Hello everyone and welcome to the Nancy Drew Challenge! Today we're on #47, The Mysterious Mannequin, which was one of my favorites as a kid!
I love this cover, I think the colors are gorgeous and that mannequin is definitely mysterious. Once again we have Nancy in a pale blue dress, but this one is different from all her other pale blue dresses because of the big fancy buttons. But let's be honest, I want the mannequin's outfit here, except not the veil because if 2020 taught me anything it's that I hate to wear anything over my nose and mouth (and that people should do better about washing their hands). My book is a bit battered and the pages are a bit wavy, so I think it might also have been a bathtub read at one time or another.
Case file: Nancy's father Carson receives a beautiful Turkish rug in the mail which they quickly discover has a hidden message woven into the intricate border. Carson immediately thinks of his client Farouk Tahmasp, who was accused of criminal behavior and skipped town two years ago before he was exonerated. Nancy has to track down the beautiful mannequin that was in Farouk's shop window and the entire Drew Crew including Carson (but not Hannah, which is sad) travels to Istanbul to find Farouk himself. We're in Istanbul, which was Constantinople, Hannah complains about the name change and my brain immediately plays the song by They Might Be Giants. Fun!
Here's my card:
I bought Treasured Medallion off eBay last year and I have no idea why I didn't just buy it when it was in the catalog, it's gorgeous and intricate and I love it and this is the first time I've used it. To start with, I stamped the medallion and greeting with Night of Navy + Versamark, then heat embossed with clear embossing powder, which let me watercolor the medallion without making the outlines run. Yes, this took some time, but I loved every minute. I fussy cut the medallion and then floated it over panels of DSP in the colors of the book cover.
I listened to Averie's True Drew podcast about this book and she didn't like this cover at all (or the story for that matter), but it's one of my favorites.
Supplies, all SU!
Stamps: Treasured Medallion
Ink: Versamark, Night of Navy, Starry Sky, Orchid Oasis, Balmy Blue, Polished Pink, Darling Duckling
Paper: Orchid Oasis, Starry Sky, Balmy Blue, Thick Basic White, DSP in Balmy Blue, Orchid Oasis, and Starry Sky
Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly dies, Clear EP, Dimensionals, In Color Pearls
Of course I have another card:
The Drew Crew does have tea once they're in Istanbul, and also I remember when we stopped in Turkey while on a cruise and all the rug shops will try to get you to stay a while and look at all their wares by offering you tea. Plus the Tea Boutique DSP Stack has Orchid Oasis and Starry Sky as colors, which coordinates with the book cover, and I fussy cut the teapot and teacups from that paper.
This time I focused on the colors in the mannequin's outfit, so Orchid Oasis, Starry Sky, and Polished Pink. Honestly I would love to have all of those colors in the permanent color rotation at SU!
Supplies, all SU!
Stamps: Cup of Tea
Ink: Starry Sky
Paper: Starry Sky, Thick Basic White, Tea Boutique DSP Stack, Starry Sky & Polished Pink DSP
Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly dies, Dimensionals, In Color Pearls
Rating this book is difficult, because the premise is so very silly--why does Farouk have a hidden message woven into a rug instead of just sending a letter, which is both faster and cheaper and also a heck of a lot easier? That's not his only questionable decision, either. Regardless, this one was one of my favorites as a kid and I just loved getting to read it again, even if it's far-fetched and silly. And this is my blog, so I'm going to give it five stars just for the warm fuzzy nostalgia it evokes, even if the mystery itself isn't five stars. If you're inspired to create a card, please leave me a comment here so I can see! And we'll see you next Saturday when it gets *really* weird as Nancy faces off with The Crooked Bannister. Cheers!
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