Thursday, October 31, 2013

Nancy Drew Ghost of Blackwood Hall Halloween Party


Nancy Drew
Blackwood Hall 
Halloween Party 

I selected the spooky Nancy Drew classic book, The Ghost of Blackwood Hall, #25 in the series as this year's Halloween party theme. This year was my 5th annual Nancy Drew Halloween Party and I set out to recreate a little bit of Blackwood Hall as the setting. 12 of us gathered at the house for an evening of spooks and treats with a ghostly theme. We dined on an old favorite, Parmesan chicken, penne Alfredo, salad with all the trimmings, rolls, chips and dips and salsa, peanut butter chocolate cream cheese ball with cookies and crackers, and for dessert: rice krispie treat cupcakes, popcorn balls, pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate, and Reese's peanut butter cookie cups. Sleuth Pam from Canada also brought us some delicious chocolates from Canada and Maple Sugar candies! Bess would have been in Heaven--except for the luminous green "poison" punch! Yum!

We played a quicksand trivia game for prizes, Pam also brought a nifty crossword puzzle based on the book, and we held our annual treat bag gift exchange. We also took photos with photo booth props and glowing glasses--the ones on the porch without the flash have a very ghostly effect! The porch was the hidden elevator in Blackwood Hall complete with green glowing specter and to the side was the secret room that opened off the elevator that had the skeleton, magic props, mannequin, and scary looking cat. The front window silhouette was a take on the second cover art shown above with Nancy standing apart from Bess (who says "Eeek!") and George with the flashlight. The house was decorated with ghosts, pumpkins lit the walkway and hung from the trees with lights inside, and 2 large scarecrows guarded the entry to the porch with crows perched on their arms. Inside the back of the elevator was a jar of green "poison" just like was left with Nancy in the elevator by the villainous Brex Brothers! I passed out goody bags to everyone with treats and Blackwood Hall buttons.

Before the party, we had some events as part of the Drew-O-Ween this year with a meet and greet dinner on Thursday and Friday book hunting and visit to Schnepf Farms for the Pumpkin & Chili Party and spooky corn maze. Was lots of fun to those who attended this year's first annual Drew-O-Ween. The Blackwood Hall party was the grand finale. Here's photos from the party:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Margaret Judson, villain from Scarlet Slipper joined us!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Snickers the Beagle tries to charm villain Margaret Judson!

Jenn:)

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Nancy Drew Halloween Party Craft Project #4 - Treat Buckets


Nancy Drew Treat Buckets anyone? So easy to do. I created these for those who registered for this year's Drew-O-Ween. Print out a template, trace it onto the backside of the $1 orange jack o' lantern bucket and then paint in the lines. You might have to do two coats. Fill with loot and at night you can reuse the bucket as a lantern using battery powered tea lights--looks great all lit up at night.

 
 
 
Jenn:)

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Nancy Drew Gets a Reissue - 4 Classic Covers Redone for 2014


Classic Nancy Drew is being reissued in May 2014 with 4 new covers for The Secret of the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase, The Bungalow Mystery, and The Mystery at Lilac Inn. Any kind of reissuing, as has been done for the modern series still being printed into new stories (with its ups and downs of how that's worked and not worked so much), always makes me pause, because Nancy Drew is a classic and the look of the books and the stories will always be classic--like Gone with the Wind and Shakespeare--do they need updating? Not really. With that said, the texts have not been revised, they are still the same fun and nostalgic stories as always and the current covers will all be sold as usual like they always have been. These 4 hardcover editions are just special collector editions they are coming out with. They won't feature the original 1930s texts for these books--these texts haven't been in print (other than Applewood reissues) since the 1959/1960/1961, so they're the current editions being published.

They're simply awesome--they've got a great vintage look, a bit of a Deco style and even a little Steampunk thrown in with Old Clock and the gears. They've got a vintage feel with a bit of a modern flair and I adore them. I can't wait to collect these versions. 

Here's a blur for Old Clock above and blurbs from the publisher for the other 3 books:

A special treat for Nancy Drew fans, and any reader who's new to the series! We're releasing a stunning new edition of an old favorite: The Secret of the Old Clock, the first book in the incredibly popular, long-running series. It's the same exciting mystery that readers have fallen in love with for more than 80 years—Nancy Drew has to help Mr. Crowly's friends find his missing will, before the evil Topham family steals his full inheritance. Now with a brand-new look, this is an edition that collectors won't want to miss!


A special treat for Nancy Drew fans, and any reader who's new to the series! We're releasing a stunning new edition of an old favorite: The Hidden Staircase, the second book in the incredibly popular, long-running series. It's the same exciting mystery that readers have fallen in love with for more than 80 years—Nancy Drew has to find the mysterious ghost that seems to be haunting Twin Elms, and make sure no more prized possessions disappear under her nose. Now with a brand-new look, this is an edition that collectors won't want to miss!


A special treat for Nancy Drew fans, and any reader who's new to the series! We're releasing a stunning new edition of an old favorite: The Bungalow Mystery, the third book in the incredibly popular, long-running series. It's the same exciting mystery that readers have fallen in love with for more than 80 years—Nancy Drew has to help Laura Pendelton retrieve her family jewels, but they have to act quickly! Now with a brand-new look, this is an edition that collectors won't want to miss!


A special treat for Nancy Drew fans, and any reader who's new to the series! We're releasing a stunning new edition of an old favorite: The Mystery at Lilac Inn, the fourth book in the incredibly popular, long-running series. It's the same exciting mystery that readers have fallen in love with for more than 80 years—Nancy Drew has to help Emily and Dick reverse the jinx on Lilac Inn before something terrible happens. Now with a brand-new look, this is an edition that collectors won't want to miss! 

Jenn:)