Goofy

Goofy – Ravensburger (Disney Treasures from the Vault) – 1000 pieces

This beauty was gorgeous and extremely entertaining, and the puzzle massage at the end was SOOOOO satisfying – it’s been forever since I’ve assembled a Ravensburger. Their finish has an unmistakable feel to it, and it was lovely to run my hands over it once it was complete. 👋

Disney Treasures from the Vault special edition Ravensburger puzzles – there’s a crap ton of them! This is the first one I’ve seen in person though, and I just couldn’t help myself; the poor thing looked so lonely on the shelf, it needed to be adopted and come home with me where it would get the love it deserves. There’s one for Pluto that also is a collage of “posters”, I’d love to get my hands on that one. Many of the other special edition vault puzzles are just a single image of certain characters, and they’re not as attractive to me for some reason. Although I might feel differently if I were to see them in person rather than online.

Doing a 1000 piece puzzle isn’t so intimidating if it’s a collage (at least for me), so getting this one going wasn’t a problem at all. Easy to sort, easy to assemble – but not too simple. All around it was great fun, and I can’t ask for much more.

My kids and hubby tell me that we’ve seen this short, but as usual there is no recollection of it whatsoever.

Unusually this was one of the most entertaining sections to assemble. I had my money on one of the brighter sections being the most fun, but nope – it was this one. I can’t really explain why it was so enjoyable, it just was.

Broadway Musicals

Broadway Musicals – Re-marks – 1000 pieces

Doesn’t this look like fun? If you answered yes – get yourself a cookie, you were absolutely right! Even though it’s 1000 pieces (and I hadn’t done one that big in a more than a year 😲), it didn’t seem like a larger puzzle because it felt as though I were assembling a bunch of smaller puzzles, little bits at a time.

As an added bonus it’s a panoramic puzzle, so there was much less leaning over the board to reach the top of the image than there normally is. I adore panoramic puzzles, they’re so much easier on this old body.

The quality was the usual for Re-marks. There weren’t any issues at all other than a slightly loose fit, but even that wasn’t too bad. The pieces are a good thickness, there were a good variety of piece shapes, and the image reproduction was crisp and clear (just a bit shiny). Their catalog of collage images is just too good to pass up, so whatever quality issues the brand has doesn’t matter much to me. My head gets turned by a pretty “face” on the box and before you know it the puzzle has been adopted and has come home with me.

I haven’t really seen many musicals in the theater, but I have seen the movie West Side Story many, many times. We also had a record of the soundtrack when we were little, and my sisters and I knew every word of every song. My parents love to tell the story of them taking us all to the movies to see it for a matinee; and as soon as the first song started playing there were three young girls singing along at the top of their lungs. Luckily the other people in the theater weren’t too upset with us, perhaps we were just too cute. Apparently we even got some applause after that first song! 🤩

I haven’t seen this show, but I’ve heard lots of good things about it and would love the opportunity to watch it. Music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper – yes please! It’s too bad they don’t record the show and put it on a streaming service for the rest of the world to see. A streaming service with theatrical shows would be amazing for those of us who don’t live in or near New York. In fact, a streaming service that has plays and musicals from around the world (not just Broadway) would be an excellent idea. I would definitely be a subscriber – how about you?

I don’t recall ever hearing about this show, but reading all those signs makes me think I would absolutely love it. Coming of age in the 80’s means I love all that music, all those hair bands, all that arena rock – it’s one that would most likely have me singing along at the top of my lungs, just like when I was a little girl at the movies. 😁🎶

Colorful Collage

Colorful Collage – Colorcraft Puzzles – 1000 pieces

Colorful and beautiful, and I just I knew I would love this one. It was exceptionally easy to sort, except for the two sections with straws; but I just sorted them together as one section. It was lots of fun and just what I needed.

This brand has good quality. There was a small section where the cutting wasn’t great, but it was only a few pieces and didn’t detract from the fun of assembly. Otherwise overall it was good quality. There’s something odd about the fit though – it doesn’t feel like a good fit, but once you’ve got it put together it stays very well. I’m not sure how it can BE a good fit but not FEEL like a good fit, but there it is. Like I said, it’s odd.

I was the most nervous about this section. It was difficult, but I was really proud of myself for getting it done!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, this was the easiest section for me. Kind of boring, really – but very pretty.

All the sections were so bold and colorful, I just adored this assembly! ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

The Artist’s Desk

The Artist’s Desk – Ravensburger – 1000 pieces

I knew it would be difficult going in, but as is usual for me I enjoyed the challenge of it very much. It always surprises me when I’m sorting a puzzle what I first THOUGHT I would pull out, and how much it changes as I’m doing the actual sorting. Many times I think one color or pattern will really stick out, and it turns out other things jump out at me even more than predicted. The same happened here, to no one’s surprise I’m sure.

Very good quality, although there was much more puzzle dust than usual. The bright blue of Ravensburger puzzle dust makes me happy for some reason – I’m just a weirdo puzzle junkie trying not to snort that glorious dust in my quest to find my puzzle nirvana.

Totally kidding, do NOT snort puzzle dust!

This pen drawing of Buzz Lightyear and Woody on an RC car was my favorite section to assemble. It wasn’t easy, but I absolutely loved it.

This was the most colorful part of the entire image, and it was much harder than it looks. Still, there’s something about going through the pieces over and over and then finding the exact ones you need – I can’t get enough of it.

I’ve put together hundreds and hundreds of puzzles and it still doesn’t get old or boring for me. Thank goodness there is a seemingly endless supply of images and puzzles available. They help me bring order to the chaos, a sense of calm to my spirit, and joy to my heart.

Art Nouveau Tiles

Art Nouveau Tiles by Barbara Behr – Cobble Hill – 1000 pieces

This gorgeous and challenging puzzle tested me at times, but I loved every minute of it! The artwork is so interesting, it was a perfect puzzle at just the right time.

Excellent quality, great fit, and amazing reproduction. The tiles actually seemed to have the texture and crackled look of real tiles. Stunning!

I couldn’t pick my favorites, they’re all so lovely in their own way; here’s a closeup of each quarter of the image….

I suppose I should tell you what my favorites were in each section, but they were all so beautiful it’s very difficult to choose.

Here are some more pretties, wouldn’t they look lovely somewhere in a home?

I love the turkey in this section – he’s up at the very top. And that brilliant blue in the bottom right corner is divine.

And here are more beauties, they’re all so lovely in their own way – and all so different from each other. I just cannot choose favorites.