Ice Cream Pops

Ice Cream Pops
Ice Cream Pops – Eurographics – 100 pieces

What a fun puzzle! It’s perfect for both kids and adults, it isn’t an easy one so it’s a good puzzle for more than one generation to work on together, and it’s full of ice cream – who doesn’t love ice cream pops?

This puzzle had very good quality even though it’s Eurographics; large, thick pieces, lots of variety in piece shape, and nice fit. From the last four or five Eurographics puzzles that I’ve assembled, I have noticed that their puzzles for children are very good quality, but their new adult puzzles are quite poor quality indeed. Luckily I enjoy a good puzzle for children. (If you only assemble adult puzzles, I would recommend skipping this brand unless you know that it is a much older copy. Their puzzle quality has gone downhill in the past several years.)

Ice Cream Pops 1

This ice cream pop is not only kinda pretty, but there’s a recipe for it on the back of the box! So if a yogurt berry ice cream pop sounds good to you, you’re in luck!

Ice Cream Pops 2

Here’s the recipe for anyone who might want to make some, and if you do – please let me know how they turn out. I’d love to hear from you.

I haven’t been making any ice cream pops, but I have been making ice cream. I have an ice cream maker that churns and stirs the “slurry” as my husband calls it, and we’ve been enjoying all sorts of different flavors of ice cream. Our favorite so far is raspberry, but the mixed berry has been great too, as well as chocolate pecan, pistachio, and maple nut. With all this time at home I have plenty of help in the kitchen, and making ice cream has been a favorite activity for us all.

A Walk on the Pier

A Walk on the Pier
A Walk on the Pier by Art Poulin – MasterPieces – 300 pieces

A Walk on the Pier was a great puzzle, with fantastic artwork by Art Poulin that made for quite an entertaining assembly. The quality was wonderful as well, with large, thick EZ grip pieces that fit together very well. I had a great time with this one!

Sometimes, all the Americana type of images on jigsaw puzzles all seem to blend in and have the same type of scene – over and over and over again. Every so often I find myself passing up the ones in my to do “pile” because even though it hasn’t been assembled yet, it just looks too familiar. I still love Charles Wysocki, Jane Wooster Scott, Heronim, and the many other Americana artists whose images make for great puzzles, but now and again they all start to look alike and I find myself needing to take a break from those images.

This one though was just what I was looking for at the right time, and the assembly was great fun!

A Walk on the Pier 1

The detail in the tackle shop window is amazing. Hubby would be able to spend hours in there, that’s for sure.

A Walk on the Pier 2

I love lighthouses, and have also in my mind romanticized living in one. My injury has caused me to “socially distance” myself from most of the world anyway, and after almost six years I’ve had a lot of practice at it. Being alone in a lighthouse with just my family around me sounds absolutely wonderful to me; imagine how quiet it would be as well! Plus, doesn’t it look like it would have the most beautiful view?

Unicorns – Part 4

Unicorns 4-1
Unicorns by Rose Catherine Khan – Cra-Z-Art – 125/500 pieces

Sadly we have come to the last day of the unicorn puzzles. I have had such a fun time being silly and giving these beautiful unicorns a backstory; giving them silly names, jobs, and hobbies, and in general just loving the ridiculousness of it all.

I certainly hope I have inspired a few of you to seek out and find some of these sets by Cra-Z-Art. They have almost 20 sets altogether, and I’ve enjoyed every single one that I’ve assembled. (I will say the animal set {elephant, tiger, etc.} was quite difficult though) They’re great when you don’t have a lot of time or space, you can grab a small group of pieces and put together one or two small shaped puzzles; and they’re a lot of fun!

Unicorns 4-2

This is Drucinda, the Duchess of Unicornia. Her mask looks quite chic, like she is going to a masquerade ball; and the mane – oh my – that long flowing mane! I do love a redhead! She is extremely vain about her mane and spends quite a bit of time getting it groomed to perfection, and is known to wear her mask to save herself having to apply makeup to allow extra time for mane maintenance. The Duchess enjoys taking her pack of Basenjis for long walks, attending gourmet cooking classes, tending her prize-winning rosebushes, and loves to unwind with a trough of Moscato and a few grilled cheese sandwiches.

Unicorns 4-3

This gorgeous color blue, with the sparkles – it’s so stunningly beautiful! And the little touch of pinkish-purple to accent it–I adore this one! May I introduce you to Mia the Magnificent; Mia is the unicorn equivalent of a supermodel, with those long legs and that long, beautiful neck – how could she not be? Despite her “high class looks” though, Mia is a tomboy through and through. She loves riding her dirt bike, camping out for weeks at a time, and making her own furniture. If you catch her at home you’ll find that beautiful mane and tail tied back in braids to keep it out of her way while she works on her projects. The best part is that she isn’t vain or full of herself at all, she’s just a regular unicorn.

