Great Ocean Road Trip, Vic, Australia

Brand: Karen McKenzie Art

Pieces: 500
Size:  50cm diameter

Product Code: -

Last week was a terrible one in Victoria for bushfires, with half of the state in flames. But in typical Victorian fashion, within a few days (and while some bushfires were still burning), some Victorian towns experienced severe flash flooding! These towns were situated along the Great Ocean Road and several cars were swept out to sea as a result. I've watched video footage of this, as well as the helicopter recovery of these cars during the week and it's absolutely insane to think that all of this happened on our doorstep. 

The Great Ocean Road is a relatively short drive from Geelong, and I've travelled it many times. It's a beautiful coastal drive, and even if you have a problem with windy roads and car sickness, it is still a pleasure to see the views that are afforded to you, and to visit the lovely towns along the way.

Karen McKenzie has captured the scene perfectly in her illustrated puzzle depicting the drive. I'm not completely sure why Luna Park (in St Kilda) features, but the rest of the design is a wonderful representation. I saw this puzzle in her online store and purchased it because of its familiarity. She has also created designs of heaps of other regional Australian towns which is pretty cool. The puzzle pieces are sturdy, colourful and of good quality.

Have you got any puzzles that represent the place you live?

Disney Frozen Anna

Brand: Yanoman

Pieces: 70
Size:  10cm x 14.7cm

Product Code: 97-70

I'm on a fairly tight schedule today so I didn't have much time to decide which puzzle to post- that's where the child comes in! Her choice? Anna from Frozen. 

Luckily I had a little puzzle photo on standby which I was able to grab from my collection. I purchased this mini puzzle on a visit to Japan, and bought a few others from the series at the same time. They're cute little time-fillers and, evidently, photo choices for busy mums who are trying to do their weekly blog!

The Brown Beauty

Brand: Magnolia Puzzles

Pieces: 1000
Size:  68cm x 48cm

Product Code: 1717

With the new release of Magnolia Puzzles' latest designs- and another collection from popular artist Romi Lerda- I have decided to post a photo of one of their previously released puzzles, which I had the pleasure of doing last year. I think I have bought most of the puzzles from their previous collaborations, and I look forward to collecting the next lot too. 

Featuring big-eyed pretty faces, the collections are made up of both recognisable and original characters. The above is one of the original girl designs, and it was fantastic to piece together, with just enough of a challenge to keep it interesting.

Do you enjoy this art style and these puzzles? Have you got any in your collection?

Beach Buddies

Brand: Page Publications

Pieces: 1000
Size:  70cm x 50cm

Product Code: -

Welcome to a brand new year of puzzling adventures!

I hope you've had a wonderful and safe Christmas and New Year break, and managed to get a bit of puzzle assembly in...

I had the opportunity to post last Saturday (in that strange limbo between Christmas and New Year) but decided to take a break and do an actual puzzle instead. I got a nice little one done but I haven't yet had the chance to take a photo of it, so I am instead putting up this one from my backlog. 

I aim to take photos more regularly this year, simply so that I can get them up and clear my puzzle boards faster. 

Did you get any cool puzzles over the break? Either as presents or purchased by yourself during the sales?

I'd love to see them if you did!

Breakfast & Love

Brand: Magnolia Puzzles

Pieces: 1000
Size:  68cm x 48cm

Product Code: 3491

This is the last weekend before Christmas, and things are starting to get hectic! 

Between work, present shopping and celebration preparation, there has been very little time to puzzle. And therefore, very little time to puzzle Christmas designs. I have decided to put up the above puzzle cos it sends out good, relaxed, and loving vibes in the lead up to the next few days. 

This image, which was illustrated by Ana Jaren, drew my attention as soon as I saw it. There were a few of her designs in this Magnolia release and I also had to purchase those!

The puzzle design was fun and quite easy to do when you worked in colour patches, and the pieces were beautiful quality as always. Magnolia Puzzles really are amazing quality and you'd be doing yourself a great favour trying them if you haven't already.

Anyway, I have much to do so I'm going to leave it at that. 

I'm going to skip posting next week (potentially, but that depends on how busy I am), but if you don't hear from me, I hope you have an amazing Christmas and New Year holiday. Have fun puzzling (if you get the chance) and best wishes for a safe and happy festive season. 

xo

Stranger Things Gang

Brand: Buffalo

Pieces: 300
Size:  46cm x 46cm

Product Code: 22702

My plans for a Christmas-themed puzzle December have unfortunately already come to an end!

Although I know I have plenty of puzzles of this style, I haven't had the chance to do any or take photos of them yet for this blog, and so that little idea comes to a complete full stop. 

Instead, I have put up a puzzle I purchased some time ago of the gang from the Netflix hit show Stranger Things (don't ask me what season, they've all blurred together since I last watched it and I'll have to watch a serious recap before starting the latest and final season).

I thought this puzzle was a cute and fun one to do, and is a passable alternative to Christmas puzzles considering the show is back on our screens for the last time.

Have you got a show that you enjoy watching that has been immortalised in puzzle form?

Liberty - Christmas Tree Of Life (Foil)

Brand: Galison

Pieces: 500
Size:  51cm x 51cm

Product Code: -

So I had the AJPA Nationals last week, and although I didn't get through to the finals, I did manage to finish my puzzle in the allotted time...just! We had 2 hours to complete the puzzle and I finished in 1:58:40 - with 1 minute and 20 seconds to spare! Phew! Haha, what a relief!

Anyway back to the usual blog fare... because we are now in December I thought I'd put up a Christmas-themed puzzle from Galison. This one has foil accents but they're hard to see in the photo. In real life, there are nice golden parts scattered throughout the design. This puzzle was very busy and a little more challenging than I expected but still fun to do. Have you got some Christmas designs in your to-do pile?