaction led to a conversation with a very strange mutation:

W: "Fecking bored."

A: "Really, why?"

W: "Should be working.'

W: "Can't inspire myself to."

A: "At this time - it's the witching hour?"

W: "Indeed."

A: "Why not do something totally the opposite - sometimes it helps."

W: "Like do something else beginning with w you mean?"

A: "Any letter will do. If you are writing, go count the stars for ten minutes, or something."

W: "I'd rather get naked."

A: "Well go do that then."

W: "Talking you through it?"

A: "?"

W: "The process from clothed to unclothed."

A: "Ha ha ha!"

W: "Glasses of."

W: "Off."

A: "Nothing like a bit of [edit] porn!"

W: "Socks off.

Belt off.

Jeans off.

Shirt off."

[ I suppose I could have anticipated that there would be no saving the conversation from here on. Surreal as it was - I decided to remain to see the outcome . . . ]

A: "Make a good blog post this."

W: "Pants off.

Birthday suit on . . .

it's the perfect fit.

What to do now?"

A: "Write."

W: "Not the other 'w' verb?"

A: "You're on your own there!"

W: "I'm sure you could lend a helping hand."

A: "I doubt it."

W: "Try."

A: "No-oooo!"

W: "Why not?"

A: "You need to ask?"

W: "Yep."

W: "You encouraged me to strip, so now I need some encouragement."

A: "No, I suggested you count the stars."

W: "Well go do that then."

W: "To quote."

A: "1, 2, 3 . . .

W: "What?"

A: . . . counting."

W: "You are?"

A: "4, 5, 6, 7 . . .

W: "Why not just get naked?"

A: . . . 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 . . .

W: "Right, night."

A: . . . 13, 14, 15, 16."

W: "Maybe you'll fall asleep like counting sheep."

A: "Night. Good luck with the inspiration. :) "

Of course my sister and I had a laugh at the absurdity of the exchange, when I recounted it to her the next day, in hushed tones over the phone from my kitchen. We even discussed the plausibility of this not being my contact at all, but an imposter from the Heartbleed virus clan, who had hacked into his profile.

It has become a blog post, as I said it would, because I wanted to highlight a few points that continue to niggle me. Using this interaction as an example, at what point do you draw the line and shout enough? Although I would class this discourse as mild in nature, I feel it does venture into the grey area, commonly referred to as the 'thin end of the wedge'. Some may accuse me of making a mountain out of a molehill, whereas I find it a classic case of the hazy definition that still exists when determining the boundaries of decency. Add this to the fact that society - in the 21 century - continues to sit on the fence, when it comes to objectifying women for pleasure and I think you get my point.

OK. I'm not that poe-faced that I can't take a joke - I did laugh - but in retrospect, why does it feel wrong on so many levels? Apart from my previous thoughts, is my reaction so because this social media contact is an acquaintance and one that I don't know awfully well? Was it made easier because we have never actually met? Did he for one minute consider that it might be inappropriate? How would I have felt if it had been a friend instead? And what's wrong with a normal conversation anyway?

The Internet has changed the way we interact with each other. In many ways it is amazing, giving us access to people, places and opportunities we might never have come across. On the flip side, however, the often faceless contact we have all come to readily accept comes with a price tag. We have unwittingly redefined our boundaries and privacy settings too. In many cases, we have forgone face-to-face contact, reading facial expressions and anticipating actions for shallow estimations of the other. In this way, it is possible to open up a right royal can of misinterpretations!

So, is a case like this acceptable or sexual harassment? I'm pretty sure it would never have happened in real time. What do you think, dear reader?

Final thought, it's never a bright idea to put things on the Internet that could come back to bite you in the derrière one day.

[ Exits *counting stars* : "1, 2, 3 . . . " ]

Alison Day Designs

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The Look of Less

"I'd like my name taken off your mailing list - I didn't order the catalogue."

"Are you a client of ours?"

"No"

"What's the number above the name and address printed on the magazine?"

"There isn't one."

"Not a six cijfer one?"

"No"

I spell out my name and address and there is a concentrated silence as my details are entered.

"OK. I've put your details in the system for removal from our mailing list. It will take six weeks, so you may get one more before it stops completely."

I mentioned that it too would be filed in the re-cycling and how an unwanted catalogue is a waste of resources and environmentally unfriendly.

"So, how did you get my details in the first place?"

"Probably from one of our sister companies."

