Bees & Honey is a 1000-piece puzzle from Cavallini & Co. This is my third puzzle from this brand and I really enjoyed it. The image features vintage-style illustrations of honey bees, beehives, and pollinator-friendly plants. Piecing together the beehives, the flowers, and the banner at the top was quite pleasant. The larger insects were easy enough but kind of creepy.
I got a bit stuck when it came to all the small bees and the plain colored pieces. Luckily a friend came over and helped me with them. It was much more fun working on those tedious pieces with someone else.
This month marks five years since I started doing puzzles, so I celebrated by putting together my very first puzzle again. When I had done it the first time, several of the pieces had separated from the cardboard backing, so I took some time to glue them back together.
The quality of the puzzle was definitely an issue with a lot of peeling on the knobs and the pieces having what I can only describe as a squishy fit. The finish was quite glossy as well, and the lighting where I was doing it made that challenging.
I still had a great time putting it together though. The flowers and butterflies/other insects came together quickly and the words took a bit longer, just how I remember it the first time.
I am so thankful to my therapist who suggested way back when that I needed another hobby besides reading. Little did she know my foray into puzzling would turn into an ongoing obsession that would give me so much joy and result in me finding a whole bunch of people who love it just as much as I do!
Puzzle: Rare and Beautiful by Puzzle Crush, 500 pieces
Green Room is a 1000-piece puzzle from Soonness, and the artist is Rowon. I have heard about this brand for years but never considered it before because of the price. Earlier this year, I decided to splurge and get one to try it out. After putting it together, I have mixed feelings about it.
First of all, I love the art! The colors are great, and the whole feel of the image is just so cozy and full of life. There was quite a bit of green and brown that slowed me down, but thankfully the pieces had unique connectors that made it not too overwhelming.
On the other hand, the quality of the pieces was not that great. A couple of the pieces were damaged, and the knobs were peeling on some of the other pieces. The brand did send out an email that they were aware of the issue and that we could send in pictures to get a replacement puzzle. I feel like for the money I spent, they should have had better quality control upfront, but I appreciate the effort to make things right.
For me personally, the pieces were a bit too matte. The finish felt almost like paper to me, and I didn’t really like it. So this is not a brand I would consider rebuying.
The Beach Hut is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Steve Read. This is part of their My Haven series. My friend Renee got this for me for Christmas. I was impressed because she picked out a puzzle that I really liked and also because it was complete despite coming used from a flea market.
I really enjoyed building this one. There were so many interesting objects in the image, and I found the colors very soothing. It was a pleasant experience all around, and I am always happy with the Ravensburger quality.
Times Square Dogs is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Amanda Haley. This was such a fun puzzle to put together! It was like having two puzzles in one because I could do all the colorful billboards in sections and then use the pick and place method for all of the dogs on the square.
There was a lot of puzzle dust and I left the top border for last because it was all one color and it was difficult to know if I had the pieces in the right spots. I didn’t have any issues with the rest of the puzzle, though.
Cozy Cafe is a 1000-piece puzzle from Trevell, and the artist is Anna Vaughn J. This puzzle is aptly named. There are so many charming details, from the colorful patterns on the rug and tablecloth to all the goodies in the display case to the adorable furry companions. The quality is exceptional as well. The pieces come in a drawstring cotton bag and are so lovely to work with.
I never felt stuck as there was always a new color or texture to work on. I do have to admit that I find slanted sections a bit challenging when it comes to placing sections where they go, but that’s just because my brain doesn’t work that way!
I am so glad I picked this one up when I had the chance. 💗
Tree of Hope is a 300-piece puzzle from Pintoo. I redid this one last week when I had some time to kill before my friends arrived to hang out. I knew it would be a quick build, and it was.
I just love the four seasons theme and the whimsical illustration in this one. This brand is interesting because it has plastic pieces that snap together in a very satisfying way. It can be a bit hard on your fingers by the end, but it is so fun to be able to pick up the puzzle and flap it around! 😄
Stockholm is a 1000-piece puzzle from eeBoo, and the artist is Uta Krogmann. I was in the mood for an eeBoo puzzle the other day, so I pulled this one out of my stash. I love building/city puzzles, and Stockholm isn’t one you see repeated too much, so that made it even more enjoyable.
My favorite part was the buildings, of course. I love the colors and the variety in the architectural style and the windows. The boat was also a lot of fun to put together. I also really like the details like the swans with their babies and the festive bunting on the buildings.
Loving Kindness is a 300-piece puzzle from Buffalo Games, and the artist is Lisa Marie Thalhammer. I love how bright the colors are in this one. This was a super fun, easy puzzle that I got to celebrate Pride Month. It was so satisfying to pick out the colors one by one and assemble. One of the light blue pieces was damaged, but overall the quality was great.
This week has been pretty eventful. I am still in the process of switching the meds that the psychiatrist changed for me. The new one was delayed by insurance. It normally comes in a capsule, but I have trouble swallowing those, so she prescribed a tablet. They wouldn’t approve it, but they said if I have swallowing issues I could get the liquid. That seems kind of stupid to me, but I’m just hoping it doesn’t taste terrible. I have been feeling better just with the lowered dose of the original med, so that’s progress at least.
My friend Renee and her boyfriend Chris (pictured above) came over on Friday to hang out, and we had a really good time. I overdid it on the carbs and afterwards I was feeling a bit off. It felt different from when I have high blood sugar, so I checked my sugar and it was only 75! I looked it up and it sounds like it was reactive hypoglycemia, which is when your body keeps making insulin longer than is needed after a high amount of carbs. I ate some candy and checked again in 15 minutes and it was up to 130. Later on it started getting low again, so I had some more candy.
The whole incident was pretty scary, but the really interesting thing was that my cat was climbing all over me and nudging me until I woke up fully and got up to check my blood sugar. I had heard about dogs that can smell low blood sugar, but I didn’t realize that cats sometimes do that too. I am so thankful that he was persistent!
I have been puzzling a lot. My follower count on Instagram has been slowly growing, and I just hit 2000 followers, which I am happy about. I took a screenshot to commemorate it:
On Saturday, I went to the puzzling group at a local library – the one I tried out last month. There were about 7 of us there, so we split into 2 groups. Our group did two 500 piece puzzles in the time we were there.
Here are the puzzles we did at the library:
Musical Mermaids by Bonnie White, Bits and Pieces, 500 pieces
Niagara Falls by Eric Dowdle, Dowdle, 500 pieces
Sunday I am planning to go to church and then in the evening Renee is coming again so we can go to Shakespeare in the Park. This year they are doing As You Like It. I am looking forward to both outings, which is a big improvement for me. Hopefully, I will enjoy them both and not be overstimulated.
