British Bikkies

Jammy Dodgers

Chocolate filled Bourbon biscuits

Iced Gems

British biscuits remembered from childhood. In the summers we would often swim at my brother's elementary school, the Dragon. On the cycle ride back home, ravenous with hunger, we would stop off at a local supermarket and buy bags of iced gems. A bag full of delightful little biscuits, each with a crisp biscuit base, about the size of a euro coin that was topped off with hard, brightly coloured, piped icing shape.

This and more foody illustrations can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysfoodanddrink

© Alison Day 

Alison Day Design 

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Elderflower Magic

When I was a child, during often during the summer we would go to local farms and pick whatever fruits were in season. One for me, one for the basket, was the way my siblings and I passed the time. The visit would end with us, red-mouthed and feeling slightly sick. On other times we would forage in the hedgerows of the country lanes for: wild blackberries, sloes, elderflowers and their berries.
From all this produce, my mother would conjure up jams and jellies, pies, crumbles, puddings and elderflower champagne. Whilst in the basement, my father would wizard up bottles of elderflower wine and sloe gin.

Elderflower champagne was a family tradition and made by my mother. It was exciting to us kids, because it was fizzy, contained a small amount of alcohol and we were allowed to drink it! That coupled with the fact that once made, it had to be stored in sturdy, brown glass bottles with a screw top—because it might explode. Sometimes it did and the mess was extraordinary.
Within a couple of weeks, the elderflower champagne was ready to drink and often accompanied lunch in the garden. Served in dimpled half-pint beer tankards or long drink glasses.

This summer, from the elderflower tree in my garden, I have conjured up five bottles of the wonderful elixir and am sipping on a glassful as I write.

These and more foody illustrations can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysfoodanddrink

© Alison Day 

Alison Day Design 

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Wonder Flower

Isn't it wonderful how flowers can make you feel?

A select series of flowers and plants can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysflowersandplants

© Alison Day 

Alison Day Design 

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Lovely Lavender

Lavender—pretty, has a great scent and bees love it.

These and a selection of flowers and plants can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysflowersandplants

© Alison Day 

Alison Day Design 

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Honest Policy

On school lunch breaks, we were always sent outside, whatever the weather, to get some 'fresh air'. 

In the winter, it was bitterly cold. The wind would whistle up our blue-grey tweed skirts and knees would redden, barely visible above long grey socks, pulled up as far as they would go. 

A cat and mouse game ensued, between us and the teachers as we tried to get out of the cold and find a warm place inside. A group of six of us, would hide in the music rooms, until we were discovered and ejected outside again. Eventually, detentions would be issued, for the following Monday, by unsympathetic teachers, with an over inflated sense of importance.
Detention was an hour and on one occasion involved writing an essay: Honesty is the best policy. I enjoyed writing the essay, because it gave me the opportunity to admonish the staff, who in my opinion, had treated us unfairly.
I neither heard, nor do I care what they thought of the piece, or whether they even read it. Suffice to say, their lack of empathy only fuelled the rebel in me; the next time it was cold, we headed straight for the music rooms once more.


More of my illustrative work can be seen on my Instagram

© Alison Day 

Alison Day Designs 

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Flower Language

All the colourful sketches and watercolours of Zinnia I was making, were for a journal cover entitled The Language of Flowers.
The final assignment, after an inspiring, five month long, bootcamp given by Lilla Rogers of MATS

These and more flowers and plants can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysflowersandplants

© Alison Day 

Alison Day Design 

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Cast of Thousands

After a flower's petals have dropped, the left over seed cases and plant pods, filled with a few or with thousands of seeds, continue to make a garden interesting.

These and more flowers and plants can be found on my Instagram as part of the #100dayproject. Tag: #100daysflowersandplants

© Alison Day 

Alison Day Design 

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