Grungy Monday 5

Linda's Grungy Monday challenge no 5 at Studio L3 is a Tim Holtz dimension technique which dates back to May 2008, and can be found here on Tim's blog. It involved using fun foam to create dimension by making a niche. I decided to use the tag die to cut card, fun foam and Kraft resist card. I coloured the card with distress inks, and stamped with Coffee archival and Viva swirl stamps. I made the woman's head with clay in a Karantha mould and coloured it with alcohol ink and various colours of Inka Gold. I edged the card and the niche with gold leafing pen.

In this part of the world we've been having glorious sunshine and high summer temperatures not usually seen in April. I've noticed that this has lifted people's spirits and everyone is so cheerful and talkative, and of course, not only have we had the four day Easter weekend, but we now have another four day weekend to look forward to with the extra bank holiday on Friday for the royal wedding followed by the usual early May bank holiday on Monday. Temperatures have now cooled a bit, and all fingers are crossed for dry weather on Friday for the processions and street parties.

I've been out and about with friends, visiting exhibitions and enjoying music in London, sitting in the sun on the Thames embankment drinking tea, and eating evening meals in the open air. Instead of the usual roast dinner on Easter Sunday, it had to be a barbecue, and we needed a walk to burn off some of the calories from the Easter eggs, so it was off into the fields.

Everywhere is so fresh and green, with touches of the bright colours of wild flowers.

The colour is not just in the flowers. Fungi can come in vivid colours and amazing textures.

The holly is covered with flowers. Looks like there will be a good supply of berries.

This log had been positioned here as a horse jump, but it's ideal as a walker's resting place to enjoy the view and the peace and quiet for a while.

And now what I came down this path to see - a fabulous carpet of wild English bluebells with some beautiful silver birch trees.

Like an impressionist painting.