Summer Medley by Mandy Budan – StumpCraft – 207 pieces
This puzzle was unbelievably difficult, but so very entertaining! It’s from a new brand (to me) – I decided to try some smaller wooden puzzle companies, and I’m thrilled I found this one. From what I’ve seen so far, they make wonderful puzzles. 🙂
StumpCraft is a small company in Canada that crafts beautiful laser-cut puzzles that showcase the artwork of fellow Canadians. I was thoroughly impressed with the quality and cutting, and I can’t wait to try more of this brand. The color-line cutting made it much more challenging than it looks, and the difficulty level increased my enjoyment so much – I was able to turn off my brain and became completely engrossed in the assembly. Love, love, loved it!!!!
The puzzle was beautifully cut, with fun whimsies (the beaver is my favorite), the fit was exceptional, and they were the thickest wooden pieces I’ve worked with so far. An excellent puzzle!
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.
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.
Father Frost by Rachel Arbuckle – Wentworth – 36 pieces
This gorgeous shaped micro puzzle is beautiful, and a little challenging too – the perfect combination! The interesting shapes made for a longer assembly time than I thought, but a wonderful one.
I had no idea when I assembled it that it was artwork by Rachel Arbuckle, I adore her artwork! I have the first 3 puzzles in her 12 days of Christmas series, and I’m looking forward to assembling them.
The curlicue pieces and shaped edges made for quite the entertaining puzzle! This one comes in a Christmas cracker box too; they’re a little more expensive than the regular micro puzzles, but I love them anyway.
Some of the colors on these yummy desserts were the brightest and most colorful of all the mini shaped puzzles I’ve done so far, and they were so much fun! This was the last set that we finished during our mini puzzle marathon that had us completing 1500 pieces (3 sets) in one day!
There are only two sets left – mini cottages, and a second set of birds. I’m a little sad that there aren’t any more to look forward to, but I’m so happy I found them and that they brought me so much puzzle happiness. (Lafayette Puzzle Factory – if you’re listening, PLEASE make some more of these fun mini puzzles. Please.)
I put together the chocolate mousse cake, mom did the rainbow cake, and my son assembled the shakes. He couldn’t understand why in the world anyone would put pretzels or cracker jacks on a shake! (Seems weird to me too, but then again salty and sweet is a fantastic combination)
The fact that these were all so many different shapes made them lots of fun, a little challenging, and did I mention they were lots of fun? I loved them!!
Obviously I adore these little puzzle sets, if my count is correct this is the 11th set that I’ve done! Perhaps I’m a teeny bit obsessed. 😎 Of course part of it may be that my son loves working on them too and comes out of his room/cave to sit on my bed, watch tv with me, and work on these puzzles with his old mom. Quality time together with the people that I love makes puzzling even better! 💗
