The Double Jinx Mystery

Mornin' y'all and welcome to the FIFTIETH Nancy Drew Challenge!  I am still just having the best time entertaining myself over here, both reading the books and making cards for them, and I hope you're enjoying the journey with me.  So today, Nancy takes on The Double Jinx Mystery.

Once again we have a mostly brown cover (see also 99 Steps and Crossword Cipher), but this time Nancy is wearing a pretty cool 70s orange collared shirt with a fun pattern (this book was first published in 1973, still some years before I was even born).  Not sure why Nancy looks extra worried on this one, but hey, we get another Ned cover!  I had some fun using this cover for inspiration, as you'll see in a minute.

Case file:  Carson asks Nancy to help investigate a case where a town is considering tearing down a family-owned zoo and aviary to make way for a high-rise apartment complex.  Someone is trying to convince the owners of the zoo/aviary that they're being jinxed, so there's quite a lot about superstitions and it's very clear that Harriet Stratemeyer Adams gives superstitious people short shrift.  Nancy and Ned both contract ornithosis (different from bird flu according to Google, but it sounds similar) while investigating and Nancy gets kidnapped by one of the most bizarre villains ever, a mentally unbalanced male ballet dancer.  A bonkers ballerino, if you will.

Here's my card:

A lot of this book has to do with birds, and one of the characters is a foreign exchange student from an unnamed Eurasian country who brings along her pet wryneck woodpecker while studying in the States, like you do.  I don't have any wryneck stamps, but I figured a feather would do, and I had a good (and messy) time making the background with watercolor paper, ink refills, and salt.  I dripped the ink on wet watercolor paper, then spritzed more water to get the colors to run, and when you sprinkle salt on and let it dry, it kinda gives you freckles, which I liked.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Fine Feathers, Sincere Salutations
Ink:  Peach Pie, Pecan Pie, Early Espresso
Paper:  Early Espresso, Basic Beige, watercolor paper, Autumn Toile DSP
Accessories:  Lots of Labels dies, In Color Dots, Dimensionals

I was having SUCH a good time with my background that I ended up with several more pieces, and I thought I could make a better card than the first one, so here is attempt #2:

I do like this one better with the fussy-cut feathers, and I feel like it lets more of the fun background show.  I chose the good luck greeting for both of these cards since so much of the book has to deal with people thinking they're jinxed or getting bad luck from all kinds of things, which reminded me of the peacock-induced bad luck from The Hidden Window Mystery.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Fine Feathers, Sincere Salutations
Ink:  Peach Pie, Pecan Pie, Early Espresso
Paper:  Early Espresso, Basic Beige, Very Vanilla, watercolor paper, Autumn Toile DSP
Accessories:  Rectangles Stitched dies, Pecan Pie Ribboned Dots, Dimensionals

And then I liked the second card so much that I just had to keep going and make a third:

I had to do a get well card since Nancy and Ned both come down with ornithosis in this book, it just made me giggle.  And this time I found a piece of DSP with a great circle pattern that matches Nancy's shirt!

As soon as I found that pattern in the Gathering Together Specialty DSP I knew I would use it.  The watercolor bit is a leftover piece from my first watercolor background so I kind of had to build the rest of the card around it.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Wildlife Wonder, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Peach Pie, Pecan Pie, Early Espresso
Paper:  Pecan Pie, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, watercolor paper, Gathering Together Specialty DSP
Accessories:  Layering Circles dies, Circles Collection Framelits, Dimensionals, Earthy Matte Dots

This book and its focus on superstitions and bad luck is just a little weird to me, and that's even before we get to the bonkers ballerino, so I'm giving it two and a half stars.  I think several books in the 50s go a bit off the track but sometimes the really bananas ones are the most fun (the high-water mark for bananas shenanigans is still a tie between Brass-Bound Trunk and Moss-Covered Mansion, and I really love those), but this one just feels weird without the extra fun.  Anyway, I hope it inspires you to make something and if so, leave me a comment!  And make sure to tune in next Saturday when things get *really* weird (again!) for Mystery of the Glowing Eye.

Sketchy Pair

Mornin' y'all!  Happy Friday.  I have some work ahead of me today; I need to clear everything out of our closet because we're painting the master closet and all the ceilings in the master suite this weekend.  Hope it won't take too long before we paint the walls, too--I'm ready to have all that greige gone!  Well, after we paint the master suite, we'll still have greige in some of the smaller closets, but I'll let that slide because they don't bother me as much.

Anyway, I sat down yesterday to make a card based on a sketch, and since I let the patterned paper pretty much do all the work, I ended up with two cards:

And here's the sketch from Hand-Stamped Sentiments:

For the card on the left, I snipped the flowers out of some Lovely Blossoms DSP and that panel was not quite as wide as on the original sketch, but I think you can tell that's where I started.  And then I just had to make a second card with the Midnight Flora DSP too because I hadn't played with it for a little bit.

