Thoughts of an introverted bookworm and avid jigsaw puzzler
Cinatown is a 500-piece puzzle from SunsOut, and the artist is Gwendolyn McShepard. This was my first experience with this brand. I really like this image because it has two of my favorite things to puzzle – buildings and text. It is random cut, but I didn’t mind that since the pieces weren’t very small. It did have the most puzzle dust that I have ever seen!
NYC Apartment is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Jason Taylor. This is the third indoor/outdoor puzzle I have done of his. I love this concept and have really enjoyed all of them.
Quilts & Cucumbers is a 500-piece puzzle from MasterPieces, and the artist is Cameron Gray. I got this on loan from Completing the Puzzle through their affiliate program. It’s a sweet image, and I enjoyed all of the quilts and fabrics.
One of the things I like about this subscription service is that they send a laminated image of the puzzle with information on the back about the puzzle and the brand. There is also a QR code on the bag of puzzle pieces that allows you to access a digital image so you can zoom in to see more detail.
Journey is a 1000-piece puzzle from Elena Essex, who is also the artist. This has been one of my favorite brands since early in my time as a puzzler.
I absolutely love this artwork. I found it so relaxing to look at all the colors as I was putting it together. It was a bit challenging at times because colors do repeat on different areas, but it didn’t cause any real frustration. And the quality is so good – no false fits and a nice smooth finish on the pieces.
The Bird House is a 1000-piece puzzle from Buffalo Games, and the artist is Charles Wysocki. I got this at a puzzle swap with a bunch of other Wysocki puzzles.
I really enjoyed this one. It has the classic Wysocki feel with enough going on that it wasn’t too difficult. Although I have been thinking, if I get more of his puzzles, I will try to get 500 or 300 piece versions for when I want a quick one.
Rickshaw Ride is a 500-piece puzzle from Laila Luxury Puzzles, and the artist is Asma Jamali. Laila is a fairly new brand that was started by a Muslim woman and features images by Muslim artists. The owner also has a background in mental health and is passionate about the many benefits of doing puzzles.
This puzzle comes in a round canister which is lovely if a bit impractical. The pieces are in a cotton bag, and there is a nice size reference poster to use while puzzling. Additionally, there is a good variety of piece shapes that hold together well with no false fits.
I love how colorful and vibrant the image is; it was truly a joy to put together. The finish is velvety soft, which I know most people really enjoy. I do not care for that myself, but I still had a great time doing this puzzle because of how much I like the artwork and the quality.
Here are some closeups that show off how good the art is:
I recently entered a giveaway for a $50 gift card to Puzzledly, which is one of my favorite online puzzle stores, and I was shocked to actually win! I do have puzzles on my wishlist on the site, but when I looked at the new arrivals section, I found two Werkshoppe puzzle that were on pre-order that I fell in love with.
The one on the top is called Beach Boardwalk, and the bottom one is Autumn on Main Street. Both are 1000 pieces, and the artist is Cathy Walters. I have always enjoyed puzzling buildings, so these storefront images really spoke to me.
Because Puzzledly gives 20% off when you buy 3 or more puzzles, I was able to add in a mini puzzle. I chose Garden Serenity, which is a 99-piece puzzle from Olleo. The artist is Salome Herzog. I actually did that one during my lunch break one day, and it is so pretty!
In Town is an 86-piece mini wooden puzzle from Victory, and the artist is Kim Jacobs. They were having a special when I bought the other wooden puzzle offering a free mini puzzle with each medium puzzle purchased, so I got this one for free!
The image is just so pretty, and I love the color palette. This is another image I would hesitate to do in a large piece count but am happy to tackle in this size. It was very enjoyable to put together.
Because this is a smaller puzzle, it has fewer whimsy pieces than the other puzzle I just did, but they are still fun. One of the whimsies is a hand making the letter “V.” This stands for Victory, the name of the brand, and is included with all of their puzzles.
Midsummer Night’s Dream is a 256-piece wooden puzzle from Victory, and the artist is Lucy Grossmith. This is the first wooden puzzle I have purchased. I did one other one as a traveling puzzle a year or so ago and really enjoyed it, so I finally decided to invest in one myself.
I was really drawn to the image and knew it was something I wouldn’t want to attempt in a large piece count but thought it would be a nice challenge in the medium size. I was impressed with the packaging, although one piece came out of the box with a small chip broken off. I was a bit bummed about that because it is noticeable on the finished puzzle.
The process of building the puzzle was very enjoyable. It was a nice change from cardboard puzzles, and I am definitely open to doing more of them. I especially liked seeing all of the whimsy pieces, which are pieces that are shaped like something instead of just being a random shape. I took a picture of the back of the puzzle, and you can see the whimsies more easily from that. I loved coming across these pieces when doing the puzzle, especially all of the different rabbits.
I did end up contacting the company about the broken piece. They had me send them some pictures and said they are going to send me a replacement piece. Here is a pic of the piece that was damaged; a little chip came off the wing of the owl. I am not sure if the wing is supposed to be connected to the owl or if they are two separate pieces, so I am interested to see what they send me.
English Cottage is a 1000-piece puzzle from eeBoo, and the artist is Victoria Ball. This was fairly challenging for me, but I still really enjoyed it. I just think the art is so pretty, and I always like this brand. Some people don’t like it because the pieces are a bit glossy, but it has never been an issue for me.
In So Many Words 