Seaside Sunshine by Nancy Wernersbach – Ravensburger – 500 pieces
Sorry about the cockeyed picture, apparently I was having balance issues the morning I took this picture. I started working on this puzzle on Halloween, and finished it up the next morning; perhaps it was a candy hangover – that’s why I couldn’t hold my camera straight. I was coming out of my sugar coma!😉
It was so nice to get back to Ravensburger quality; the feel of the pieces, the wonderful click when they fit perfectly, the matte finish. Just a great quality puzzle with a beautiful image. This puzzle has been in my to-do pile for several years, and now I’m trying to figure out why I waited so long – it was so entertaining!
You all know I love a quilt puzzle -and this one had two of them – such lovely colors!
Frog Pile by Lori Anzalone – Cobble Hill – 500 pieces
I love frogs, and there are several frog figurines around my house, so of course I loved this image when I saw it; not only the subject matter, but they’re so bright and colorful – my kinda puzzle. It was more difficult than it looks, but not so much that it was frustrating. The perfect amount of challenge. The finished puzzle is absolutely stunning. 😍
The quality was pretty good, other than a very loose fit. Two or three pieces couldn’t be picked up to move to another place on the board without falling apart or using both hands. It wasn’t so bad that you couldn’t tell that you’d found the correct piece, but it wasn’t good either. With a lesser quality brand puzzle this would probably annoy me much more than it did with this one. The linen textured paper that Cobble Hill uses has such a great hand feel, the thick pieces and the overall quality of the brand made up for the shortcoming in the fit department.
The wet look on the frogs is done beautifully, and that little blue guy there has the best “smile” on his face! As far as his little buddy next to him, I think if I ever saw a black polka dotted frog out in nature I would steer pretty clear of it.
What can I say? Red is my favorite color, so I’m a little partial to the red ones. Doesn’t this one look like they’re ready to let you in on some juicy gossip they just heard at the pondwater cooler?
Psst. Did you hear what Veronica did last Friday at Señor Frogs? 😮
Educational puzzles make me so happy, and the assembly is almost always fun. (Spoiler – this one – lots of fun) Learning new things or getting a refresher on things I already knew is entertaining for me; thank goodness there are so many great puzzles out there to learn from.
Puzzlebilities is a new brand for me, and happily the quality was pretty good. There were a few slightly bent pieces, but a teeny bit of muscle power put them right in no time at all. The chipboard was thick and the fit was nice as well. Overall, I’d say the quality was good/very good. They have quite a few educational puzzles to choose from, including two shaped puzzles of the Earth and the Moon – those two look a little too challenging for me. Click the link above to look through their catalog; their mineralogy and human body puzzles are the ones that jumped out at me. They look like fun! The company (Hinkler) is an independent publisher based in Melbourne, Australia, but I found this puzzle at my local Barnes & Noble.
I don’t ever recall seeing this big ol’ swordfish looking dinosaur before – wow! The Shonisaurus was forty-nine feet long; it sure would be something to see that thing swimming towards you, wouldn’t it?
Ok, how many of you knew there was a dinosaur called the Arizonasaurus? How about the Prestosuchus? Without shame I am admitting that I’d never heard of them before. Gee, wonder where the Arizonasaurus was first found – I’ll take a wild guess and say…….Arizona? These two stood out to me for another reason as well, both of their heads look extremely similar to a T-Rex’s. At least they do to me.
This puzzle has already found a new home with my honorary grandson, and he was extremely excited! I haven’t seen him very much this past couple of years and he has apparently developed a love of all things dinosaur. I’m so glad I decided to get this one on my first trip puzzle shopping after my break; it has found a new home and will be greatly loved.
