It took waaay too long, but I’ve finally gotten Beauty and the Beast off the board and Bambi is sorted. I’ll be able to start assembly tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to getting back to work on the puzzle and posting updates every day. Stay tuned!
Another thrift store puzzle put together to be sure all the pieces are there before giving it to a child. This one wasn’t bad!
You can see from the picture that the pieces don’t lie completely flat and they are a bit thin, but otherwise this a good kid’s puzzle. The image reproduction is quite good and it was fun to assemble. The top blue part took some actual concentration, but it isn’t too difficult to for young child in my opinion. This one is definitely going to my “grandson”, he’s a puzzle geek just like me! 🙂
Eastern Bluebird II – Buffalo Games (Audubon) – 500 pieces
Another thrift store puzzle, it was only 500 pieces so I thought mom and I should work on it one day while we were visiting. We got it done in no time, but alas, 2 missing pieces. 😦 I can’t get too upset though, we’ve been quite lucky lately with our thrift store puzzles. So if every once in a while we get one with missing pieces, it’s just par for the course AND we just saved someone else from buying a puzzle with missing pieces. 🙂
We still had a good time with this puzzle, excellent Buffalo quality and the colors were absolutely gorgeous. The pieces fit together really well, even more than usual for a Buffalo puzzle.
It’s so nice to be able to sit and talk and work on a puzzle with someone. I forget sometimes as I’ve been mostly working alone on the giant Disney puzzle. I told mom that she has to come over at least once a week and sit and work on puzzles with me, I need a little chit chat sometimes!
What If? – Garden Open Day – Ravensburger – 1000 pieces
It’s been a while since I’ve done a What If puzzle, almost forgot how much fun they are! Also, I’m only showing a tiny portion of the puzzle, because I don’t want to give away the “answer”.
In this puzzle, Hyacinth has worked all year with the help of her husband to get her garden ready for the “open gardens” weekend, what will happen if unexpected visitors drop in?
I haven’t done a regular Ravensburger in a while, I’ve just been working on the giant Ravensburger puzzle. It reminded me how awesome this puzzle company is, and why they’re my favorite. The pieces are wonderfully thick, they fit together so well that you always know if you’ve got the right piece, the image reproduction is gorgeous and there are a variety of piece shapes so it isn’t boring. Ravensburger Rocks!!
Cartoon puzzles are my favorite and I adore the artwork of Geoff Tristam. I can’t really say why, it’s not childish cartoony at all and just something about his artwork makes me happy. So add together Geoff Tristam cartoon puzzle with Ravensburger and I am a happy happy puzzler! 🙂
An Afternoon Remembered by John O’Brien – Ceaco (Parlor Puzzles)- 500 pieces
Another very interesting thrift store find. This puzzle has velvet on the back of the pieces!
This image seems lovely and bright but the pieces all looked extremely dark and it was difficult to find the right piece at times.  Once we got the lower area assembled we looked at it and were shocked at how light it looks. I like the image, but boy was this a challenge! Full disclosure – I attempted to assemble this puzzle last year, but it was too difficult for me at the time. I think it’s better to do the more challenging puzzles with someone. Mom and I worked this puzzle together and it was still tough, but it’s not so bad when there’s someone with you to talk to and laugh with. Also, the sense of accomplishment when you’re done is even bigger with a more difficult puzzle. You did it! Way to go! 😉
Ceaco has some very interesting puzzles. I’m not a big fan of their regular puzzles, the pieces are too thin for my taste – but they also have some special puzzles that are much better quality in my opinion. We found a puzzle backed with cork (click here for my post about the cork backed puzzle – so much fun!) and now this puzzle backed with velvet – very chic!
The pieces are thicker than normal for a Ceaco puzzle, and then the velvet adds even more thickness. The fit was tight and there was no problem lifting up a completed section to move it. I wish Ceaco would put the extra effort into quality for all their puzzles, because the ones I’ve found that are outside the norm are really exceptional quality. Wouldn’t that be great all the time?
If you can find a Ceaco puzzle that is a special edition, definitely go for it. The special puzzles we’ve done are really unique and fun! If you’re in my area check out the thrift stores, this puzzle is going back – it might be your next fun afternoon! (Bring a friend though, it makes it way more fun!)