Island of the Mad and a G&T with Bitters

We're matching Laurie R. King's latest in the Mary Russell series, Island of the Mad, with her choice of beverage - a Gin & Tonic and Angostura Bitters. This is one of my favorite series - where the character of Mary Russell matches intellects with her older husband, Sherlock Holmes, as they solve crimes in Victorian England. The series as a whole is great fun and this book in particular.  

Here's a little about the book...

The last thing Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, need is to help an old friend with her mad, missing aunt. Lady Vivian Beaconsfield has spent most of her adult life in one asylum after another, since the loss of her brother and father in the Great War. Although her mental state seemed to be improving, she’s now disappeared after an outing from Bethlem Royal Hospital . . . better known as Bedlam. Russell wants nothing to do with the case—but she can’t say no. To track down the vanished woman, she must use her deductive instincts and talent for subterfuge—and enlist her husband’s legendary prowess. Together, the two travel from the grim confines of Bedlam to the murky canals of Venice—only to find the shadow of Benito Mussolini darkening the fate of a city, an era, and a tormented English lady of privilege.

When we asked Laurie what drink she thought might go with this book, she said...

Gin & Tonic with Angostura Bitters

• 1 oz Gin
• 2 oz Tonic Water
• 6 dashes Angostura bitters

I tried it and it's a fabulous way to have a gin and tonic and it pairs really well with the book.

Although, if you are new to this series, you may want to start with the first book, The Bee Keeper's Apprentice. That way you get to see how Mary and Sherlock began their relationship.

Sherlock Holmes: Evidence of a Birthday Card

Sherlock Holmes is on the case, and so is our master crafter Lorraine Masonheimer! As a master of observation, forensic science and logical reasoning, on behalf of Mystery Playground, Sherlock employs his expansive deductive skills to uncover evidence of a birthday. The card features Sherlock Holmes balancing a cupcake on his finger with his famous pipe snuggled atop the frosting.

Supplies

12” x 12” cream cardstock

Color coordinated papers (two patterns of your choice and one light solid color

Two color copies of the cover of Return of Sherlock Holmes II (Classic Fiction Audio CD)

6 ½” square envelope

Three button embellishments

Color pencils

Cupcake stamp

ColorBox Chalk Charcoal Ink Pad

Glue dots

Circle punches ½”, ¾” and 1”

Scissors and x-acto blade

Step One: Card Base & Cover Sentiment

Cut a 12” x 12” sheet of cream paper to 6” x 12” and fold in half for a 6” x 6” card base. Cut the larger patterned paper to 6” x 6”. Cut the darker patterned paper to 4” x 6”. Take the 8 ½” x 11” sheet of light solid paper and place into the printer. Open a word document. Space down to 5 ½” and tab over to 1 ½”. Type “It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. -- Sherlock Holmes” as shown. The example uses the type face Harrington at 13 pts and is aligned to the right. Print and cut the sentiment into a 3 ¾” x 6” rectangle ensuring the proper placement of the Sherlock Holmes art.

Step Two: Print, Size & Glue

Make two color copies of a Sherlock Holmes cover. This example uses Return of Sherlock Holmes II (Classic Fiction Audio CD). Reduce the two copies to 3” x 4” and cut out leaving a small white border around the image as shown. Stamp a cupcake onto a piece of scrap paper using a charcoal ink pad and reduce to about ¾” tall or draw freehand. Color, cut out and set aside. Draw and cut out Sherlock’s pipe measuring about ¼” tall. Add smoke if desired. Glue the 6” x 6” patterned paper to the card base. Glue the light solid paper to the dark patterned paper and glue to the card base about ¼” from the right side. Glue Sherlock just above the sentiment. Glue the cupcake to the top of his finger and the pipe to the top of the cupcake.

Step Three: Thumbprint & Embellish

Glue three buttons or embellishment of your choice to the upper left side of Sherlock’s image. Use the charcoal ink pad and your thumb to place a thumbprint at the lower left side of Sherlock as shown.

