Tag: 100+ pieces

Medicine Teepee

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Medicine Teepee by Joseph Henry Sharp – Artifact – 105 pieces

Oh man, was this ever a fun puzzle to assemble! Usually pieces that don’t connect really annoy me, but the way this puzzle was almost like playing with a tangram was extremely entertaining. I absolutely loved it!

There was really no need to take a separate picture of the whimsy pieces, as they’re all sitting on top of the puzzle – you can check them out for yourself. I actually really liked that, it made the rest of the puzzle a little more of a challenge. Whimsies and the pieces that fit around them make a puzzle easier to put together; with these on the top you couldn’t use them to assist in the assembly.

The image by Joseph Henry Sharp was interesting and made for slightly difficult but excellent puzzling. There were quite a few times where I placed pieces wrong (especially in the sky and the grass), you definitely had to pay close attention. Having to be completely focused on the image and the shapes made for an almost meditative experience and I can’t wait to assemble this one again!

What a fantastic puzzle! And a special thanks to Alice for letting me know about the half-price sale at Artifact they were having in June. I got this beauty for only $18.00! 💗

Merlin

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Merlin by Phil Lewis – Liberty – 103 pieces

This adorable puzzle is a “Little Liberty”, made for kids. The pieces were much bigger than the usual ones from this company, and the image is an easy one for kids to work on. Although I am a “grown up” this puzzle was still completely entertaining for me – just a big kid at heart I guess.

The image is by one of my favorite artists that Liberty uses, Phil Lewis, he’s a local artist in Boulder, Colorado – where Liberty Puzzles are located. His artwork makes for gorgeous puzzles; he made the image on one of my favorite puzzles I’ve ever assembled, Sugar Magnolia. I love his illustration here of a dreaming doggy with the clouds above showing what he’s dreaming about; you can see a rabbit being chased and a tennis ball, so cute!

Almost 25 percent of the pieces were whimsies, Liberty has the highest percentage of whimsy pieces per puzzle that I’ve ever worked with (from a contemporary company). They’re all appropriate to the image and easy to recognize, which is also excellent in a puzzle designed for children.

After I pulled all the whimsies out I commented to my husband that they all made sense to me in relation to the image, except for one – the standing woman. (I was working on this one in bed, hubby was right next to me while we binged a favorite show) Neither one of us could figure it out, hubby said perhaps she was holding a treat in her left hand that she might be giving to one of the dogs. We decided to wait and see what it looked like from the back once it was completed; sometimes in Liberty puzzles there are tableaus using more than one whimsy in the finished image. Any guesses for what it turned out to be? Hubby and I were both wrong…

At the top near the middle you can see where the lady fits in – she’s walking her poodle! I love how the designer fit in a straight line between pieces as the leash (the only straight line in the whole puzzle). There are a few little scenes in this image, all things Merlin may be dreaming about; barking at a cat, chasing a rabbit, playing with kids, etc.

It went together quickly, but it was a fantastically made puzzle with beautiful artwork by Phil Lewis. I adored it. 💖