Christmas Alphabet - Gibsons (1000 pieces)

I put this on my wish list ages ago and then promptly forgot about it, so it was a genuine (and lovely) surprise to receive it at Christmas. The puzzle did not disappoint and was filled with lots of lovely details to explore and build up. I started with all the larger sections of blue and then filled in other colours as they appealed to me. The lettering came much later in the puzzle, but upon reflection it may have helped to get it in earlier to provide natural sections to work on. Once finished I really enjoyed reading through all the different letters and how inventive they were. 

Time taken: afternoon going nice and slow 

Advent fun!

Gibsons managed to do it again and pull off a very enjoyable advent calendar. The theme this year was animals from around the world getting onto all sorts of mischief and it was great fun to do. My only criticism (and it really is down to my own preference rather than anything else) is that you only get 22 puzzles. Two of the doors hide glue and ribbon with the intention that you will make the puzzles into decorations to hang. I don’t do that, so feel like I missed two puzzles, but understand others will really like that feature. 

Have only posted a photo of one to not spoil it for anybody who buys it in the future. 

Overall, thank you Gibsons. Bring on 2022! 

A better month!

 More time for puzzles, which was lovely! However, am racing to get this out before midnight so will add more info another time! 

Covid caught me!

After 18 months of trying to be cautious and take sensible measures, covid finally caught up with me at school and made its presence felt. Luckily I was doubled jabbed, but still felt poorly, and the exhaustion is still with me now. So, long story short and all that, my puzzling took a hit. Will try to up my November game! 

Time to sell again

 Finally, a chance to sell some jigsaws at village and fundraising fetes. It’s been something I’ve missed and I certainly had a lot of puzzles to sell. Although the money helps support community groups, that’s always been a bonus. What I really love is meeting like minded people and enjoying a good chat about the jigsaws which have caught their eye! The latest sale came upon my rather quickly so the final week involved a bit of a scramble to get those last puzzles ready to sell. 

All work and no play…

A new role at work has left my puzzling somewhat wanting over the summer. Just a couple to keep my going. Here’s hoping the autumn will bring time for more. Neither puzzle was particularly special, but both were pleasing enough. I did quite enjoy the Time Square one, but some of the smaller details seemed a little repetitive. 

The joys of. Freecycle event!

So, I’m always on the lookout for a free jigsaw and so when my mum invited me to come to a local Freecycle event I was straight there. The area close to her was hosting and households simply place items outside and you can take what you want. On this occasion they were fundraising for charity so people could donate online after, but even taking this into consideration I got some fantastic puzzles cheap as chips. Quite a few 500 pieces but they happily passed an hour away. 

June is busting out all over…

 …and I just don’t seem to have had as much time as normal to puzzle. Coupled with that I checked a couple with missing pieces and the month seems to have passed me by. Oh well, we had a virtual BCD puzzle meeting which was fun! I have tried to reassure myself that after school finishes for the summer I will get back on it. 

Happy 70th Birthday Dad - MyPhotoPuzzle (1000 pieces)

Personalised puzzles have come a long way over the past few years - in quality, prices and number of images you can have. I was delighted to find this company which allowed me to have multiple images and the puzzle proved a fitting present to mark a special day. Quite a bit of dust from the cutting process, but the card was good quality and the pieces fit together well. Slight mishap with posting meant I ended up with a copy for my also! Bonus! 

Time taken: 3.5 hours 

Cafe Filberto - WHSmiths (1000 pieces)

At first glance I wasn’t too inspired by the image, seeing only a sea of blue, green and brown. However, once I’d got going it proved a rather nice puzzle. I started with the tiles and then moved to the bluey/green bits. My attention turned to the climbing plants and once these were finished the back of the puzzle had been broken and it was simply infill from then on. 

Time taken: 3 hours 

It’s been a while....Puzz 3D

Now, Puzz 3D were big in the 90s...I had loads...including the New York skyline which was quite something, and Big Ben, which was 4ft tall. So when I was given a whole bag to check it created a feeling of nostalgia. I soon remembered why I liked the brand. The attention to detail, nice feel of the foam pieces and even how some internal pieces still had an image on them are all plus points. Neither puzzle took very long, but these were the smallest of the collection - more to follow. 

Time taken: 1 or so each 

The Disquieting Muses - Clementoni (1000 pieces)

 I’m not a huge fan of modern art so wasn’t sure I would like this puzzle. However, I approached it as I always do, but collating colours, features and objects and actually it proved to be a really good puzzle. It was interesting to see how sections came together and the bold use of colour was just what I really like. I’m sure art buffs will have their own opinion on the art itself, but as a puzzle it was great. 