A snippet from this morning's conversation with a mail-order company, requesting they take my name off their mailing list. Not only had I not requested a copy of their catalogue, they had managed to produce 133 pages printed in full colour, of a really unappealing line of clothes and one I can only describe as: Oh Dear.

 

Even the models in the magazine found it hard to pull off the experience as a good one. The clothes were definitely not ones they would choose to wear in their free time and that could be seen by their forced smiles and on occasion, gritted teeth. The smile of one particular model, in a taupe pleated t-shirt - from a series of cream, turquoise, purple and screaming coral - looked like the Joker from Batman. Another in a 'flattering' paisley-look blouse had the subdued expression of someone obviously running through her 'to do' list of the day. Turn the page and an attractive twenty-something has been put in a characterless tartan on one page and an unfashionable crochet the other, thereby ageing her considerably. The list goes on: unstylish, bad design, technicolour sick pattern, cheap curtain material.

 

Who designs this stuff?

The thing that really gets my goat is not just the fact that my details are being bandied around, but the purchase of my address allows the darn catalogue to be posted through my letterbox. The fact that I have a sticker on it, especially for mail like this saying: 'no unsolicited mail,' then becomes worthless.

For the inconvenience there is no apology. I then have to waste my time and money to cancel what I didn't order in the first place. It's addition, means I have to add it to my already bulging bag of unwanted paper for re-cycle, which I find irritating too. The explanation that my details came to them from 'one of our sister companies,' is not only unacceptable, but I don't find very sisterly behaviour!

Of course I realise that these days business is done in any way possible, but sending me a catalogue that I am not going to look at and which is destined for immediate re-cycle, is not only a waste of resources it is environmentally unfriendly.

Then we have the fact that it takes six weeks to implement my wish, during which I may receive yet another undesired catalogue. It's mind boggling in an age of computers how backward some things remain. It's not rocket science to remove a name from a list! Are they are hoping that a second example may seduce me into making an order? Well, dream on!

Who's the company, I hear you ask? With a little edit on the possessive adjective to avoid liable, but without diminishing its amusement value, they're called: 'My Look for Less' - hmmm, I think that says it all.

Alison Day Designs

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Roman Racer

Recently, whilst browsing the over-priced trinkets in the Ferrari shop in Rome, I came across this little red number!

Although I'm not a great fan of a 'sport' which I consider to be a waste of our diminishing planetary resources and an event which sounds little more than a swarm of angry bees... it was a rather splendid looking machine.

© Alison Day Designs

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The Story Behind 9 Women

   

A short film about my series of artworks: '9 Women' - As they hang now on my living room wall in the way I had envisioned.

Film is not my forte, but in this short representation you will hear the story behind them plus get an idea of how they look from closeup 

© Alison Day Designs

Blue Train Mural

Below is a short (amateur) film of a hand-painted mural (1 x 1 metre), I created for the wall of a young boy's bedroom. When asked what he wanted, he said: a blue train, with ten carriages, filled with animals and him driving the engine.

Although the mural no longer exists, I’ve written and published the story to the mural accompanied by a series of illustrations, which will soon be self-published as a children's storybook.

© Alison Day Designs

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Around the World

Here's my take on a fun way to not only raise up a plant in a tall glass vase, but at the same time re-cycle a redundant globe lamp. - Stylish, funky, light and airy solution with none of the potential block-feel that an upturned flower pot would give!

©Alison Day Designs

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New Wave Entrepreneur

Maya Penn is 13 and already making her mark in this world. A great source of inspiration she is an active - young entrepreneur, cartoonist, designer and activist. Her clothing and jewellery business she set up at the age of 8 and now sells all over the world. 

Kitty Face

Take a look at the caterpillar of the Chinese Bush Brown butterfly - a native to the rainforests and deciduous forests of  Japan - which  nature has amusingly given a face similar to the popular cartoon character 'Hello Kitty'.

Static Seaweed

Now here's a fabulous use for all that plastic floating around in the seas. Re-purpose it into one of these tar-coloured seaweed stools.

Design Squish

Talk to the Hand

Talk to the hand... courtesy of communication Co. O2 ... The gloves are Bluetooth-connected and contain a speaker unit embedded in the thumb, with a microphone in the pinkie. 

Not happy with that handy innovation, how's about the even dafter potential shoe option? As my son so rightly said: "What happens if you've just stepped in dog poo and someone calls you?"

And... next generation - under the skin?! ;)

DesignTaxi

June - July Connections

Here's the June - July issue of the Connections. 

My last issue, as I head off into the freelancer sunset - enjoy!

