I’m working on a What If? puzzle at the moment, so I can’t show you an in progress picture, it would give too much away. So today instead of the puzzle I’m currently assembling I’m showing off my handsome puzzle pal . At this very moment he’s curled up in his bed taking a nap here in the puzzle room – it’s so darn cute!
Soon, when he’s had enough of being patient he’ll get up and go underneath the table and bump me on my knees with his cold, wet nose; what he’s saying is “That’s enough of being in here for now. Let’s go watch tv in bed or go outside.” He’s very polite about it, just a gentle little nudge to get my attention – he’s such a sweet tempered little guy.
When we go outside sometimes he wants to play, and sometimes he just wants to lay down in the sunlight. It’s very important to him that I go out too. He’s almost like a toddler, always wanting me to be there watching over him so he feels safe. Here he is yesterday taking a break from being in the puzzle room, working on his tan…
We keep each other company during the day; whether we’re together outside while he plays or lounges around, watching tv, or while I’m working on my latest puzzle – he’s my constant companion wherever I go. I’m pretty darn fortunate to have such a good friend to share my days with. 💗
Some people say 300 piece puzzles aren’t worth their time – too few pieces and they just aren’t challenging enough. To those people I say, try this little succulent out, it’ll give you a run for your money!
Many times a 300 piece puzzle can be assembled in one sitting, but this one took me quite a bit longer. I enjoyed the challenge of it though, and had a great sense of accomplishment when that last piece finally went in. If I could have given myself a pat on the back I would have. Well done, Stacey!Â
This puzzle was 300 pieces of completely absorbing entertainment. I couldn’t help but get sucked in every time I sat down in front of it; it doesn’t look terribly difficult, I should be able to get it done in no time. Then you’re looking for the right piece – why can’t I see it, where does this fit in? Why does every succulent look like all the other succulents? What kind of word is succulents anyway?! Who shot JR?
*(Sometimes my train of thought goes off the rails, my apologies. Everyone knows that Kristin shot JR.)
Big World by Ciro Marchetti – Milton Bradley – 750 pieces
If I’m being honest I’d tell you I was a little bit scared to start this puzzle. Look at the image, it’s gorgeous – but I didn’t know where I would begin. Once I started sorting the pieces though, I found a few sections to pull out and start with; when they were assembled it didn’t seem so daunting to keep going and filling in from there. Sometimes I have to just jump in and get myself going, most of the time it’s never as difficult as I think. 🙂
Milton Bradley puzzles seem to have improved their quality quite a bit, I was thoroughly impressed with this puzzle and it’s quality. The pieces are on the smaller side, but not too much so. They had a good hand feel, fit together quite well, and had a very good variety of shapes. The image reproduction is excellent and did the artwork justice in my opinion, the colors are beautiful with no blurriness or fuzzy areas. Overall a very good quality puzzle.
There’s just something about peacocks, they make for wonderful puzzle images. This one is beautiful, and I wish the picture did it justice. It was one of the first things I assembled after the edges and even though there weren’t many pieces to it, it gave me a great sense of accomplishment.
This flying fish balloon and the ship below it – great fun to put together! The use of colors by Ciro Marchetti brings to mind images by Aimee Stewart – both artists produce absolutely gorgeous artwork. This one especially has a dreamy quality, a fantasy image that makes no sense but definitely looks like a world you’d want to visit (or at least I would).
I’ve been a little obsessed with assembling panoramic puzzles lately. It’s much easier on your back to not have to reach so far to put pieces in at the top; having the entirety of the puzzle very close to you is somehow comforting and I am completely enjoying working with them. I only have one more panoramic here in my stash, I guess that means I might have to arrange a shopping trip – these puzzles are good for my mental health.
Big World was more fun than I expected and had much better quality than I anticipated. If you’ve got a long enough workspace to assemble a panoramic puzzle this one is absolutely recommended – two peacock tails way up! 🦚🦚
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Big World
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ciro Marchetti
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Milton Bradley
Piece count:Â Â Â 750 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Approx. 11 x 34 in. (27 x 86 cm)
Purchased:Â Â Â New
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Average, sturdy
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â Small amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Grid cut
Piece shapes:Â Â Very good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Slightly shiny finish, lays flat
I’m working on a giant of a puzzle, and it’s quite difficult but really a lot of fun! This is a quiz puzzle from Buffalo, there are faces and quotations and you have to match them up. Every face fits every quote, so you have to be careful and also use the slight overlap of the images to help you. The pieces have been sorted by portraits and quotes, now the hard work begins.
I have no idea what Lao-Tzu had said yet, but I know the quote above him because of his lovely hairdo! I’m pretty sure the quote above can be credited to a mountain climber, I just have to find him.
There are 240 people and 240 quotes, a total of 504 pieces including edges. It is by far the largest 500 piece puzzle I’ve ever seen. It’s about the size of the average 2000 piece puzzle at approximately 38 x 24 inches (97 x 61 cm). Have you ever seen such an enormous 500 piece puzzle? I certainly haven’t!
There are a few people and quotes I was able to match while I was sorting to get myself a head start on the matching. You don’t have to know all the people and quotes to get this one done, and you don’t have to sit with a computer or phone and look them all up either; the portraits all have a slight overlap, but you have to pay very close attention. Here are a few that were easy to find, and you can see how the overlap of images helps in the assembly.
This is the kind of puzzle mom and I adored doing together; we did one with word definitions and one with tv shows. She would have loved some of the silly quotes, we would have been reading them to each other while we sorted and laughing our heads off. Puzzling always makes me think of her, but this puzzle does especially, we always had such a good time with these quiz puzzles.
This is a “Family Puzzle”, it has 3 different sizes of pieces so that the entire family can help assemble it. To be honest I’ve never assembled one with the family, I’ve always done them either alone or with mom. I’m such a puzzle fanatic that I enjoy puzzles for all ages, and a family puzzle has all of them in one box – perfect!
Majestic Puzzles is a new brand for me, and I was impressed with the quality. The pieces were thick and fit together very well. It’s randomly cut so there are a nice variety of shapes and it made for an interesting and challenging assembly. The image reproduction is beautiful with clean lines and bright colors and no blurring or fuzziness. All in all it’s a great quality puzzle.
I sorted the pieces by shape and then assembled it the same way, starting with the largest pieces.
It’s odd to have all the kids pieces around the edge. Most of the family puzzles I’ve worked have them all on one side. If you truly want the family to work together it seems more ideal to have big pieces on the left (for example), medium pieces in the middle and smallest pieces on the right. If the whole family tried to work on this one it would be difficult for those working on the smaller pieces to connect them to anything until the kids had finished the outside.
I sorted by size, but obviously I didn’t get all the pieces in their correct piles, there are a few holes. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between a smaller medium sized piece and a larger small piece. (I hope that made sense) 😉
I enjoyed this puzzle much more than I anticipated, the image was challenging and beautiful – a lovely combination. Jungle scenes aren’t usually images I would choose, but the different piece sizes made it more interesting and the beautiful reproduction and great fit made it quite fun. If you come across a family puzzle by Majestic I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
My Jigsaw Journal 