This one got started two days ago, but there was almost no work at all done on it yesterday. Most of this assembly was done on day one, although I did put in a lot of the piano yesterday evening. It was going pretty well that first day, and I was thoroughly enjoying myself; hopefully when I get back to it later on today (if a morning nap helps to revive me) it’ll be just as much fun.
Thursday I took my son out later in the afternoon/evening, and it really wore me out. I spent almost all day Friday in bed trying to recover – still trying to recover this morning, actually. I got out of bed to take this picture and type up a small blurb about it, and then I’m right back to bed again.
I’m hoping when I do get back to the board that it continues to be as enjoyable as that first day – this movie for me in particular holds very dear memories of my momma. I’m missing her, but thinking of those memories also makes me smile. 💗
Disney & Pixar Color Palette – Ravensburger – 500 pieces
For some reason I was a little apprehensive about this puzzle, but there was no need to be – it was an excellent assembly. For the second puzzle in a row I found myself wishing it was a larger piece count because the fun was just over too quickly.
Most excellent Ravensburger quality, the fit was exceptional, the image reproduction was beautiful, there were a nice variety of pieces shapes – in short I’m saying it was an excellent quality puzzle and it made for a highly entertaining assembly.
The only drawback, again, was the puzz fuzz. It takes no time at all to shake the pieces in a colander (take a tip from me though and don’t do it over the garbage can in case you get a little too aggressive with the shaking and a piece jumps out into the trash). Then I leave the pieces in the colander sitting inside the box while I’m laying them all out so that my reaching in and getting a handful of pieces moves things around and gets rid of any remaining blue fuzz. I don’t consider it much of a problem but some people do so I want to be sure to let them know. To be honest I’d rather deal with puzzle dust on an excellent quality puzzle than work with a lesser quality brand with that sharp white backing. But that’s just me, you have to decide what works for you and what doesn’t.
I assembled this one without using the box image, so other than the characters around the edge I had no idea where anyone went. As an added bit of challenge there are many characters that I have no idea who they are! My kids are all in their 30’s, so we stopped watching Disney and Pixar movies together quite some time ago and many of the characters are very new to me.
I also did something different with this assembly; the only thing I sorted was the edges, I didn’t pull any colors or characters, all the pieces were just laid out on trays. Each little character is pretty small and pulling out pieces for sections would have taken lots of time so I just put all the pieces on trays and once the border was assembled I started on the far right and assembled each column. Here and there I found a piece that I knew where it belonged and put it in, but for the most part it was put together one column at a time. I enjoyed it very much!
I chose three characters from Winnie the Pooh, because it’s one of my most treasured memories as a child. I had a book that came with a cassette tape that “acted out” the book, which was voiced by the actors from the short films. In addition we had an 8 track of the same short film to play in the van on long trips to tournaments that my dad was umpiring. My sisters and I knew all the words to every song, and especially loved to quote from it. Winnie the Pooh and his friends bring back happy memories and make me smile.
I wasn’t always sure why I liked Piglet so much, but now as an adult with severe anxiety issues perhaps it was recognition of a fellow traveler. He was always shaking and stuttering and full of anxiety, so of course I loved him. And Tigger. Silly, sweet, bouncy Tigger, he always made me smile and I identified with him too. He had so much energy! You know what they say about Tiggers don’t you? They’re bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
This puzzle was great quality with a great image that made for a great (if too quick) assembly. It was much more fun than anticipated and I loved it. It was put back in it’s box and sent off to Penny – here’s hoping she has as much fun with it as I did!
Princess of the Sea – Mega Puzzles (Multipack) – 300 pieces
Isn’t she beautiful? Of all the puzzles in this multipack of eight Disney images this one is my favorite. Almost all of the other ones are bright and colorful and very “Disney”, but this artwork of Ariel in the style of Alphonse Mucha really stood out to me. It wasn’t the easiest 300 piece puzzle I’ve ever done, but I think it’s stunning.
I know when I purchase puzzles in a multipack that they most likely won’t be the best quality, but if the artwork is something that I love it doesn’t matter, I’ll always take the chance. I’m enjoying this multipack so far, this is the second of the puzzles I’ve done and even though the pieces are VERY thin and the fit isn’t great they’ve been entertaining. I don’t usually do Mega Puzzles as the quality is less than optimal, but with a multipack I know that going in and am almost never surprised.
