The Crooked Banister

Good morning friends, and welcome to the 48th Nancy Drew Challenge!  Today, Nancy is investigating The Crooked Banister.

Okay, so Rudy Nappi went ALL IN on the hot pink on this cover but I really like the composition with the crooked banister and that somewhat menacing robot.  Quite an eye-catching cover.

Case file:  Carson has clients who have been swindled by conman Rawley Banister, who has since disappeared, so he asks Nancy to investigate Rawley's peculiar mansion and see if she can find clues as to where he went, with the help of Rawley's two siblings.  Rawley liked to call himself the Crooked Banister and he's got a creepy robot, a literal crooked banister, poison paintings, hidden rooms, and a moat that sometimes catches on fire.  Yeah this one is pretty weird.

Here's my card:

Did I buy robot stamps just for this challenge?  Uh, YEAH, of course I did.  I had to make a card for Robby the Robot (who does not say "Danger Will Robinson!" because he IS the danger), and I really enjoyed the colors too:  Magenta Madness, Lovely Lipstick, and Mango Melody.

My robot is far less menacing than Nancy's.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Nuts & Bolts
Ink:  Basic Gray, Versamark, Stampin' Blends in Smoky Slate & Magenta Madness
Paper:  Magenta Madness, Lovely Lipstick, Thick Basic White, Magenta Madness DSP, Lovely Lipstick DSP, Mango Melody DSP
Accessories:  Stylish Shapes dies, white EP, Dimensionals, Smoky Slate Pearls

One more card because I was having fun:

Rawley was obsessed with poisons so I had to do a poisonous card with the Sweet Hauntings stamp set.  I need to ink up my Lovely Lipstick ink pad, my background of poisonous drips was more subtle than I was really going for.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sweet Hauntings, Drizzling Droplets
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Lovely Lipstick, Stampin' Blends in Mango Melody, Magenta Madness, Lovely Lipstick, Smoky Slate
Paper:  Magenta Madness, Thick Basic White, Lovely Lipstick DSP, Mango Melody DSP
Accessories:  Layering Circles dies, Dimensionals, Neutral Matte Dots

Like I said before, this book is just a bit bizarre...well, more than a bit, but I do enjoy bananas hijinks so I'm giving this one three and a half stars because I think it's fun.  If Nancy and Robby inspire you to make a card, please leave me a comment so I can see!  And we'll see you next week when Nancy sleuths out The Secret of Mirror Bay.

Toadstool Appreciation

Mornin' y'all!  Ryan isn't feeling so great this morning, poor kid, but I dropped him off at school for just a one-hour assessment today and then he can change back into jams and rot on the couch for the rest of the day if he wants to.  We got dinner from a food truck last night because we were at an event at Ryan's school, so maybe his burger didn't agree with him.

Anyway, I do have a card to share today and that's what you're here for, so here it is:

Yep, once again I am using Words of Beauty that Joanne made me get : )  This time I used one of the Stylish Shapes dies and paired it with the retired Gathering Moments because it's my stamp room and I can do what I want.  Check out the Just Add Ink sketch:

I had to ponder this one for a few days, but I was looking through my stamps for something to go with the Creative Colour Challenge for this week:

And I came across Gathering Moments and thought it would be perfect for the three smaller circles on the sketch.  I actually had to make this card twice because the first time I used Lemon Lime Twist instead of Soft Sea Foam...I really like LLT with Blackberry Bliss, so I grabbed it even though I had written down the correct color.

Not much time now before I have to go pick Ryan up, hope he's feeling better soon.  I think he'll be vegging on the couch and watching Miraculous:  The Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, which is a pretty fantastic cartoon set in Paris and it's on Disney Plus.  Maybe I'll watch with him.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Gathering Moments, Words of Beauty
Ink:  Blackberry Bliss, Soft Sea Foam, Calypso Coral
Paper:  Blackberry Bliss, Soft Sea Foam, Thick Basic White, Regal Winter DSP
Accessories:  Gathering Moments dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Layering Circles dies, Pearls of Beauty, Dimensionals

Little Ladybug Thanks

Mornin' y'all!  We woke up to SNOW this morning, but the temperature is just above freezing so I don't think it's going to stick around too long.  It's still trying to snow out there though, so I think I will be driving Ryan to school this morning.

Anyway, I recently acquired (yet another) retired stamp set and it just happened that there was a confluence of sketch and color challenges for me to ink it up.  Here's my card:

Field Journal also has an image of a duck and we know how Ryan loves ducks, plus I like the font on the greetings in this stamp set.  It was brand new (until I got my hands on it, ha!) and I got it at a good price.

