Tag: Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

Sunflower Face

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Sunflower Face – Wentworth (Mini Mindful) – 80 pieces

Now this is what I’m talking about when I want a Mini Mindful puzzle that completely takes over your focus – you absolutely have to pay attention with this one!

The honeycomb shaped pieces and the fact that many of them are cut in half made this puzzle one of the most challenging Mini Mindful puzzles that I’ve assembled so far. Even at the end I had to keep taking pieces out and moving them around because although they looked as though they were placed correctly they weren’t.

I truly enjoyed the challenge of this one. Although it was only 80 pieces it took me just over half an hour to complete it correctly! Normally keeping track of the time it takes to finish a puzzle isn’t something I do, but I knew this would be quite a difficult assembly and noted the time when I started and when it was finally complete.

It would probably be easier to put this together with the image side down, you wouldn’t have to make sure the colors/textures lined up. It might be interesting to do that and see how completely crazy the image would be. 😂

Africa Map In Progress…

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling8 Comments

Africa Map by Liv Wan – Artifact – 441 pieces

I’m REALLY enjoying this assembly, though it’s taking much longer than usual for a puzzle with this number of pieces. It doesn’t matter though, the enjoyment is the point – not speed or comparing myself to how long it “should” take.

This image isn’t one I would normally go for, but it was another puzzle I bought for 50% off earlier in the year when Artifact was having a sale. Honestly, I felt like buying just one puzzle for $18, Medicine Teepee, didn’t really warrant the free shipping that was offered. I know, if they offer free shipping I can buy however many or few puzzles I want; truth be told I wanted some cool wooden puzzles and getting only one at half price just wasn’t enough for me. The PADS took over and I make no apologies.

So I bought this one, and even though it isn’t an image I would normally go for, nor the piece shape I prefer in wooden puzzles, I’m loving it. 💕

When I work a wooden puzzle I do not look at the box image, it makes the puzzle last longer. Slowing down and having to pay attention to each shape, each color, each texture makes for more immersive puzzling – for lack of a better word. I become completely engrossed in how things fit together and the time spent puzzling is so relaxing and enjoyable.

If I were more familiar with the geography of Africa I might be quicker at putting this together, as the interior of the continent is crammed full of images from the many countries; food, people, destinations, animals, buildings, etc. Hopefully though, I’m learning and absorbing the geography as I go. (I did know where Madagascar was, so that little island wasn’t difficult to place!)

I’m having a great time puzzling today, how about you?

Coronium

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Coronium by Nadieh Bremer – Artifact – 172 pieces

If you’re thinking that this looks like quite a challenging puzzle to assemble – you would be absolutely correct! It was much more difficult than I gave it credit for; although I did assemble it during the week that an extra medication was added to my regimen that made me feel very dizzy and disoriented, so perhaps it was the meds and not any lack of intelligence on my part that made it seem so hard. 😉

Fantastic image again by Nadieh Bremer, this one almost seems as though it’s a companion puzzle to Nebulium but it really isn’t. The artist seems to enjoy creating images with color gradients and science mixed together – and I’m glad she does! Coronium was the suggested name of a chemical element thought to exist in the late 1800s. It wasn’t a new element, just ionized iron in the atmosphere around the sun. This is her version of the element, should it actually exist. Isn’t it gorgeous?

I’ve got one more of Nadieh’s puzzles here from Artifact and am very much looking forward to putting it together. It’s over 400 pieces though so I’m certain it will definitely put my gray cells to the test.

I didn’t pull any whimsies to photograph separately as most of the pieces seemed to be fantastical and interestingly shaped. I did recognize the symbol for pi, but that was about it. I didn’t go very far in my mathematics classes (Algebra II was as far as I got), so perhaps there are more symbols that I just don’t know. I’m certain someone will let me know if that’s the case.

Absolutely LOVED this one even though at times I felt stupid and thick and that it might be too difficult for me. It wasn’t too much for me, and it was so interesting and different from most of the puzzles that I assemble that I couldn’t help but fall in love with it. The colors, the shape, the pieces and the way they went together all made for a truly amazing assembly. 💙💛💚

Imagine!

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Imagine! by Lana Kissinger – Liberty – 284 pieces

This is not your typical jigsaw puzzle image, and that’s why I love it! Plus, part of the proceeds from this puzzle go to a program called Imagine! that assists and benefits those with intellectual and developmental disabilities – you know I can’t resist that either. 😊

It was the most difficult puzzle we assembled on our trip, but the challenge was part of the fun. And everyone who helped thought it looked too difficult, but everyone was able to find pieces that fit together. That gave them more confidence, and they kept at it. (I’m working on converting my entire family into jigsaw puzzling loving freaks just like me.)

Such fun whimsies, the couple having a picnic was one of my favorites, and the woman painting at the easel. (Hubby wasn’t thrilled with the bee whimsies, he was attacked by an in-ground nest of yellow jackets that he disturbed by accident and ended up needing medical attention – not the most fun vacation for him) I tactlessly pointed the bees out to him when he was helping me with the puzzle, and for some reason he didn’t think I was very funny. 😉

I love the little tableaus playing out, a couple on a hike, the children playing with the dog, nature everywhere. Liberty puzzles and the design effort they put into their pieces is absolutely fantastic, it’s part of the reason they’re my favorite current wooden puzzle company.

My beautiful niece came to hang out with me one day, and although she really isn’t a puzzle person she did help me find a few pieces that connected. Sit Long and Talk Much is the motto of Liberty Puzzles, and that’s exactly what we did. We sat, visited, talked about family, friends, life, marriage – pretty much whatever came to mind. It was a fantastic day and I’m so happy we got to spend that time together.💛

This was our last vacation puzzle. We didn’t do as many puzzles this time, but worked on more difficult ones. It was a great trip and every person who helped with the puzzles has become a beloved member of my puzzle posse.

Vacations and puzzles go together for me now, why didn’t I think of this earlier?

All the Books

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

All the Books by Jenny Zemanek – Wentworth – 140 pieces

Wonderful little puzzle. This was maybe a two coffee puzzle, it took a little bit longer and was more difficult than expected. I loved the colors and all the interesting patterns on the spines of the books, such a great image.

We couldn’t figure out one of the whimsies, perhaps one or more of you can help us out. The piece in the bottom righthand corner, what in the world is that? A book of some sort? Whatever it is, I don’t seem to be able to recognize it.