Vintage Soda Bottlecaps

Brand: Colorluxe
Pieces: 1000
Size: 51cm x 68cm
Product Code:  1500

Happy New Year! 

Well, technically, it's not the new year yet, but we're pretty close now, so why not?! 

2016 has been a whirlwind of a year! So many (good and bad) things have happened this year- on a personal level, and on a global scale. We've seen governments form and fall, a multitude of famous icons pass away and plenty of other historic events that my mind can't actually fathom at this time in the morning (but you've also lived through this year so you know what I'm talking about 😉). 

On the puzzle front, I have had a pretty good year. I have managed to keep this blog (as well as my Instagram posts) going consistently every week since July, which shows that a little dedication can go a long way. I have also managed to work my way through quite a few puzzles in this time, although there are never enough hours in the day! Especially when you have to go to work, make time for family and friends and pursue other pastimes as well. I have a huge amount of puzzles I still have to do, and I have to make a conscious effort not to expand my collection before I finish a few more!

This will be my last post for 2016, as I will be off camping for the New Year. I tried to find a suitably celebratory puzzle to do but unfortunately, I couldn't find any in my stash. Where are all the fireworks etc puzzles when you need them?! So I instead settled on this one, of vintage soda bottlecaps. I know I'm making a tenuous link here, but people drink on NYE and these are bottlecaps, so it sort of works! This puzzle was really quick to do, because of the colour sections and the high quality pieces.

I hope you have a fantastic and safe New Year, celebrating with family and friends, and that 2017 brings you joy, happiness and plenty of jigsaw-puzzling time!

xo

Three Christmas Puzzles

Brand: Kids Create by PaperCraft
Pieces: 100 each
Size: 26.33cm x 23.19cm
Product Code:  -

Merry Christmas everybody!

Although the time stamp on this blog may not suggest it,it actually is Christmas Day here in Australia, and, as promised, here are the last of my Christmas-themed puzzles.

These three cute designs were picked up at a discount variety store, for only $2.99 each. With bold, bright and fun designs, I couldn't go past them, even though they are only 100 pieces each and quite cheap in quality. They don't even have titles, hence I have named them Puzzle 1, 2 and 3 (in the order that I did them). 

I hope you have a happy and safe Christmas and that Santa brings you everything that you wanted. 
Enjoy the holiday season and I'll post once again just before the New Year.

😊 🎄 🎅 🍸 🎉

A Disney Christmas

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm
Product Code:  192878

I was a little late posting this blog today, so sorry about that! 

My husband's family usually celebrate on Christmas Eve and then have a relatively low-key Christmas day, so it was all hustle and bustle this morning to prepare for our delicious late family lunch. Christmas tomorrow will be with my family, but I have every intention of posting one more Christmas- themed blog for the holiday season (particularly because I have three more photos of small Christmas puzzles to post, which I completed last night).

That said, you can't have Christmas Eve without some sort of Christmas-themed puzzle, and what better way to celebrate than with Disney! The above puzzle was relatively quick to do, especially because I knew all the characters and could sort the pieces quite easily. This puzzle features all the Disney favourites as they celebrate the most wonderful time of the year (to take the lyrics from that popular carol).

Disney fans are sure to enjoy the festive spirit instilled in this image with all the characters frolicking in the snow around their beautifully decorated Christmas tree. 

This puzzle is available from Fishpond by clicking the link below:

Ravensburger Disney Christmas Eve Jigsaw Puzzle (1000 Pieces)

Happy Holiday

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1500
Size: 80 x 60cm
Product Code:  163076

With the approach of the Christmas season comes yet another 'event' that many people look forward to- the start of the holidays! 

While some of us only get a few days off between Christmas and New Year, for many, it is just the rejuvenation that one needs to keep going until their allocated annual leave or holiday time. 

If you're lucky enough to have planned your holiday time for this period, then you can enjoy some blissful time away from the hectic struggles of the workplace (or school, if you're studying), and relax away your days. If not, then it is easy enough to enjoy the few days you have and look forward to a longer rest a little further in the future. 

Regardless of your situation, there's no doubt that any holiday is a good holiday, which is why I thought this puzzle- Happy Holiday- would be quite appropriate. The imagery in this puzzle brings to mind sunny beach holidays and relaxing ocean views (probably quite hard to imagine if you live in the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year!), and evokes memories of salt, sun and sand. 

This puzzle, despite its size, was quite quick to do, especially when done in sections. You would think that some of the sections would be difficult (with like colours in many of the sand and sky images) but the varying shades made this less of a challenge than you'd expect.

The design is vibrant, fun and inspiring (especially if you're planning an upcoming beach holiday!)

I hope you enjoy your holidays- beachside or otherwise!

Nob Hill By Jack Allen

Brand: Puzzle Collector Art (Lafayette Puzzle Factory)
Pieces: 1000
Size: 51 x 68cm
Product Code:  -

Every now and then, I like to shake things up in my puzzle collection and do a scenic design. 

While there are plenty of 'old-fashioned' designs out there that feature cosy cottages or nature scenes, this one stood out to me for its vibrant colours. 

While it's actually an illustration of a town- Nob Hill- rather than a photo, I thought it captured the bustle of a township perfectly. I had never actually heard of Nob Hill before doing this puzzle, but a quick Google search told me that it is a neighbourhood in San Francisco, USA, and that it is one of the original 'Seven Hills' of the city. I'm assuming this is the illustrator's representation of the place, with it's iconic trams (or cable cars, as they call them), swanky restaurants and a little harbourside port, I'm not sure if any of the places in this picture actually exist in real life, but it wouldn't be a bad place to visit. 

This puzzle was relatively quick to do when you divided it into colour sections, and the quality of the pieces was spot on- no problems at all!

Star Wars Saga

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 500
Size: 49 x 36cm
Product Code:  146659

In a few weeks, the latest film from the Star Wars  franchise will be released- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While this film is not part of the official saga, it acts as a prequel of sorts, setting up the storyline for the epic space adventure films that we all know and love.

In anticipation of this release, I decided to do a puzzle that commemorates the first six films. Produced by Ravensburger, this puzzle features iconic imagery from the previous films (although not the seventh installment, The Force Awakens) as well as the infamous villain Darth Vader. 

With a lot of black pieces, I thought this puzzle would be more challenging than it actually was. But in true Ravensburger quality style, there were varying gradients in the colours, which made the process of piecing the puzzle together a lot easier. Add to that the high-quality interlocking and there was no chance you could fail. It only took me a couple of hours to complete this puzzle, and the results are pretty spectacular.

This is a fantastic commemorative design and any jigsaw puzzle fans who enjoy the Star Wars saga are also sure to enjoy the imagery set out in this puzzle.