De Elfstedentocht – Jumbo (1000 pieces)

I always enjoy a good cartoon puzzle and this one was great fun. Despite the fact that the snow and ice provided for limited colour changes there was enough to keep it interesting and the people were adorned in a range of colours. There was a focal point of a single fence which allowed the puzzle to be split into 2 sections and a background and foreground allowed for perspective in the people.

Time taken: Evening

High Colour Collection – Clementoni (1000 pieces)

I don’t get given a lot of Clementoni and for those not in the know the cut of the pieces is slightly different to your average puzzle in regards to the number of ‘regular’ versus ‘non regular’ cuts. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle. It certainly lived up to its billing and was bright and full of interest. The brick work made for some interesting challenge and was nicely spaced around the puzzle so it did not become overwhelming.

Time taken: Afternoon

Britain from the Air – Gibson (1000 pieces)

Tricky! Good, but tricky. Any scene that is looking down naturally puts things into a different perspective and things are smaller. The mixture of trees and houses, most looking the same, made for a challenging puzzle and without the box I think it would have taken much, much longer. One little perk was coming across little brightly coloured cars which broke up the otherwise slightly monotonous colours.

Time taken: Afternoon and evening

An Introduction

Hi, my name is Emma and I love Jigsaw Puzzles!

 

Now, if that makes you laugh, or if you aren’t interested in jigsaws then this may not be the blog for you. However if your interest has been piqued, read on.

A little background:

I have been doing jigsaws for as long as I can remember. I have fond memories of jigsaws being done at my paternal grandparents house, and in more recent years have enjoyed completing a Boxing Day jigsaw with my dad. I joined the Official UK Puzzle Club in 2006 and have completed puzzles from pretty much every puzzle genre. As far as skill goes, it would appear that I am a reasonable puzzler...I have not found a jigsaw I could not complete and in the last 3 years came 1st, 2nd and 2nd again at the British Championships (my current record for completing a 1000 piece being 2 hours - only 3 minutes behind the winning time). Presently I am used by a local group to check their second hand puzzles before they are sold at fundraising events.

Why I like doing jigsaws:

I like the challenge, I like the feel of slotting pieces together, I like finding that final pesky piece you have been searching for, I like sections beginning to take shape and form, I like not thinking about anything but the puzzle before me and I like the peace and quiet you can afford yourself when you need it.

3 things I like:

·         Bright, bold and busy designs

·         Losing yourself in a puzzle

·         Completing a puzzle with friends and chatting about your day

3 things I don’t like:

·         Dull, dark and dreary jigsaws

·         People who put pieces in uninvited thinking they are ‘helping’

·         People who ridicule puzzlers, thinking you have to be a child or old to enjoy this hobby

The purpose of this blog:

Well to start with, when you type Jigsaw Puzzle Blog into an internet search engine the results are somewhat limited. There are blogs from some companies and a couple of personal blogs, but nothing that really caught my eye. I can’t promise my blog will be the most interesting around, but it will be full of my thoughts and opinions on the puzzles I complete. I will aim to share with the reader the puzzles I have done, whether they were any good and what I’m looking forward to next.