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!
Summer Medley by Mandy Budan – StumpCraft – 207 pieces
This puzzle was unbelievably difficult, but so very entertaining! It’s from a new brand (to me) – I decided to try some smaller wooden puzzle companies, and I’m thrilled I found this one. From what I’ve seen so far, they make wonderful puzzles. 🙂
StumpCraft is a small company in Canada that crafts beautiful laser-cut puzzles that showcase the artwork of fellow Canadians. I was thoroughly impressed with the quality and cutting, and I can’t wait to try more of this brand. The color-line cutting made it much more challenging than it looks, and the difficulty level increased my enjoyment so much – I was able to turn off my brain and became completely engrossed in the assembly. Love, love, loved it!!!!
The puzzle was beautifully cut, with fun whimsies (the beaver is my favorite), the fit was exceptional, and they were the thickest wooden pieces I’ve worked with so far. An excellent puzzle!
I had the hardest time getting a good picture of this puzzle, it was constantly cockeyed and not level (there were at least 6 different tries to get a good one) – I think the meds and menopause are slowly braising my brain!
I love trying out new puzzles brands, no matter whether they’re cardboard or wooden (as long as they’re relatively affordable). I spent a bit of time in bed looking at/shopping for puzzles this month, and decided to give this brand a try, even though their pieces are more uniformly shaped than I like in a wooden puzzle. And while checking out all the pages on their site I found one of their Peapod (childrens) puzzles on sale, so of course I had to try one of those as well. I should absolutely NOT be left unsupervised with access to my debit card these days!
This adorable puzzle is by Zen Art & Design. They are beautifully made and I love the feel of their pieces – it’s almost silky – they feel lovely in your hand! They have quite a large catalog of images to choose from; composed mostly of nature, landscapes, and close-up photography. This might be the right company for you if you’re looking for a wooden puzzle but you’re not a fan of random or Victorian cut puzzles.
I love the dancing couple in the center!
It’s such a beautiful whimsy, but the rest of the pieces are so ho hum; I do wish they weren’t all so typical. I did know that going in, so there was no surprise, but I wanted to give this brand a try anyway. It was a fun little puzzle to assemble, and I’m glad I finally gave it a go. But I don’t think I’d buy any more puzzles than the two I purchased already. It’s only a personal preference, and not at all a reflection on their quality.
This is a “teaser” puzzle, a small piece count and less expensive puzzle so you can try out the brand (or if you just enjoy small puzzles). The box is the size of a ring box, you could throw it in your purse or backpack and off you go!
It’s a lovely little puzzle, and I enjoyed putting it together.
Father Frost by Rachel Arbuckle – Wentworth – 36 pieces
This gorgeous shaped micro puzzle is beautiful, and a little challenging too – the perfect combination! The interesting shapes made for a longer assembly time than I thought, but a wonderful one.
I had no idea when I assembled it that it was artwork by Rachel Arbuckle, I adore her artwork! I have the first 3 puzzles in her 12 days of Christmas series, and I’m looking forward to assembling them.
The curlicue pieces and shaped edges made for quite the entertaining puzzle! This one comes in a Christmas cracker box too; they’re a little more expensive than the regular micro puzzles, but I love them anyway.
My Jigsaw Journal 