Unicorns 4-4

I mean, come on! Look at this glorious unicorn! Curly pink hair, the legwarmers accented with feathers, the floral saddle – it’s just too cool for school! This is, without a doubt, the silliest, girliest, most fantastic unicorn! I’ve named her Her Royal Highness Hailey Hydrangea – she’s the queen! And she is my absolute favorite of all 12 unicorns. I love them all, of course, but she is by far the best in my book.

Queen Hailey Hydrangea is a bit of an eccentric, her outfits are on the outrageous side, and she loves to be silly – prancing across the sprawling lawns of her castle for all to see. Her favorite pastime is, of course, assembling jigsaw puzzles! She adores all shapes and sizes of puzzles, but refuses to buy “luxury” puzzles and spend ridiculous amounts of money for one puzzle when she could purchase many for the same price. She also enjoys needlework and pottery – but much, much less than puzzling.

I do hope you’ve enjoyed these unicorns, I certainly have! 💖🦄

Unicorns – Part 3

Unicorns 3-1
Unicorns by Rose Catherine Khan – Cra-Z-Art – 125/500 pieces

These colors and the look of the entire set makes me so happy! I truly had a great time assembling these puzzles, and I’m very much looking forward to assembling the remaining five sets that I bought. They’re not as fabulous as this one was, but they’re still going to be great fun!

Ready to meet some more unicorns?……

Unicorns 3-2

This is my favorite of the three, there’s something about the more muted colors working together that I think looks amazing. This is Teodoro the Tenderhearted, and he is a sweet, gentle unicorn that always thinks before he speaks, and always has a kind word for everyone. He is a licensed social worker and accredited psychologist, and spends his days taking care of his herd. He enjoys interior decorating, dabbles in home repair, and on the weekends he can usually be found at the beach surfing, swimming, and enjoying a roaring bonfire.

Unicorns 3-3

I love the bridle/saddle and everything about this unicorn’s “clothes”. Gorgeous! Meet Leilani the Lithesome; she is ever graceful in both movement and her dealings with others, and is quite the popular entertainer in the unicorn world. She regularly puts on the most stunning aerial shows that combine ballet, gymnastics, and popular dance. Leilani is proud of her naturally wavy hair, but spends very little time dealing with it. Her home is her castle, and she finds cleaning very relaxing – so she loves to spend her spare time keeping the place as clean as a whistle!

Unicorns 3-4

May I introduce you to Cheney the Captivating. Cheney loves to perform, and will do just about anything to keep an audience entertained; he’s almost like a carnival barker with his need to have everyone watching him as much as possible. He has a bit of an inflated ego, and isn’t always pleasant to be around as he is quite the conversation hog and loves to talk mainly of himself. His hobbies include reading about himself in the newspaper, crocheting pillows and blankets, and throwing parties for himself.

I know these unicorn bios are silly, but I had such a great time assembling them and I wanted to keep the fun going. These puzzles are highly entertaining for me, I loved each and every little unicorn no matter the color or shape, and I’m looking forward to a time when I can put these together again!

Unicorns – Part 2

Unicorns 2-1
Unicorns by Rose Catherine Khan- Cra-Z-Art – 125/500 pieces

It’s day two of the fabulousness of the unicorns, and I absolutely adore this artwork! They’re funny, and silly, and beautiful, and outrageous all at once. A second set of unicorns certainly would be welcome…..that’s a hint for you Cra-Z-Art. 🦄

If you haven’t tried shaped puzzles before, these sets would be a great way to get your feet wet, so to speak. They’re small and well made, which is perfect for someone who isn’t used to the way shaped puzzles go together. Have you given them a try? I hope you do, if at all possible; they’re so entertaining!

Unicorns 2-2

They’re a little difficult to see, but there are peacock feathers at the back of this saddle – beautiful! I have named this beauty Prianna the Proud; she knows she’s fabulous and she is WORKING IT! Prianna enjoys prancing to her own drummer, preening herself, and providing beginner-level mane grooming classes for the Unicorn Beauty Academy. Her coloring skills are the best in the land!

Unicorns 2-3

I’m not a big fan of this color scheme; but I do think the wings are lovely, and the “tattoos” are beautiful. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to Beulah the Blissful. She is a happy unicorn that loves John Hughes movies, memorizing quotes from her favorite philosophers, and karaoke with friends. Her voice is a bit like Edith Bunker (from All in the Family), but she sings with gusto and heart, and everyone enjoys her performances regardless. She’s the Florence Foster Jenkins of the unicorn world!

Unicorns 2-4

This is Madame Stefania the Stern. Don’t get on her bad side! She is the ballet master of the Unicorn School of Movement, and she gets the best out of her dancers no matter what! Madame Stefania expects perfection from her students, and they know to always keep their hooves in line. She likes to relax with a trough of white wine and a hot bath – complete with candles – and has been known to spend her spare time tending her herb garden in her favorite pair of worn out overalls.

I hope you’re enjoying the unicorns – I know I am!