Banana Split by Aimee Stewart – Buffalo – 1000 pieces
Unfortunately yesterday didn’t see much puzzling, but I’m hopeful that today will be better. With an Aimee Stewart image on my board, all I really want to do is get back there and start placing pieces. 😍
It just reminds me how much I enjoy working a puzzle with her artwork; the colors are beautiful, they’re fun to put together, not so easy as to make it boring, and it’s lovely to watch the image come together. I’d tell you more about it, but my fingers are itching to be placing pieces rather than typing!
Skate Night by Aimee Stewart – Buffalo – 300 pieces
Man, this puzzle was so much fun! It was truly over too quickly, even though I put the box away to make it last a little longer. I would love to have this in a much larger piece count, either 1000 or 2000 pieces. It would be heavenly to assemble this again with more pieces. 💗
It’s no secret that Aimee Stewart is my favorite jigsaw puzzle artist, and this puzzle is a perfect example of why that is. The use of colors is brilliant, and the overall feeling of this image just makes you smile. I adore it, and I’m so pleased to have been able to assemble it.
Remember these?
Ah, the memories of the roller rink when I was in middle school and junior high. I always hated it when they called for a “backwards” or “reverse” skate, because I was never good enough on roller skates to figure out how to skate backwards without broken limbs or a cracked skull – or causing mass casualties within the people skating around me. We lived on a dirt road, with a dirt driveway, there was no place for me to practice; and to be fair, I also was a major klutz as a child.
Mom would be upset with me if I didn’t share this rollerskating story from my youth; she loved to tell this story about raising a wild child like me, so here goes. I broke my foot in 5th grade and spent several months in a cast. My class had a field trip planned for the local roller rink, of course while I was still in a cast. Even though I was on crutches (no walking cast for me), I decided that shouldn’t keep me from having a good time, so I got one skate and used my broken foot to Fred Flintstone myself around the rink – I used my cast to push myself forward. Sheesh. With that kind of ridiculous decision making it’s a miracle that I survived my youth. Honestly.
Can you do this with your puzzles?
The quality of this Buffalo puzzle was exceptional – from the thick chipboard to the fit and image reproduction. When the fit is exceptional I always like to stand them up, for some reason I can’t explain it makes me very, very happy.
In general, this puzzle made me very, very happy on every level. My only complaint was that it is only available in a 300 piece puzzle and no larger piece counts. Please Buffalo, hear our plea; give us this puzzle in 1000 or 2000 pieces – we will absolutely buy it. In fact it will be a bestseller. I guarantee it.
The Bookshop by Aimee Stewart – Ravensburger – 1000 pieces
This gorgeous puzzle is an Aimee Stewart – I had no idea! I don’t really check who the artist is most of the time before I start working a puzzle; I just knew the image spoke to me, and thought it would be fun, if a bit challenging to assemble. Well, of course it was – it’s an Aimee Stewart! I put together the entire puzzle and didn’t know until I started writing up this post that it was by my favorite artist.
The quality was fantastic, as per usual for a Ravensburger. Just feeling the weight and finish of the pieces makes me smile; I think I could tell a Ravensburger piece from all others at 20 paces. (Well, maybe 2 paces, these eyes are getting older every day). Holding a piece while contemplating it’s placement and rubbing my thumb across the top of it gives me a quiet kind of happiness, it’s like meditation.
This was a little more challenging than your average Aimee Stewart puzzle; the colors are much more muted, and the scene itself was more difficult. The flowers below the sign and the ivy around the edges were the hardest for me. The books everywhere were less difficult than I’d assumed, even though there are so many of them!
This little girl in her pretty purple frock is so sweet, and it’s such a pretty color.
All those books in the window? You can read the titles, and look at the detail! I should have known who the artist was. I can’t believe I didn’t. I’m hanging my head in shame.
I’d seen this image several times before I finally took the plunge and got it for myself, and am I ever glad I did. Have you been thinking of buying this? Go for it, this puzzle is highly recommended. 👍👍
Vintage Cake Shop by Aimee Stewart – Buffalo – 1000 pieces
I don’t assemble many 1000 piece Buffalo puzzles, it has something to do with the pieces; they all look exactly the same and sometimes I just don’t want to deal with it. I know, it doesn’t make much sense, but I never said that I was rational or that my brain was sensible – you just have to roll with it sometimes. 🤪
That being said, I loved this puzzle much more than I thought I would. It was more pastel than I’m used to seeing in Aimee Stewart’s work, but it made for a beautiful image and a great assembly. It was a little more challenging than I’d assumed, but entertaining and absolutely lovely.
Buffalo puzzles have excellent quality, with thick pieces that fit together well and very nice image reproduction. They also have a large catalog, including many exclusive images from Star Wars, Josephine Wall, Charles Wysocki, and Aimee Stewart. I’m not sure why I have a thing against them for having boxy pieces that all look the same, but I do. It doesn’t bother me with their smaller piece count puzzles, but with 1000 pieces or larger I just don’t care for it. Once I start working with the pieces though, it doesn’t bother me as much and I end up having a great time, like with this puzzle.
This is much more pale than I’m used to seeing when assembling an Aimee Stewart puzzle image, but it was still captivating and difficult to walk away from.
The display case of cakes was the most difficult section, and ended up being assembled last. All those cakes! It looks like a nice little shop to visit for some coffee and cake though, doesn’t it?
I’ve got a 2000 piece Cake Shed puzzle from Buffalo in the to do pile, and after assembling this puzzle I’m looking forward to seeing how the pieces are and how it fits together. I may try to get that one done sometime this month. More cake for everyone! 🍰
Vintage Cake Shop by Aimee Stewart – Buffalo – 1000 pieces
I’ve been up since 1:30 this morning, it’s amazing how much puzzling you can get done in the wee hours when you can’t sleep. Hubby is sick, and goodness knows I love him, but men are such babies when they’re sick – at least mine is! The coughing has to be overly loud and drawn out and it ends with pathetic moaning – and it woke me up about 1:30 am. I tried to go back to sleep but the whiny man next to me in bed kept me awake.
If he refuses to go to the doctor I have little sympathy. My man in particular won’t even take over the counter medications unless I put them in his hand and make him take them. If you want to feel better, and you’re so sick that you can’t work or reach across your bedside table to get the tissue without assistance then you need to see a doctor! Sigh. Marriage. Sometimes he’s the sweetest man there is, and sometimes he’s so frustrating that I pass the time mentally spending the life insurance money. 💰🤔💰
Anyway, to the puzzle. I started sorting soon after I got out of bed, and this is the progress I’ve made so far. It’s going pretty well, though I must admit seeing all the very pale, pastel colors on the pieces made me hesitate when I opened the box. After I put a few pieces on the tray though I knew it would be alright; it’s an Aimee Stewart after all, and even though everything looks pale an indistinct right now it will all come together and make a beautiful picture in the end. It’s going to be a busy day, but hopefully I’ll be able to get a little sleep later on in the day, and get some more time at the puzzle table too. I’m enjoying this puzzle very much!
*My Buddy is having surgery this morning, so he’s off to the vet early and I’ll be picking him up this afternoon once he’s awake and the anesthesia has worn off. Think good thoughts for both Buddy and hubby, and if any of you have some extra patience anywhere, I could really use some – the men in my life are definitely wearing mine thin!
My Jigsaw Journal 