The Man From Snowy River, Vic

Brand: Ken Duncan Images Of Australia (Crown & Andrews)- The World's Most Beautiful Jigsaw Puzzles
Pieces: 504
Size: 64cm x 24cm
Product Code:  -

Well, this is my last post for the year 2018- I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Christmas and that 2019 is full of all the good things for you! 

It's been a wonderful year in regards to puzzles- I have tried many new brands, put together many new designs and managed to consistently post up each week on this blog and my Instagram (which has happily continued to grow in followers, so thank you!).

Next year I hope to continue on with this and share even more wonderful brands, designs and collections with you!

I think last year, around this time, I also mentioned that I hoped to do a puzzle of fireworks to bring in the new year. Well, I have the puzzle, but I just haven't had the chance to do it, so that might have to wait for another year! Oops, sorry!

In the meantime, as my last post for the year, I have decided to post up a picture of The Man From Snowy River, Vic. It;s the closest puzzle I have at this time to a camping theme, which is what I will be doing from today and into the New Year with my friends. Part of Ken Duncan's Images Of Australia series, this panoramic puzzle was a pleasure to do, and quite quick. I suggest you check out his works at some point if you want a lovely snapshot of rural Australia in puzzle form. I have done quite a few of his puzzles and will continue to do them as long as they are around!

Have a safe and happy remainder of the year and I'll see you in 2019!

Christmas Puzzle

Brand: No Name Brand
Pieces: 100
Size: 26.3cm x 23.2cm
Product Code:  -

Merry Christmas! Hope your day is filled with good food, fun, laughter, love and happiness. Best wishes to all!! -xo-

Disney's Christmas Train

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 500
Size: 49cm x 36cm
Product Code: 147397

I know I only put up a Disney puzzle last week (which was very popular on Instagram by the way!) but I thought that considering it is so close to Christmas now- only a few days away- I should get into the spirit of it all and post a Christmas-themed puzzle!

And this is the result!

This puzzle features most of the popular characters (including princesses, animals and, of course, Mickey and Minnie) and was a pleasure to do. I love how Ravensburger is able to integrate all the favourites into a design that any Disney fan can enjoy.

It was super easy and quick to do this puzzle, especially since it was only 500 pieces.

My next post will be after Christmas so I hope you have a safe and memorable day with family and friends and enjoy yourself!

Merry Christmas!!!

Disney Moments: Dumbo (1941) (Collector's Edition)

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm
Product Code: 196760

No doubt, if you've been following this blog and my Instagram throughout the years, you will have noticed that I am a huge fan of Disney! 

I have done many puzzles that feature artwork from the franchise, including ones from Ravensburger, Tenyo and Yanoman (although I have not yet put up any of the images of this particular Japanese brand- maybe some day soon!).

I love the nostalgia and the memories that the characters evoke, although I can't say that I have any particular favourites. 

Ever since I first saw Ravensburger's massive 40.320 piece puzzle, I have wanted to do it, but my common sense (and a lot of influence from my husband) have convinced me that the job is just too big to tackle, especially considering the finished size of the design (which I would have absolutely no room for anywhere in the house!).

Luckily for me, Ravensburger has released all of the designs from this huge puzzle in small, individually produced 1000 piece puzzles, so I can create the mental illusion that I have done this monster! 

I now have all of the separate designs and will work my way through them, in no particular order. The first one I have put up is Dumbo, which was a pleasure to do. I'm not as familiar with this story as I am with some of the other stories- I think I only saw the film once, and when I was very young- but since it will soon be coming out as a live action remake, I thought it would be appropriate to make it up.

This was a great puzzle and I can't wait to start the next one in the Collector's Edition series. 

Let The Sun Shine In

Brand: Anatolian
Pieces: 500
Size: 33cm x 48cm
Product Code: 3599

You know how sometimes a piece of artwork just draws you in? That's what happened to me with this puzzle design...

I'm not sure why it appealed so much, but when I saw the mixed-media style image, it just drew my attention and I had to purchase the puzzle. It could have been the bright and expressive colours, or maybe it was just the multilayered detail, but I really enjoyed doing this one by Anatolian. 

This was only my second puzzle from this brand but it didn't disappoint. The pieces fit together nicely and the colours were vibrant. Although Anatolian have fewer distributors within Australia, I'm going to have to get some more from them at some stage!