Time for me to get Ryan ready for school and then I'm going to start pulling everything out of the closet.  And then later today I've gotta make cookies because it's National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, which is definitely an important holiday.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Words of Beauty
Ink:  Secret Sea
Paper:  Barely Blush, Cloud Cover, Peaceful Pine, Secret Sea, Thick Basic White, Lovely Blossoms DSP, Midnight Flora DSP
Accessories:  Words of Beauty dies, Mini Dimensionals, Natural Matte Dots, linen thread, Night of Navy bakers twine

California Poppies

Mornin' y'all.  I've been feeling a bit under the weather since yesterday, not sure why, but I plan to take it easy today and get some rest to see if that helps.  Not that I'm usually all that wild and crazy, but ya know.  So far the craziest thing I've done is buy fourteen books : )  No wait, it was fifteen.  I found a couple of lots of Hardy Boys books on eBay for cheaps and I got a couple new Kindle books as well.  Yay new books!  And Ryan has soccer practice tonight, which means a guaranteed hour of reading time for me.

Anyway, I did get a card made to share today, having some fun exploring different color combinations with Fern & Flora, and I thought I'd try one of the smaller floral stamps for today:

I used this week's Creative Colour Challenge:

And now I think the flowers look like California poppies, which is fun.  I added just a teensy tiny bit of Smoky Slate shading on my image, but I ended up with a Smoky Slate card base just to make sure that color registers on my card.  I did a mirror image of the CAS Colours & Sketches sketch:

I almost always do my diagonals going upwards because it feels happier to me, is that weird?  If I use patterned paper with a diagonal on a scrapbook page, it's going up towards the right with very few exceptions.  Just how my brain works, I guess.  Anyway, I debated what to use for that diagonal on the sketch, and decided to just die cut a couple of ferns.

That's it for me today, peeps.  Daphne is already asking to go for a walk and then maybe I'll convince her to sit with me on the couch and watch The Mandalorian.  Or take a nap.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Fern & Flora
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Pumpkin Pie, Lost Lagoon, Smoky Slate
Paper:  Smoky Slate, Lost Lagoon, Thick Basic White
Accessories:  Fern & Flora dies, Nested Essentials dies, Dimensionals

Pink Peony

Mornin' y'all!  It's really nice outside so I opened the back door for Daphne, and she's been doing speed racer laps from the backyard into the house and back out again.  She looks like a happy doggo.

For today's card, I brought out another older stamp set and had some fun with masking and blending brushes, take a look:

HOLY COW I hadn't used Beautiful Day for SIX YEARS!!!  Well, I'm glad I brought it out of retirement for today's card.  It doesn't show much in the picture but I painted the navy lines on the flower with Wink of Stella for a bit of sparkle.  I wanted a big, bold flower for the Inspired By... Challenge:

Isn't that a lovely inspo pic?  I always love the combination of pink and navy, and those vases are gorgeous.  I paired that with this week's Atlantic Hearts sketch:

I didn't put my dotty embellishments in the same place as on the sketch but hopefully the Challenge Police will let it slide this time.  I had a good time yesterday putting this card together, it was so fun to bust out that stamp set again.

Time to finish my tea and then take Miss Daphne for a walk, if she has enough energy after her zoomies this morning.  Oh who am I kidding, Daph always has energy for a walk.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Beautiful Day
Ink:  Night of Navy, Pretty in Pink, Mossy Meadow
Paper:  Pretty in Pink, Thick Basic White, Floral Boutique DSP, Mossy Meadow DSP
Accessories:  Stitched So Sweetly dies, Dimensionals, In Color Flat Pearls, Wink of Stella

A Beachy Sketch for SUO Challenges

Goooood morning stampy friends!  Are you ready for a new challenge from SUO Challenges?  Because we have one heading your way, and it's a fun sketch:

I mentioned yesterday that I finally got the Rolling Waves bundle in my hot little hands, and I couldn't resist using it for this sketch, so here's my card:

I had a good time layering the dies and the stamped detail for the waves, with the white foam standing in for the green strip on the sketch.  I combined two sets of circle dies for the sentiment and the only thing I wish I could change is where I put the seashell, it should be up closer to the sentiment but I'd already glued it down so there it stays.  A few In Color Dots and done!

I do have to say, though, that somehow I managed to order TWO of this bundle, I guess I was just so excited when it finally was back in stock?  That's the first time that's happened in over twenty years of being a demo for SU!, and in fact I had no idea that SU! doesn't do returns, only exchanges.  So I sent back the extra bundle for a very boring exchange of cardstock and some stamp cases.  That'll teach me to look more carefully before I submit an order!

