Thoughts of an introverted bookworm and avid jigsaw puzzler
I recently had a friend over for the evening, and we ordered Chinese takeout and did a puzzle together called Green Mountain Camper. After she left, I was still in the mood to puzzle, so I also did Downeast Camper and Cactus Camp-Out. All three puzzles are 300 pieces from Ceaco, and the artist is Stephanie Peterson Jones.
I think I have all the Happy Campers now and they have all been completed. I do still have some puzzles from her Food Trucks to do.
Marketplace in France is a 1000-piece puzzle from eeBoo, and the artist is Uta Krogmann. I have a few of her puzzles now and really enjoy her bold, colorful images. This brand is also a favorite of mine.
Book Nook is a 1000-piece puzzle from White Mountain, and the artist is Rose Khan. Rose Khan is also an author of fantasy books and her artwork is inspired by her writing. This image was a treat to put together. I love the rich colors and the beautiful details like the scrollwork on the window and the cozy pillows.
The image was darker on the puzzle that it shows in this image, so there were sections that were pretty hard, like the fireplace. That didn’t really detract from my enjoyment, though.
Khan has done a number of other puzzle illustrations. One that I am very interested in is called The Six Portals, which is currently available as a 7000 piece puzzle from Ravensburger. I don’t really have the room for a puzzle that big, even with it being split into two bags of 3500 pieces, but I have heard a rumor that they might be releasing the image in a 1000-piece puzzle. I would definitely get that one!
Little Park Ranger is a 500-piece puzzle from Mudpuppy. This is such a cute puzzle! It was a redo because I needed a waterfall for a Facebook challenge.
I was surprised when I opened the box that the pieces were loose because I usually put them in a ziplock bag. As I finished the puzzle, I realized sadly that I was missing three pieces and had an extra piece from another puzzle. I looked back through my photos and was able to reunite the extra piece with the proper puzzle, but I didn’t find any of the missing pieces from this one.
I still think it is adorable, even with the missing pieces. It’s hard to pick a favorite square because they all have interesting elements, but I especially like Olympic and Sequoia.
Rainbow Stationery is a 750-piece puzzle from Ceaco, and the artist is Martha Roberts. This is part of their ColorStory line. It was a very satisfying rainbow puzzle. The fit was pretty loose, but I really enjoyed the process of working through each color. There is something pleasing about seeing the items all lined up like that!
Cosmic Lights is a 500-piece puzzle from Galison. I needed to do a puzzle with Northern Lights for a Facebook challenge, and this one spoke to me!
I appreciated that there were no false fits even though the pieces are all two-in, two-out. Overall, the quality was good, but a couple of the pieces did have a rough, gritty texture, which was unpleasant.
This week was fairly busy for me. On Monday evening, the committee members from the autism mothers luncheon met at a restaurant for a debrief of the event and some socializing. We had a very nice time and shared some good ideas for next year.
On Tuesday, Michael had some dental work done. His dentist prescribed some medication to relax him, which he took the night before and the morning of. Everything went very well, which was a relief for both of us. He has to go back in a couple of weeks to get some work done on the other side, but he has the meds for that so I think it will be fine.
Michael’s case manager came over on Wednesday for a quick check-in. He is on the list for the state autism waiver, which would entitle him to some helpful services, but there is no way to say when he will be approved. It does by need rather than in order, so it can take a while.
Friday evening my friend Suzanne came over, and we ordered Chinese takeout and did a puzzle. This week, I had also seen a post on Facebook for a puzzle group that meets at a local library, and the next meeting was Saturday afternoon. I was a bit nervous because I have had trouble handling social events for the last few months, but I figured this would be pretty low key and not too loud.
I’m not going to go into the details of the afternoon right now because I am still processing my feelings about it. It was positive overall, but there were some awkward moments on my part that I was really embarrassed about later and even when I woke up this morning. I ended up spending some time reading posts on a Facebook group I am in for women with autism, and that made me feel better. Hearing what people similar to me are going through makes me feel less alone in my different-ness.
Today, I did some more puzzling and also some personal admin stuff that needed to get done. It has turned out to be a pretty good weekend, and I am looking forward to the upcoming week.
Emerald Bookstore is a 1000-piece puzzle from Villager, and the artist is Tara Younggren. This was a splurge from their spring collection, and I am so happy I got it!
I love this image so much. I am a lifelong bookworm, so combining puzzles and books is always a big hit for me. Villager is also such a great brand. I love the quality of their puzzles.
This one was definitely a challenge but in a very satisfying way. I had to sort by shape to get through the last third of the puzzle, but I never felt truly stuck or frustrated.
I also just hear they are coming out with some 250-piece puzzles soon, and I am excited to see them.
Seashells is a 1000-piece puzzle from Elena Essex, and the artist is Katherine Herrell. I just love rainbow/gradient puzzles. It is so enjoyable to pick out the colors one by one and work on each section. I also love the quality of this brand. The pieces are a nice shape and weight, and they fit together well.
I love how each of the seashells has a slightly different pattern; they are so beautiful. There were also very few pieces that had just the background color on them, which was very nice.
Purrfect Life is a 1000-piece puzzle from Elewhite, and the artists are Juan & Yuan. Earlier this year, I splurged on a few puzzles from higher-end brands, and this was one of them. This was my first Elewhite puzzle, and I was blown away by how much I loved it! The colors are so vibrant, and the image is super adorable.
This puzzle is panoramic, and the box mimics that in the design. The pieces are packaged in a reusable silky storage bag, and there is a poster that is about the size of the image on the box. I loved the feel of the pieces, both the weight and the finish. They fit together perfectly with no false fits.
I usually do puzzles sitting on my couch using my rotating puzzle board, but this puzzle was too wide to fit it, so I had to use the dining room table. I had forgotten how uncomfortable hard wooden chairs can be after a few hours. Thankfully I was able to finish it in two sessions!
There are so many cute details in this puzzle. Here are a few closeups of some of them:
In So Many Words 