Surf’s Up!

Surf’s Up! is a 1500-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Ingrid Slyder. This is my second puzzle of this size (I have also done one 2000-piece puzzle), and I bought it to do while I was watching the USAJPA Nationals. It was a lot of fun! The image was so well designed that it didn’t feel like a bigger puzzle, and I loved all of the bright colors and interesting textures. The only part that was a little tricky was the palm tree.

I was really happy that the puzzle fit on my rotating puzzle board, since that way I could easily work on it while watching the YouTube stream on my TV. I got so engrossed in the puzzle that I ended up staying up super late and finishing in the first day! I highly recommend this one to anyone interested in trying a larger piece count.

Week in Review: March 29, 2026

The Mother to Mother Autism Luncheon that I am helping to planning is coming up in just three weeks, so now it’s time for me to get working on the program and the items that will be included in the folders and bags we hand out. Thankfully, a lot of the heavy lifting is done by the team at the main site, and I just have to tweak things for our location.

I had some unfortunate dental news this week. On Tuesday, I noticed that one of my teeth was pretty loose. The orthodontist had said my teeth might be a bit wobbly as they moved, but this one was really moving. It turned out to be one of my implants (I have two implants right next to each other). My dentist looked at it and said she believed the implant had failed and that an oral surgeon should evaluate both of them. The oral surgeon said that it has definitely failed, and that the other one would fail as well, due to too much bone loss, which is most likely because the implants were placed too close together.

So now I have to organize getting the implant crowns off and then getting the implants removed and a bone graft done. I need a driver for the appointment, and I need to make sure Michael can get to and from work, and it’s going to cost $3600. I’m also stuck eating soft food for the foreseeable future so I don’t fracture it before it can get taken care of. Ugh!

On a positive note, I took Friday off work to watch the first day of the USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association Nationals. Friday was the individual prelims, Saturday was the pairs and teams prelims, and Sunday is the finals for all three categories. I had purchased a 1500 piece puzzle to do while I was watching, and I ended up staying up until 3 AM on Saturday morning finishing it! I haven’t taken pictures of the puzzle yet, but here’s a picture of the box:

I did get all caught up on laundry on Friday as well, which was good, but I was definitely avoiding a bunch of admin stuff I really need to do. There are a few things on my list which I am anxious about, so it’s really hard to make myself tackle them.

Coastal Harbour

Coastal Harbour is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Georgia Breeze. I did another of her puzzles last year called Garden Allotment and enjoyed it very much. There is something very charming about her artwork style.

This was a pleasure to put together. Ravensburger puzzles are such nice quality, with a matte finish to the pieces and a good thickness and fit. The image is broken up into sections, so after I did the buildings and boats that stood out the most, I worked on the sand and then the water and so on. A few of the buildings were very similar, so those took a bit more time, but overall I would say this not very difficult.

When I finished the puzzle in the wee hours of the morning, I was missing a piece. I tried to check around my puzzle board and under the couch but ended up having to go to bed without finding it. When I woke up and went out to the kitchen, I saw the missing puzzle piece upside down on the floor by the dining room table. I’m guessing it must have fallen off the puzzle board and gotten batted over there by the cat. I don’t really know what happened, but I am so glad I found it!

Rig Views

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.

Corner Bakery

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.

Art Studio & Home Sweet Home

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.

Disney & Pixar Color Palette

Disney & Pixar Color Palette is a 500-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and I had so much fun with it! I had seen people online talking about how hard it was to get and really wanted to have the chance to do it. Luckily, it showed up on the swap table at the speed puzzling event I attended (as a spectator) in November. There was one piece missing, which was noted on the box, but I still grabbed it as soon as I saw it!

I love that this has both a rainbow and a grid aspect. This was a very quick build for me. After doing the border, I started with the pink column and worked my way over to the green. Then I jumped to the red and worked my way back to the yellow. The fit was kind of loose, so I’m guessing this puzzle has been done quite a few times already, but the pieces were still in pretty good shape.

I was surprised by how many of the characters I knew, especially since I haven’t watched a lot of animated films in the last few years. I don’t usually keep puzzles with missing pieces, but I might hang onto this one for a while so I can do it again sometime.

Quaint Cafe

Quaint Cafe is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Jason Taylor. I fell in love with this image the first time I saw it, and it turned out to be just as beautiful as I imagined.

I love the juxtaposition of the indoors and the outdoors. The interior is so warm and inviting with the wood floors and chalkboard menus, and the outdoor is just as charming with the cobblestone street and cafe seating.

As always, the Ravensburger quality is excellent. The pieces are a nice size and thickness, and they have a lovely matte finish. There are no false fits, and there is enough piece variation that I can sort by shape when I get stuck.

This artist has done several puzzles using the same concept, and I have actually gotten a few of them. I think they are such clever designs.

Happy Beads

Happy Beads is a 500-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Elspeth McLean. McLean is known for her meticulously painted mandala stones and has had several puzzles made featuring these creations. The level of detail is just amazing!

I was pretty intimidated by this puzzle, but it turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would. Each bead has a different pattern on it, so it was not hard to figure out where each piece went. Super fun!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween is a 1000-piece puzzle from Ravensburger, and the artist is Demelsa Haughton. I find her artwork so charming. I was thinking this was the first puzzle I have done from her, but then I realized my only 2000-piece puzzle Novel Avenue was one of hers.

This puzzle was more challenging than I thought it would be, probably because of how detailed it is. With that said, I love all the fun and spooky details in this image. The pumpkin houses are charming, and I especially love the colors of the sky.