Daisy Field Farm

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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.

Delphinium Cottage

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Delphinium Cottage by Howard Robinson – MasterPieces – 300 pieces

I thought I should show one of these mini framed puzzles actually in the frame. The glue I used was high gloss, so there’s a bit of glare; but it looks pretty darn good to me. ☺

This was the second of my newly named “bathroom puzzles”, and hubby and I enjoyed assembling it very much. It’s difficult not to work on a puzzle when it’s sitting there – and you’re sitting there. To be honest, I miss not having a tiny puzzle in there now that they’re all assembled. Here’s hoping I find more of them one of these days.

I found this image easier to work with than Colors of Venice, and it went together more quickly. The bright flowers and more obvious contrasts helped speed up the pace; it was much easier to separate out certain sections. It may have helped that we were a little more experienced with the very small pieces too – they really were great fun!

To be honest, I didn’t even notice the puppy in the bushes until I was assembling the dogs in the grass. I got all the dogs in the foreground put together and still had pieces with light yellow fur on them, they didn’t seem to connect to the dogs already assembled, where in the world did they go? And how did I miss that every time I looked at the poster? I’m claiming muddled middle-aged brain as an excuse for my lack of perception.😉

I’ll puzzle just about anywhere that’s it’s possible, obviously. It actually helps me deal with my chronic pain, and reduces my anxiety and stress. And even if those things weren’t a factor I find puzzling to be fun, engaging, entertaining, and satisfying. Whatever reason motivates you to puzzle is the best reason there is. Puzzle on my friends!

Review: Ladybugs

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Ladybugs by Michael Searle – MasterPieces – 100 pieces

Ladybugs is a bright, beautiful puzzle that’s fun to assemble but not too easy. It would be a great challenge for a young one in your life, or even for you if you’re so inclined. 🙂

MasterPieces puzzles can be hit or miss quality sometimes, but for the most part I find them to be quite good. They have a varied catalog of beautiful images and interesting series to choose from, and great prices too. The pieces are a good thickness and fit together very well. There are a nice variety of piece shapes, and the image reproduction is absolutely gorgeous! Click to see all the MasterPieces puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse.

I love a good glow in the dark image, but you have to deal with the somewhat grainy feel of the pieces that glow. Whatever they use to add the phosphors (luminescent material) feels like very, very find sand. If you have tactile issues, be warned – glow puzzles may not be for you.

I’m a big supporter of giving children puzzles, they’re excellent for helping develop essential skills every child needs. Problem solving, spatial awareness, fine motor skills, reasoning, sequencing and many other skills are developed when solving jigsaw puzzles – and as an added bonus they’re really fun and great for family bonding! I have wonderful memories of assembling jigsaw puzzles with my grandma, my mom, my husband, and my children. Even in this crazy world of 24/7 information and electronics, having time to sit and talk and work on a puzzle together is a must for me – it’s so much nicer than staring at your phone or the television!

Ladybugs was a fun assembly, but wasn’t as quick as the average 100 piece puzzle. The greenery in the background added to the challenge, and the sheer number of ladybugs kept me on my toes. Having different shapes helped in finding the right pieces, the bright colors helped as well. Even though it was a small piece count I found it to be the right amount of difficulty; it’s definitely recommended.

Check out all the kids puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse – they’ve got tray puzzles, block puzzles, floor puzzles, and many more to choose from. From 3 pieces all the way up to 1000 or more, there are tons of puzzles for kids or for the kid in you. 😎

Details:

  • Title:                  Ladybugs
  • Artist:                Michael Searle
  • Brand:               MasterPieces
  • Piece count:     100 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 15 x 12 in. (39 x 29 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, somewhat grainy feel, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, 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.

Colors of Venice

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Colors of Venice by Joel Christopher Payne – MasterPieces – 300 pieces

When I bought this puzzle I wasn’t paying attention at all, I saw that it was a 300 piece puzzle that also came with a frame for less than $5. What a great deal, and I even like the image. I didn’t realize until I got it home and opened it up that they were MINI pieces – oh no! I had horrible flashbacks of Winter Aspen, but it was only 300 pieces instead of 1000, so I figured I might as well give it a try.

The finished puzzle is only 6.5 inches square – there was more than enough room to put the entire thing on a cookie sheet including laying out all the pieces. Once I got the edge put together I had a great idea; I decided to put the puzzle on the table in the master bathroom and have my husband make good use of all the time he spends in there.  He could help me with this tiny puzzle! I told mom and a fellow puzzling friend from Canada (Hi Linda!) what I was going to do and they both thought it was pretty funny. I wasn’t kidding – I knew he’d help if it was right there, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish it. (But it is pretty funny 😁 Why do men spend so much time in there?)

Turns out it was an excellent idea! Not only did hubby help me out with the puzzle, we both enjoyed it very much – much more than either of us thought we would. When it was near the end we brought it out of the bathroom and sat on the bed working on it together. He hasn’t helped me with my puzzles for quite a while, but we both had a great time working on this teeny little thing together. Good thing too, because when I bought this one I also bought a second one, he helped me finish that one too. I loved working on puzzles with him again, so I went back and got another one yesterday. Bathroom puzzles are awesome! LOL

Just so you can get an idea of how small this thing is, here is the entire completed puzzle next to my computer mouse…

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Talk about teeny tiny! It wasn’t the greatest quality, but I didn’t mind that much. The piece shapes were pretty obvious in the finished image, but once I glued it they weren’t as noticeable. The fit was quite loose as well, but there was something about the small pieces that made it really entertaining – so much so that I overlooked the annoyance of the fit. I enjoyed the challenge of working with such tiny pieces, and this time I had colors to work with, unlike Winter Aspen!

It’s a cool little puzzle that was more fun than I thought, and I’m glad I was too stupid to read the box in the store and process what the word “mini” means. There’s a third mini puzzle in our bathroom at the moment, and hubby and I will hopefully have a great time with that one too! 😎

 

Fly Away Home

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Fly Away Home by H.J. Gillespie – MasterPieces – 500 pieces

I love the bright colors in this puzzle, and the artwork is quite interesting. Mom and I assembled this together, and although the fit was terrible we had a good time with it. Everything doesn’t always have to be perfect, we can be entertained and appreciate the time spent together puzzling even if it’s quality was sub par.

MasterPieces puzzles have fluctuating quality at times, I’ve had excellent puzzles from them and also really bad ones. It seems as if different series are manufactured at different places, the quality is so varied. The pieces of this puzzle are grid cut and more elongated than most other MasterPieces puzzles I’ve assembled. The image reproduction is very good, as is the piece thickness and variety; but the fit was extremely loose and difficult to work with.

The image is perfect for puzzles and I found it very unique and fun – the colors and patterns made for just the right amount of challenging that day. The artist, Hayley Gillespie, has a delightful point of view and the artwork made the puzzle worth assembling even with the fit problems. I’d love to find more of her puzzles.

Mom is away this week and I won’t be visiting or puzzling with her on Friday. 😪 When real life gets in the way of my puzzle happiness it is such a bummer! Come home soon momma, I miss you already.