Astrology

Brand: Eeboo

Pieces: 1000
Size: 58.4cm x 58.4cm

Product Code: -

Tomorrow is the last day of 2023! I can't believe how fast this year has flown! So much has happened and yet, when I think back, it's all been a blur. 

Puzzle-wise, I've spent waaayyyy too much on puzzles, and have struggled to find spots to store them all before I have the chance to do them. I'll have to try and curb my spending next year- I have literally hundreds that I have to get through now! I also need to be more proactive in selling the ones I've completed. It may be time to do a market stall solely selling jigsaw puzzles...

I also participated in my first puzzling competition this year which was a fun (if not stressful) experience. I have already entered to do a fun, charity-based one next January in Melbourne, and will again try to compete in the state competition...

How has your puzzling year stacked up? I'm keen to go through my stats and see how many puzzles I have completed this year, plus all the other relevant info but that can wait until the new year.

In the meantime, have a fantastic and safe new year with your family, friends and loved ones and I'll come back at you in 2024!

Cheers! xo

Pavlova & Prawns

Brand: Journey Of Something

Pieces: 500
Size: 38.5cm x 55cm

Product Code: -

Christmas Eve tomorrow and the holiday season has officially begun!

This is just a quick post to say that I hope you have a Merry Christmas and that you have a wonderful festive season with your families, friends and loved ones. Eat, drink and be merry!

I'm leaving you with a picture of a puzzle from Journey Of Something that was illustrated by Dawn Tan. It's not really a Christmas-themed puzzle, but I think it's a good representation of what most Aussie Christmas lunches/dinners look like each year. I know we've definitely had all of these on our tables at one point or another!

Until next time...

Cheers!

Outback Christmas

Brand: Mr Bob Puzzles

Pieces: 101
Size: 34cm x 22.5cm

Product Code: -

This post is going up a little later (time-wise) than usual. I'm not sure if it's because of the times I've been posting, the pictures I've been putting up, or because of some other reason, but lately my views have been lessening. 

So I've decided to test the theory of time and put this up a little later. 

This small wooden puzzle contains cute whimsy pieces following a Christmas theme. It features a candy cane, Christmas tree and snowman, as well as a not-so-Christmasy boomerang (in a nod to the indigenous theme of the design). Using Christmas colours and Aboriginal art, this design embraces an Outback Christmas and gives a different view of the festive season.

Have you got many Christmas puzzles in your stash that you plan on doing soon? Only 9 days to go!

Star Wars: All I Want For Christmas Is R2

Brand: Buffalo

Pieces: 500
Size: 54cm x 38cm

Product Code: 3364

It's the second weekend of December, so time to put up another Christmas puzzle!

This one is part of a Star Wars-themed series that features characters in Christmas attire. I have previously put up others like it, and thought it was time for this one to join the mix. I love the popculture aspect of the puzzle, as well as the quality, and ease it takes to put the design together.

Do you have any Christmas puzzles that also follow other themes like this one?

Deck The Shelves

Brand: Galison

Pieces: 1000
Size: 50.8cm x 68.58cm

Product Code: -

Today is the second day of December, so I thought I'd follow last year's format and put up Christmas puzzles for the month of December. 

There's just something about seasonal puzzles isn't there? They allow you to enjoy the holiday mood but without all the drama of gift buying and tree presentation.

The first puzzle I've selected for the month is a cute illustrated puzzle from Galison called Deck The Shelves. It features all your traditional Christmas motifs on a pretty shelf display which I absolutely love. This puzzle wasn't as hard to do as you'd expect, despite many of the colours repeating throughout the design, and they fit together nicely. 

Have you started your Christmas-themed puzzling yet? How many do you have in your stash?

Summer At The Lake

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 300
Size: 70cm x 50cm

Product Code: 164387

This weekend in Geelong is the annual Geelong Revival event - a classic car show that is held on the Geelong waterfront and features time trials and hundreds of classic car displays. I tend to visit every year- I absolutely love to look at the beautiful old classic cars that have been so lovingly restored by the owners. 

I tried to find a car puzzle in my collection to commemorate the weekend but unfortunately I didn't have any on hand, so I'm putting up this one instead. At least it contains one classic car!

This puzzle was a large piece format and quite quick to do. The nostalgic 50's style image appealed to me greatly. 

