Wentworth puzzles make me very happy; and since I bought wooden puzzles for both my mother and my daughter (and myself) this year for Mother’s Day I’ve been working with them quite a bit lately.
These micro puzzles are not as easy as they look, and are perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time or space but still want to get your puzzle on. They’re great for me when I’m feeling terrible and spending most of my time in bed; I can lay out and assemble the entire puzzle on a cookie sheet.
I love the artwork of Dominic Davison, his landscapes and cottages are absolutely gorgeous. Because he uses a mouse instead of a paintbrush to create his digital works of art I find them much easier to assemble than puzzles that use images of traditional paintings. His use of color and light in the composition makes for great puzzles that are appealing, charming, and fun to put together.
I’ve still got 16 of these micro puzzles left to assemble (and 3 that are done and waiting to be posted); I’m looking forward to each and every one of them. Even if the image or the cut is difficult I know that I’ll be able to get it done – they’re only about 40 pieces. Even I can do that!
Sunset Over a Busy Day by Geno Peoples – Milton Bradley – 500 pieces
This puzzle was a pleasure to assemble, the gorgeous colors and exceptional fit made for a great time. Doesn’t this look like a great spot for a getaway?
The picture above doesn’t do this puzzle justice, the image is absolutely beautiful and the colors are stunning. I would have liked to have the artist’s name somewhere on the box; I searched every inch of it and nowhere is credit given to the artist. If I were an artist that licensed my work to be made into a puzzle I would definitely want credit for it! Thank goodness for the internet, with the name of the painting it was easy to find the name of the artist and I can at least give him credit here.
Most of the Milton Bradley puzzles I’ve assembled so far have been very good quality. Their pieces are a good thickness, they have a very good variety of piece shapes and the fit is excellent. The image reproduction is excellent as well and in general I’ve been thoroughly impressed with their puzzles.
I’m not always in the right frame of mind for an image like this one, but Sunset Over a Busy Day was just what I needed. The sky was easy to start with, and the dock and cabin offered enough of a challenge to keep it from being too easy. I find that my moods directly affect the type of puzzles I choose to assemble. I haven’t completely figured it out yet, which moods prefer which puzzles – all I know is some days I won’t even consider a certain puzzle and a few days later that same puzzle is exactly what I’m looking for.
Perhaps that means that it’s pretty important for me to have a very good variety of puzzles to choose from. So mom keep up that thrift store shopping, my ever-changing moods require a wide variety of interesting puzzles to choose from. ☺
Daisy Field Farm by Art Poulin – MasterPieces – 300 pieces
Here’s the last of the 3 “bathroom puzzles” – hubby enjoyed this one the best. Assembling the fence was his favorite part. He loves structure and linear images so the fence was what he wanted to work on the most. I even left the last 10 pieces of this puzzle for him to put in – what a sweet wife he has! 😉
This puzzle was as much fun to assemble as the other two, and I was sad for us when it was finished. I didn’t see any more at the store the last time I was there except for Starry Night, and I don’t think I’m brave enough for that.
I have to go out twice tomorrow for appointments, so if I’m feeling ok I just might make a stop at the same store and see what else there is for me. These aren’t premium quality, but they’ve got me and my husband working together on puzzles again, that’s what makes me happiest about them.
Cupcakes I – Lafayette Puzzle Factory – 500 pieces
Cupcakes I is one of a series of mini shaped puzzles that I found to be great fun. As soon as mom and each finished one of the cupcakes I knew I was in trouble – I want every single set of puzzles in this series!
My picture isn’t the best, I can usually do a better job, but the picture I took seems quite dark. I wanted to show the beautiful colors and shapes in greater detail….
This would be a great way to start out with shaped puzzles if you’re intimidated or not sure about them. These are color coded on the back so that you can sort them easily, or if you’re looking for more of a challenge you can just ignore the colored backs and put them together without any assistance. I had the best time putting these together and can’t wait to try out all the other puzzles in the series. There are more cupcakes, fish, puppies, high heeled shoes, birds, butterflies, and teacups.
Lafayette Puzzle Factory has an extremely varied catalog and beautiful images to choose from. Their pieces are a good thickness and fit together well; and the image reproduction is bright and colorful. This is only the second adult puzzle by LPF that I’ve assembled, and I find their image reproduction to be stellar – absolutely gorgeous! The finish is slightly shiny and can cause glare under artificial lights although I didn’t find it too annoying. For me the image is a major factor in puzzle quality, and if the colors are bright and fun to work with I find it easier to overlook other minor quality issues. Click the link above to see the puzzles they have in stock now at Puzzle Warehouse.
I highly recommend these shaped mini puzzles, they are so much fun to assemble!
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cupcakes I
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cra-Z-Art
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Lafayette Puzzle Factory
Piece count:Â Â Â 500 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â N/A – 12 small shaped puzzles
Purchased:Â Â Â N/A, sent for review
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Average – must cut to open
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â Very small amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Grid cut
Piece shapes:Â Â Good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Slightly shiny finish, lays flat
Overall Rating:Â Â Â Very good, highly recommended
I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.
Provence Market by Sam Park – Milton Bradley – 300 pieces
This was quite a difficult puzzle for only 300 pieces, but I was looking to keep my mind engaged and this image certainly did the trick! It’s a beautiful picture, but the style of the artwork makes it a bit of a challenge to assemble.
The quality of this Milton Bradley puzzle was exceptional, with very thick pieces that fit together beautifully. The image reproduction is lovely, and it never ceases to boggle the mind how the mottled looking colors on the pieces turn in to such a charming image. I love how almost all of the brands of 300 piece puzzles are such excellent quality. I’m enjoying all of these smaller piece count puzzles and their wonderful quality.
It’s interesting how my image choice depends so much on the piece count. I highly doubt that I would choose to assemble this image in anything larger than 500 pieces. The art style makes it quite a challenge and I think it would just be too frustrating for me. This was a fun assembly though, and the right amount of difficulty.
There are so many beautiful 300 or 500 piece puzzles out there, and I find that most of them with larger pieces are wonderful quality. I’m looking forward to finding more interesting and challenging puzzles!
My Jigsaw Journal 