Celebration

Brand: Yarn

Pieces: 1000
Size:  75cm x 50cm

Product Code: -

Well as promised from last week, here is my Aboriginal art puzzle that I have recently completed for NAIDOC (National Aboriginal And Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week. 

This design, created by Alkina Edwards, stood out to me with its vibrant colours, cool patterns and overall prettiness. While it wasn't released specifically for NAIDOC Week like some designs from the Yarn website were, it is still a pretty representation of art created by an Indigenous artist.

These puzzles were made of nice, thick quality cardboard that had a glossy finish, and also featured letters on the back for those who prefer a little hint to piece placement. I tend to just try and ignore that and do the puzzle as normal but I thought I'd mention it in case it's a little off-putting for some people and they're not aware of it- I certainly wasn't! 

Yarn has a few puzzles available on their website, all created by Indigenous artists, so if you're interested in this style of art, you should check it out.

Pop Art

Brand: Laurence King Publishing

Pieces: 1000
Size: 68cm x 48.5cm

Product Code: -

I thought I'd put up a slightly different kind of puzzle today- this one is a puzzle I purchased from a bookstore which features the artwork of Andrew Rae. 

This design follows a Pop Art theme (as suggested by the title) and was a pleasure to do. It was fun working through the puzzle and discovering all the different references to the Pop Art genre. The best part was that you didn't even notice some of the details until you were actually piecing it together, simply because there are so many things to look at throughout the design.

I think there is a similar puzzle available that covers the Surrealism genre but I have not got it in my collection as yet.

I haven't done many puzzles from this brand but so far it hasn't disappointed. The pieces are sturdy and the quality is wonderful.

How are you going with your puzzling? Are you getting through some of the backlog of puzzles in your collection? I've just begun to do some of my smaller-count-pieced puzzles in the hope that getting them done quicker will reduce my to-do pile faster!

Little Artist

Brand: Mudpuppy

Pieces: 500
Size: 51cm x 51cm

Product Code:  -

How is your new year going? I know a lot of people who are currently isolating because they have either tested positive to Covid-19 or because they are close contacts to positive cases. It's such a disappointing start to the year, but hopefully things will improve and everyone will be safe and healthy once more.

In the meantime, besides working (we're very short-staffed at the moment), I have been participating in my third ever World Puzzle Days (WPD) event. This is a fantastic 3-month-long event where you try and complete as many puzzles as you are able. It's fun and was free to join this year, and since I thoroughly enjoyed doing it the last few years, I thought I'd have another go! I don't know if it will continue next year, because the organiser does a lot of it himself and it's a lot of work (he deserves a break!) but if it is running, I will definitely continue!

The puzzle I have posted today isn't one that I have done for the WPD but I thought I would put it up anyway cos it's so darn cute! I did this one last year and it features bright and beautiful illustrations of some famous artists over time. The quality was wonderful, as expected, and it was very easy to complete. Enjoy!

Narelle Wildman: Poppies

Brand: Blue Opal (The Art Collection)

Pieces: 1000
Size: 73cm x 48.6cm
Product Code:  BL00709

I was debating with myself about whether I would post this puzzle today or next week (because the title is Poppies and next weekend is ANZAC Day), but I decided to go ahead with it this week. The poppies above are not really symbolic of the ones we look at and commemorate for the occasion so I can probably get away with it! 

The main reason I wanted to post this is because it is an old puzzle that I dug out of my collection and decided to redo. 

In my last post I was talking about all the new puzzles I have purchased and how I'm starting to become overwhelmed by my addiction to buying new. But I have just as many old ones that have sat in my collection for years (even decades) that I might have to revisit before saying goodbye to them. 

The above puzzle is one of those. 

I remember taking up (what felt like) half of the kitchen table when I first did this at my husband's (then boyfriend's) house nearly 10 years ago. I didn't get a good photo when I finally completed it cos the room was quite dark and I had no way of moving the puzzle. Now, I'm a bit more organised and have more space so I decided to redo it and take a photo so I could finally sell it and say goodbye. 

