Category: puzzles

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National Puzzle Day 2026

January 29th is National Puzzle Day in the US, created to celebrate all forms of puzzles. Of course, my favorite type is the jigsaw, as evidenced by the over 340 jigsaw puzzles I have done in the last 4 1/2 years.

Last night I hosted two friends who also enjoy doing puzzles. We had dinner together and then I had them choose one from my collection to do. They chose Cat Stamps, a 500-piece from Re-marks.

We had a great time putting this image together. This was the first puzzle I had done from this brand, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality given the price. The pieces fit together well enough that we could pick up whole sections and move them around. The finish was pretty glossy, but I got used to that after a while.

Here is the finished puzzle:

Happy National Puzzle Day!

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Starry Seasons

Starry Seasons is a 500-piece puzzle from 1canoe2. This gorgeous puzzle was on my wish list for a long time, but I kept passing it up due to the price tag. Then the brand had a $15 sale on their website, and I snatched this one up right away. I just love the vertical grid design and how beautifully each season is represented. 

The quality was great and the puzzle was not too hard, so I was able to do it in one sitting. I typically pull out the edges while flipping the rest of the pieces and then sort as needed as I go along, and that worked pretty well for this puzzle. After doing the edges and the bottom sections, I pulled out the pieces that bordered each season and it was like doing four mini puzzles after that.

I am in love with the finished product and will definitely be doing this one again.

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Disney & Pixar Color Palette

Disney & Pixar Color Palette is a 500-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and I had so much fun with it! I had seen people online talking about how hard it was to get and really wanted to have the chance to do it. Luckily, it showed up on the swap table at the speed puzzling event I attended (as a spectator) in November. There was one piece missing, which was noted on the box, but I still grabbed it as soon as I saw it!

I love that this has both a rainbow and a grid aspect. This was a very quick build for me. After doing the border, I started with the pink column and worked my way over to the green. Then I jumped to the red and worked my way back to the yellow. The fit was kind of loose, so I’m guessing this puzzle has been done quite a few times already, but the pieces were still in pretty good shape.

I was surprised by how many of the characters I knew, especially since I haven’t watched a lot of animated films in the last few years. I don’t usually keep puzzles with missing pieces, but I might hang onto this one for a while so I can do it again sometime.

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Lake Camper

Lake Camper is a 300-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Stephanie Peterson Jones. This is part of a series called Happy Camper. I have several of these and am hoping to get the rest someday. I just love her artwork style and find these so fun and super easy!

A while ago, I got a multipack set of Happy Camper puzzles that had variations of 5 of these puzzles, but the quality was terrible and I didn’t keep them when I was done. Here is a list of the regular puzzles from the series with their status:

  • Beach Camper, 300 pieces, owned but not completed
  • Cactus Camp-Out, 300 pieces, want to get
  • Canyon Camper, 300 pieces, owned and completed
  • Christmas Camper, 300 pieces, owned and completed
  • Costa Rica Camper, 300 pieces, owned but not completed
  • Downeast Camper, 300 pieces, want to get
  • Green Mountain Camper, 300 pieces, want to get
  • Lake Camper, 300 pieces, owned and completed
  • Mountain Camper, 300 pieces, owned and completed
  • Wine Country Camper, 750 pieces, owned and completed

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St. Basil Cathedral

St. Basil Cathedral is a 500-piece puzzle from MasterPieces. My friend Kim picked this out for me for my birthday, which was really sweet of her. It’s not a typical image that I would choose, but I do like the interesting colors and patterns of the cathedral and really enjoyed that part of the puzzle.

The sky was fairly difficult, especially since there was so much of it. I had to sort by shape and it was still slow going getting the pieces in. Thankfully, each piece is unique so I knew when I had one in the right spot.

I keep a lot of my puzzles to do again, but this one I will be putting in the swap pile to pass on. Once is enough for that sky!

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Snoopy’s Puffer Coat

Snoopy’s Puffer Coat is a 500-piece puzzle from Ceaco. This was a Christmas present from my son Michael, and I just couldn’t resist doing it right away. It is just so stinkin’ cute!

This was a lot of fun to put together. I started with Snoopy’s coat and then moved on to the ground. I finished up with the wavy background. I really like Ceaco puzzles, although the quality can vary.

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Quaint Cafe

Quaint Cafe is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Jason Taylor. I fell in love with this image the first time I saw it, and it turned out to be just as beautiful as I imagined.

I love the juxtaposition of the indoors and the outdoors. The interior is so warm and inviting with the wood floors and chalkboard menus, and the outdoor is just as charming with the cobblestone street and cafe seating.

As always, the Ravensburger quality is excellent. The pieces are a nice size and thickness, and they have a lovely matte finish. There are no false fits, and there is enough piece variation that I can sort by shape when I get stuck.

This artist has done several puzzles using the same concept, and I have actually gotten a few of them. I think they are such clever designs.

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A Day at the Bookstore

A Day at the Bookstore is a 1000-piece puzzle from Galison, and the artist is Michael Storrings. I am often drawn to his artwork, but I don’t do a lot of his puzzles because they can be quite challenging. For this one, the lower portion was pretty easy, but the upper portion was harder, especially the bricks!

This was the first puzzle I completed in 2026, and it is perfect for me because it combines two things I love – books and puzzles. 😊I love how the little vignettes are cut out of the brick wall, giving us a glimpse of what is happening inside!

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Garden Shed Greenhouse

Garden Shed Greenhouse is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Tracy Flickinger. I have done a few of her other puzzles and really like her style of art. It seems whimsical and full of life.

This puzzle had a nice difficulty level. There were some textures that were easy to pick out and put together, and there were some parts that were a bit trickier because of the level of detail. All in all, a very fun experience.

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Christmas/Birthday Puzzle Haul

I was so blessed this year for Christmas and my birthday to receive puzzles from my son as well as two of my friends. Some were from my wish list and some were picked out for me, and I am looking forward to doing all of them!

Here is a list of the puzzles I got as they are pictured:

  • Venice Open Market from eeBoo, artist Uta Krogmann
  • European Winter Market from Pink Sky
  • Redwood Forest Tiny House from Ravensburger, artist Jason Taylor
  • Snoopy’s Puffer Coat from Ceaco
  • The Beach Hut from Ravensburger, artist Steve Read
  • Alpine Village from MicroPuzzles
  • Here Comes Santa from MicroPuzzles
  • St. Basil Cathedral from MasterPieces