Spring Dance by Diane Phalen – MasterPieces – 300 pieces
Spring Dance was much less difficult than I thought it would be and I thoroughly enjoyed assembling it. Mom and I swore off flowers for a while, but I couldn’t resist those quilts and gave it a go anyway.
This puzzle comes in a metal tin, which is not great for using the image on the lid for reference. The picture is so small that it’s barely useful, I just had to go with the shapes and colors of the pieces. The quality of the pieces were good; thinner but sturdy pieces that fit together very well.
I’m still struggling with being able to sit and puzzle for any length of time, so 500 pieces or less is mostly what I’ve been working with lately. There are stacks and stacks of 1000 piece puzzles both here and at mom’s house, but they’re just too much for me most days so I’m hanging out with the smaller ones for a while – we’ve become quite good friends!
The Riding Lesson by Marlier – Ravensburger – 300 pieces
Another kids puzzle with a missing piece, but it’s really not that surprising. I know I wasn’t the best at taking care of my things when I was younger, so it’s no shock when there is a piece or two missing from kids puzzles we buy from the thrift stores.
Ravensburger puzzles hold up really well, this puzzle was well-loved and seemed a bit old. The pieces were still in excellent condition and the fit was still very good. You can tell sometimes by the inside of the box itself and the backs of the pieces if a puzzle has some age to it. I haven’t been able to find a date of manufacture for this puzzle, so it seems older to me but I can’t be sure.
It may seem silly that I enjoy assembling puzzles made for children, but I honestly don’t care. I’m not trying to impress anyone, and if putting together a puzzle is fun for me it shouldn’t matter who it’s made for; whether it has only 24 pieces or 2000 it makes no difference. All that really matters is the puzzling itself, it’s calming for me and makes me happy – that’s what’s important.
Old Town Market, San Diego, CA – Milton Bradley – 300 pieces
I really didn’t think this image would be fun or easy to assemble, but it was 300 pieces and only 69 cents at the thrift store so why not give it a go? As usual I was absolutely wrong on every level – not only was it fun, I didn’t find it difficult at all!
Milton Bradley puzzles are usually pretty good quality, though I’ve had some good and some bad. Their 300 piece EZ grip puzzles are very thick and well made, but the “regular” size pieces can be hit or miss. The pieces of this particular puzzle were thin, but fit together very well. The image is quite dark (which is why I didn’t think I would enjoy it) but wasn’t difficult and I ended up really liking it. It’s funny how your opinion of the picture changes with the assembly itself. Entertaining assembly = I like the picture. If I start out really liking the picture and the assembly is tedious or frustrating I end up not so enamored with it after all. I change my mind a LOT. 😎
I highly recommend checking out your local thrift stores if you have any nearby. Most puzzles mom finds for us are complete, and even if they’re not we still have fun putting them together. I’m not holding my breath, but I have this daydream where mom stumbles across a Stave or any other good quality wooden puzzle at one of the thrift stores. Wouldn’t that be a find?!
Another Noah’s Ark puzzle, we actually assembled this the same day as The Gathering. It’s a very popular theme, especially for children’s puzzles. Even though there was a missing piece we still enjoyed it very much.
Ravensburger puzzles hold up very well, their quality is excellent; and even with a well-loved puzzle from 1991 the quality is still evident. The pieces don’t show much sign of wear although you can tell this puzzle has been assembled many times. There was no image lift, the fit was still very nice, and the only telltale sign of aging was some slight discoloration on the backs of the pieces. What a bummer that one of the pieces escaped, this would have been a great puzzle to donate to the school my daughter works for. 😦
I’m hopeful that soon I’ll be feeling well enough to do more 1000 piece puzzles, there are many more of those in my to do “pile” than any other piece count. Not only is it the size that most puzzlers assemble, it’s the one with the most availability. Still, I’m trying to stay positive and enjoy the smaller puzzles we’ve been assembling – there are more of those around than I knew and I’m having fun looking for new challenges with smaller piece counts. I found a few puzzles yesterday on the way home from physical therapy and I’m looking forward to showing them off.😎
What an uninspired name for this puzzle! How about Patriotic Bears or something cute like Fuzzy Americans? When I saw the name of this puzzle I just laughed at how silly and bland it seems. I suppose if you can start off the puzzle with laughter you’re doing well, right?
I was actually intimidated by all that fur and put off doing this puzzle for quite a while; it was a bit challenging, but working with mom makes it much more entertaining and less like work. Thank goodness we get together every Friday no matter how I’m feeling to talk and puzzle and just hang out – she kind of insists on it. Otherwise I spend all my time at home only going out when I absolutely have to; she doesn’t think that’s healthy and she’s pretty persuasive for a little old lady. 👵
Despite being intimidated by all that teddy bear fur, this was quite a fun puzzle to assemble. The fit was a bit loose, but it wasn’t too bad. And other than the fit the quality was excellent and my assembly partner made it even more enjoyable.
I’ve been having such a difficult time lately being able to sit and puzzle for any length of time without pain. The 1000 piece puzzles that used to take me 2 days are now stretching out for a week or more, and it’s depressing. It’s to the point where I open the box to look at the pieces of a puzzle, and the 1000 piece ones are just overwhelming me. Trust me, I know how ridiculous that sounds; I completed a puzzle with 40,000 pieces, but one that only has 1000 pieces is just too much. I never claimed to be rational!
So for now I’m mostly working on puzzles with 300 or 500 pieces, I’m trying to keep my mood positive. I’m hopeful that I’ll be feeling a little better soon with some physical therapy and that I’ll be back to working puzzles of all sizes very soon. Fingers crossed! 🤞
