The Sign of the Twisted Candles

Happy Saturday and welcome to a new Nancy Drew Challenge!  Today I'm featuring one of my childhood favorites, number 9, The Sign of the Twisted Candles.

There's the OT version on the left and the RT version on the right, and for once the revised version has a brighter cover than the OT.  I've always loved that cover with the huge candle.

Case file:  Nancy, Bess, and George visit a roadside inn and meet the 100-year-old owner Asa Sidney, who turns out to be related to Bess and George and whose extended family is involved in a family feud.  When Asa dies shortly thereafter, right after Mr. Drew helped him make a new will, Nancy has to figure out why he left the bulk of his fortune to an orphan waitress at the inn and help the feuding family make nice, while also proving that the orphan's foster parents had been stealing from Asa for years.

Here's my card for the OT version:

You may think that this should have been the card for the RT version since it has Asa in all his bearded glory on the cover, but it's in the OT version that Nancy muses how Asa looks like a wizard so I couldn't resist this.  Plus the Magical & Mystical stamp set has a candle image and I had to use that!

I kept to the green colors featured on Nancy's outfit and DANG she looks super thin on this cover.  And also very '40s with that hair and eyebrow going on.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Magical & Mystical
Ink:  Garden Green, Night of Navy
Paper:  Garden Green, Lemon Lime Twist, Artistry Blooms DSP, Stargazing DSP
Accessories:  Textured Notes dies, 1" and 1 1/8" circle punches, Dimensionals, Clear Gems

Now let's take a look at the RT version:

Once again the plots for the two versions are very similar, though there are a few humorous episodes in the first version that sadly were cut from the second version, like when Nancy has a farcical conversation with two men about the proper feminine form of chauffeur.  Anyway, I always loved this book because Nancy spends time hunting over the inn for secret compartments marked with the sign of the twisted candles.

So here's my card for The Sign of the Twisted Candles:

I knew I wanted to do a birthday card since the book starts off with Asa's 100th birthday, but it actually took me two tries to come up with a card I liked.  I had to use lots of green to echo the cover of the book, which is one of my favorites!  I also had to use some Mango Melody DSP to echo Nancy's hair.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Piece of Cake
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Mango Melody, Lemon Lolly, Shaded Spruce, Granny Apple Green
Paper:  Granny Apple Green, Thick Basic White, Celebrate Everything DSP, Regency Park DSP Stack
Accessories:  Stitched So Sweetly dies, Dimensionals, Glitter Dots

If you feel inspired to make a Nancy Drew card, please leave me a comment as I'd be super tickled to see what you make.  Next up is Password to Larkspur Lane!

Bold Bright Birthday

Hey y'all, surprise post for today because I made a card this morning that I just had to share and I want to make sure I get it in before challenges close : )  Here it is:

I started with the Inspired By... challenge:

And the sketch to go with it:

Those two things together made me think of the How Sweet It Is DSP from a few years ago, I remembered that bold pink and turquoise stripe pattern and I added the yellow just because it felt like my card needed another color.  This also counts for the Just Add Ink challenge:

Technically I suppose I used all three : )  If you look closely at the candles, you'll notice that apparently they're wizarding candles because they float just slightly above the cake.  It happens.

Ryan and I went out running errands today to prep for his birthday party next Saturday and can I just say this is STRESSFUL.  I'm going to not do anything else useful for the rest of the day, I'm out of energy for anything.  Peace out, y'all.

Supplies, all SU! (many retired)
Stamps:  Piece of Cake
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Pineapple Punch, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay
Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Thick Basic White, How Sweet It Is DSP, Pineapple Punch DSP
Accessories:  Stitched Nested Labels dies, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots

Brought To You By the Letter P

Mornin' y'all!  I had the day off yesterday and I was able to continue my trend of being productive in my craft room :)  I made four cards and got a scrapbook layout all done except for the journaling, plus I did dishes and four loads of laundry, so not too bad!

Here's one of the cards I made:

It's a triple challenge card, starting with the Festive Friday challenge:

I used celebration (birthday!), cake, gold, sequins, patterned papers, and punches, so more than half the inspo list!  I used the colors from Global Design Project:

And here's where today's card is brought to you by the letter P!  Polished Pink, Pale Papaya, Pool Party, patterned paper, punches, even the stamp set name starts with P--Piece of Cake!  Oh hey, so does the DSP pack, Pattern Party :)  I also used the Hand Stamped Sentiments sketch:

I had fun coloring my funky lil birthday cake with Blends.  And now I have another birthday card for my stash.

Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU! (some retired)
Stamps:  Piece of Cake
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Pool Party, Pale Papaya, Polished Pink, Smoky Slate
Paper:  Thick Basic White, Basic Black, Polished Pink, Pattern Party DSP
Accessories:  two retired punches, Dimensionals, gold sequins

SUO Challenges: It's Yo Birthday

Howdy, folks!  I just found enough batteries to put in Ryan's RC car and I am officially The Best Mama Ever (for at least the next 10 minutes).  In other good news, it's time for a new challenge at SUO Challenges!

I have a feeling you'll like this one: make a birthday card!  Who doesn't need an extra birthday card or two in their stash?

I busted out Piece of Cake, which is on the retirement list.  It's got a variety of fun cakes to choose from and some cheeky sentiments too ;) I paired it with the Birthday Bonanza DSP and here's what I came up with:

I think Pineapple Punch is probably the happiest color ever, but Mango Melody is pretty close.  I took my colors directly from my scraps of DSP and ended up with Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, Coastal Cabana, and Bermuda Bay.  And now I have a birthday card that's suitable for pretty much anyone.