All issues of Connections can be viewed HERE

Alison Day Designs

Cool Parade

Recipe

Following a crafty link from Facebook, I was led to a page on a website called Buzzfeed, praising old style crafts, things that Grandma would have made; techniques which are being carried on by today's creatives from the handmade revival: crochet quilts, bathmats and matching loo seat covers, doilies, and Barbiesque dolls wearing flouncing skirts - concealing air freshening chemicals beneath their crochet folds. 

OK, ... so I strip back the link to its base, and come up with a cool parade of fun flavoured popsicles ... a myriad of flavours and colours - and - in the immortal words of Jose jalapeno, in a Jeff Dunham comedy sketch- 'On a stick!' 

It's hard to make a choice from this royal parade, but amongst them are vitamin filled and fruity, as well as what can only be described as 'cocktail on a stick,' due to their obvious alcoholic content. 

Recipes are included - now the only question remains to be asked - will the sun shine long enough for it to become Popsicle time, and if so, where ever you are in the world - which would you choose?

Recipe

For more flavours: here

© Alison Day Designs

May Connections

The May issue of the Connections is out, follow the link to read more!

View all issues HERE

Design & Illustration: Alison Day Designs


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Wild Wild Wood

Amber Jean, has been declared one of America's 'Woodworking Greats' by WOOD magazine. Having taught herself to use a chainsaw in her early 20's, she makes the most amazing creations in wood, whilst other ideas are destined to become cast  in bronze. 

The wild horses bed has a lovely feel to it - the combination of galloping horses, and the more subtle flow of the wood - still recognizable as trunk and branch. They are both the antithesis and complimentary of each other; the bed comes alive, but seems a peaceful enough place to slumber away the hours. 

The same flowing movement can be see in her bronzes sculptures, which are beautifully detailed and original castings; rendering shows an obvious love for animals.

A Career in Your Suitcase

“Hands up who would like a review copy of the 4th edition of A Career in Your Suitcase? … ” read the tweet next to its thumbnail, of a composed looking Jo Parfitt sitting next to a colourful pile of books.

“I’d be happy to review!” I waved back into cyberspace.

Shortly after that, the revised and updated fourth edition of A Career in Your Suitcase, a collaborative work by Jo Parfitt and Colleen Reichrath-Smith, appeared in my inbox.

For the expatriate family, a new posting to another corner of the world can often be seen as a lucrative move for the family. This, however, doesn't always take into consideration the plight of a trailing spouse, who may often find re-adjustment more difficult to cope with. She, or in some cases he, will often have to leave behind a career in full swing, and, if upon arrival there is no organized employment or a permanent position available, some of the sparkle of the new host country may lose its allure. Without prior knowledge of a country, its language, or a solid network, the initial experience can be unnecessarily distressing, especially when embarking on a search for new opportunities.

Start again? Yes, you may be disgruntled that all that hard work you’ve put in, to reach where you are in your career is literally going to be swept away, but once you’ve made the move, with a little bit of determination and self-analysis and a copy of A Career in Your Suitcase you can start along the road to self-re-invention. The career you will create will not only be suitable for that posting alone, but one that can continue to travel with you, remain current as well as engaging, and will only need  tweaking and updates now and again.

A Career in Your Suitcase is a collation of information by its authors, from more than twenty years of living abroad, into a comprehensive directory filled with: advice, tips, exercises, references and soul searching. This can be used as a starting point on which to build a portable career. One that has the advantage of being adaptable into an international career, and is perfect for use within the global community, as well as utilizing Internet and social media communication to the full.

Whilst reading, you are actively encouraged to participate: ask your circle of friends and family to support you with advice, or summarize your strengths and weaknesses; analyze your past, your family, and follow Internet links to discover hidden personal characteristics, which will ultimately help to build a fuller picture of who you are. It is, however, suggested when doing exercises from the book that you note down thoughts, answers, or make lists, using a pen and paper instead of a computer. This may sound laborious, but there’s a reason for it – physically writing uses the creative half of the brain (right), as opposed to the analytical half (left) when a computer is used. By doing this, you will tap into the creative in you, patterns will emerge, and you will discover actual capabilities along with what your subconscious desires really are.

For some, the process may be simple when it comes to re-inventing skills, thinking out of the box, or updating qualifications. Whilst for others, the journey may be a little longer. A Career in Your Suitcase gives you the opportunity to make a more in depth search to discover your inner passions, which can then be developed and nurtured. Why not try and pinpoint the gap in the market and provide the solution? Should inspiration not be forthcoming, it is suggested that volunteer work could be an interim and rewarding choice. This will allow you the space and time to think about your next move, and, more importantly help with cultural integration, as well as the start of building a new network of friends.

