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.

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.

Fall Grid

Fall Grid is a 1000-piece puzzle from 1canoe2. I love grid puzzles, and I love 1canoe2, so this was a home run for me. I have actually done another grid puzzle from this brand called Simple Joys, and I loved it as well. Full disclosure, they were having a $15 puzzle sale, so I actually just ordered a Halloween-themed grid puzzle from them to do next October.

This puzzle has such cozy fall vibes with the crackling fireplace, the mug of hot cocoa, the basket of apples, and the other images. I also love the beautiful colors. The quality of this brand is top notch, with great piece quality and a good fit. Such a great experience!

Simple Joys

Simple Joys is a 1000-piece puzzle from 1canoe2, and it was simply lovely. I have done one other puzzle from them back at Christmas time and was so impressed by the quality of both the puzzle and the image. There is something about this image that just speaks to me. I love the way it highlights each of these simple things, allowing us to see how beautiful ordinary things can be.

I have said this before, but I also love the feeling puzzling gives me. The act of doing a puzzle quiets the noise in my brain for a while, much the same way that reading a book does. I hope I will be able to enjoy this hobby for many years to come.

Recent Puzzle Hauls

I have acquired several puzzles over the last few weeks that I am excited about doing. Most are new but a couple are used.

  • Balloons from Ravensburger, 300 pieces – part of their Moments line and it’s just so pretty
  • Diamond Dahlia from Buffalo Games, 500 pieces – looks like a lovely rainbow puzz!le
  • Wine Country Camper from Ceaco, 750 pieces – hard to find puzzle from the Happy Camper series, had to get off Poshmark
  • Amsterdam Weekend from Antelope, 1000 pieces – have wanted this one for a while and decided to take the plunge
  • Whimsical Village, Concord, 500 pieces – saw this and loved it, found on ebay
  • The Tree of Hope, Pintoo, 300 pieces – this brand is new to me and is famous for their plastic pieces
  • Coastal Harbour, Ravensburger, 1000 pieces – recently did one by this artist, Georgia Breeze, and really enjoyed it. This came from the UK but was sold on Amazon, so I didn’t have to mess with high shipping or customs fees
  • Simple Joys, 1canoe2, 1000 pieces – I have done one other by this brand and liked it a lot, this one just looks so relaxing

I am going to try buying fewer puzzles for the next month or so and try to focus on the ones I already have. That is a really difficult challenge for me, though, so we’ll have to see how I do!

City Sidewalks

City Sidewalks is a 1000-piece puzzle from 1canoe2. This is a new brand for me. It was a bit pricey, so I treated myself to it as an early Christmas present, along with the mini and micro puzzle I did recently.

I really enjoyed this puzzle. I had to get used to the pieces, which felt almost like plastic, but once I did, everything went very smoothly. There were a few darker areas that took a while; thankfully, there weren’t any false fits so it just took a bit of patience. This was a great choice for the holiday season!