The holiday season is upon us! And what is the best thing about the holidays? Exchanging presents! Everyone loves gift giving. The joy of knowing just what to pick for that special someone, the wonderful anticipation of knowing how much they'll love your gift, the satisfaction of knowing you've made someone's life a little bit... Continue Reading →
I’m always looking for something new and different, a bit of a challenge, in my next puzzle. And I found just that at Puzzle Warehouse! A puzzle called “Puzzle Twist, Mixed Up”. It was described as “Within this Mixed Up! series jigsaw puzzle you'll piece together a variety of Nebraska historical moments painted by... Continue Reading →
The new Heye puzzles for 2019 have arrived at Puzzle Warehouse! Click on over to see the selection and grab your favorites while they're in stock! These go fast. HEYE PUZZLES AT PUZZLE WAREHOUSE. You can see my picks with updated links to their pages on the Puzzle Warehouse site here. There are also a... Continue Reading →
Publisher: Buffalo Games (US), published 2017 Size: 1000 pieces Title: “Life is an Open Book: Paris" by Aimee Stewart Finished size: 26.75" x 19.75" OUR RATING: 9.5/10 Box Quality: (9/10) The Buffalo Games boxes are very sturdy and have nice packaging design. The box is small at 8" x 8", but it comes with a poster inside so you... Continue Reading →
Cobble Hill was founded in 2005 with the goal of “bringing quality puzzles with a loving, whimsical, nostalgic feel to jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts around the world.” They offer a good variety of categories and piece sizes include 2000 piece, 1000 piece, 500 piece, 400 piece Family Puzzle (with large and small pieces), 275 piece Easy Handling, and kids puzzles under 100 pieces. They are located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Check out our overview of the best in Cobble Hill puzzles!
Publisher: MasterPieces (US), published 2016 Title: “Safe Travels” by Aimee Stewart, 1000 pieces Finished size: 26.75" x 19.25" OUR RATING: 8.25/10 TRAVEL WEEK: Since I just got back from vacation, it seemed like a good time to tackle travel themed puzzles (say that three times!). I'll be reviewing two puzzles this week and sharing some of my favorite... Continue Reading →
White Mountain's "Perennials" is a gorgeous puzzle that's super fun to assemble. The image has some educational value in that it shows the names of the various perennial flowers. I particularly enjoyed the vibrant colors and how different textures made flowers easy to identify even when they had the same colors as other flowers. The main body of the scene is so packed full of unique flowers that there's very little left-over green background to do in the end, making the puzzle very enjoyable all the way through. The White Mountain quality is good with larger pieces and a random cut. The final puzzle has a flat, smooth finish that allows you to see the art rather than the jigsaw cut. The finish is glossy, so there is some glare under bright lights. Highly recommended!
This beautiful winter collage puzzle is a super easy and relaxing puzzle to assemble. The distinctive colors, and the three separate photo scenes, make the puzzle go together quickly. The Trefl brand from Poland is a grid-cut puzzle with standard piece shapes and sizes. The pieces are not as thick as some Euro brands like Ravensburger or Jumbo, but thick enough to resist bending and damage. Recommended for children, seniors, and anyone who enjoys 500 piece puzzles. 7.8/10
This fishing collage puzzle is from two of the best names in the business--Aimee Stewart and Ravensburger. It boasts excellent manufacturing quality and a lovely vintage-style illustration that is full of detail and interest. This puzzle would make an excellent gift for the fisherman in your life or anyone who appreciates masculine-themed puzzles. Recommended!
Publisher: Master Pieces (US), published 2016 Title: “Pastry Party” by Aimee Stewart, Master Pieces, 1000 pieces EZ-Grip Finished size: 39" x 27" OUR RATING: 9.25/10 ALZHEIMER'S WEEK: This week we're covering the very serious topic of Alzheimer's and how jigsaw puzzles can both help prevent it and also be used to slow progression once Alzheimer's is diagnosed. Look for... Continue Reading →
This bright and bold collage puzzle from Buffalo Games is a fun challenge. The Buffalo Games quality is quite good featuring grid-cut pieces with a wide variety of shapes. The small box saves shelf space while an included poster can be used for reference while assembling the puzzles. This puzzle has easy bits--such as assembling the border and a few large and uniquely-colored butterflies. But many butterflies use similar blue-green-pink colors that make it more challenging to figure out to 'which butterfly' an individual piece belongs. True to its collage nature, all the butterflies are adjoining, so you get 'clues' to the adjacent areas on the edges of each completed butterfly. This is a good choice for a dreary day as the colors are sure to brighten your mood. The final completed puzzle is very attractive and would make a nice framed piece.
Publisher: MasterPieces (US) Title: “State Birds" by Larry Balsamo, 1000 pieces Final dimension: over 31" wide THIS REVIEW SUBMITTED BY PHILIP PHILIP'S RATING: 8/10 This was an interesting puzzle to do because of its shape and my wife and I enjoyed working it and figuring out the birds. There are also some ‘special’ qualities about this puzzle that we... Continue Reading →
