Inspiration Avenue: Bird in the Teacup

It's Friday and I almost wasn't ready with my Inspiration Avenue post, which took longer than I anticipated to finish. In fact, I'm still not sure it's finished.


I want to thank Magpie (Maggie) for issuing this popular challenge. I began by making a large container of sun tea using some lovely red raspberry tea bags.


While the tea was steeping in the sun, I got out the second block of wood I "plastered" last week, but didn't use. In order to make it usable, I had to scrape the plaster off the gesso covered cheesecloth, then apply a new coat of gesso.


Without cleaning the gesso from my brush, I first added Golden Fluid Acrylic Quinacridone/Nickel Azo Gold, then Quinacridone Magenta. I never can remember the name of those paints, so


I took a picture of them. Unfortunately, I'm still not sure I can read the names of the colors. As the paint and gesso were drying, I cut the excess cheesecloth from the wooden block.

It took an entire day for the gesso and paint to dry. It gave me time to clean up my craft mat and dry the tea bag I would use.


Before adding the teabag to the wooden block, I used the teacup stencil I made from a plastic lid and my crow stamp to color the teabag. The teabag's natural mottled colors give it added color and texture. I took this photo right after affixing the teabag to the block, so it was still a bit wet.


And here is the finished and now dry piece. Again, not sure if I'm finished with it, but I really like how this one turned out. Much better than the plaster covered block I made for last week's IA challenge.

Be sure to stop by Inspiration Avenue and join in the fun, if this sounds like your kind of challenge. Of course, I really want to win this month's jar of Inspiration from ImGirl, so maybe I shouldn't encourage anyone else to enter.