Cool Cats A-Z

Brand: Mudpuppy
Pieces: 1000
Size: 69cm x 51cm
Product Code: 01/2018 M120617G

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not usually a cat fan. I much prefer dogs over their feline counterparts, but every now and then a cat will come along that I don't mind quite so much. It's so bizarre! All of my closest friends have cats and I can deal with that, but I don't think I'd ever want one of my own. 

That's why I was surprised that I was so drawn to this puzzle. For some reason, the design really stood out to me. I have since learnt that there is a dog alternative and I wouldn't mind sourcing that. But for now, here is a bit of information about the above puzzle that I completed from Mudpuppy. 

I hadn't done this brand before but I wasn't disappointed. It's a little difficult to tell from the photo but the background of this puzzle is pale pink. The cat illustrations are unique but pretty (I'm not sure who the illustrator is) and well spaced out. This puzzle also features the breed names, various cat-related paraphernalia and flowers. I enjoyed piecing this one together, especially with such good quality pieces and minimal dust. 

I'll have to try and find the dogs one so that I can complete the 'set'!

Fresh Produce

Brand: Cardinal
Pieces: 500
Size: 27.9cm x 35.5cm
Product Code: -

One of my brothers has always been a keen gardener- growing all sorts of vegetables in his sizable patch. 

Now I have discovered that my brother-in-law has also got a bit of a vegie/fruit garden growing, ever since he bought his own place. 

While these guys are growing everything from potatoes to bananas, and from watermelons to broad beans, I have to admit that I'm no green thumb. I'll either buy my own produce or get it off them for free! For now, while they grow, I'll just settle on doing a puzzle that features fresh produce!

This puzzle has really small pieces and it was a little challenging at times with the like colours of some of the vegetables, but it was still a pleasure to do. I quite enjoy these Cardinal-branded puzzles- they have small dimensions when complete which means they don't take up a lot of space, and they usually have interesting designs. I've already done a few of these ones and intend to do more...

Mermaid

Brand: Buzzed Puzzles
Pieces: 504
Size: 16" x 20"
Product Code: -

Several weeks ago, I was exploring through some puzzle images on Instagram, when I came across a new brand called Buzzed Puzzles. They wanted to bring to the market adult-themed 18+ puzzles that were 'not your grandmother's puzzles!' and were doing a Kickstarter campaign to get their idea firmly off the ground.

Intrigued, and always interested in new designs, I decided to contact them when they held a little competition, and luckily for me, I was able to choose a design to be sent to me! Of the three options, I chose the above design (although they were all enticing) and I have now put it up for your interest.

This was such a cool puzzle!

First of all, I thought the design was terrific, and a little out of the ordinary (which suited me perfectly- sometimes you need something a little bit different to break it up). The colours of the puzzle were vibrant and the pieces were well cut. But one of the best parts? No puzzle dust! Yes, that annoying problem was non-existent with this brand, which instantly gave them brownie points from me! 

Furthermore, Stephanie (one of the founders of the brand) was brilliant with her follow-up, ensuring that I had received the puzzle safely, as it travelled all the way to me in Australia from California, USA! 

I'm really looking forward to seeing more of Buzzed Puzzles in the future, and would love to support them when they launch their Kickstarter campaign in February 2019. In the meantime, check out their website buzzedpuzzles.com - you won't be disapppointed 

Great Painters: Vincent Van Gogh

Brand: White Mountain Puzzles
Pieces: 1000
Size: 61cm x 76cm
Product Code: 900S

So today I was in the mood to post a puzzle that felt arty. And what better way to represent an arty puzzle than to go to one of the masters of art- Vincent Van Gogh?! 

Unfortunately, I missed out on visiting the National Gallery of Victoria when his exhibition toured in Melbourne last year. But from all accounts (including that of my in-laws), it was a wonderful experience. Instead, I have had to enjoy his paintings through a different medium- a thousand cut out puzzle pieces of some of his most famous paintings! 

This was the first time that I had done a design from the White Mountain Puzzles brand, and I wasn't disappointed. The pieces fit well together and the colours were rich in tone. I love how they do so many collage-style designs- and covering such a large range of topics too! I'm sure I will do some more of these in the future, although that is dependent on the exchange rate- it's so expensive buying internationally at the moment! 