Your turn!  Make a birthday card and share it on the SUO Challenges blog for us to see.  Have fun!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Piece of Cake
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Coastal Cabana & Daffodil Delight markers, Bermuda Bay & Mango Melody Blends
Paper:  Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, Thick Whisper White, Birthday Bonanza DSP
Accessories:  Layering Ovals dies, Glitter Enamel Dots, Tailored Tag punch, Dimensionals

Five Challenges? Piece of Cake!

Hey y'all!  Have you ever had a perfect storm of challenges, where you make a single card that works for lots and lots of challenges?  Well, today's card is a quintuple challenge card.

And here's my challenges, in alphabetical order!

First up is the color combo from Fab Friday:

A fun and springy color combo, I'm going to miss Lemon Lime Twist so much when it retires.  At least we have Granny Apple Green in the regular lineup.

Next up is the sketch from Fusion:

I forgot to make my vertical strip go all the way to the edges of the card, mah bad.

Next up is the Inkspirational Challenge:

You can't tell from the photo, but the Flirty Flamingo circle is popped up on Dimensionals.  I found that circle in my stash already pre-cut so yay for using up random pieces!

And here's the theme challenge from the Paper Players:

This was fun; I used two patterns from Gingham Gala, and for the Highland Heather one (the larger print), I used markers to add some skinny stripes of Flirty Flamingo and Bermuda Bay.  Took a few minutes but I like the look!

And finally, here's the challenge from What Will You Stamp?:

I had been planning to use one of my newer stamp sets until I saw this challenge, and then I just had to do a cake.  I stamped the sentiment on the inside of the card, so it says "Happy birthday, you sweet thing" in Highland Heather ink.  I think I know who should get this card too!

That's it for me today.  Have a great day, peeps!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Piece of Cake
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay, & Flirty Flamingo markers; Highland Heather Blends
Paper:  Thick Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Gingham Gala DSP
Accessories:  Layering Circles Framelits, Cake Builder Punch, Dimensionals

Cake Is The Answer

Mornin', y'all!  It's been a busy month here so I haven't been posting as much as I'd like.  Last week was super busy with both the hubs and the kiddo's birthdays!  But I carved out some stamping time this weekend to make a card for the new challenge at SUO Challenges!

This time it's all about Sale-a-Bration and the Occasions catalog!  I chose a favorite stamp set and DSP out of the Occasions catty for my card...

I love Piece of Cake *and* the How Sweet It Is DSP, which actually coordinates with a stamp set called Sweetest Thing that...I haven't actually inked up yet.  Oops.  But anyway!  I'm in a baking group on Facebook and "drip cakes" are big right now (I'm more of a cookie and muffin baker; my cake decorating skills are nonexistent!) so that's why I chose that particular cake image.  The cake is punched out with the coordinating Cake Builder Punch, and then I fussy cut the lollipops for the top.  All three pieces are popped up on Dimensionals.  I think this card is extra fun because it CAN be for a birthday, but it could just as easily be a random Tuesday card because who doesn't just randomly want cake even when there's no birthday happening?

Maybe this afternoon I'll have some time to bust out a favorite Sale-a-Bration stamp set so I can play along in this challenge a second time.  Head on over to the SUO Challenges blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has made, and then give the challenge a whirl yourself.  It's fun!

Cheers, y'all!  We're off to kiddo's 2-year well baby checkup.  I see shots in his future...

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Piece of Cake
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Coastal Cabana, Gorgeous Grape, Melon Mambo, Pineapple Punch, Granny Apple Green
Paper:  Calypso Coral, Pineapple Punch, Granny Apple Green, Thick Whisper White, How Sweet It Is DSP
Accessories:  Cake Builder Punch, Mini Dimensionals, Glitter Enamel Dots

Count Me In For Cake

Happy Friday y'all!  Ugh, my new year goals for scrapbooking aren't going so hot...BUT I'm making lots of progress on my stitching projects!  Maybe I can get some scrapping done this weekend?  In the meantime, I have a sunny birthday card to share today.

It's been C - O - L - D here this week, but clear skies and sunny so that's something.  Next week we'll be up in the 60s and 70s again.  But anyway!  I made a sunny cake card today with my brand new Piece of Cake stamp set that is much fun.  I splurged on stampy things since my birthday was last week, now I just need to USE all the stuff I got ;). Oh hey, this is my first time using the Rectangle Stitched Shapes Framelits, those are way cool!

Check out this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

This sketch is FABulous for using up scraps of paper!  I don't know about you, but I've got tons of strips that are 1/2" wide, so I was super thrilled to use up a few of them on this card.  I could make a dozen more cards with this layout and still have tons of those 1/2" strips.

I also used this week's Color Throwdown colors:

I used Pool Party, Delightful Dijon, Crumb Cake (should have gone with Soft Suede for more contrast with the Delightful Dijon), and Daffodil Delight.  Cute little owl in the pic.

That's it for me this week.  Ryan and I will soon be off to the Y so I can run and do yoga while he has fun in the nursery.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Piece of Cake
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Daffodil Delight, Delightful Dijon marker, Stampin' Blends in Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, and Crumb Cake
Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Delightful Dijon, Thick Whisper White
Accessories:  Rectangle Stitched Shapes Framelits, Dimensionals