Here's this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

I immediately saw that dividing line as a bit of ribbon, and I made my card a normal A2 size because I just don't like making cards in other sizes because I'm like that.  Here's the latest Color Dare:

I did Real Red, Shaded Spruce, and Balmy Blue.  I tried coloring the image with Blends first but I just didn't like it, so I used watercolor pencils instead.  The only part I blended with a watercolor brush is the Balmy Blue background.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Field Journal
Ink:  Early Espresso
Paper:  Shaded Spruce, Basic White, Shaded Spruce DSP
Accessories:  Nested Essentials dies, Chocolate Chip Polytwill Ribbon, Dimensionals, Delightful Decorative Dots

One more project to share today, earlier this week I finished my stitching project:

The pattern is called Pretty Little Los Angeles from Satsuma Street, and I started it last month when we were in Telluride.  Before I started stitching, my brain was most insistent that I needed to do this on orange fabric and...I think I like it?  I'm not 100% sure, but for now it's done.  I pulled floss for a new project yesterday and then I had to organize all my printed patterns and fabric.  The fabric is still all over the bed in the guest room so I'll finish organizing that today and hopefully choose a color for my new project.

In the meantime, I've got to get Ryan off to school and then there will be several cups of tea.  Cheers!

Playful Puppers

Mornin' y'all, and send caffeine.  I woke up at around two last night and couldn't get back to sleep, so I read a book on my Kindle until about 4:30 (yep, finished that book).  On the upside, I'm 8 books ahead of my Goodreads reading goal for 2026.  On the downside, I'm going to be tired and headachey today.

But let's have a cheerful card, shall we?

I know there are kittens and birds in this stamp set, but let's be real, I got it for the doggos : )  I used the latest color challenge from CAS Colours & Sketches:

I was very tempted to make a Halloween card, but I went with puppers instead.  The flowers are colored with both shades of Flirty Flamingo Blends, bandanas are the two shades of Pumpkin Pie, and the puppers are, from left to right, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate, Pecan Pie, and one of the dark neutrals because he looks like a Labrador to me and I always wanted a chocolate Lab.  Not to say I don't adore my Supermutt, Daphne:

This was her yesterday asking me to throw the rubber chicken for her.  She can, will, and does destroy most toys before you can say "Destructo-Dog", but the rubber chicken and the rubber duck are holding up pretty well.  My living room is currently decorated with the eviscerated fluff from a toy I bought her on Monday; she is completely unrepentant.  She's lucky she's cute.

Anyway, I'm off to make my second cuppa tea and then take Ms. Destructo-Dog out for a tour of the neighborhood.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Cutest Crew
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Lemon Lime Twist, Flirty Flamingo, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate, Pecan Pie, neutrals
Paper:  Lemon Lime Twist, Thick Basic White, LLT DSP
Accessories:  Cutest Crew dies, Nested Essentials dies, Dimensonials, Array of Dots

CASEing Cindy for SUO Challenges

Mornin' y'all!  It's a cloudy morning but I don't think we have any more rain forecast for today.  Daphne and I got rained on during our walk yesterday and she was a bit confused and not altogether happy about it.  Ryan got rained on a bit too, but he didn't seem to be at all unhappy about it.

Anyway, it's time for a new challenge at SUO Challenges!  Here's what we've got for you:

We are CASEing Cindy and isn't this a marvelous card?  I really liked the dark DSP background with the lighter band across it for the sentiment, and don't you know I have a brand new pack of dark and delicious DSP so here's what I made:

I kept the fern-y feel of Cindy's DSP but I just had to make something with the Moonlit Flora DSP, isn't it GORGEOUS.  And I need to order the other new In Color Blends because I don't have Golden Glow yet, so I had to watercolor my little moth.  I chose a beautiful print from the DSP and matted it in Soft Sea Foam (I think this DSP might actually make me a fan of Soft Sea Foam, I love how it works with the other colors in here) and used the same color for my band.  There's a friendship greeting in Fern & Flora, so I used that, and then layered a couple of die cuts and my luna moth.  I moved the band and die cuts down a bit from Cindy's card just to work better with my patterned paper, and I used the clear Dewdrops that are in this suite of products as subtle embellishments.  I definitely need another pack (...or two) of this DSP, I love it.

Now it's your turn!  CASE Cindy's wonderful card and link up at the SUO Challenges blog.  Don't forget to keep it SU! Only...that's the name of the challenge, after all, and have fun!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Fern & Flora
Ink:  Secret Sea, Golden Glow, Versamark
Paper:  Peaceful Pine, Soft Sea Foam, Old Olive, Thick Basic White, Moonlit Flora DSP
Accessories:  Fern & Flora dies, Mini Dimensionals, Clear EP, Dewdrops

Singin' in the Rain

Mornin' y'all!  Guess what?  It RAINED yesterday!  And we have a chance of rain several days this week!  Guess all my rainy day crafting has finally manifested actual precipitation, ha!  And I have another rainy card to share today:

I just had to have another go at some of last week's challenges, and Playing in the Rain and Rain or Shine were still out on my crafting table.  I decided to get out the sweet bunny this time for the Sunday Stamps challenge:

I skipped the lighter pink and then used Flirty Flamingo, Pineapple Punch, Cloud Cover, and Shy Shamrock for my colors.  That rainy background from the Rain or Shine Specialty DSP is I think a mix of Balmy Blue and Smoky Slate, but it turns out it coordinates really well with Cloud Cover.  I gave the bunny a bright yellow rain slicker because I've always wanted a bright yellow rain slicker and I've never had one.