Besides Revival this weekend, it is also Black Friday. Have you snapped up any good bargains in the sales? 

I tried to pace myself this year but I may have made a few sneaky purchases. Eek!

 

Sneaky Gulls

Brand: One But Many

Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm

Product Code: -

Last week I was in the good ol' city of Brisbane for work, so I wasn't able to post a photo up. I knew that I was heading there, and usually I'd give a heads up beforehand that no posts would be going up, but this time I just lost track of the time and didn't get around to it.

But that is OK, cos I have selected a puzzle for today and hopefully that will be satisfying enough for the time being. 

This one is from an Australian brand called One But Many, who have recently closed their doors, with the owner going on to new and different ventures. The puzzle was part of a range illustrated by Alice Achoo, and features a typical summers day at the beach. I loved the illustration when I first saw it and was impressed with the quality of the puzzle, even though it was quite pricey (as many independent puzzle manufacturers can be). 

Even though their online store and business is now closed, you still may be able to pick up this puzzle and others of the same brand second-hand. It's well-worth trying one at least once.

Going Trick Or Treating

Brand: Mr Bob Puzzles

Pieces: 525
Size: 40cm x 30cm

Product Code: -

After all the excitement of last week, reaching 400 posts, and the Victorian Puzzle Competition, I forgot to post up a photo of a Halloween-themed puzzle!

I was never really interested in Halloween until recently, and just saw it as another 'non-holiday event' but it has really started to take off here in my area, and now I'm getting a bit more involved. Enough so that I have started doing Halloween-themed puzzles anyway! lol.

The above puzzle features a cute illustration by artist Alicia Rutigliano, and is the first larger-piece-count wooden puzzle I have completed. The design was so cute and I was just drawn to it. 

In true Mr Bob style, it also features cute whimsy pieces of Halloween motifs, although I don't think I pulled any out for the photos unfortunately.

There are so many cute/ scary/ cool  Halloween puzzles out there nowadays, and I'm keen to do a few more. I especially loved the Halloween Advent Calendar that Reverie Puzzles released and will probably post some photos from that at some point. 

Which awesome Halloween puzzles did you do? 

Instagram Post 400!

Hi,

Today marks a milestone on Instagram for Jigsawpuzzlelove. 

I have finally reached the 400 posts mark!

Admittedly, I could have reached this a lot sooner if I posted more regularly than once a week (Saturday morning, usually, with only a few exceptions) but this blog was only ever intended to be a small, every-now-and-then thing, so it's already a lot bigger than I originally planned. It's been going for quite a few years now, and I've put up over 400 puzzles in that time frame. That's such a lot! Haha

I plan on continuing this (because, why not?!) but today I'm not going to be putting up any puzzles. I made a reel of all the puzzles I have put up on Instagram with this account, and that can be found on the Instagram page- a little commemoration of sorts. 

Now I'm going to leave this for the day and try and get one more practice run in, before leaving for Malvern Town Hall - where I will be competing in my first ever Vic State Jigsaw Puzzle Competition! 

I'm so excited but also extremely nervous. I hope I can get a good time! 

Wish me luck!

xo

The Lion King

Brand: Ceaco

Pieces: 500
Size: 46cm x 36cm

Product Code: -

This puzzle came in one of the Thomas Kinkade 4-in-One Disney boxes (Season 1 if I remember correctly), and I absolutely love this design. 

All of his paintings are just magical- he manages to capture each iconic scene perfectly. 

I know some people are not fans of his puzzles due to the paintbrush strokes sometimes making completion of the puzzle difficult, but I think this adds to the charm (and really it's not that difficult to put them together!)

This one was very quick to do and brought on all the nostalgic feels! It's also fitting because the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has just announced a show where they will be playing the score to the film in concert next year- tickets have already been booked lol

90's Icons

Brand: Smith Street Gift

Pieces: 500
Size: 45.8cm x 61cm

Product Code: -

This is one I've been holding onto for a while, but I've decided to finally put it up- simply because it's been in my photos folder for long enough and it was time to take it out! 

However, there's nothing particularly special about it - except for the little nostalgia hit it gave when I completed it. The pieces were of an OK quality, and it has a very cut-and-paste design, as you can see. It was fun to recognise different aspects of the 90's within the pictures though- I'm pretty sure I got all of them!