*There is one image from this pack that I haven’t decided whether or not to assemble. It’s an image called Dapper Dandies, and I assembled it seven years ago. It was also the Mega Puzzles brand, but in a different piece count. I may do it again as the one in this pack is 500 pieces and the previous one was only 300 pieces. I still haven’t decided yet. Thoughts?
I documented the assembly as I went along. The first picture shows everything that I pulled out on the initial sorting, all the words and the curlicues. It was much harder than I anticipated – perhaps that’s why I’ve never done a Mucha image – they look pretty difficult! The second picture is after Ariel’s top half was assembled with all that hair; luckily that section was little easier for me. After that I just did that thing where I stare at the pieces and put them in here and there until finally it was finished.
The artwork made this one so entertaining, and I love that it isn’t your typical Disney image. If there was a multipack of Disney princesses done in this style I would snap them up in a minute! (Unless they were Ceaco, of course 😈)
This puzzle was not great quality, but that didn’t matter to me at all. The image was excellent and it was enjoyable from start to finish.
Minnie Mouse – Mega Puzzles (Multipack) – 150 pieces
This is another thrift store purchase that I got the other day, ain’t she cute? I thought so too. The quality was pretty awful, but I knew going in that it most likely would be, so it wasn’t a surprise. Puzzles from a multipack usually aren’t premium quality, but 8 Disney puzzles for $4.99 with adorable images was just too good a bargain for me to pass up.
I documented my progress with this one, as I knew it would go together quickly. It didn’t start the way most of my puzzles do, there was no sorting at all. All the pieces were laid out on my board and the edges were separated…
Once the edge was assembled I smushed all the pieces a little closer together so I wouldn’t have to lean or reach for any of the pieces…
Then the assembly really began. I started with the words in the yellow bubble in the corner, and as many pieces of the faces of Minnie that I could find. She’s coming together and looking adorable isn’t she?
At only 150 pieces this one was started and finished quickly, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable. Even with the questionable quality it was fun and entertaining and has me looking forward to working with the other cute images in this box of 8 puzzles.
I am most definitely a puzzle snob who prefers a premium puzzle like Ravensburger, Pomegranate, or Jumbo to name a few, but I also don’t limit myself to only the very best of puzzles. I enjoy expensive puzzles and cheap ones alike; there’s nothing like finding an amazing deal at the thrift store. I still have hopes of finding a Stave puzzle at a thrift store, although I doubt it will ever happen!
Thoughts of mom had me going out of my way to get to a thrift store that has always had a very good jigsaw puzzle selection this week after I went in for a mammogram. (Ain’t it great being a lady? *sigh* It definitely isn’t much fun, but it is necessary – take care of your ta-tas ladies!)
I’m glad I took the time. I feel the teeniest bit closer to mom when I’m working a puzzle from the thrift store, and now I have quite a few of them here to choose from.
This beautiful and dark image was quite the challenge, but fortunately the resident Puzzle Goddess was up to the task! All of the Disney Villainous puzzles are quite dark, but this one seemed even more so and made for some difficult puzzling.
The quality was very good, typical for Ravensburger puzzles in my opinion. There’s something about finishing a Ravensburger puzzle and running my hands over it, my little puzzle massage. It feels fantastic!
This is Merriweather – my favorite of the three fairies in the Sleeping Beauty movie. She’s a little shorter and thicker than her sisters and a bit more stubborn, which makes her adorable in my eyes and she was always my favorite. Doesn’t she look determined?
I started with the fairies and worked on the easiest sections to pick out with the lighter colors. The circular picture frames were the easiest to find and so I began with them. It wasn’t as easy to pick out the pieces for what went inside the frames, because many of the pictures had such dark images in them.
Many of the framed images were dark and indistinct, it made it very difficult to fill them in. They all made me want to get myself better lighting above the puzzle board. I haven’t mentioned it to hubby because the moment I do he’ll want to find and order new lighting and then he’ll be disrupting my puzzle time with the installation. (Perhaps I’m just moody today and even thinking about all the interruptions is making me a bit cranky.)
Although I enjoyed assembling this puzzle very much and I do recommend it, it comes with a bit of a warning. It is VERY dark and not an easy assembly; it isn’t recommended for someone who isn’t accustomed to assembling challenging images.
My Jigsaw Journal 