Vintage Dress Making

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 1000
Size:  70cm x 50cm

Product Code: 169283

If you've been following this account over the years, you would know that besides jigsaw puzzling, I'm an avid crafter and usually enter my cross stitch and embroidery into the town's local annual show. Because of this, I also enjoy doing puzzles that feature elements of my different passions, and so the above one was no exception.

While I have not attempted dressmaking (as yet) I loved the design of the above Ravensburger puzzle. 

The vibrant colours, busy design and pretty little details made the above puzzle a joy to do. 

Do you have other hobbies besides doing jigsaw puzzles? Do you try and find puzzles that feature cross-over designs with this hobby?

Fairytales Under The Stars

Brand: Reverie Puzzles

Pieces: 1000
Size:  50cm x 70cm

Product Code: -

I have been a keen follower of Reverie Puzzles since I first heard about them many years ago. 

Based in my hometown of Geelong, the brand prides itself on producing beautiful book-related jigsaw puzzles, with designs specially commissioned by the owner Melissa (who is an absolutely beautiful person I might add- I've met with her a few times). 

I have nearly all of the puzzle designs up to date (not including the newest launch which will be today! Eeee!) and they are ones that I intend to keep rather than sell on. 

As mentioned just above, they will be launching their latest collection today at 11am AEST and I'm so excited to add to my collection (lucky it was payday on Monday!)

If you haven't already done one of Reverie's puzzles, you must get your hands on one to try them out. While they are on the pricey side, the quality is exceptional, the artwork is beautiful and you will not be disappointed. You get what you pay for, and this is certainly the case with this brand- you can't go wrong!

Disney Frozen: Always Close To The Heart

Brand: Arrow Puzzles

Pieces: 500
Size:  52cm x 38cm

Product Code: -

Once again this is going to be a quick post cos time is not my friend this weekend!

In a few hours we will be travelling to Sydney for a whirlwind weekend - my husband is competing in the Sydney Marathon on Sunday and we will be attending my niece's 4th birthday party in literally a few hours time! But first we have to get to her house from the airport - travelling through the suburbs of Sydney (wish us luck)! 

So it's gonna be rush, rush, rush!

My niece loves Frozen, has a dog named Sven and is having an Elsa-themed birthday party, so what better puzzle to put up than the one above? This one is just a cheaper brand puzzle that you can purchase at Kmart but it was still fun to do.

Sorry, I can't write more about it, but time is of the essence and I still have so much to organise before we leave.

Have a great weekend and keep puzzling!

Stargazing: Celestial Camp Out

Brand: Buffalo

Pieces: 750
Size:  61cm x 46cm

Product Code: 17504

I'm a bit short on time this morning so this is just going to be a quick post. I usually tend to do 1000 piece puzzles with the occasional 500 piece one mixed in (especially when I'm preparing for a competition). Very rarely, I do larger count ones like 1500 or 2000 pieces (but that's more because of space restrictions). 

And then every now and then, you get unusual counts like the one above - 750!

This puzzle design called to me, and the piece count was in no way a deterrent. It was actually interesting to do a puzzle which was between the usual piece counts that I usually do. It ended up being an okay size dimension-wise too, so that was a bonus. Have you got many 750 piece puzzles in your collection? Do you enjoy doing them?

The Burbs

Brand: One But Many

Pieces: 1000
Size:  70cm x 50cm

Product Code: -

When I was preparing for a puzzle sale a few weeks ago, I started sorting through some of my older puzzles that I knew I wanted to get done in time to add to my sell list. 

This was one of those puzzles.

I bought it from One But Many just as they were closing down their puzzle business, because I loved the illustrated design by Alice Achoo. It's such a vibrant and detailed representation of life in the suburbs, and while I didn't sell it this time around, I'm sure it won't be long before someone snaps it up.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue to look for unique and interesting puzzle designs that follow this same style of illustration. Have you seen any of interest like the puzzle above?

The Cheshire Cat (Disney)

Brand: Clementoni

Pieces: 500
Size:  36cm x 49cm

Product Code: 35123

Yesterday (August 8) was World Cat Day and since I had already put up my cat puzzle from Enjoy Puzzles, I had to find a different completed one in my collection to post. Voila! I did this one quite a while ago, featuring the mysterious cat from Disney's Alice In Wonderland. I loved the bright colours and the interesting patterns. Although it was 500 pieces, it was somewhat challenging to do, but I enjoyed the challenge all the same!

Today I'm keeping it relatively short cos it's the Victorian State Puzzle Competition at Malvern Town Hall and I have to prepare for the drive up and then the solo competition which will be held at 2pm. I'm so looking forward to it! Especially since it appears that the puzzle will be from the Cherry Pazzi brand and I haven't yet done a puzzle by them!

Wish me luck and I'll talk to you next week!

Barbie: Global Style Icon Since 1959

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 500
Size:  52cm diameter

Product Code: 120014942

Although puzzle availability has become a lot better in Australia over recent years, there are still some puzzles that are only released exclusively overseas, meaning it can be difficult to get a hold of them without spending a fortune in shipping fees. 

The above puzzle is one such title. I found this Barbie illustrated puzzle on a UK-based website and made a relatively big order of this and other puzzles to justify the shipping costs. 

While the design was wonderful to do, I did however come across one problem- the puzzle was missing a piece! You can see in the photo (on the right hand side) that there is a little gap where the piece should be. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a replacement because Australia's Ravensburger branch doesn't stock the puzzle, and they weren't able to help me from any of the overseas branches because I am not in the country that the puzzle was purchased from. How disappointing! The people I messaged were lovely however, and I'm not terribly concerned as it isn't that noticeable. I'm grateful I was ale to get the puzzle in the first place!

Have you ever had a problem similar to mine where a replacement piece/puzzle wasn't an option? What did you do?