Colorful Houses, Burano, Venice Italy

Brand: Puzzlebug
Pieces: 500
Size: 46cm x 28cm
Product Code: -

I'm not sure if you've seen the extraordinary footage or photos of Venice at the moment, but if you haven't, it's well-worth checking out! 

I know that they're used to the occasional sinking of their city into the water, but the way they just accept that it's happening and adapt to suit the situation is so bizarre to me! 

I saw a video on Facebook last night of people in a restaurant just wading through at least 10cm of water- dressed in their ordinary outfits and with the addition of gumboots (or bootie-type things to cover their shoes). They didn't let a little bit of water sloshing on the floor stop them from living their lives! I guess Venezians are just used to it...

I have decided to put up a photo of a Venetian scene which I found in the Puzzlebug range. Although the puzzle was cheap to buy, the vibrant colours and attractive image were a drawcard. It was quite easy to do if you sorted the pieces by colour (for the buildings), and the pieces fit together adequately (as expected for the price). 

Flags Of The World

Brand: Eurographics
Pieces: 1000
Size: 48.89cm x 67.63cm
Product Code: 6000-0128

Over the last week, we in Australia have been lucky enough to have some English royalty gracing our shores- Prince Harry and his beautiful wife Meghan, who have travelled here to see some of the best that the country has to offer. 

They were also here for the Invictus Games- an international sporting event that was created by the Prince for wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and veterans. This year the event was held in Sydney from 20-27 October. 

I decided to post this puzzle featuring the flags of the world to commemorate this inspiring event, While many of these countries didn't actually have representatives at the Games, some of them did, and some of them have fought alongside or for some of the countries whose flags appear in the above puzzle. 

Produced by Eurographics, this puzzle was fairly easy to do (although some of the flags were similar) and quite educational. Each country's name is listed under its flag, as well as the population, the size of the country in square kilometres and the capital city. 

For some reason, I've always been interested in flags, maps and the like, so this puzzle went down a treat, as it would for anyone else who likes this sort of thing.

Disney's Magical Storybook

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1500
Size: 80cm x 60cm
Product Code: 163182

Time for another Disney puzzle- and a larger one at that! This was a Ravensburger 1500 piece puzzle which I discovered one day, and, as it features a majority of the most popular Disney characters, was just one I had to do! 

As with most Disney puzzles, it didn't take me a terribly long time to piece together, as I often recognise parts of each of the characters and am able to put together each one quite quickly. 

This one brought together my loves for books and for Disney and if you know a like-minded person, this would make a perfect gift for them. 

Beautiful City Architecture And Colors In Summer Season, Oslo, Norway

Brand: Puzzlebug
Pieces: 500
Size: 46cm x 28cm
Product Code: -

The Puzzlebug brand, while cheap, always has interesting designs, and this one is no exception. 

I like how they find images to represent various towns and cities, that you may not normally see in a jigsaw puzzle design. 

This one, featuring the Norwegian city of Oslo, is charming and picturesque- making you want to just pack your bags and visit!

The only fault I have with these puzzles (besides the fact that they sometimes don't join that well) is that they have such long and convoluted titles! Sure, that's not a terrible thing, but they do seem a bit too long-winded sometimes! Oh well, what can you do? 

Otherwise, they're not too bad for the price and at least there's plenty of variety in designs to choose from...

DC Comics Harley Quinn

Brand: Aquarius
Pieces: 100
Size: 16cm x 20cm
Product Code: 61-109

I love DC Comics and Marvel- the films, the artwork that features in the comics, and the stories of the various characters. 

Being an avid reader, I have recently finished the latest installment of the DC Icons series that tells the stories of some of the main characters before they become the superheroes they 'grow up' to be. 

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas was a great read, and introduced the character of the psychotic Harley Quinn into the series. 

Inspired by this, I have decided to post the above mini puzzle by Aquarius.

Of excellent quality, this puzzle was quick and fun to do, and is a wonderful representation of the character. 

I'm hoping that a puzzle company will one day soon take on other DC names, and create designs that feature even more of these popular characters.  They'll certainly have my business if they do!

Birds Of A Feather

Brand: SunsOut
Pieces: 1000
Size: 50.8cm x 68.58cm
Product Code: 55957

Today is AFL Grand Final Day- a big event on the Australian sporting calendar. 

