This was a fun but challenging puzzle, and it makes me smile every time I look at it. To me, it looks as if the The Dark Helmet is in the process of dabbing….
–“I just blew up Alderaan!” *dab*
–“Obi Wan is now a jumble of Jedi dust!” *dab*
I honestly didn’t see it until the puzzle was complete and sitting on my whiteboard waiting to be photographed; then all of a sudden it clicked. Perhaps it’s all in my mind and I’m the only one who sees it, but I don’t care – it makes me giggle. Once it suggested itself to me, that’s all I can see. I know it’s meant to look menacing and if he’s on the attack, but what I see is a self-satisfied bully dabbing to celebrate his dastardly deeds.
This was a thrift store find that mom purchased mainly because it was only 69 cents. Normally she wouldn’t get a image like this – it’s not our usual “pile of pieces” (cup of tea). But it was a small piece count, we always love to try out new brands, and you absolutely can’t beat that price!
Shutterfly will make just about any custom gift with your photos – cards, mousepads, mugs, puzzles, etc. To be honest, in my head I was thinking that the quality couldn’t possibly be very good. I’m happy to report that based on this puzzle I was quite wrong. 🙂
The pieces were pleasantly thick and felt good in your hand, they had the almost waxy feel of a Gibsons or Jumbo puzzle; there were a variety of piece shapes, but the majority were ballerinas (2 prong/2 hole). The image reproduction is hard to gauge, since the image shown is quite bland color-wise, but there didn’t seem to be any blurry or fuzzy sections. My only issue was the slightly loose fit, though it wasn’t too bad.
I normally don’t comment on puzzle boxes unless they’re unusual or very good quality – I was very impressed with the quality of the box! It was extremely sturdy and felt even nicer than the boxes of some “premium” puzzle brands. Overall I was impressed by the quality of both the box and the puzzle inside.
The picture was quite boring (just my opinion), though perhaps the place held a special significance to whomever the puzzle was made for; it’s just not my idea of an interesting puzzle image. But to each their own, right?
*update*
One of my readers requested a picture of the box. I really couldn’t figure out a way to show why I was impressed with it’s quality other than to show the texture of it in the view of the side. My assumption was that box quality wouldn’t be high on their list, but I was pleasantly surprised!
Cottages by Kim Leo – Lafayette Puzzle Factory – 500 pieces
I’ve run out of things to say about these mini shaped puzzles. They’re adorably cute and lots of fun!
I’m not sure what my expectations were with these cottages, but for some reason I can’t explain I wasn’t as entertained by these puzzles as much as I’d hoped. The quality is the same as the previous puzzles, but there was just something missing for me. Still, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy them, because I absolutely did.
I couldn’t seem to pick any of the cottages as my favorites, so I decided to take close-up pictures of all of them. 😁
Don’t they all look like lovely places to visit over the summer?
Although they weren’t as entertaining as I’d hoped, they were still fun – and terribly cute!
Snowman Trio by William Vanderdasson – Wenthworth – 25 pieces
This assembly was a special request by my youngest son. It is 3 weeks until Christmas, and he’s very much in the holiday spirit. He’s gotten himself a Santa hat and he’s ready to go! He said that this was the puzzle I should assemble next, and so I did. I admit that I am absolutely NOT in the spirit at the moment, but I guess I’ll fake it till I make it. Ho Ho Ho-hum.
There’s not much I can say anymore about these little wooden puzzles, it’s all a repeat of things said before; they’re excellent quality and wonderful to work with. It’s a “One Coffee Puzzle” as my friend from Russia calls them. Small enough to sit down with a cup of coffee and finish them both about the same time – a lovely little respite in this hurry up and get going world.
I love Santa’s face, I think he just met the m & m’s! 😉
Sugar Magnolia by Phil Lewis – Liberty Puzzles – 881 pieces
Well, here it is, the post that tens of readers have been waiting for – my completed birthday puzzle! It is without a doubt the most beautiful and entertaining puzzle I’ve ever assembled – absolutely fantastic!
These are almost all of the whimsies, they’re so beautiful! Laser cutting makes it easier to cut such wonderfully interesting and detailed whimsies; it’s always so much fun to go through all the pieces and find them.
I started with the red flowers, then moved on to the orange-ish colors. It was very slow going because of my surgery and the recovery, but I can honestly say I enjoyed every single piece.
Once I got the bottom done, it was easier to work upwards and figure out what the edges looked like. The artwork by Phil Lewis is so stunning, and it makes for a fabulous puzzle image!
There are so many beautiful areas of this puzzle, it was difficult to choose what close-ups to photograph. I truly had the best time with this one, I’m so thankful hubby picked this one for my present. ❤ He has good taste. (Well of course he does, he picked an awesome wife!)
There’s so much stuff you can’t see until it’s completely assembled and you flip it over. I definitely didn’t find all those skeleton pieces when I first sorted the puzzle, and that gorgeous flower in the center of the puzzle isn’t visible until it’s complete. So pretty!
There aren’t enough adjectives to tell you how happy this puzzle made me, and how much I enjoyed it. It was the best!
My Jigsaw Journal 