Tag: puzzling

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Toadstool Cottage

Toadstool Cottage is a 300-piece puzzle, and the company is listed on Amazon as Nichpedr.

This was such a unique puzzle. The pieces appear to be very thin wood, and they have a matte finish. There are letters on the back to assist with sorting, but I did not use them given the low piece count. It took a bit of effort to click the pieces into place, but the upside was that there were no false fits. You can pick up the finished puzzle easily because of how tightly it fits together.

The box was very plain with just a sticker of the image on the box. There was a nice sized poster and a zipper top resealable bag. It was a risk ordering from an unknown puzzle company, so I was very pleased with how it turned out.

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Beauty Guru

Beauty Guru is a 1000-piece puzzle from Buffalo Games. The artist is Aimee Stewart. Even though I have heard of her and seen lots of pictures of her puzzles, this is the first one of hers that I have done. I picked it up at Community Aid because I like the colorful, cluttered appearance of it.

This puzzle was definitely challenging to do, although not so much that I got frustrated. I did the makeup brushes last, and they took quite a while to get done. I thought the quality was very good, and it included a nice-sized poster.

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Fresh Eggs and More

Fresh Eggs and More is a 300-piece puzzle from Bits and Pieces, and the artist is John Sloane. This was another freebie from the puzzle box in Elizabethtown.

This is a sweet image that was enjoyable to put together. I always enjoy puzzles that have buildings in them, as well as signs with words. The quilts were also fun to do.

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Home Cooking

Home Cooking is a 1000-piece puzzle from White Mountain, and the artist is Simon Kayne. I got it at the Elizabethtown puzzle box, which has had a much better selection lately than the Harrisburg one.

I really enjoyed this puzzle. It wasn’t as difficult as the other White Mountain puzzle I did a few days earlier, but it was still challenging enough to be interesting. Lately, I have been continuing to pull out the edges and turn the rest of the pieces right side up into sorting trays. I only do a more thorough sort if the puzzles has clear blocks of color or just a few colors, like the Beside the Sea puzzle I did last. Once I get to a point where I feel a bit stuck, I will sort by shape and that usually gets me moving again.

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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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Best Places in the World

Best Places in the World is a 1000-piece puzzle from White Mountain, and the artist is Lewis T. Johnson. I picked it up at the Elizabethtown puzzle box.

I couldn’t decide which puzzle to do next so I had my son pick two from my stash and then I made the final decision. This one was kind of intimidating but it really wasn’t that bad once I got going with it. It took me two nights to finish it.

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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.

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Take Flight

Take Flight is a 350-piece puzzle from Springbok. I got it from a local puzzle box and used it to fulfill the third clue in the current Facebook group challenge, which was for beach or coast. I enjoyed all the colorful hot air balloons. They are in sharp contrast to the nondescript green and blue landscape in the background, which were quite easy due to the size of the pieces.

I can tell this puzzle has been done many times. The pieces felt soft rather than crisp and didn’t have the usual click when they fit into place. I haven’t decided whether to keep it in my collection; I may just hold onto it to do one more time before passing it back on.

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Birthday Mayhem

Birthday Mayhem is a 550-piece puzzle from Ceaco. The artist is Jane Wooster Scott, whose artwork reminds me of Joseph Holodook. I think this is the first puzzle I have done of hers.

This puzzle was a thrift store find. The only place I could find the title was in the lower left corner of the puzzle itself, which I thought was a bit odd. I enjoyed the bottom part more than the top, as the trees and sky were tedious. I would not have enjoyed this in a larger piece count, but in this size it was okay.

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The Artist’s Palette

The Artist’s Palette is a 500-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Lars Stewart. I have had this on my wish list for a while, and it did not disappoint. The pieces are extra large, which made it an easy build. And I love how colorful it is!

This puzzle is very similar to Needlework Station, which I did a few months ago. The pieces are the same size and it has a completely matte finish. It was a tiny bit harder than that one, but still not difficult at all.