Thoughts of an introverted bookworm and avid jigsaw puzzler
The Cambridge is a 1000-piece puzzle from Buffalo Games, and the artist is the much-loved Charles Wysocki. I love his images, and this was an especially good one because it had so many different buildings as well as some fun words and interesting boats.
I really enjoyed putting it together. I still have four more of his in the 1000-piece size to do when the mood strikes!
All Good Things Are Wild & Free is a 1000-piece puzzle from Flow/Workman Puzzles. Flow is a magazine and an international brand that celebrates mindfulness, creativity, and the simple pleasures in life. This illustration was done by Dutch artist Valesca van Waveren and was inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s words in Walking.
I really enjoyed this puzzle, and I did find it very relaxing to do. I love how there are little details scattered around the image so there aren’t large sections of just one color, and I like the little touches like the rounded corners. The finish of the pieces feels smooth and clean, just how I like them.
I got this one at a puzzle swap. There is another one called Everything Is Made Out of Magic that looks really pretty too that I might consider getting.
Rig Views is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Jason Taylor. This is another of his indoor/outdoor images that I have fallen in love with. It was actually a much quicker build than I expected. I did it on a Sunday afternoon/evening while I was doing my colonoscopy prep. ☹️
There are a lot of fun little details and textures in this puzzle, so I was never stuck or bored. I love the contrast between the beautiful nature scene with the colorful items inside the vehicle.
Midnight in Prague is a 1000-piece puzzle from KI Puzzles, and the artist is Mandalina Tantareanu. She is a Romanian illustrated based in Germany, and she especially loves drawing cities.
This is the third one I have done from her Cities at Midnight series. My son Michael gave it to me for Christmas in 2024, and it was the last puzzle from 2024 still on my to do shelf. There are three more puzzles in this series, which I bought myself for Christmas in 2025 so I would have the whole set.
I love puzzling buildings and words, so I was glad this puzzle had some of both. The cobblestone bridge was also fun to do. The top section with all of the blue and white was a lot more challenging but doable.
Such a lovely image!
All Day Long Food Truck is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Stephanie Peterson Jones. Most of the food truck puzzles I have done of hers have been 500 pieces, so it was exciting to see one in a larger piece count.
I loved the bright colors in this one. My favorite part to put together was the words on the signs and menus; I find them really fun to do. I also really liked the piece shapes in this one; they are different from what I usually see from Ceaco. It did have the largest reference poster I have ever seen, which was really annoying to use but necessary to see the entire image.
Recently, one of my cousins asked me to post pictures of the process I usually follow when doing a puzzle, so I took pictures of each step as I was putting this one together and posted them on Facebook for her.
Corner Bakery is a 750-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Elissa Della-Piana. It is one of their large piece puzzles, so it completely filled up my puzzle board, which is designed to hold up to 1500-piece puzzles!
I love this image. The bakery seems so quaint and cozy. I especially love the red shelf and the chalkboard menu. It looks like a place that would be fun to visit, and not only for the delicious treats.
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💗
You’ve Got Mail is a 500-piece puzzle from Spaghetti Tree, and the artist is Loni Harris. This was my first puzzle from this brand, and I loved it! It is a random cut but the pieces are nice and big, so it was really easy to put together. I love the flowers bursting out of the envelope as well as the whimsical patterns on all of the butterflies.
It was the perfect puzzle to celebrate Valentine’s Day and love in all its forms! 💗
Here are some closeups:
I recently did two more of the Happy Camper series from Ceaco, illustrated by Stephanie Peterson Jones. Both were 300 pieces.
Costa Rica Camper is my favorite Happy Camper puzzle so far! It is so bright and colorful, and there were lots of large sections with unique patterns that I could pull out and do. I barely even needed to look at the box!
Beach Camper is another fun one. I love the turquoise on the camper and the pink of the flamingo and the flowers. This one was secondhand so the pieces were a bit worn, but it was still okay quality.
Cozy Nooks & Reading Books is a 500-piece puzzle from Designworks Ink. It was an impulse buy from Target in early December, but I didn’t get to it before Christmas. I love how festive it is, and it even has a red backing.
As an avid bookworm, I really enjoy seeing books in puzzles. I also enjoy doing words, so this puzzle was a lot of fun for me. I usually do the border first when I puzzle, but since this border was all dark green, I chose to do it last. I was impressed with the quality of this puzzle, especially with its low price tag. There were no false fits, and the pieces were nice.
At the puzzle swap I attended in November, I got two puzzles that had been used in the 2025 US National Jigsaw Puzzle Championship. These are both 500-piece puzzles from Ravensburger, who sponsors the competition.
Art Studio was illustrated by Jena DellaGrottaglia. It was trickier than I thought it would be to put together, but it did come together and it really quite beautiful.
Home Sweet Home was illustrated by Demelsa Haughton. I have done a couple of her other puzzles and find her style to be so charming. I loved discovering all the whimsical details and adorable creatures in this image. It went much more quickly than the previous puzzle, which was nice.
In So Many Words 