Happy Saturday, y'all, and that means it's time for a new Nancy Drew Challenge! Today we're taking a look at #70, The Broken Anchor:
As you can see, we're going tropical on this one. I found the arch cover on eBay last year, the middle one has been in my collection for over 20 years (I have no idea why the edges of the cover look like they've been nibbled on, none of my other books look like that to my recollection), and it took me over a year of searching to locate the one on the right so I think it's the rarest cover of the three. I also think that Nancy's outfit is the strangest on that one because I can't imagine taking a heavy sweater and a jacket to the Bahamas in June.
Case file: Nancy wins a trip for two to the Bahamas, but the catch is she didn't enter any contest so that's weird. Carson calls her to travel to Florida to investigate an abandoned boat, so she sends Bess and George to the Bahamas in her stead, planning to join them once they clear up the boat issue...but the girls disappear and no one answers the phone at the island resort so Nancy and Carson head down tout de suite. If you didn't think a tropical island could be spooky, definitely crack open this book because it is spooky and I loved it.
Here's my first card:
The arch cover is the most tropical of the three so I got out my favorite Artfully Layered bundle to have some fun. I'm still trying new layouts with the Everyday Arches dies, I'm trying not to do the same layout every single time.
I used Groovy Guava, Dusty Durango, and Shaded Spruce for my colors. I don't have much of the Guava in 8.5x11 cardstock but I do have a surprisingly large stash of the 12x12...there must have been another In Color that I loved that year because that's when the 12x12 only came in multi-packs.
Supplies, all SU!
Stamps: Artfully Layered
Ink: Shaded Spruce, Dusty Durango
Paper: Groovy Guava, Shaded Spruce, Dusty Durango, Basic White, Groovy Guava DSP
Accessories: Everyday Arches dies, Tropical Layers dies, Dimensionals, Tinsel Gems
On to the second card:
Nancy and her dad Carson do eventually make it to the island where they find George and another girl, Penny, but Bess is missing as are Penny's grandparents, who run the resort. Anyway, the bad guys cut the power at one point and there's a lot of talk about the walk-in freezer and I think this is the first time kid Christy ever heard of a walk-in freezer because I remembered that bit when I read the book this time around. So I had to make a card for the walk-in freezer.
I used Highland Heather, Purple Posy, Strawberry Slush, and Bubble Bath for a mix of pink and purple on my card. It's a strawberry ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce on top because bubblegum ice cream with chocolate on it would be icks. I chose that pink check pattern because it makes me think of red-and-white tablecloths at an ice cream parlor.
Supplies, all SU!
Stamps: Sweet Treats, Sweets & Treats (going with a name theme here)
Ink: Basic Gray, Stampin' Blends in Purple Posy, Bubble Bath, Pecan Pie, Strawberry Slush, Just Jade
Paper: Highland Heather, Purple Posy, Basic White, Homemade Sweetness DSP
Accessories: Textured Notes dies, Nested Essentials dies, Dimensionals, Strawberry Slush Gems
And for my third card:
Pirate! Do I have to put a spoiler alert on a book that's over 40 years old? It turns out that this mystery hinges on a pirate treasure that's hidden on the island and that's a great excuse to bust out my old Beware Pirates stamp set. And also I'm just still so tickled that I finally tracked down this cover.
I used Bermuda Bay, Wisteria Wonder, Smoky Slate, and Basic Gray for my colors. The main panel is made with the polished stone technique which I still dearly love; you wet a cotton ball with some isopropyl alcohol and add some drops of ink refill, then pounce it on glossy cardstock until the colors blend. Usually I do just one drop of the darkest color and 2-3 of a lighter color or else it all looks like it's the darker color, but to my surprise it wasn't Bermuda Bay trying to take over on this one, it was Smoky Slate. I did one drop Bermuda Bay and two drops each of Wisteria Wonder and Smoky Slate, but I think the gray kind of absorbed the purple and they ganged up on the aqua blue. I still liked what I ended up with though so I stamped my pirate and greeting on the background and left the panel large.
Supplies, all SU!
Stamps: Beware Pirates
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Wisteria Wonder, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Basic Gray, Glossy White
Accessories: Isopropyl alcohol
I remembered this one being a good one from when I was a kid but other than the freezer, I didn't remember much of the plot. I'm happy to report that it's great! I wouldn't think a tropical island setting would be spooky, but whoever ghostwrote this one did a fantastic job of making it spooky, such great spooky season vibes. How many more times can I say spooky in one paragraph? Spooky. Anyway, five stars from me, this was a blast and I loved it. If you're inspired to make a card, leave me a comment! Or if you're just enjoying this extended trip down Memory Lane and revisiting these books, that's cool too. Join me next week when Nancy searches for The Silver Cobweb.
