The Clue in the Jewel Box

Happy Saturday y'all and welcome to a new Nancy Drew Challenge!  This time we're attempting to unravel The Clue in the Jewel Box.

I think it's fun how the OT and RT covers have the creepy dude, Nancy in pink, the old lady, and NOT the titular jewel box on the cover.  We'll get to that last part in a minute.  Nancy is feeling VERY 60s on both covers and they're both by Rudy Nappi so maybe that's why they are so similar.  I like them both quite well.

Case file:  Nancy becomes acquainted with Madame Marie Alexandra, the deposed queen mother of a never-named European country (Russia, obvs) who is searching for her grandson, the only other member of the royal family to survive the revolution.  This is Anastasia with a boy instead of a girl.  Nancy finds a man who has some bona fides, but his uncouth manners make Nancy doubt that he really is the lost prince.  The Easter egg with the nightingale in it (and that piece is consistently referred to as an Easter egg, not a jewel box) sings instructions to look for the clue in the jewel box, which is shaped like Madame Alexandra's favorite footman from the palace.  Nancy finds the real prince and also smashes a pickpocket ring operating in River Heights.

Here's my card for the OT:

I knew from the jump that I wanted to use the Bird Ballad DSP because it has the same colors as the book cover and it's got birds, which calls back to the nightingale in the Easter egg.  I let the DSP be the star of the show here, the only stamping is the greeting.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Free as a Bird
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper:  Pool Party, Thick Basic white, Bird Ballad DSP
Accessories:  Lots of Labels Framelits, Dimensionals, Solid Faceted Gems

And here's the RT:

Case file:  The story remains the same as the OT, the only obvious changes I can think of are that Helen is married to Jim Archer in this one instead of having Buck Rodman as her date.  Also I think the OT is the first reference to Dave and Burt, who turn into Bess and George's regular dates for the rest of the hardback Nancy Drews.  Anyway, basically the same story and still the cover doesn't have the jewel box on it.

Here's my card:

I still used the Bird Ballad DSP but I brought in the Winterly Tree Tops stamp set, which coordinates beautifully with Bird Ballad and Free as a Bird, a stamp set that predates this one by a couple of years and was released with the Bird Ballad DSP.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Winterly Tree Tops
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Pool Party, Stampin' Blends in Smoky Slate, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Pecan Pie
Paper:  Petal Pink, Pool Party, Thick Basic White, Bird Ballad DSP
Accessories:  Winterly Tree Tops dies, Dimensionals, Petal Pink Foil Gems

Side note:  My favorite part of these books (this happens in both) is that Nancy and her father Carson go to a daddy-daughter picnic thing where a judge drops his daughter's compact and complains that women's clothing doesn't have pockets.  PREACH, JUDGE!  Why is this still a problem in 2025?!

So there you have The Clue in the Diary, which is a great addition to the ND lineup.  Leave me a comment if you want to make your own card for the challenge, I would love to see if you're also inspired by Nancy!  As always, you can read (lots) more at Hey, Nancy Drew, where my most recent post is a deep dive into The Message in the Hollow Oak.  Next Saturday on this blog, we'll be working to uncover The Secret in the Old Attic, another great one!