Once again we have the Retro Rubber Challenge:

I think I nailed the rain theme better on this one than with my fox card.  Once again, Playing in the Rain is 3 years old and Rain or Shine is 13 years old, nice and retro for both.

Inkspirational wants to see rainy cards too:

And I used the same Freshly Made Sketch as the fox card:

This time I did die cut a circle to go behind my little bunny, I think I like it better than the fox card for that.  And then, since I had the Rain or Shine DSP out anyway, I made one more card:

I had never fussy cut these little pals out of the DSP before so it was past time they got on a card of their own, especially after Ann made such a cute card with this paper for a Paper Players challenge.  Everything on here is cut from the DSP, the only stamping is the greeting.  I have been on a tear with paper tearing lately, I seem to want to do that on a lot of cards, but it's a quick and easy way to add extra interest.

That's it for me, peeps.  I've got to get Ryan off to school, finish my brekkie (English breakfast tea and an orange strawberry scone) and then I'm off to have my head examined : )  I'm having an MRI to investigate why I've been having more headaches than usual lately.  Hubs says I've been needing my head examined for years since I live with him and Ryan, but I loves them anyway.  Hope you have a great day, rainy or not!

Supplies, first card:
Stamps:  Playing in the Rain, Rain or Shine
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Craft Whisper White, Stampin' Blends in Cloud Cover, Flirty Flamingo, Pineapple Punch, Shy Shamrock
Paper:  Cloud Cover, Thick Basic White, Rain or Shine Specialty DSP
Accessories:  Playing in the Rain dies, Textured Notes dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Dimensionals, white EP, In Color Flat Pearls

Supplies, second card:
Stamps:  Playing in the Rain
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper:  Old Olive, Rain or Shine Specialty DSP
Accessories:  None

Just One More with The Paper Players

Gooooood morning stampy friends!  Thanks to everyone who played along with my baby animals challenge last week at The Paper Players, I had so much fun looking at all the little babies!  It's Sunday again already, which means it's time for a new Paper Players challenge, and this week the stylin' Stef has a wonderful sketch for us!

This was one of those sketches where my brain was trying to go in several directions at once and I had to make myself pause and concentrate on one idea because focus is important.  This is where I ended up:

Really if you replace the stack of books she's using to rest her head for an actual pillow, this is me every single evening.  NEW STAMPS ALERT!  Tracy recently posted a card she made with bookish stamps from Unity, and wouldn't you know I just *had* to mosey on over to their website to check them out and I ended up with three bookish stamp sets of my very own...and don't tell the hubs, I have a couple more stamp sets on the way from them.  I was a naughty girl last week with the online shopping! 

I was inspired to use one of my new bookish stamp sets as soon as I saw the TGIF Challenges inspo pic on Friday morning:

I happened to have a piece of Barely Blush cardstock on my stamping table when I sat down to make my card, so I thought I'd stamp the image on that to make it warmer than if I used Whisper White or even Very Vanilla.  I was going to go along with the colors in the inspo pic, but that Barely Blush base layer took me in a different direction and I had some fun hunting through my pack of 100 Crayola colored pencils for my colors.  Been a minute since I used colored pencils, so that was fun!  This is my first time using Barely Blush, and while I have not been fond of our past colors with "blush" in the name, I think I'm going to like this one.

Supplies:
Stamps:  Just One More Chapter from Unity Stamps
Ink:  Early Espresso
Paper:  Early Espresso, Barely Blush, Soft Suede DSP
Accessories:  Crayola colored pencils, corner rounder punch, In Color Flat Pearls

I still have two other bookish stamp sets that need to be inked up, but I thought I'd show you the card I had made for this challenge before I went for books:

Oh hey, it's the Lovely Blossoms DSP that Joanne convinced me to buy!  I snipped the larger flower image out of one sheet of the patterned paper, stamped a greeting on it, and then layered it with some other patterns in the pack and this whole thing took like ten minutes.  This sketch is versatile, y'all!  I used the exact same measurements on this card as I did for my bookish card, the strip on the left is one inch wide and the larger section is three inches wide, and I dusted off my corner rounder punch just for a little fun detail.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Fern & Flora
Ink:  Secret Sea
Paper:  Cloud Cover, Lovely Blossoms DSP
Accessories:  Neutral Matte Dots, corner rounder punch

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!