Hang Loose by Scott Westmoreland – Ravensburger – 500 pieces
This is a puzzle that I probably wouldn’t have purchased new; it’s not the typical artwork that interests me. But as usual I am proven wrong because this was so much fun to assemble! Will I ever learn? Probably not. But it is fun that I’m still getting surprised by how fun a certain image is to assemble, so I guess I’ll just keep on being me! 😉
In addition, it was a great puzzle to work with someone else (my mom ❤) – the towels and surfboards on opposite ends of the puzzle make it perfect for working with others. It’s easy to grab the pieces for one of the boards or towels and assemble it without getting in someone else’s way. We had a great time with this puzzle, and it was just the right amount of challenging with the sky and ocean. I highly recommend it!
This would be a great puzzle for a summer vacation with family, or even for a holiday get together where you’re snuggled in front of a fire wishing for the beach. Hang loose, and happy puzzling! 😎
As soon as I saw this puzzle, I knew it was the one I wanted to review first. It’s visually stunning, and just makes me smile. Homage is a beautiful reminder that Christmas isn’t only about getting presents and acquiring things to make us happy.
Sunsout puzzles are of good quality in my opinion. They have thick, sturdy pieces that feel good in your hands and usually fit together well. The fit on this puzzle would make Goldilocks proud, I think it was just right! Their catalog is varied and interesting, and there are always plenty of Sunsout puzzles I would love to assemble (I especially love their Nene Thomas and Lori Schory collections). Click the link above to see all the Sunsout puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.
This puzzle went together quite fast for me, it was hard to walk away! The pieces fit together quite well, and the more I assembled the more fun it became. The trees in the upper left corner were the most challenging, but with the semi-random cut it was pretty easy to pick out the shapes I was looking for. A truly enjoyable puzzling experience that had me wishing for more pieces – it was over almost too quickly!
I absolutely recommend this puzzle; Christmas puzzles aren’t usually my thing but I really enjoyed this one. This is the time of year when people start buying puzzles for the family to work on together during holiday visits, or as gifts. If this puzzle isn’t quite your taste, click the link above to see the other Christmas puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse. There are definitely plenty to choose from! 🙂
Details:
Title: Homage
Artist: Danny Hahlbohm
Brand: Sunsout
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
Purchased: n/a
Quality:
Board: Excellent
Cutting: Very good
Image: Very good
Box: Average
Fit: Very good
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Semi-random cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat
Overall Rating: Very good, recommended
I received this product at no cost to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.
I had this one in my puzzle room for at least a month before I finally decided to do it. When it was time to decide on the next puzzle to be assembled I would sometimes pass it over immediately, and sometimes I would open the box, stare at the pieces, and promptly put it away. Many times I have to be in the right mood to attempt a certain puzzle, and that was definitely true with this one – I think the border kept scaring me off. 😉
Unfortunately this was one of those Springbok puzzles that is EXTREMELY tight fitting. You can see in the picture above that the fit is so tight that the edges of the puzzle are curling upwards. Ugh. I really dislike puzzles that fit this way, it makes me question if I’m placing a piece correctly if I have to shove it into place. We’ve had plenty of Springbok puzzles that don’t fit this way, I wonder what the reason is for the fluctuations in the way they fit together.
I really like the artwork, but unfortunately the name of the artist was nowhere to be found on the box. I tried looking it up online, without success. I usually like to credit the artist, but my sleuthing skills seem to be lacking at the moment. If you know the artist, feel free to let me know in the comments. Thanks!
This is a “vintage” puzzle from approximately 1982. That makes me feel pretty old! I was just starting high school in the early 80’s – am I vintage? Classic? Antique?
Dolphin Cove by Steve Read – Ravensburger – 500 pieces
I’m not normally one for ocean or jungle animals puzzles, although I’m not sure I could articulate why; they just aren’t my favorite. Still, it was a relaxing and wonderful quality puzzle – which I suppose is the point. Relaxing entertainment, right? I think I chose this one to assemble because I wasn’t feeling like my brain was working well enough to work a 1000 piece puzzle. Some days I just don’t feel like all the gray cells are firing properly. 😐
This image is bright and full of movement and color, an excellent image for puzzling. It took longer than I expected, but it wasn’t because of the image, it was my fault. Either I didn’t feel much like puzzling at the time, or I just wasn’t feeling well. Whichever was the culprit, it took me a couple of days to get this one done.
The fit was looser than normal for a Ravensburger, but it wasn’t too terrible. Although I usually take things like that with a grain of salt if it’s a thrift store purchase and I’m familiar with the brand. Good find though, and all pieces present and accounted for!
Incidental Music for a New Year’s Eve Party by Dr. Suess – Liberty Puzzles – 527 pieces
This was the most entertaining puzzle I’ve ever assembled – it was so much fun! The image, the piece shapes and that it was a wood puzzle made it wonderful. Liberty Puzzles have so many interesting images to choose from, many I’ve never seen before, like the gorgeous one above. I love Dr. Suess!
When I was choosing which puzzle to purchase, I didn’t go for a smaller puzzle to try out the brand, I gravitated toward the larger piece counts from Liberty Puzzles. On their website they have several photos of each puzzle; including one of the whimsy pieces separately, and also a view of the assembled puzzle from the back so that you can see the intricate shapes of all the pieces. The shapes are amazingly detailed and interesting and I just had to splurge on myself and get a bigger one! Click the link above to check out their beautiful puzzles and stunning piece shapes.
Liberty has a dozen images from “The Secret Art of Dr. Suess”. They work with Dr. Suess Enterprises and choose 3 images each year to turn into amazing puzzles. I couldn’t resist Incidental Music for a New Year’s Eve Party – although that name is a mouthful. I love the colors, the characters and especially the piece shapes, they’re Suess-esque!
Before I started the assembly I pulled all the whimsy pieces I could find; look at these gorgeous pieces….
I enjoyed this puzzle immensely; and I took my time because I didn’t want it to end. The feel of the pieces, the beautiful detailed shapes, the gorgeous artwork, the excellent craftsmanship – they all contributed to this being my favorite puzzle ever! Liberty Puzzles have the best whimsies in my opinion, and there are many more than I’ve seen with other companies; about 15-20% of the pieces are whimsies.
I’ve noticed that I work more slowly and carefully when assembling a wooden puzzle. It’s almost like meditation – I’m completely in the moment and focused on the piece shapes, the colors, and on enjoying the puzzle. The pieces are the sturdiest you can find, but I find that I handle them with care, almost reverently. Perhaps it’s appreciation for the detail and excellent quality, or perhaps I’m just trying to stretch out the experience and make the fun last longer – I suspect that it’s most likely both of those things.
I’m in love with Liberty Puzzles and that’s quite dangerous, because I obviously have an addictive personality. My wishlist on their site is into the thousands of dollars! 😮 I won’t be able to get them all, but I’ve worked it out that I might be able to get a few every year. There’s my birthday, and Christmas, and Mother’s Day, and…um…Happy I Love You Day – that’s a holiday, right??
Details:
Title: Incidental Music for a New Year’s Eve Party
Artist: Dr. Suess
Brand: Liberty Puzzles
Piece count: 527 pieces
Size: Approx. 12 x 19 in. (31 x 48 cm)
Purchased: New
Quality:
Board: 1/4″ wood
Cutting: Excellent
Image: Excellent
Box: Excellent
Fit: Excellent
Puzzle Dust: None
Piece cut: Random/whimsies/very intricate
Piece shapes: Designed for this puzzle – amazing!
Finish: Matte finish, lays flat
Overall Rating: Excellent, most highly recommended
