I was sitting in bed trying to work on a puzzle, and my little guy decided that it was time for some snuggling! I’m always happy to push a puzzle away for a few minutes to get me some puppy love – it’s so worth it!
As I was trying to get a pic of just him sitting on my lap (that’s my knee on the right), he decided to look back at me right when I was snapping the picture. Is that a sweet face or what?
This is one of the Peapod puzzles from the children’s line at Zen Art & Design. I wanted to try some new wooden puzzle companies, ended up buying this one because it was on sale and I thought I’d compare it to an “adult” puzzle from Zen. I really love the silky feel of the pieces, but I do wish they were more interestingly shaped.
The pieces weren’t as large as I expected for a children’s puzzle, they’re about the same size (or smaller) than some Liberty pieces. Still, I think it’s great to have such lovely puzzles for kids. And the whimsies came in a small mesh bag – very cool; but why do the kids get more whimsies than the adults do? The 50 piece adult puzzle I assembled only had one whimsy. No fair.
It was a fun puzzle! 🙂
In case anyone wonders what it looks like when I “puzzle in bed”, here it is! A few days ago I was still recovering from helping out with Thanksgiving dinner, so I spent most of the day in bed with my trays and my sorted puzzle pieces. If I can’t sit in a chair at the puzzle board I can at least still assemble puzzles, if only in small bits.
After deciding on this puzzle from a brand I’ve never tried, JaCaRou, I sorted the pieces into little sections – some of which you can see above. Then it’s easy to grab a cookie sheet lined with paper (that’s what I use for trays) and a small container of sorted pieces and get to puzzling! I know that even if I can only sit at the board for 15 minutes or so at a time, I’ll still be able to get this puzzle put together – trays are my friend! 🙂
I had the hardest time getting a good picture of this puzzle, it was constantly cockeyed and not level (there were at least 6 different tries to get a good one) – I think the meds and menopause are slowly braising my brain!
I love trying out new puzzles brands, no matter whether they’re cardboard or wooden (as long as they’re relatively affordable). I spent a bit of time in bed looking at/shopping for puzzles this month, and decided to give this brand a try, even though their pieces are more uniformly shaped than I like in a wooden puzzle. And while checking out all the pages on their site I found one of their Peapod (childrens) puzzles on sale, so of course I had to try one of those as well. I should absolutely NOT be left unsupervised with access to my debit card these days!
This adorable puzzle is by Zen Art & Design. They are beautifully made and I love the feel of their pieces – it’s almost silky – they feel lovely in your hand! They have quite a large catalog of images to choose from; composed mostly of nature, landscapes, and close-up photography. This might be the right company for you if you’re looking for a wooden puzzle but you’re not a fan of random or Victorian cut puzzles.
I love the dancing couple in the center!
It’s such a beautiful whimsy, but the rest of the pieces are so ho hum; I do wish they weren’t all so typical. I did know that going in, so there was no surprise, but I wanted to give this brand a try anyway. It was a fun little puzzle to assemble, and I’m glad I finally gave it a go. But I don’t think I’d buy any more puzzles than the two I purchased already. It’s only a personal preference, and not at all a reflection on their quality.
This is a “teaser” puzzle, a small piece count and less expensive puzzle so you can try out the brand (or if you just enjoy small puzzles). The box is the size of a ring box, you could throw it in your purse or backpack and off you go!
It’s a lovely little puzzle, and I enjoyed putting it together.
I first saw these on a blog about wooden puzzles I like to read every now and then. She only posts about wooden puzzles, but posted about these shoes because she was traveling and the TSA screener saw them in her bag and commented on them after seeing them on the x-ray of her bag. Aren’t they adorable?
Apparently they’re handmade by an Etsy seller, and WAY out of my price range, but I just love the look of them. They’re not currently listed on the seller’s page, but judging by the shoes that are for sale now I definitely wouldn’t be able to afford them ($450-$950) – even if I could walk around in high heels – which I absolutely can’t!
If you’d like to check out some outrageously beautiful handmade shoes – click here. 🙂
My Jigsaw Journal 