2019 Puzzle Recap

It’s the annual review of my puzzling exploits, and 2019 was quite a year. A total of 203 puzzles were assembled that add up to 91,051 pieces! I set myself goals last year, but I couldn’t have known what the year would bring, and that for more than two and a half months I wouldn’t be doing any puzzles at all.

So, no more puzzling goals for me, other than to do the puzzles that excite me and make me happy, and to spend my puzzle time enjoying myself.

Municipal Bldg. NY – Pastime Puzzles? – 1600 pieces

5 pounds of vintage wooden puzzle pieces!

My greatest puzzling accomplishment of 2019 was the Mystery Puzzle Box that I assembled with mom; a box of loose vintage puzzle pieces that I bought on eBay. We had no idea what the image was, or even whether or not it was just one puzzle or many smaller ones. It turned out to be a 1600 piece one of a kind hand-cut Pastime Puzzle of the Municipal Building in New York, and we then found out it that was potentially over 100 years old! Mom and I spent many weeks putting it together; marveling over the fantastic shapes and the unbelievable fit, and in general loving the puzzle and loving spending lots of time together. I am unbelievably grateful that we had that extra time together working on this puzzle, and I cherish every moment we spent assembling it. 💝

Pretending to be Normal by Suzy Toronto – White Mountain – 1000 pieces

2019 will always be the year I lost mom, and as I write this recap of my thoughts are mostly of her and all the puzzles we worked on together. Pretending to be Normal is the last puzzle she ever did, and the last puzzle we assembled together. It will always be special to me, and once it is reassembled it will be glued and framed to hang on the wall in my puzzle room. I loved it even before I knew it would be our last, and I love it even more now. ❤

Save The Whales by Robert Williams – Mr. Bob Puzzles – 515 pieces

Best Friends by Dean Russo – Starz Puzzles – 158 pieces

Show Cat – Ceaco – 300 pieces

Petrified Wood Mosaic – Fitting Reminder (American Greetings) – 500 pieces

The Messenger by Kevin Sloan – Artifact – 313 pieces

Air Vent Kitty – Avanti – 150 pieces

Farmer’s Market by Tracy Flickinger – Ceaco – 300 pieces

Harry Potter Book 1 by Mary GrandPre – NY Puzzle Co. – 100 pieces

These are some of the amazing, wonderful, fun, and silly puzzles completed this year. Save The Whales is a gorgeous 500+ piece puzzle from Australia that I was so happy to be able to review, the image is stunning! Best Friends is the most expensive puzzle of the year for it’s small piece count – another review that I was privileged to do – and I loved the fantastic quality and unique star shaped pieces. Show Cat is a silly little 300 piece Ceaco puzzle that made mom and I laugh hysterically when we saw it at the thrift store, I just had to get it. Petrified Wood Mosaic is another thrift store find of moms, I loved the uniqueness of the image and the challenge of the assembly. When I see it I think of mom, and I’ve glued and hung it as artwork; it’s just beautiful! The Messenger is a gorgeous wooden puzzle sent by my fellow puzzle blogger Penny. Mom and I loved the assembly, and it was our last wooden puzzle together. Air Vent Kitty is a very small 150 piece puzzle that mom and I assembled sitting on my bed, and it makes me think of her and how much she loved those tiny little pieces. Farmer’s Market is part of a series of three puzzle images that I adore, and I had the best time assembling the two that we found – great fun! Harry Potter Book 1 (and the other 6 too) were a gift from my beautiful daughter; 100 piece puzzles of the Harry Potter book covers, and I assembled and loved every single one!

I’m so grateful to have this blog as an outlet for my obsession for and love of jigsaw puzzles, and even more so as a reminder of all the puzzles I’ve assembled both by myself and with mom. Everyone who stops by is welcome and appreciated, and all the puzzle friends I’ve met are a bright spot in my life. Thank you to all my readers and members of the PADS Posse for another great year! I’m sending out wishes for a wonderful new year full of puzzles and happiness.

My Jigsaw Journal’s Stats for 2019