Tag: 300 pieces

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Happy Camper Multipack

Ceaco has a series of puzzles called Happy Camper, and I picked up this 5-in-1 multipack featuring some of those images. I started doing Happy Camper puzzles after I finished all of the Food Trucks that are currently out. Most of them are only 300 pieces, which makes for a short puzzling experience, but they are really cute, so I like them. I thought this pack would be a good way to get a bunch of them for a lower price.

I was not impressed with this pack of puzzles at all. Some of the images are cut off versions of the original puzzles, and the quality was terrible. The image was coming off the cardboard in a lot of places. A lot of the pieces were damaged and a couple had even lost the knobs entirely. The puzzles are cute, but I would recommend getting the individual ones instead of the multipack. Those are usually a bit better quality.

One thing I did enjoy was that for the last two puzzles I did (the vertical 300-pieces ones), I solved them without looking at the image while I was puzzling. It gave me a different experience to what I normally do, and I enjoyed it. It was fun figuring out where sections went as the puzzle came together. I don’t know if I would like to do this all the time; I think it could be quite frustrating on a larger, more detailed puzzle.

Here are the completed puzzles from the set:

Beach Camper, 750 pieces
Downeast Camper, 500 pieces
Canyon Camper, 500 pieces
Lake Camper, 300 pieces
Waterfall Camper, 300 pieces

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Completing the Puzzle – September 2024

I recently saw a review of the subscription company Completing the Puzzle on one of the YouTube channels I follow, The Casual Puzzler. For a monthly fee, you can borrow puzzles to do and then return. Their standard subscription is for one puzzle at a time, and the next puzzle is sent once you return the first one (like the original Netflix model). The review I saw also mentioned an option to get four puzzles at a time once a month, and I decided to go with that to minimize trips to the post office.

When you create your account, you set your preferences for puzzle size and puzzle type. You can also add puzzles from their catalog to your wish list, and then they will prioritize sending you puzzles from your wish list if they are available.

I got my first shipment earlier this month and have since completed all of the puzzles. Each puzzle is in a zippered pouch and there are laminated pictures of the puzzle images. They are packaged in a zippered container that can be shipped as is. They included a return label that could be slipped in the clear pouch on the outside of the box.

The first puzzle I did was Wonder & Bloom from Galison. It is a 500-piece puzzle, and the artist is Victoria Ball. It was still in really good shape, although it was missing one piece. I emailed the company and they had me send them a photo of the puzzle and said they would remove it from rotation once I sent it back.

The second puzzle I did was Amish Country from Dowdle. For some reason, I thought it was going to be a larger piece count, but it was actually 300. That was okay since I have been doing more 300 piece puzzles recently. This one was less enjoyable because the puzzle had definitely been done many times. Some of the pieces had a very narrow area on them, and several were close to breaking and one was actually broken into two smaller pieces. It was still a nice image though.

The third puzzle I did was Tale of Two from Art & Fable. It was 500 pieces, and the artist was Maria Brzozowska. I have seen this puzzle online before and been intrigued by the image – it is quite whimsical and unique. I don’t really know what the title refers to; I wonder if it might be the two people in the lower right corner. The puzzle was well-loved – the pieces felt kind of soft from much use, but the fit was good and it was enjoyable to do.

The fourth, and last, puzzle I completed was Summer at the Amusement Park from Galison. It was a 500-piece puzzle, and the artist was Michael Storrings. I have done several of his puzzles and enjoy his style. I liked the fun details in this image.

I feel that this subscription was a good value based on my experience this first month. I am looking forward to what puzzles I get next month. There were several in their catalog that had been on my Amazon wish list, as well as some that I hadn’t seen before and liked. They have even added a few larger count puzzles recently (1500 and 2000 pieces).

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Farm Life

Farm Life is a 300-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Olivia Gibbs. I have done several of hers now and I really enjoy them. The art is so charming, and the puzzles are a lot of fun.

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Sea Town Harbor

Sea Town Harbor is a 300-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Olivia Gibbs. I really enjoy her artwork; I find it so charming, and this one was no exception. The puzzle was very easy to solve, given the large piece sizes.

I especially liked the houses and the boats; those are some of my favorite elements to put together. And the flowers, water, and sky were no problem because there are so few pieces.

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Mountain Camper

Mountain Camper is part of the Happy Camper series from Ceaco. It is a 300-piece puzzle from the artist Stephanie Peterson Jones. This is the first one I have done in this series, and it is such a fun puzzle!

I actually have already purchased a 5-pack with more Happy Campers in a variety of piece counts, so I will definitely be doing more of these. They are just so enjoyable to put together with all of the colors and textures going on. I just wish they were more than 300 pieces.

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Town Park

Town Park is a 300-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Olivia Gibbs.

This is my second Olivia Gibbs puzzle. I find her artwork so appealing, and I got this with a bunch of other Ceaco puzzles that were on sale on Amazon recently. Such a sweet image.

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Two Puzzles by the Same Artist

I did these two puzzles one day apart. I got them both for free from a local puzzle box and they are from different brands, but when I looked closely at the boxes, I discovered they are from the same artist – Nancy Wernersbach. I thought that was a neat coincidence!

The Ravensburger puzzle had one piece missing and it was the largest 300-piece puzzle I have seen so far. The pieces were so big!

Shopping for the Garden from Bits and Pieces, 300 pieces

Santorini Sunset from Ravensburger, 300 pieces

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Toadstool Cottage

Toadstool Cottage is a 300-piece puzzle, and the company is listed on Amazon as Nichpedr.

This was such a unique puzzle. The pieces appear to be very thin wood, and they have a matte finish. There are letters on the back to assist with sorting, but I did not use them given the low piece count. It took a bit of effort to click the pieces into place, but the upside was that there were no false fits. You can pick up the finished puzzle easily because of how tightly it fits together.

The box was very plain with just a sticker of the image on the box. There was a nice sized poster and a zipper top resealable bag. It was a risk ordering from an unknown puzzle company, so I was very pleased with how it turned out.

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Fresh Eggs and More

Fresh Eggs and More is a 300-piece puzzle from Bits and Pieces, and the artist is John Sloane. This was another freebie from the puzzle box in Elizabethtown.

This is a sweet image that was enjoyable to put together. I always enjoy puzzles that have buildings in them, as well as signs with words. The quilts were also fun to do.

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Daddy’s Coming Home

Along with the clue of books for the second week of the Facebook challenge I am doing, there was a bonus available for a puzzle with a lighthouse. I chose Daddy’s Coming Home, which is another Charles Wysocki puzzle, also from Buffalo Games. This one was 300 pieces.

I really enjoyed this puzzle. I especially loved the deep rust color of the lighthouse. I normally don’t love doing sky, but in a small piece count like this, it’s no problem.