Step Four: Embellish Inside and Envelope

Using the computer, create a text box about 4 ½” x 4 ½” and type It’s Your Birthday!. The example shown uses the type face Harrington at 18 pts centered. Print and cut the sentiment into a 4½” x 4½” rectangle. Adhere the sentiment to the card as shown. To create the magnifying glass, cut two circles from the dark and light paper, 1” and ¾” respectively and glue them together. Punch a ½” circle from the center and glue Holmes eye into the center. Cut a handle for the magnifying glass and glue as shown. Use scraps to add interest to the inside of the card and envelope flap. Extra postage is required for the larger size card. 

Case closed until next time!

Sherlock Holmes Special Edition of LIFE Magazine

"There's a scarlet thread of murder running through the colorless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it."  

- Sherlock Holmes 

Look what Pat, our official Mystery Playground Librarian, found in the check out line at the local Safeway. It's a special 2017 Sherlock Holmes edition of LIFE Magazine. 

After getting sticker shock from the $13.99 price, inside you'll find 94 pages on every era of Sherlock from the first story in 1859 to present day movie and TV incarnations. 

The photos are great and it's full of insider comments like when one of Doyle's friends suggested:

"If you are determined on making an end of Holmes, why not bring him to Switzerland and drop him down a crevasse?"

It also touches on Doyle's eventual hatred for his creation. 

"If I had not killed him, he would have certainly killed me."- Doyle on Holmes

The Sherlock Holmes special edition of LIFE Magazine will be on the magazine rack until mid-April, so there is plenty of time to go pick up a copy.  

Sherlock Art

With the return of BBC's Sherlock, I thought it would be fun to see what kind of fan artwork was out in the world. The answer is plenty. Take a look at the two portraits above from the pennyPRINTABLE Etsy store. You can print these beauties and frame them yourself. 

Here's what MyBlurryLife calls a Sherlock inspired art print. 

Here's a tribute poster from the admadfetri Etsy shop entitled, "Brainy is the New Sexy."

Here's a beautiful embroidered design from the Trapped in Time Etsy store. 

Which one is your favorite?

BBC Sherlock Returns on January 1

Yes! Set those DVRs. BBC Sherlock is back with a three-part run, with the first episode airing on most PBS stations on January 1. The first episode is called The Six Thatchers and John and Mary are preparing for parenthood.

Here is the preview:

Sherlock Cluedo

Isn't this cool? 

It's the Sherlock edition of the game of Clue (they call it Cluedo in Britain). You can order it in the states and shipping looks to be only $5.13. Of course Miss Scarlett is Irene Adler...  How incredibly fun! 

BBC Sherlock Updates

Benedict Cumberbatch, everyone's favorite Sherlock, is coming back at the beginning of 2017 and there's a teaser video out that's quite intriguing (see below). 

It seems that Moriarity is back causing trouble and everyone is in danger. We'll also see a new villain, played by Toby Jones. 

What you don't see in the video is John and Mary Watson planning to become parents. I wonder if the baby will be an assassin too. 

Here's the cute cast video for those who didn't go to Comic Con, where a game of Clue decides who gets to go to San Diego for the convention. 

Sherlock Tree

We've been working on our Sherlock themed tree for this year's Christmas in July and this week we're showcasing more Sherlock-type ornaments that you can buy for your tree. The Snoopy Sherlock above came out several years ago, but you can find it on eBay pretty easily at reasonable prices. 

Here is a violin ornament. Any violin will do. 

This phone box ornament came from World Market. It's more suited to modern day Sherlock, but it still works and provides a little color for the tree. 

You can also make any of the ornaments from our craft series in July:

• The Mind Palace ornament
• The 221b Door Ornament
• The illustration cut out ornament

And the silhouette cube.

Which Sherlock ornament is your favorite? 