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this sketch as much as I did, and upload your card to the SUO Challenges blog.  Don't forget that this is a Stampin' Up! Only challenge, like it says on the tin : ) Have fun!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Rolling Waves
Ink:  Blueberry Bushel, Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake
Paper:  Blueberry Bushel, Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake, Basic White
Accessories:  Rolling Waves dies, Spotlight on Nature dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Dimensionals, In Color Dots

Pastel Shells

Mornin' y'all!  Happy Monday, hope you had a good weekend.  Since yesterday was Mother's Day, the hubs and the kid made me breakfast while I sat in the living room and was hugely entertained listening to them.  I pretty much live-tweeted the whole thing to my pal Krissy so she could be entertained too (and she was).  I ended up choosing a lemon coffee cake recipe and it tastes pretty good but doesn't look like much; the crumb topping kinda sank into everything else but the top was sorta chewy?  Anyway, I like the idea of a lemon coffee cake but I think the recipe could be better, no shade to my beginner bakers for how it turned out.  I just finished a piece for breakfast today and I think it benefits from being chilled.

Anyway, I do have a card to share today:

We're going retro today for the Retro Rubber Challenge.  So, By the Seashore is around 14 years old, Nature's Prints (the greeting) is 4 years old, and Netting (the background) is at least 13 years old.  And I paired all that retro-ness with some new things, like Barely Blush and Hydrangea Hue inks and I made a mask from the die out of the Rolling Waves bundle which I finally got last week (you will be seeing more of that tomorrow).

Here's the Retro Rubber color challenge:

I used Hydrangea Hue for the blue/purple tone, then Barely Blush, Pink Pirouette, and Crisp Cantaloupe for three pale pinkish shades.  That was about as close as I could get to the palette.  I paired that with the theme challenge from As You See It:

And I slightly modified the TGIF Challenges sketch:

I was hunting all over for a greeting to go on the little panel in the bottom left, but I ended up liking the hello from Nature's Prints so I subbed in a circle and then turned the other pink panel on the sketch into three In Color Dots.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  By the Seashore, Nature's Prints, Netting
Ink:  Barely Blush, Pink Pirouette, Crisp Cantaloupe, Hydrangea Hue, Versamark
Paper:  Barely Blush, Crisp Cantaloupe, Basic White
Accessories:  Rectangles Stitched dies, Stitched Shapes dies, white EP, Dimensionals, In Color Dots

And now for some Daphne pictures because who doesn't love puppy pictures on a Monday morning:

I signed her up for Bark Box last week and her first one was delivered last night (in a bag, so is it a Bark Bag?).  I just opened it up this morning and she got three toys and a couple of types of treats.  I think she's excited about it.

She was running back and forth across the living room with her new toys and clearly she's loving this so I'm glad I signed her up.  I signed her up for the super chewers level so we'll see how well those toys stand up to Destructo-Dog Daphne here.

I am out of tea so I think I'll take Daph out for her daily perambulation and then go switch out laundry.  Very exciting plans for this morning, ha!  Cheers, y'all!

T-Rexcellent Colors for The Paper Players

Good morning, stampy friends!  Sunday means a new challenge from The Paper Players!  I hope y'all enjoyed Jaydee's feminine card challenge last week; today, Claire has a great color palette for us!

I had a bit of a think about these colors and then I decided that the obvious choice was a dinosaur.  A T. Rex to be specific:

I haven't made a dino card for my dino-loving pal Krissy in a while, so this was a great time to make one!  I stamped the T. Rex from Whimsy Stamps and colored him in with Stampin' Blends; I still have the 3-pack of Coastal Cabana Blendabilities from way back and WHEN is SU! going to make Blends in Gorgeous Grape and Coastal Cabana?!  Anyway, I wanted Rexy here to look like he was peeking out of a window, and my old reliable Rectangles Stitched dies made that easy.  Those enamel dots are some of the first embellishments in that style that SU! ever produced and I bought like five packs so I still have a bunch.  They have all three of the challenge colors!

I actually stamped and colored two Rexies because I wasn't sure I liked the eyes on the first one, but I decided he needed his own card anyway, so here he is:

I didn't have enough of that Gorgeous Grape polka dot pattern to exactly remake the first card, so I just played around with some DSP scraps for a different layout.

Supplies:
Stamps:  Roarsome Rex from Whimsy Stamps
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Coastal Cabana, Stampin' Blends in Granny Apple Green
Paper:  Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana, Thick Basic White, Gorgeous Grape & Coastal Cabana DSP
Accessories:  Roarsome Rex dies from Whimsy Stamps, Stylish Shapes dies, Rectangles Stitched dies, Dimensionals, Glitter Enamel Dots

Check out the other design team creations on the Paper Players blog, and you can hop through their individual blogs to leave some comments too:

The Paper Players Design Team

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Claire Broadwater

Joanne James

Anne Marie Hile

Ann Schach

Jan Clothier

Stef Perry

you are here --> Christy Stanford

And then upload your card at the Paper Players blog!  Keep in mind a few simple rules:
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission
3.  Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL
4.  Have fun!

Here's Daphne trying to "help"...or she wants to chew up my craft supplies, one or the other.  Naughty girl!