An expatriate myself, living in The Northern Netherlands I wish I had come across this book earlier. The process of repeatedly adapting to one’s situation is a theme I know all too well, regardless of whether you speak the language or not. Changes in my circumstances always came as more of a ‘knee jerk’ action as opposed to being actually planned. With this book in my possession, I find I am not alone and will be able to make more informed choices in the future.

With an already insecure work climate, and in Jo’s words: no career is for life anymore, A Career in Your Suitcase is not just for the mobile expatriate, but is relevant to anyone wishing to take part in finding their direction, discovering new opportunities and realizing their goals comfortably, all the while contributing to the much needed transformation of the global working environment as a whole.

Want to discover your true passions and take the world by storm? 

© Alison Day Designs

Website: Alison Day Designs
Blog: Alison Day Designs

Walk like an Egyptian

Me? - I'm walking like an Egyptian: http://youtu.be/3OMxC7te5Ks
What about you?

Come Buy With Me

Spring will have definitely sprung...

Alison Day Designs will be appearing at the Design Market: 11.00 - 17.00 Sunday 7 April on the Grote Markt, Groningen. Joining about 50-ish other stall holders offering their imaginative creations for sale.

So... if you happen to be in the area, why not drop by for a look, and who knows you may find something you just can't leave without!

Alison Day Designs 

Pyramid Hacienda

Continuing with the Vertical Gardens theme I champion,  I found this rather ingenious design for one that not only maximizes space, but is quite attractive too. Featured by Green Renaissance, its construction looks a relatively easy design to replicate if you are handy (and so inclined).

A wall brightening and more organically shaped solution is the pot tree, where pots can be interchanged, as well as reorganized to get the desired effect.

The lettuce wall, however, I think is ingeniously simple. It is a good use of vertical space in order to grow ecologically friendly and pesticide free crops, hands stay clean, and it serves as a decorative divider in the planning of a landscaped garden. 

If you want a bit of inspiration when it comes to construction, take a look at the Florafelt growers from Plants on Walls  - they are created using recycled plastic bottles and an indestructible nylon non-toxic fibre. Once the plants have 'settled in', the effect is amazing!

Howzat - Connections

View this issue HERE

View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)

Alison Day Designs

Hanging Ladies

Unlike their exhibition, where they were hung in a single row, finally: 9 Women are hanging on my living room wall, as I had envisioned they would when I created them. 

To view them up close and in more detail, see them on my website here

©Alison Day Designs

Porcelain Favours

Funny how things go sometimes... 

Not being a great lover of newspapers (I generally only see them as fodder for papiermaché pulp, and my artistic creations), I was surprised recently, when in a Dutch local rag (Nieuwsblad van het Noorden), I came across a photo of a 19th century porcelain dog - a Staffordshire Spaniel to be exact - a popular ornament in the Victorian era. The article was entitled: 'Turfstekers en Hoerenhondjes; - 'Peat cutters and Whore dogs'.

Nothing remarkable in that, I hear you bark? Well, co-incidences of co-incidences, I have recently inherited a couple of said beasts, which now sit proudly, if somewhat arrogantly with spoilt little expressions, facing each other from the corners of adjoining book shelves, in my living room.

It is interesting to discover that throughout history, Spaniels (the living ones), have been the pet of choice with royalty. Ladies of the court would often hide them under their skirts to keep their legs warm. Apparently, a black and white, toy, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was found under the skirts of Mary Queen of Scots, shortly after she was beheaded, in 1587.

By the 1720's onwards, the porcelain variety began to be manufactured in Staffordshire potteries, with their popularity increasing throughout Queen Victoria's reign. As a result extra labour - children - were hired to keep up with demand; they helped in the decoration by painting on the whiskers and splotches on the spaniels backs. Generally made in pairs and with no two Spaniel faces alike, the Staffordhire Spaniel became:

...the quintessential Victorian bourgeois status-symbol knick-knack: no mantelpiece was complete without a pair of spaniels standing guard.

Apart from their obvious decorative appeal, Victorian brothels would put a pair in their windows, pretending that they were in fact a porcelain shop! 

In modern day windows, hearsay has it that how the dogs are placed is of particular interest to potential clientele - If the dogs face each other, it is a sign that the husband is in the house; if they have their backs to each other, well I think you can guess the rest...

©Alison Day Designs