NYC Apartment is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Jason Taylor. This is the third indoor/outdoor puzzle I have done of his. I love this concept and have really enjoyed all of them.
NYC Apartment
Quilts & Cucumbers
Quilts & Cucumbers is a 500-piece puzzle from MasterPieces, and the artist is Cameron Gray. I got this on loan from Completing the Puzzle through their affiliate program. It’s a sweet image, and I enjoyed all of the quilts and fabrics.
One of the things I like about this subscription service is that they send a laminated image of the puzzle with information on the back about the puzzle and the brand. There is also a QR code on the bag of puzzle pieces that allows you to access a digital image so you can zoom in to see more detail.
Week in Review: July 26, 2026
I met with my psychiatrist this week, and we decided I would come off the new med I have been trying out. We are going to give it a few weeks with just the two I was already taking and see how I feel. I am hopeful that things will be okay; it would be nice not to have to try any other meds. I am also very hopeful that I will be less tired soon.
Work is going well. I went into the office on Tuesday to train two new employees. They are not in customer service, so they just needed the basics to be able to use the computer system in their area. I was pretty tired by the end from talking so much, but we had a really productive day.
I got some sad news this week that my library will no longer be offering Hoopla, which is an app that allows you to borrow ebooks and audiobooks as well as movies. I have a bunch of books on my to read list that were only available through that method (as opposed to Libby or as a physical book), and I really wish they had given us more notice so I could have prioritized reading those titles. I picked the one I most wanted to read and am working on reading that before access is cut off at the end of this month.
I found out later that they are offering a new app called Cloud Library. I downloaded it and looked for a bunch of titles from my list, but didn’t find many. I don’t know if that means they haven’t added many titles yet or if they don’t have the types of books I like on that app. The new app does not offer movies, either. Most of the books I want to read are available on Libby, so I am really hoping nothing happens to that avenue for borrowing ebooks.
Journey
Journey is a 1000-piece puzzle from Elena Essex, who is also the artist. This has been one of my favorite brands since early in my time as a puzzler.
I absolutely love this artwork. I found it so relaxing to look at all the colors as I was putting it together. It was a bit challenging at times because colors do repeat on different areas, but it didn’t cause any real frustration. And the quality is so good – no false fits and a nice smooth finish on the pieces.
The Bird House
The Bird House is a 1000-piece puzzle from Buffalo Games, and the artist is Charles Wysocki. I got this at a puzzle swap with a bunch of other Wysocki puzzles.
I really enjoyed this one. It has the classic Wysocki feel with enough going on that it wasn’t too difficult. Although I have been thinking, if I get more of his puzzles, I will try to get 500 or 300 piece versions for when I want a quick one.
Rickshaw Ride
Rickshaw Ride is a 500-piece puzzle from Laila Luxury Puzzles, and the artist is Asma Jamali. Laila is a fairly new brand that was started by a Muslim woman and features images by Muslim artists. The owner also has a background in mental health and is passionate about the many benefits of doing puzzles.
This puzzle comes in a round canister which is lovely if a bit impractical. The pieces are in a cotton bag, and there is a nice size reference poster to use while puzzling. Additionally, there is a good variety of piece shapes that hold together well with no false fits.
I love how colorful and vibrant the image is; it was truly a joy to put together. The finish is velvety soft, which I know most people really enjoy. I do not care for that myself, but I still had a great time doing this puzzle because of how much I like the artwork and the quality.
Here are some closeups that show off how good the art is:
I won a Puzzledly gift card!
I recently entered a giveaway for a $50 gift card to Puzzledly, which is one of my favorite online puzzle stores, and I was shocked to actually win! I do have puzzles on my wishlist on the site, but when I looked at the new arrivals section, I found two Werkshoppe puzzle that were on pre-order that I fell in love with.
The one on the top is called Beach Boardwalk, and the bottom one is Autumn on Main Street. Both are 1000 pieces, and the artist is Cathy Walters. I have always enjoyed puzzling buildings, so these storefront images really spoke to me.
Because Puzzledly gives 20% off when you buy 3 or more puzzles, I was able to add in a mini puzzle. I chose Garden Serenity, which is a 99-piece puzzle from Olleo. The artist is Salome Herzog. I actually did that one during my lunch break one day, and it is so pretty!
Week in Review: July 19, 2026
Last week was pretty quiet for me. It was also a short work week because I took Friday off. It was so nice to have an extra day to relax. I did some reading and watched a couple of shows I have been wanting to see. I also caught up on taking pictures of my finished puzzles and getting them put away.
Today I decluttered and organized one of my hall closets. I made enough room to move three boxes of Michael’s old Lego pieces/sets from one of my bedroom closets and pile them in one corner of the hall closet. This gave me room in my bedroom closet to get two new storage boxes for puzzles. I probably keep too many puzzles, but I like to hold onto any that I think I might like to do again.
I am so thankful for the amount of storage in this apartment. I have more storage here than in either house I have previously owned! I ran out of steam before I filled the new storage boxes, but I’m still happy with the progress I made.
In Town
In Town is an 86-piece mini wooden puzzle from Victory, and the artist is Kim Jacobs. They were having a special when I bought the other wooden puzzle offering a free mini puzzle with each medium puzzle purchased, so I got this one for free!
The image is just so pretty, and I love the color palette. This is another image I would hesitate to do in a large piece count but am happy to tackle in this size. It was very enjoyable to put together.
Because this is a smaller puzzle, it has fewer whimsy pieces than the other puzzle I just did, but they are still fun. One of the whimsies is a hand making the letter “V.” This stands for Victory, the name of the brand, and is included with all of their puzzles.
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Midsummer Night’s Dream is a 256-piece wooden puzzle from Victory, and the artist is Lucy Grossmith. This is the first wooden puzzle I have purchased. I did one other one as a traveling puzzle a year or so ago and really enjoyed it, so I finally decided to invest in one myself.
I was really drawn to the image and knew it was something I wouldn’t want to attempt in a large piece count but thought it would be a nice challenge in the medium size. I was impressed with the packaging, although one piece came out of the box with a small chip broken off. I was a bit bummed about that because it is noticeable on the finished puzzle.
The process of building the puzzle was very enjoyable. It was a nice change from cardboard puzzles, and I am definitely open to doing more of them. I especially liked seeing all of the whimsy pieces, which are pieces that are shaped like something instead of just being a random shape. I took a picture of the back of the puzzle, and you can see the whimsies more easily from that. I loved coming across these pieces when doing the puzzle, especially all of the different rabbits.
I did end up contacting the company about the broken piece. They had me send them some pictures and said they are going to send me a replacement piece. Here is a pic of the piece that was damaged; a little chip came off the wing of the owl. I am not sure if the wing is supposed to be connected to the owl or if they are two separate pieces, so I am interested to see what they send me.