Christmas in July: Sherlock Tree - 221b Door

It's Christmas in July at Mystery Playground and we're making a Sherlock ornament filled tree this summer at the excellent suggestion of Pattie Tierney. We do this in the summer so you have plenty of time to plan your own Sherlock tree before the holidays really get rolling. You can see our Mind Palace ornaments, the Illustration Cut Out ornaments, and the Silhouette Cube ornaments from earlier in the month. 

Today we're making a 221b Door Ornament. I've seen these all over Pinterest, so I can't say it's my original idea, but it's so many places there isn't one place to tip the hat. They are so cute, I couldn't leave them out of this series. Turns out they are pretty easy to make. 

Materials:

• Wooden Dollhouse Door (I got one that opens)
• Dollhouse Door Knob
• Wood Stain or Paint
• Gold paint for the letters
• Little foam brush
• Tiny paint brush or wooden BBQ skewer
• Paper Plate
• Paper Towels
• Newspaper to cover the table
• Gorilla Glue (not pictured)
• Elmers Glue (not pictured)
• A piece of thin ribbon - three inches long (not pictured)

Step One:
Paint your dollhouse door. I used wood stain because I had it around. You want to paint all sides and it may take more than one coat to get it just right. Use a damp paper towel to quickly clean away any drips or excess. 

Before

After

Step Two:
After your door has dried, now is the tricky part - painting on the 221b. Now, there are commercially make little numbers for dollhouse doors, but you'll need two sets and you'll still have to paint the b anyway. I decided just to wing it and paint all of the letters. It isn't perfect, but it's good enough for most Sherlock trees. I practiced on my paper plate with the gold paint and discovered that the BBQ skewer allowed be to be a little more precise than the paint brush. You may want to try both on the paper plate and see which you like best. Let dry. 

Step Three:
Glue your little door knob onto your little door. Use just enough Gorilla Glue so it doesn't drip down the sides or through the little key hole. Let the door knob dry. 

Step Four:
Now you are ready to make a hanger. Cut the ribbon to three inches long. Make a loop and use the Elmer's glue to adhere the ends to the top of the door. Let dry.

Step Five:
Since the door opens, you can take a photo of your favorite Sherlock and glue the outsides of the photo to the frame. 

And now you are done. We'll be back in a few months to show you the entire tree and make suggestions for Sherlock ornaments that you can put on the tree with these four beauties. 

- Deborah Lacy

Sherlock Tree: Illustration Cutout Ornaments

It’s still Christmas in July and we’ve got another great ornament to make. Every Thursday this month we will make a new ornament to decorate our Sherlock Holmes tree. If you start now, you’ll be able to make all of your ornaments by Christmas and have your very own Sherlock Holmes tree.

Our first ornament was the Mind Palace Ornament. Then we made the Silhouette Cube Ornaments. Today we’re making Illustration Cutout Ornaments and these offer the most flexibility because you can use any illustration you like.

Materials:

• Ceramic Ornaments 
• Printed illustrations 
• Mod Podge 
• Spray Adhesive 
• Glitter 
• Scissors 
• Paint Brush 
• Ribbon

Step One: Cutout your illustrations. I printed mine from the Internet, but if you have an illustrated Sherlock Holmes book that you’re willing to cut up, that will work too.

Step Two: Spray the ornament with the adhesive and lay the cutout illustration on the glue, holding it down until it sticks.

Step Three: Using Mod Podge and your paint brush, paint over the entire ornament. Mod Podge dries clear, so don’t worry that it looks white when it’s wet. Allow to dry.

Step Four: Spray the front of your ornament with a thin coat of the adhesive and sprinkle glitter over the ornament. This gives it a shiny, snowy look.

Step Five: Cut your ribbon so that you can hang the ornament on your tree. I used the ribbon shown because it reminded me of Sherlock’s wallpaper on the BBC show Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch.

Next week is the last Thursday in July and we will be making 221b Door Ornaments to finish our Sherlock Holmes tree.