Dream City

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm
Product Code:  194025

This puzzle by Ravensburger was a joy to do- I couldn't look past the bright, cheerful and vibrant colours and the simplistic but pretty design. Because of all the colour blocks, I was also able to complete it fairly quickly.

Sorry for the brevity of this post. I'm not really feeling well and I just wanted to put up this before going back to bed! Hopefully I'll be on the mend for next week's blog and Instagram!

Orchids (Art by Nene Thomas)

Brand: SunsOut
Pieces: 1000
Size: 48.3cm x 76.2cm
Product Code:  67636

I love romantic fantasy art. 

Usually comprised of a beautiful woman in a stunning landscape, these artworks are often a sight to behold. 

While there are many talented artists, one in particular that I admire is Nene Thomas, who has released many of her artworks as prints, cross stitch charts, and lithographs (among other things). You can purchase some of her work at http://nenethomas.com/

In conjunction with SunsOut, Nene Thomas has gifted puzzlers with some of her work in jigsaw puzzle format, including the above design.

Orchids is a stunning (and somewhat challenging) puzzle which, as you can see, contains a lot of similar background colours. I have to admit that it took me quite a while to complete this one, over a space of several days. That said, the end result is absolutely beautiful. The colours are vibrant and the quality of the unusually- shaped pieces is excellent.

I will more than likely follow this puzzle up with some other puzzle collaborations by both Thomas and SunsOut.

Coffee

Brand: Colorluxe
Pieces: 1500
Size: 58cm x 84cm
Product Code:  3911

During the week I had to travel to Melbourne for some blood tests at St Vincent's Hospital. 

My test was an early 8.30am one (which I had to fast before), but this meant that I had to leave my house at 5.25am to catch the 5.54am train, in order to get there in time.

And because I was fasting, that meant no coffee. 

Now, I don't usually rely on coffee to wake me up in the mornings. I just like the taste. But not being able to drink any, while walking the streets of Melbourne to get to the hospital, was a more difficult task than I had anticipated! The smell of freshly brewing coffee was everywhere! 

Luckily I was able to get my fix (no, I'm not addicted) not long after the tests were concluded, but as a homage to coffee-lovers everywhere, I have decided to put up this puzzle.

This puzzle was unique, in that the back of the puzzle was colour-coded in sections. This was meant to aid in the sorting of pieces so that the puzzle could be completed more easily. Although I mostly ignored this, it did help on occasions when there were similar colours (like browns and tans) that could be situated almost anywhere in the design. It could also be a tad frustrating though, especially when you thought you had found a particular colour (like blue for example), and it was actually a blue-backed piece, rather than part of the design background. 

I quite enjoyed doing this puzzle. The collage-style was engaging and there were many points of interest within the design. It certainly helped cheer me up after my coffee deprivation!

Atmospheric Venice

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm
Product Code:  191499

Over a decade ago, I visited Venice as part of a school trip to Italy. It was a beautiful place, and I really enjoyed wandering St Mark's Square with my fellow Italian-language students. 

When I saw this puzzle, it took me back to those few days, and so, in a reminiscent moment, I have decided to put up this design from Ravensburger. 

This puzzle was only slightly challenging. I think the hardest part was trying to get the sky completed (as is so often the case!) but even this wasn't as difficult as it could have been. It helped that there were so many colour shifts within the blue sky, so that you could work out which shade of blue went where. 

Ravensburger has released such a beautiful range of travel-image puzzles, and this one is certainly a contender for one of the best Italian scenes available.