Tag: 1000 pieces

Posted on

All Day Long Food Truck

All Day Long Food Truck is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Stephanie Peterson Jones. Most of the food truck puzzles I have done of hers have been 500 pieces, so it was exciting to see one in a larger piece count.

I loved the bright colors in this one. My favorite part to put together was the words on the signs and menus; I find them really fun to do. I also really liked the piece shapes in this one; they are different from what I usually see from Ceaco. It did have the largest reference poster I have ever seen, which was really annoying to use but necessary to see the entire image.

Recently, one of my cousins asked me to post pictures of the process I usually follow when doing a puzzle, so I took pictures of each step as I was putting this one together and posted them on Facebook for her.

Step 1: Pour out pieces into sorting trays.
Step 2: Flip pieces over and pull out edges.
Step 3: Build border of puzzle.
Step 4: Start pulling out pieces with distinctive colors or patterns.
Step 5: Repeat as needed – this was my progress after my first session.

Posted on

House of Colors

House of Colors is a 1000-piece puzzle from Enjoy Puzzles, and the artist is Ivaylo Ivanov. This is a new brand to me, and I was blown away by how nice it is. The colors are so deep and rich, and I love the image!

The puzzle quality is possible the best I have seen so far. The pieces are the perfect thickness and size, and they fit together so nicely without any false fits. I never got stuck or frustrated but just kept moving steadily through the whole thing. It was so satisfying!

One interesting thing in the world of puzzles is the debate over the use of AI, much like in the rest of society right now. I understand that people who want to avoid AI don’t appreciate companies that aren’t transparent about using it. I also understand that it is frustrating to artists to see puzzles with AI generated images that take opportunities away from them or even steal their work itself. However, I feel like it is inevitable at this point, so our best bet is to work on defining how we are going to use it.

All that to say that I post my puzzles in a few different places – Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit – and whenever I post something on Reddit that has any AI connection, other users always comment about it. I didn’t realize that this artist/company uses AI, but apparently they do. I don’t seek out AI images because I don’t like most of them that much, but I have come across a few that were really well done and have been okay with getting them.

I’m curious to know what other people think about this topic. Please feel free to share any thoughts – for or against – in the comments!

Posted on

It’s Not Hoarding If It’s Books

It’s Not Hoarding If It’s Books is a 1000-piece puzzle from ellembee gifts. This company sells a variety of products with fun sayings on them, and I thought this one was very cute!

The puzzle was pretty good quality, with random cut pieces that weren’t too small or weirdly shaped. However, it is what is called a “soft touch” puzzle, which means the pieces (and even the box) have a surface like velvet or suede. This is the second puzzle I have done that was branded as soft touch, and I really, really dislike the texture. It feels almost greasy to me (like it would pick up dust) and is very unpleasant. Also, the pieces are hard to move around in my sorting trays.

Many puzzlers love this type of texture, and I have heard that there can be variations in how soft touch feels and that some of them are better than others, but I am planning to avoid them as much as possible from now on.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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!

Posted on

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.

Posted on

Holiday Stamps/Holiday Village/Merry Market

Holiday Stamps is a 550-piece puzzle from White Mountain, and the artist is Lois B. Sutton. I have had this on my shelf for almost a year and was so excited to finally get to do it! I just love seeing so many different holiday stamps that have been issued over the years. Each one is special in its own way. I did this one on December 23rd.

Holiday Village is a 1000-piece puzzle from 1canoe2. I love this brand, and this was another great puzzle from them! I love the color scheme, especially all the greens and pinks. I worked this puzzle Christmas Eve and Christmas Day while watching some of my favorite movies.

Merry Market is a 1000-piece puzzle from Galison, and the artist is Joy LaForme. This was a lot of fun to put together with the market stalls and the row of buildings in the back. The colors are beautiful, and the foil accents add a special holiday touch. I started this one Christmas Day and finished it the day after Christmas.

Posted on

Villager Traveling Puzzles

One of the puzzlers I follow on YouTube offered several bundles of traveling puzzles earlier this year, and I eagerly signed up for one. Not all of them filled up, so I got the chance to sign up for a second one, and that’s the one I received last week. Both puzzles in this bundle are from Villager Puzzles, which is a woman-owned Canadian brand that features Canadian women artists.

The first puzzle I did was Cottage Country, which is by Nicolle Lalonde and is 500 pieces. It was fairly easy. I love how the setting sun looks reflected on the water.

The second puzzle was Lupines Meadow by Diana Pinnell. It is 1000 pieces. This one was quite challenging, but it is so lovely.

Now it’s back to Christmas puzzles. 🎄🎅☃️

Posted on

Paris Christmas

Paris Christmas is a 1000-piece puzzle from eeboo, and the artist is Jennifer Orkin Lewis. I love all of the great colors and details in this festive holiday image. My favorite part is the twinkle lights on the Eiffel Tower.

There were a few sections I was able to do in the beginning, but after that, it was mostly pick and place for the rest of the puzzle. It was still fun, though.

Posted on

Holiday Drive In

Holiday Drive In is a 1000-piece puzzle from Cobble Hill, and the artist is Diane Dempsey. I love the mid-century modern theme of this image, with the vintage cars and the fun signage. My favorite parts to put together were the movie screen and all of the signs – I love puzzling words!

I have done a couple other puzzles from this artist and really enjoy her style. Cobble Hill is a really good quality brand that does random-cut puzzles. I tend to do more ribbon or grid cut puzzles, but the random cut didn’t bother me with this one because it was such a great image.

Have you ever been to a drive in movie? I have fond memories of going with my family as a child and playing on the little playground beneath the screen before the movie started.