This image is more difficult than I thought it would be, but there was plenty of fun assembling it anyways. Learning new things – especially from a puzzle – really does make me happy. I was so excited to show hubby the new dinosaurs I’d never heard of, and he patiently listened and pretended to be interested. What a good husband. 💜
*Speaking of the hubby, Happy 246th Birthday to the United States Marine Corps! To all those who serve and have served in The Corps, like my husband and his brothers…..thank you. Semper Fidelis!*
Pretty Kitties by Keith Kimberlin – Cra-Z-Art – Approx. 125/500 pieces
Our last day of the Pretty Kitties, and to be honest I’m so glad! I’m just not a cat person, and although these little ones are exceptionally cute they’re just not the subject matter I prefer. I’m sure you could tell by their backstories, it was difficult for me at times to come up with anything to say, they just aren’t that inspiring for this little old lady who prefers dogs. Oh well, I enjoyed the puzzle aspect of them and that’s what truly matters here at My Jigsaw Journal.
I hope some of you have been inspired to give one of these sets of small shaped puzzles a try, they really are enjoyable to play with. Taking a small pile of pieces and in a few minutes having a complete little puzzle is so satisfying and feels like an achievement; and they’re great when you don’t have a lot of time to sit and puzzle. I adore smaller puzzles, and these are terribly cute – even I have to admit that. 😸
This color is awful, honestly it’s like a bad 70s outfit. Mirielle here doesn’t mind though, she’s a budding designer who loves all things fashion. Her style is quite bold, as you can see, and she loves to shock with her mix of fabrics and textures. She’s hoping to attend the Massachu-catts College of Art and Design to study both design and merchandising. I’m not sure Mirielle will make it as a designer, but you never know – there’s no accounting for taste.
This is one of my favorites; love the color of this purse and the big, chunky beads. This is Pamela, and she is very regimented in her ways. For example, she has this bag because it matches her eyes – things have to match! It will come as no surprise that she’s going to college for a degree in mathematics; because rules are rules and there’s no changing them for math. I’m not sure how she’s going to use her degree, but hopefully if she becomes a teacher she can learn to relax a little bit. Sometimes bending the rules is necessary, and life doesn’t have to be so rigid. Perhaps Pamela might benefit from some yoga or meditation, or a fun partner who is a bit more adventurous. 😉
And lastly we have Herman. He’s that guy in high school who knew he was good looking, he’s kind of a …… lady’s feminine hygiene product one might use on a summer’s eve. All the girls think he’s awesome, and they call him Herm. He’s not awesome, he’s a lazy user who gets what he wants by stepping on and over other people. I hope Herm changes his ways very soon, if not, he’ll probably be a politician, the worst kind of politician. Ugh. Other people are important Herman, everyone is important to someone – grow up!
Pretty Kitties by Keith Kimberlin – Cra-Z-Art – Approx. 125/500 pieces
Alright, even dog people have to admit that this set of kittens is pretty darn adorable. I’m a dog person, and still my initial response to seeing these three is to say “Awwww”. So very cute!
I’m not a huge fan of the regular Cra-Z-Art puzzles, but these shaped sets bring big smiles to my face. Some of the sets can be a little boring, but most of them are fun both to look at and to assemble. The quality is good, and they make for an uncommonly entertaining time putting them together.
This is Marvin. He’s tired, life as a growing boy is exhausting. You know how those teenage years can be for boys, they’re always tired, sleeping, or hanging out in their filthy rooms. Marvin is a midfielder for his soccer team, and has no idea what to be when he grows up. He’s playing things by ear for now, waiting for luck and opportunity to collide. He isn’t great with his studies at the moment, there are lots of pretty female kitties out there to look at and try to talk to. Priorities, Marvin. Get it together!
Love the color of this purse, it pops! Such a vibrant color for such a shy looking kitten. Meet Brigitte, she seems bashful and most other cats overlook her and pay her no attention. She uses this to observe without being too obvious. Then she uses those observations to create stories and characters for her future great American novel. Kitten-watching is her favorite pastime, along with writing short stories and studying for her college boards. She has big, big dreams and she will achieve them!
I love these boots, and so does our last kitten for the day, Freya. She’s a blue-eyed beauty who plans to become a super-model. She’s not looking for long-term fame, just to make her fortune so that she can spend the rest of her days relaxing in early retirement. Freya has educated herself about finances, and plans to be smart with her money now so that later in life it can work for her instead of the other way around. She’s got a good head on her shoulders for such a young kitty – and she’s planning to be retired by the ripe old age of 5. We’re rooting for you Freya!
