Marie’s Pumpkin Patch is a 500-piece puzzle from Spin Master Games, and the artist is Fiona Lee. I wasn’t familiar with Fiona Lee, so I looked her up and found some really charming illustrations. This one definitely fits the fall theme.
The quality of this brand is not as good as a lot of the others I have done. The main problem I have with it is the feel of the pieces – they have a flat feel I didn’t like. For lack of a better work, they feel icky. I will probably avoid this brand in the future.
I read most of my books on my phone these days, but occasionally I have to make a trip to the library for some physical books that I can’t find in Libby or Hoopla. I picked up these two on my last trip and have already started Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop. It’s lovely so far.
The two puzzles I found in the community collection section of the library. I’m not sure why items are placed there instead of in regular circulation, but there were a few puzzles mixed in with the books and audiobooks. I had a nice chat with the librarian about it and found out they want you to let them know when you are taking items and how many and then return them like you would regular library items. That way they can see how much use the collection is getting.
I asked about donations, and they accept up to a box a day per person and it can include puzzles. There is no guarantee the donations would end up in the community collection, though. They could be included in the next library book sale if that’s what they decide. So I’m debating whether to donate puzzles to them or just hold onto them for the next time there is a puzzle swap near me.
Speaking of swaps, I exchanged messages recently with someone from one of the Facebook groups I belong to who wanted to swap some puzzles. I accidentally agreed to exchange a puzzle I really didn’t want to part with because I didn’t read what she had written very carefully, and I was not sure what to do about it, but then she had to delay the swap due to some health issues and asked if I wanted to wait or cancel, so I was able to cancel without impunity. It was such a relief!
Fall Festival is a 1000-piece puzzle from Pieces & Peace, and the artist is Abby Jacobs. This is a French brand I tried for the first time earlier this year and loved, so I was happy to be able to get some more from them.
I originally had this on my shelf to do sometime this fall, but then someone else posted it on Instagram and I realized it actually had Halloween elements in it. So I pulled it out to do at the end of October. I finished it Halloween night, which I was happy about.
I love the fall vibes with the colorful trees and cozy market stalls. But my favorite part is the kids in their Halloween costumes all lined up for the costume contest.
The Bookstore is a 300-piece puzzle from Buffalo Games, and the artist is Charles Wysocki. There was one piece missing, which is unfortunate. I got this at a puzzle swap, but it is possible that I lost the piece myself – I need to double check under the couch to see if I can find it.
I enjoyed this image. It went very fast due to the smaller piece count, but it was still a lot of fun.
The Language of Flowers is a 1000-piece puzzle from Reverie, and the artist is Winona Kieslich. This was my first puzzle from Reverie. It is an Australian brand and all of their puzzles have something to do with books.
They are a bit pricey and sometimes hard to get here in the US. I got this one several months ago when I had a free shipping code, which made the cost a bit more palatable. Now the US tariffs have driven the prices up even more, so I will not be buying them for the moment.
Now to the puzzle itself: I absolutely loved it! It was a fabulous experience and the image is just so charming! Everything from the packaging to the piece shapes to the level of detail in the image was perfect.
Bear Country is a 1000-piece puzzle from Final Piece Puzzles, which has just launched its debut collection of 10 puzzles. This one was sent to me to try out.
I was very pleased with this puzzle. It came in a sturdy box with a good size reference poster, and the pieces were a nice size and thickness for the piece count. A few pieces were still connected but only by one corner so they were easy to separate. There was also very little puzzle dust, which was nice.
I did the border first and then the inside. In both cases, I started with the lighter pieces and worked my way to the darker ones. The pieces fit together well and had a lot of interesting textures. The only drawback was when I got to the darkest teal pieces, as they were very dark and it was quite a task to get through them. Once I was done, though, the finished puzzle was beautiful.
I am very glad I got the chance to try out this brand and am looking forward to doing more of them. The pic below shows all three of the puzzles they sent me. I am looking forward to the top one, Santorini, but am nervous about the bottom one, Eiffel Glow, because of all the really dark areas.
Found Alphabet is a 1000-piece puzzle from Cobble Hill, and the artist is Shelley Davies.
This was such a fun puzzle! I had been putting it off because it is a random cut puzzle and those are not my favorite, but this one was such a joy to do that I hardly even noticed the piece cut.
There are so many interesting textures, and I love the fact that it’s a grid puzzle. Highly recommend!
Reconciliation Quilt is a 300-piece puzzle from Pomegranate. The original quilt was made by Lucinda Ward Honstain in 1867. It depicts scenes of domestic life and public events in the 1860s, and the name comes from a block depicting former Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis reunited with his daughter. It is currently on permanent display at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The puzzle is made with thick, extra large pieces. I got it used so the pieces were a bit soft but still fit together pretty well. This is the first puzzle I have done from Pomegranate.
Bread & Butter Farms is a 1000-piece puzzle from Buffalo Farms, and the artist is Charles Wysocki. This is such a classic fall image with the farm stand and all of the pumpkins.
It took me a few sessions to complete, so I would definitely put the difficulty a bit higher, but it was very enjoyable and definitely fits the mood of the season!
Potting Shed is a 500-piece puzzle from Mulic, and the artist is Chris Bigelow. I took a chance on a random Amazon brand because I liked the image and have been trying to purchase more smaller piece count puzzles.
I usually find the puzzles I am drawn to are 1000 pieces, but with those, I am always too tempted to stay up way past my bedtime trying to finish the puzzle. If I do a 300-piece or 500-piece puzzle, I can easily finish it in an evening and then get to bed at a more reasonable hour.
In So Many Words 