Do you enjoy doing this style of puzzle? Collage? Nostalgia? 

Zodiac Power

Brand: Galison

Pieces: 1000
Size: 68.6cm x 50.8cm

Product Code: -

I felt the need to put up a bright and fun design today, after the muted, pastel palettes of last week's Barbie puzzle, so here it is!

This puzzle from Galison ticks all the boxes for bright colours and interesting graphics. It was fun to put together- each zodiac sign had a specific colour so it almost felt like I was doing twelve mini puzzles and joining them together. I even played a little game with myself as I was doing it, to see which star-sign would be completed first!

I've done a few zodiac/horoscope-themed puzzles even though I generally have no interest in the ideas behind them. I just find them fascinating to do. 

Have you done any puzzles like this? 

Barbie: Paris Fashion

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 500
Size: 49cm x 36cm

Product Code: 165001

I finally got the chance to watch the Barbie movie last night! Yes, I know, it came out ages ago and I had every intention of seeing it with some of my friends but then I went overseas, and we had people cancel, and time just slipped away from us... 

But that's OK because I can finally say that I've seen it. And I really enjoyed it! It was very tongue-in-cheek, had some great little jokes throughout, but also was quite inspiring. It brought home a lot of truths about the patriarchy and women's often contradictory roles in the world, and I'm glad I finally got the chance to see it.

Anyway, I have decided to put up a Barbie puzzle for just that reason. This puzzle is a lot more muted than some of the other Barbie ones I have done- it's very classic and elegant fashion as opposed to the usual hot pink fashionista Barbie that is usually the norm but I enjoyed doing it. 

I bought this one online from the US and it cost me quite a bit but totally worth it for the rarity (and prettiness) of it. The quality was typical Ravensburger and it was quick to complete when you worked in sections.

Is there a movie you really want to see, that may have an accompanying puzzle to it?

Melbourne Map

Brand: Hardie Grant Explore

Pieces: 500
Size: 51cm x 51cm

Product Code: -

I'm back in the state this weekend so I am able to post as normal. 

And I have exciting news!

When individual competition tickets first became available for the Victorian State Jigsaw Puzzle Competition (held in Melbourne) I missed my chance to secure tickets and ended up on the waitlist. I didn't think anything would come of it but during the week an opening came up and I was able to buy ONE ticket! 

So now I have to practise speed-puzzling 500 piece puzzles in preparation for the event. 

It's being held on my husband's birthday which is a bummer but he was OK with me doing it, considering I've been travelling everywhere with him in his marathon and running interest pursuits. Now I need to crack down and start practising!

Today I have put up an image of a 500 piece puzzle of Melbourne- since that's where the event will be held. This puzzle disappointingly wasn't of the best quality, but I still liked the image, and was able to recognise most of the landmarks (with our city of Geelong being only about an hour's drive from there). 

The Marvellous World Of Disney II

Brand: Educa

Pieces: 1000
Size: 68cm x 48cm

Product Code: 16297

I just realised that I'm not going to be around tomorrow morning and as I usually do my posts then, I won't be able to put anything up! I will be leaving on an early flight to Sydney for the weekend so I'm quickly going to put up a puzzle now to make up for it. A bit out of the ordinary I know, but oh well!

I was hoping I had a pic of a Sydney puzzle complete (as that's the destination) but unfortunately I'm all out of those at the moment. So instead I have put up an Educa Disney image. This puzzle features a lot of characters from across the Disney franchise, and I purchased it from a British website. 

The pieces were a relatively loose fit but the design is busy and fun. 

That's all for this week and hopefully my posting schedule will be all back to normal from next week onwards. 

Jumpin' Jive!

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 500
Size: 49cm x 36cm

Product Code: 171248

We're on a nostalgia run again today! Yes I know that this kind of nostalgia is a bit ahead of my time- I have never been to a 50s-style jazz and blues jive dancing night (and am nowhere near old enough unless it's for a special retro night), but I love the idea and imagery behind it!

The quality of this puzzle was wonderful and I managed to complete it quite quickly. It's also very cute- as soon as I saw it I could just imagine the scene in front of me. I think it would be lively and fun to be involved in something like this, even if you're not familiar with any of the dances.

When was the last time you went dancing? Do puzzle images ever inspire you to try something new or revisit past interests?