Animal Designs

Animal Designs by Awa Tsireh – Artifact Puzzles – 105 pieces

Isn’t this an interesting puzzle? It’s certainly not the usual image that I go for, but there was something compelling about it, and I kept going back to it on the website. You know me, I hate for a puzzle to be without a home. 😉 It was by no means an easy puzzle, but I loved falling into that wonderful headspace where all you can think about is the image and the shapes – it’s meditative and lovely.

Wonderful quality Ecru puzzle from Artifact; their Ecru line of puzzles has a closer cut (less obvious piece shapes in the finished image) and a matte finish to reduce glare. Artifact Puzzles have a special place in my heart, my very first wooden puzzle was one of theirs and I still take it out and assemble it every now and again – it was and still is perfectly lovely!

There were only three whimsy pieces in this puzzle, they’re reminiscent of the animal designs in the image. It’s the perfect place to start working, as the pieces that surround them are the easiest to find. There weren’t many colors in this image, and the ones they used were repeated all throughout; but at only 105 pieces it wasn’t too terrible or time-consuming.

I did enjoy the challenge though, and the mini-hexagon pieces made it even more interesting to put together. An excellent puzzle all around, and I’m looking forward to assembling it again. 💗

Puppyness*

Puppyness* – Re-marks – 100 pieces

A cute, quick, good quality puzzle that was a welcome break from larger piece counts. And I just couldn’t resist that adorable puppy face! Like many smaller puzzles this one had no title; I wasn’t feeling overly creative when I started typing up this post, so the name is just puppyness. That’s all I see when I look at this image, the sweet puppyness of that expression. 💖

I find that many smaller piece count puzzles are quite expensive to purchase new, so usually I get them from swaps with other puzzlers or thrift stores. I don’t mind spending a dollar or two for a 100 piece puzzle, but unless it’s a truly amazing image I don’t purchase them new. I’m a tightwad sometimes, and proud of it!

More Spots!*

More Spots!* – Brother/Sister Design Studio – 100 pieces

When I see this puzzle I imagine the little guy was trying to add more spots, so that’s what I named it. Sometimes when puzzles aren’t titled I try to give them titles that are funny, silly, ironic, or just nonsensical – this time it was just accurate – my creativity didn’t seem to be flowing well that day.

All the puzzles I’ve assembled from the Brother/Sister Design Studio (Hobby Lobby’s brand) have been very good quality; thick pieces, nice fit, good variety of shapes, and a nice matte finish.

I don’t think I’ve been in one of their stores for almost a decade now, but am sent some of their puzzles from time to time by a friend. They’re very nice puzzles, it’s just not a place I spend my money.

Woodstock Love

Woodstock Love – Cra-Z-Art – 100 pieces

This cute little puzzle was one I bought new for myself quite a while ago. Normally I acquire children’s puzzles from the thrift stores only – but there was something about this one that caught my eye. It was quick to go together, but thoroughly entertaining.

It was excellent quality for a Cra-Z-Art puzzle, much nicer than I anticipated. The pieces were thick, they had a great fit, and the reproduction was stellar with crisp lines and bright colors. The pieces were almost all ballerinas, but there was such a variety in the shape of each one that it didn’t seem boring or tedious. Overall it was one of the nicest puzzles from this brand that I’ve done.

Peanuts – Snoopy

Peanuts (Snoopy) by Charles Schulz – Vista Puzzles – 100 pieces

A miracle happened when I was assembling this puzzle – my youngest son came in and started helping me, and he stayed and was fully engaged until it was finished! It may not seem that miraculous to you, but to his momma it was an amazing blessing.

Both of my sons are autistic, but my youngest is more in his own world than my oldest. He does only the things he is interested in, and trying to get him to engage is quite difficult and sometimes upsets him greatly. For some reason this puzzle was different and he stood next to me and put pieces in until it was finished. AMAZING!

Anyway, this is another of the Peanuts puzzles that come in a metal tube, and they’re good quality. The color scheme is different than the previous puzzle, and obviously Snoopy is featured instead of Linus, but the comic strips in the background are the same.

We had a great time putting this puzzle together – myself and my newest puzzle posse member. 💖