Time taken: 2 and a half hours

Disney Cats and Dogs (1000 pieces)

This was given to me by a dear friend and she hit the spot with the topic - I'm a life long Disney fan and these puzzles proved the perfect way to reminisce about all those characters I have enjoyed over time. The only small criticism was that both pictures were a little dark, but that didn't detract from the overall enjoyment. The cut was such that it was easy to work out which side was which, so no problems there.

 Time taken: 4 hours each

Shaped Jig-Map Australia - Waddingtons (unknown piece count)

Memories of childhood came with this one - its odd shapes, exterior of water, and all the little name tabs. I didn't try to get the outline in place, but just built organically - placing pieces together and then slotting sections. My poor geographical knowledge also added an element of fun and learning. Odd, but satisfying the way it all came together. 

 Time taken: 1 hour

Vintage World Map - Hinkler (1500 pieces)

In the past I've always approached these maps with too much gusto, often finding myself with far too many pieces to be working with. Having learnt from these experiences I took it slow and worked on small areas at a time, leaving the map outlines relatively late. I finished with the map centres and this new approach was much more proudctive and successful. The gold was a lovely added extra touch and really made the puzzle pop!

Time taken: 4 hours

Ballooning Leeds Castle - Waddingtons (500 pieces)

One for fhe coffee table as it was small which meant I could puzzle and watch TV at the same time which always nice. I sorted the edges and collected the large areas of blue at the same time, but this proved too much so I actually ended up doing the balloons first and coming back to the blue. The picture built up nicely and it was a calming way to spend an hour.

Time taken: 1 hour

Las Vegas - King Puzzles (1000 pieces)

King is not the best of qualities in my humble opinion, with the thickness of the pieces not great. However, the picture was engaging and as a recognisable scene it was fun spotting key items, building all the hotels and other features of the famous strip. The night time sky went in first and then some of the more prominent buildings. A nice was to spend the afternoon. 

Time taken: 3.5 hours 

To sort, or not to sort...

...I’m honestly curious about this. I have recently been given a collection of puzzles to check from an unknown source and in every single box the previous owner has sorted the edge pieces into a separate bag. Why? Surely part of the puzzling experience is sorting these pieces out from the general pieces? It really irritates me as well, as it takes the choice away from me. Fine if you want to keep the puzzle for yourself I suppose, but if you pass it on....

However, I could be alone in this feeling? 

BCD Virtual Meeting - A Splash of Colour

I had put these theme forward and was delighted when it was chosen. It was a fantastic weekend and the puzzles chosen by members were a real spectacle. I can honestly say there wasn’t one I didn’t like. I had chosen 3 puzzles to keep me busy, was a WASGIJ to a new brand all the way from America. The Magic Puzzle Company came together in an unusual way and the company had also added an extra bag of pieces which gave a surprise once you had finished. I’d certainly consider doing another from this brand. My final for the weekend was slightly larger at 1500 pieces, but was a nice bright way to finish the weekend. 

The Unusual Suspects 

Zodiac Star Signs

The Happy Isles 

Art 39446 Disney Classic - Clementoni (1000 pieces)

I love Disney, and I love a panoramic, and I think I would be as bold as to say that Clementoni are the masters in this field. They choose/design interesting pictures and this puzzles was no exception. It did not disappoint on colour, style and interest, but it didn’t come together in the way I expected. I had thought the  background audience would be last to fall into place, but they came much earlier in the build and helped to  set other pieces. 

Time taken: 3.5 hours. 

 

Half Term Happiness

 Usually I puzzle on a Sunday. However, a half term holiday anything goes. Because we were still in the depths of lockdown I had nowhere to be, no one to see and therefore no guilt at indulging in a range of puzzles over the week. All the puzzles completed were good fun, but special mention must go to the Marmite one. I did not use it as a training run, but towards the end it became apparent I might just be on for setting a PB. I did my best to maintain some pace and was delighted to know 3 minutes of my previous PB for 1000 taking my time down to 2 hours, 9 minutes. That might not seem like a lot, but believe, it is and means I’m edging closer to the magic 2 hour mark I’m aiming for to enter the British again and be competitive. 

Time taken: between 1 hour and 3 hours for each puzzle 

The Queen’s Speech - Gibson’s

Christmas Santa Express Locomotive - Clementoni

Catching Wedding Fever - WASGIJ - Jumbo

Pollyanna - Bits and Pieces 

Vintage Marmite - Gibson’s

Little Princess and Unicorn - Corner Piece 

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