Monarch Butterfly Tree by Paul Huessenstamm – Pomegranate – 100 pieces
Usually when you see a 100 piece puzzle they are made for children, these are not kids puzzles! Pomegranate has a whole line of 100 piece puzzles with images by Charley Harper, Edward Gorey, Henri Rousseau and many more. They are beautiful little puzzles that come in a metal tin that’s perfect for traveling. Pomegranate knows how to do it right!
The pieces don’t exactly feel the same as their larger piece count puzzles, but they’re still thick and fit together very well. The finish is a little shiny, but the image reproduction is beautiful and bright with clean lines. I love their images, such beautiful works of art!
I find Paul Huessenstamm’s work is lovely to look at, as well as fun and challenging to assemble, I highly recommend trying a puzzle with his artwork. I reviewed his Mandala Fruit Tree last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s a small little puzzle, and doesn’t take much time. It’s perfect for travel in a very thin and portable metal tin. There are quite a few of these mini puzzles available, all with beautiful artwork; you should check them out!
Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh – Wentworth Wooden Puzzles – 40 pieces
This 40 piece puzzle is probably the only way I’ll assemble Starry Night. In 1000 pieces or more it will most likely be too frustrating for me; I’ll take what I can get. Look everyone! I assembled Starry Night by Van Gogh! 😎
This time it wasn’t me in the hospital, but I brought along a few of Wentworth’s micro puzzles when I went to visit. You don’t really need a helper when there are only 40 pieces but when you’re laid up with nothing to do but watch tv, assembling a small but fun puzzle with a friend is a much better idea!
The whimsies in this puzzle confused us for a bit; the one in the lower right looks like a baby bottle to me, but I’m sure it’s not. The upper right-hand whimsy had us stumped until I figured out that it was a spilled bottle of ink or paint. The others were easy enough to recognize – a tube of paint, a picture frame, and a palette with paintbrush. Beautiful!
As usual, the quality was exceptional. Thick wooden pieces that feel great in your hand and give a satisfying “plunk” as they fall into place. As heavenly as a starry night!
I love collages, bright colors, cookies, and puzzles – it’s no wonder I loved Easter Eggs! It pushed all the right buttons for me and was one I had a hard time walking away from. For me, these are the most entertaining puzzles, and I loved figuring everything out piece by piece.
Cobble Hill Puzzles are excellent quality, with the only issue I’ve found being that the fit of their 1000 piece puzzles can be somewhat loose. It isn’t so much as to be overly annoying (not for me, anyway), but it is worth mentioning if you’re someone who prefers a tight fit. I puzzle on a fabric covered board, so the loose fit isn’t as much a problem for me. All other areas of quality I find to be excellent, and I never hesitate to purchase a Cobble Hill puzzle. Click the link above to see all of their puzzles currently available from one of their preferred online retailers, Puzzle Warehouse.
I think this was my first Easter puzzle, though I can’t be sure; my memory isn’t what it used to be. I assembled Cobble Hill’s Sugar Skull Cookies last year and had a great time with it, and was looking forward to assembling Easter Eggs – I wasn’t disappointed. The pieces are easy to sort and the random cut was interesting to assemble. I enjoy taking a bunch of similarly colored pieces and figuring out how they fit together. I don’t need the box to tell me anything, I’m figuring it out on my own. This is basically the thing that all puzzlers enjoy, putting the image back together. Collages like this are the most fun for me because it’s like assembling many mini puzzles all connected together.
I highly recommend this puzzle, it was great fun to assemble and has me looking forward to working on the rest of their cookie series – Halloween Cookies, Ugly Christmas Sweaters, and there’s another Easter puzzle called Easter Cookies (mostly the same cookies in a different pattern – looks like fun!) They also have one called Christmas Bake Sale, but it looks like a little bit too much of a challenge for me!
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Easter Eggs
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Photography by Jo-Ann Richards
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cobble Hill Puzzles
Piece Count:Â Â Â 1000 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Approx. 27 x 19 in. (69 x 48 cm)
Purchased:Â Â Â Â N/A, sent for review
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good, poster included
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Somewhat loose
Puzzle dust:Â Â Â Â Â Minimal amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Random cut
Piece shapes:Â Â Â Â Very good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Matte finish, lays flat
Overall rating:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good quality, recommended
I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.
Snow Leopard by Schim Schimmel – Ceaco – 100 pieces
Here’s the last of the kid’s puzzles from the big assembly day I had a while ago. It’s an interesting picture, isn’t it?
This wasn’t an overly easy 100 piece puzzle, but I think that’s a good thing. Kid’s puzzles should have a little challenge to them; in my opinion if they’re too easy they become boring. Snow Leopard definitely wasn’t boring. In fact, I thought I was assembling a tiger the whole time! The title of the image was nowhere to be found on the box and I had to go searching around online to find the name. It can’t be that difficult to find a small amount of space on the box to give credit to the artist and the name of the work, can it?
This is a Ceaco puzzle, so the pieces were on the thin side. The box was my least favorite type, with a pull tap to open the top edge and tabs that fit into each other to re-close it (like a cereal box). That’s a great design for making sure pieces end up missing, thank goodness all the pieces were accounted for!
The pieces fit together well, and I think the image reproduction was very good. Normally I don’t care for Ceaco, but we do tend to buy their “special” puzzles at the thrift stores because they are usually a little better quality. This is a “Glow Zone” puzzle, and we thought it was a tiger, which is the reason for the purchase. My oldest son LOVES tigers. It was a relatively quick assembly, and I got a great glow picture too!
In Full Bloom by McKenna Ryan – Cobble Hill – 500 pieces
In Full Bloom is an absolutely gorgeous puzzle, but it’s a little harder than it looks! The image is an actual quilt which makes it a little more challenging; still it’s great fun, and would make a beautiful wall hanging.
Cobble Hill puzzles are excellent quality, and this puzzle was no different. Thick pieces with a linen finished image full of bright, beautiful colors. The fit was a little loose and a few of the pieces were still attached by small bits of paper, but not so much as to be a major annoyance. I find that when an image is one I really like that I tend to forgive quality issues a little more readily. A slightly loose fit doesn’t lessen the enjoyment of the assembly, I just have to be sure that I’m paying more attention when moving small sections. Click the link above to see all the Cobble Hill puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.
The picture above doesn’t do the puzzle justice, the colors are deep and rich and the entire image is beautiful. It takes my breath away! It was harder than I anticipated but the colors and overall image made it worth the challenge. The artist, McKenna Ryan, has three 500 piece puzzles currently with Cobble Hill; in addition to In Full Bloom, there are Back on the Farm and Dog Park. Click the links to check them out, they’re adorable!
I definitely recommend this puzzle, especially if you’re a fan of quilt puzzles like I am, or if you just like a beautiful puzzle of good quality. I had a great time with this assembly, and hope you do too!
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â In Full Bloom
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â McKenna Ryan
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cobble Hill
Piece count:Â Â Â 500 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
Purchased:Â Â Â N/A
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Good, some attached pieces
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Average
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â Moderate amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Random cut
Piece shapes:Â Â Very good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Matte finish, lays flat
Overall Rating:Â Â Â Very good, recommended
I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.
My Jigsaw Journal 