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