Butterflies III – Day 2

Butterflies III – Cra-Z-Art – 500 pieces

Have you ever noticed how much orange coloring there is on butterflies? I’m not sure I ever have until now. It’s not a color one might normally say looks particularly pretty, but here it looks amazing. Just my weird observation.

When assembling these mini puzzle sets I almost never look at the box or poster, it’s more fun to just figure it out on my own. If I was looking for help it would take much less time and I enjoy getting to complete each one at my own pace.

The color of the purple one was my favorite out of all 18, just absolutely stunning! The blue one took me longer than it should have, I was expecting the shape to go upwards and it just kept getting wider and wider.

I’m not certain what the difference is between moth and butterfly, but some of these with their furry bodies seemed more moth-like. It doesn’t make them any less lovely, they just didn’t seem like butterflies to my untrained eye.

Aren’t the pastel colors on the one at the far right just amazing? Love the look of that one. 💗

Butterflies III – Day 1

Butterflies III – Cra-Z-Art – 500 pieces

This gorgeous set had 18 puzzles instead of the usual 12. So instead of many days of butterflies with no commentary other than “look how pretty they are”, I’ll just split this up into two days of posts. Each separate puzzle won’t be getting it’s own picture, but they’ll be in groups of three.

They were all quite good quality, and there were far fewer pieces connected than there usually are. Perhaps Cra-Z-Art is getting better at cutting all the way through the colored backing, or perhaps this is one of the rare times that I ended up with a puzzle that was cut when the die was new and sharp. You’re always hearing me say that a puzzle may have been cut at the end of the run when the die was dull, what a novel thing to have the opposite – finally!

I enjoyed all the different shapes of the puzzles. And that pink one on the right is gorgeous!

You can tell that there are big differences in the sizes as well. Some puzzles were only around 15 pieces, and some were closer to 60. It’s nice that they’re all not just the same shape and size with only the colors separating each species.

Harbor City

Harbor City by Shanghee Shin – Re-marks – 300 pieces

This puzzle was just what I needed – I had much more fun putting this together than I’d predicted – that’s always a big bonus for me!

Excellent quality Re-marks puzzle; thick pieces, excellent fit, beautiful reproduction. All in all a great puzzle with a fun image to assemble.

This gondola and it’s occupants really made me smile. I love the hat of the gondolier, and it looks as though the frightened cat is holding a ring box – perhaps there’s a proposal in the works?

For some reason the kitty doing a handstand in the window struck me as truly funny. Perhaps while mom is downstairs watering the flowers the kids are upstairs messing around. Whatever the reason I found it amusing.

Hot Cocoa

Hot Cocoa by Charlie Girard – White Mountain – 1000 pieces

This super quick and entertaining puzzle was part of a swap with my fellow puzzle junkie Penny. To be honest I wasn’t certain I’d enjoy it, but was quite glad to be wrong about how delightful it would be.

It was a very good quality White Mountain puzzle, perhaps the best fitting of this brand that I’ve ever done – and I’ve done a lot. It wasn’t the too tight fit that leaves your thumb feeling sore from pushing pieces together with lots of pressure; and it wasn’t too loose where two pieces fall apart when you pick them up to move them. I was happy with the all-around quality, which isn’t something you normally hear me say about this brand.

I’ve chosen three sections to show close up, they’re all much older advertisements. It’s funny how something is perceived when it’s new to the market; we would never characterize hot cocoa in these ways now.

The greatest invention of the age. That’s pretty dang funny to me, as is the name. Instantaneous Chocolate – not very appetizing is it?

Breakfast cocoa sounds pretty good to me! Of course you could say that all the froofy coffee drinks people consume these days might be more chocolate than coffee so I suppose it isn’t that big of a leap. As for myself, I’m a simple gal. I enjoy a cup of coffee-flavored coffee, or a cup of hot chocolate – “never shall the twain meet.”

This is the one that really caught me by surprise. “Drink hot chocolate before…during…and after the game!” I’m not sure professional basketball players would agree that it’s a good idea. Could you imagine a basketball player sitting on the bench with a cup of cocoa before he or she gets back into the game? 🤣

Let’s All Go To The Lobby!

Let’s All Go To The Lobby! – MicroPuzzles – 150 pieces

I put this one together by myself in the puzzle room the day after I received my subscription box. It was so colorful and reminded me of my younger days going to the drive-in with the whole family – plus it’s a 3D puzzle! I know it’s a little wonky looking without the 3D glasses, but it was still loads of fun to assemble.

Any of my fellow oldsters remember seeing this at the movies back in the day? I can still sing that song all these years later and remember the hot dog doing a backflip into the bun. We used to all pile into my parents van and go to the drive-in theater. My parents explained to us that it wasn’t a true drive-in experience if you didn’t sneak someone in – so my sisters and I laid flat on the floor in the back of the van trying not to giggle – and we usually failed. My parents being who they were I’m certain they actually paid for us all, but wanted us to have some extra fun trying to sneak in. Ah…..memories. 💗

Back to the actual puzzle! Like the puzzles in the New Year’s box, this one also had an image on the back….

Perfect for watching a 3D movie don’t you think? Love it!

I’ve been a member of the MicroPuzzles subscription program since late last year. I decided that I was worth it, and making myself happy with these puzzles every month was definitely beneficial to my mental health. (Plus, there’s my P.A.D.S. diagnosis to think about too). Every month I receive a themed box with two exclusive puzzles that are only available by subscription and a surprise gift.

This month was a movie theme – Lights, Camera…..Puzzle! There were two movie themed puzzles, including the 3D puzzle shown above, a pair of 3D glasses with which to enjoy the puzzle image, and a small box of buttered popcorn flavored Jelly Bellys. It also comes with a small booklet that talks about the month’s theme and shows the puzzle images; this month that also included a small quiz about 3D movies. This is my favorite month so far!

Since I’ve started receiving these boxes every month not only have I received beautiful and interesting puzzles to assemble; I’ve gotten a puzzle piece shaped Christmas ornament, a refrigerator magnet, a sticker for my car, a pair of puzzle socks, and now my favorite flavor of Jelly Bellys and some cool 3D glasses. I’m not subscribing for the gifts, but they are definitely a fun bonus. I can’t wait to see what shows up next month. 😎