Tag: 500 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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Northern Lights

Northern Lights is a 500-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Nancy Wernersbach. It is one of their larger format puzzles, so the pieces and the finished size are both quite large.

I really enjoyed this puzzle. It was relaxing to put together. The sky is so beautiful with the Northern Lights, and the cabin deck scene looks so cozy.

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Chicago

Chicago is a 500-piece puzzle from Dowdle. This was my first Dowdle puzzle and it was great! The packaging was so nice, and it came with a really good poster and a resealable bag to put your pieces in after finishing the puzzle.

The image was crisp and the pieces were good quality. I didn’t have any false fits and the puzzle was a nice level of difficulty. Definitely recommend!

I also loved this image of Chicago. I am originally from Illinois and I lived in the Chicago area for almost 4 years back in the 1990s. This picture reminded me of a lot of the places we would visit in the city.

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Ice Cream Truck (Repeat)

Ice Cream Truck is a 500-piece puzzle from Ceaco. It is part of their Food Truck series.

This is my second time doing this puzzle, but this is actually my second copy of the puzzle. I had done the puzzle several months ago and found that the quality wasn’t as good as the other food truck puzzles I had done. I thought that I wouldn’t enjoy doing it again, so I donated it to a local puzzle box. Later, I decided I *would* like to own the whole series, so I purchase it again, hoping the quality would be better, and it was.

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Cats in Quarantine

Cats in Quarantine is a 500-piece puzzle from Exploding Kittens. I first did this puzzle last Thanksgiving. I needed a puzzle with a TV in it for a Facebook challenge, and this fit the bill, so I decided to redo it.

I really love this puzzle! There are so many fun things going on in it, most importantly the fact that two of the cats are doing a puzzle inside the puzzle!

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Windmills at Kinderdijk

Windmills at Kinderdijk is a 500-piece puzzle from RoseArt. Being primarily a landscape puzzle, this is not my usual style, but I needed a puzzle with a windmill on it for a challenge I am doing on Facebook, and I found this one at Community Aid for $1.99.

I only chose this one because it was 500 pieces; I know I would have hated it in 1000 pieces. But this size was manageable, so I still found it satisfying to complete. It did unfortunately have one piece missing right in the middle.

After I did this one, someone else posted an adorable illustrated puzzle with a windmill, which I would have gladly bought for this event. I did put that one on my wishlist for later!

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Beside the Sea

Beside the Sea is a 500-piece puzzle from Galison, and the artist is Laura C. Moyer. I got it a few days ago at Books A Million, although I had first seen it on Amazon and added it to my wish list.

I found it very relaxing to put this one together. The colors were so pretty, and it had a lot of elements I like – words and buildings, especially. Everything came together to make a charming image.

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The Potter’s Shed

The Potter’s Shed is a 500-piece puzzle from Eurographics, and the artist is Jason Taylor. I got it from a local puzzle box, and this is my first time doing this brand. Unfortunately, it ended up having one missing piece, which was disappointing.

Despite that, I did enjoy the puzzle. It was somewhat difficult for a 500-piece puzzle due to the busyness of the image. The aqua blue color of the work table (which I loved) reminded me of the stove color in the Alchemist’s Kitchen puzzle I did recently. I liked it enough that I might hold onto for a while even though there was a missing piece.