Tag: puzzles

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I won a Puzzledly gift card!

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!

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In Town

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.

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Midsummer Night’s Dream

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.

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English Cottage

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.

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The Story Bean

The Story Bean is a 500-piece puzzle from RoseArt, and the artist is Olivia Gibbs. This image of a bookshop is super charming, and the box it comes in is really cute, although a bit impractical for storage.

I love the feel of the pieces, but the fit was so loose and the connectors so similar that there were many false fits. The top section was especially difficult because of that an required a lot of reworking.

Here’s what the box looks like:

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Puzzle Cafe

Puzzle Cafe is a 1000-piece puzzle from Magnolia, and the artist is Shanya Bharti. I got to do this as a traveling puzzle and I loved it! 💗

I was a little nervous about all of the pink, but I didn’t need to be. Each area had a different pattern or shade, so that part wasn’t bad at all.

There were a lot of fun sections in the puzzle, but my favorite part was doing the puzzles that are hanging inside the cafe windows. I learned from someone on Instagram that the puzzle pictured are actually by the same artist that created this puzzle. So meta! 🧩

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Rainbow Buttons

Rainbow Buttons is a 750-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Lars Stewart. I always love a good rainbow puzzle, and this one did not disappoint! I did this over two nights, starting with the red, pink, and orange the first night. Then I finished up the rest of the colors going left to right the second night. So fun!

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Houses in the Valley

Houses in the Valley is a 1000-piece puzzle from JaCaRou, and the artist is Anie Maltais. This one was on my wishlist at Puzzle Warehouse for quite a while, but it recently came back in stock and I grabbed a copy.

I enjoyed this one a lot. The quality was good, and I love the rich, bold colors. Buildings are one of my favorite things in puzzle, so this was right up my alley.

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Black Cat

Black Cat is a 500-piece puzzle from Fred, and the artist is Karen Obuhanych. This is a super cute puzzle that was lent to me for free from Completing the Puzzle.

Completing the Puzzle is a subscription service that is very easy to use and is great for people who want to try different brands and not worry about having to store puzzles they have done. The puzzles come in a prepaid mailer that includes a pouch with the pieces and a laminated image. When you finish the puzzle, you just stick on the label, pop it in the mail, and they will send you your next puzzle. 

They recently approached me about becoming an affiliate. If anyone is interested in trying them out, they can use my code PUZZLINGBOOKWORM to get 25% off their first month.

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Rabbit Hole Town

Rabbit Hole Town is a 500-piece puzzle from HUADADA. I came across this puzzle randomly on Amazon and just loved how cute it was. It makes me think of Peter Rabbit if he was all grown up. I love the little bedrooms and the concert hall, but my favorite space is the store near the top.