The Clue of the Leaning Chimney

Happy Saturday and welcome back to another Nancy Drew Challenge!  Today's book is #26, The Clue of the Leaning Chimney.

Both of these covers are by Rudy Nappi; there's the original text on the left and revised on the right.  Nancy, Bess, and George are investigating a mysterious walled compound in the woods wearing very sensible...skirts?!  And probably heels?!  We do have some nice colors on the three girls on the OT cover but I don't know why Bess has dark hair.  I can tell it's Bess in blue because of the expression on her face, George would look eager or determined to get inside the compound and Bess looks concerned.

The RT cover is a similar composition but focusing on Nancy, who's still in a totally inappropriate (but pretty) outfit.  Seriously how does she climb trees in that skirt without getting dirty?  I'm still choosing this one as my favorite of the two; I think Nancy's face is prettier and I like the patterning on her shirt and skirt.  This one just appeals to me more than the OT.

Let's take a look at the story!

Case file:  While driving home late one evening, Nancy and Bess encounter a mysterious man in the woods who drops an antique Chinese vase.  Soon Nancy is involved in tracking down stolen Chinese pottery and the crooks who are not only forging copies of priceless originals, but are also engaged in human trafficking and forcing their victims to make the forged pieces.  Pretty dark for a Nancy Drew book.

Here's my card:

One of the first objects stolen in the book is a vase that has a dragon on it and wouldn't you know I have a stamp of a vase that has a dragon on it?  I have a few packs of DSP with Oriental-inspired designs, so I chose the Ginger Blossom DSP for Nancy's red skirt.

I stamped the vase with Pebbled Path + Versamark, then embossed with clear EP so I could watercolor it.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Ancient Asia, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Versamark, Pebbled Path, Ruby Red, River Rock
Paper:  Ruby Red, River Rock, Thick Basic White, Ginger Blossom DSP
Accessories:  Stylish Shapes dies, Word Window & Modern Label punches, Mini Dimensionals, Candy Dot

Here's the RT:

No major changes to the story line here and I decided to make my cards very similar too:

This time I used the Green Tea DSP, which is Ginger Blossom redone in blues and greens.  And that was perfect to go with Nancy's outfit on this book cover.

I do remember this one from reading it as a kid; Nancy gets to learn about some Chinese symbolism and pottery-making methods which is fun.  I give it four stars.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Ancient Asia, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Versamark, Pebbled Path, Baja Breeze, Island Indigo
Paper:  Island Indigo, Thick Basic White, Green Tea DSP
Accessories:  Stylish Shapes dies, Word Window & Modern Label punches, Mini Dimensionals, Candy Dot

As always, if you're inspired by Nancy Drew, I would love to see what you make so drop a comment on this post.  My book analysis blog is still on hiatus for the moment but I'll be bringing it back probably after the new year, you can find it at Hey Nancy Drew.  Next week we have another great installment, so stay tuned to learn The Secret of the Wooden Lady.  Cheers!