This year, the West Coast Eagles are up against the Collingwood Magpies- which isn't a game that really appeals to me much. I'm not really a fan of either team, but I suppose I should be going for Collingwood (just because they're a Victorian team- although I really can't stand them otherwise!)

Anyway, because I don't believe that there are any AFL jigsaw puzzles available (that I've seen) I decided to put this puzzle up instead. It features birds (in the design and the title)- and that's symbolic of the Pies and the Eagles versing one another! Clever, huh?! (Not really, but it's the best I could do this Saturday morning!).

This puzzle was rather quick to do, particularly when you completed each individual bird 'square' separately and joined them all together. With a distinctly French vibe, this design is quite pretty and perfect for bird lovers and watchers. 

Dubai On The Persian Gulf

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1500
Size: 80cm x 60cm
Product Code: 163557

Travel scene puzzle time! 

I've been fascinated with Dubai ever since once of my closest friends stopped over there on a holiday several years ago. 

My husband has also been there with his family (although before we were married) and learnt to ski there. Ski! In the desert! Because they have a ski slope in one of their shopping centres! Amazing! 

The wealth of the city is beyond incredible, and I find it fascinating how they have used their money to create a place that most can only dream about. 

I would love the opportunity to go there one day but for now will have to make do with forming together puzzle designs.

This puzzle from Ravensburger was a pleasure to do and great quality as expected.  

Warrior Princess

Brand: Anatolian
Pieces: 500
Size: 33cm x 48cm
Product Code: 3600

I love finding new and unusual designs from puzzle companies that I haven't had much experience with in the past. 

Take Anatolian for example. 

I have never before done one of their puzzles, even though they have some amazing designs. I guess, being a Turkish (?) puzzle company, their products are not as readily available here in Australia, but I have recently come across a supplier that stocks them and now I'm all over it!

The quality is great, the pictures are pretty cool and varied and they have some interesting piece counts. I found a couple of great designs (including the one above) and just had to give them a try. I really like this brand and now that I have a source for them, I'll try to get more of them in the future. 

Rugrats

Brand: Aquarius
Pieces: 500
Size: 35cm x 48cm
Product Code: 62-129

A lot of my friends have been giving birth over the last few weeks, and there are still more babies on the way! 

So I thought it would be quite fitting to put up a puzzle of one of my favourite childhood television shows (and one that is quite relevant)- Rugrats! 

I really enjoyed this Nickelodeon show, and the adventures that Tommy Pickles and his friends got up to- everything is different from the perspective of babies and toddlers! 

The quality of this puzzle was outstanding- the colours and design were bright and reminiscent of the show- and I thoroughly enjoyed putting the pieces together. I wish it was as easy to get other 'adult' puzzles of nostalgic shows and movies.

History Of The Holden Ute

Brand: Post Age Jigsaw Puzzles
Pieces: 1000
Size: 48.9cm x 71.7cm
Product Code: HJ06

I thought I'd go for a car one today...

Lately I've been taking note of all the done-up old-school cars that have been driving around my area (I think there must have been some classic car shows on recently), and this puzzle reminds me of that. My dad also recently bought an old Austin from the 50's which he intends to do up at some point, so my puzzle choice was also inspired by that! 

This design could be looked at as a nice piece of history, and features a collage of Holden utes throughout the years- perfect for a Holden fan. The pieces are good quality and went together nicely. The colours are also quite vibrant. 

This puzzle comes in a collector's tin so it makes a great gift for Holden enthusiasts! 

Cute Labrador Puppies In A Picnic Basket

Brand: Puzzlebug
Pieces: 100
Size: 22cm x 28cm
Product Code: -

When people celebrate a day just for cats (a la a few weeks back), you know someone will also have to introduce a special day just for our canine friends. 

And that day is tomorrow. 

National Dog Day or Dog Appreciation Day is held on August 26 (although I'm not sure if this is just an American thing or not). Regardless, I thought I'd put up a photo of some pups, just in the interest of keeping things fair (and also because I tend to prefer dogs over cats haha).

This Puzzlebug puzzle was quick to do (being only 100 pieces) but the image is cute and relevant. I'll have to see if I can find a more challenging dog puzzle for next year's post!