I don't think Blue Opal makes this collection anymore so it was good to have and try it. The pieces fit together relatively well and the colours are vibrant, with shades that are quite similar (so it took a while to get some sections together). Overall, though, I'm happy with the puzzle and even though it will be sad to get rid of it, I can be happy in the knowledge that I completed it and someone else will get to enjoy it. 

How old is the oldest puzzle in your collection? How many times have you completed it? Will you ever get rid of it?

Star Wars: Holiday Yoda

Brand: Buffalo

Pieces: 300
Size: 54cm x 38cm
Product Code:  92500-2805

Following the finale last night of Disney Plus' second season of The Mandalorian, I had big plans to put up a picture of the Baby Yoda puzzle that accompanied the Mandalorian one I put up several weeks ago.

But then I realise that there are only 6 days to go until Christmas, and that since I only really post on Saturdays, it would be past Christmas when I put up my next post- unless I make an exception this time of course! 

So I thought in a slight compromise, I would put up the above puzzle- it features Yoda (the real one, not baby Grogu) and a nice Christmas-y theme. I'll just have to leave the other puzzle for a different time- maybe when series 3 is announced?

The above puzzle was quite fun to do and there is an accompanying Vader one in the series (which I have also done, but will hold off on posting for a while). 

I hope you have a merry and safe Christmas and I'll probably post at least once more before the year is out. 

Hopefully next year will be a lot better than this year has been!

Jenny Sanders: Picnic At Lake Tabourie

Brand: Blue Opal
Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm
Product Code:  BL01908

I may have mentioned before that I love the Blue Opal releases of Jenny Sanders' iconic classic car artwork. 

Here is another one from my collection that I thought I'd post up today. 

While I love the colours of this car, it took me a while to realise what was wrong with the image... Can you work it out?!

Yes, the car is disproportionately too big compared to the size of the people! This has nothing to do with the depth of the image because they are not that far in front of the rest of the scene- the image of the car is just absolutely too big compared to everything else! I'm not sure what happened here but the artist has definitely made sure that the car is the main focus! 😂

Other than that slight, I loved this puzzle for the usual reasons- the colours were vibrant, the pieces fit well together and despite the slight sizing mishap, the illustration was spot on.

Oh well, can't win 'em all! 

The Scream by Edvard Munch

Brand: Wentworth Wooden Puzzles
Pieces: 40
Size: 12.5cm x 8.7cm
Product Code: 720704

I thought I'd put up something a little different this week- a puzzle of smaller dimensions, size and style than I usually do. 

This is a wooden puzzle I came across at my local store last year. It's only tiny- as you can see by the size above- and only has 40 pieces, but it was quite expensive, as each piece is cut from wood. They're not just standard-shaped pieces either- there were a few cool ones in there, representative of the 'artist', which I've included in a photo below.  

There are a whole range of artworks and artists represented in this brand, and I also bought another at the same time, although that will be on this blog at a later date. 

It's always good to branch out a little and see what else is on offer- this is it :)

Lockey's Oyster Shed

Brand: Blue Opal Deluxe
Pieces: 1000
Size: 69cm x 49cm
Product Code:   BL01707

This weekend is the Portarlington Mussel Festival, which is held in Portarlington (obviously), a suburb on the Bellarine Peninsula not too far from my own. Tourists and locals alike- who have a taste for these edible molluscs- flock to take part in this celebration and enjoy the local produce. I for one have never really been a fan of mussels, but good on them for enjoying something different. 

In saying that, I have decided to put up a puzzle featuring Jenny Sanders' artwork Lockey's Oyster Shed. I know mussels and oysters are entirely different, but it was the closest comparison I could find! Renowned for her paintings of classic Australian cars, there aren't actually any oysters featured in this picture (just the location name), but I thought the summery vibes given out by the image were more than adequate. 

As with all of the puzzles featuring her work, this was a pleasure to do. The colours are vibrant and the quality of the pieces wonderful. I'm determined to work my way through all of the designs in this series, and any others that pop up over time...

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.

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!

Mucha - The Precious Stones (Puzzle Screen)

The puzzle from one side

The other side of the design

Brand: Pintoo
Pieces: 462
Size: 45.3cm x 22.9cm
Product Code: Q1031

Every now and then, I like to stretch my boundaries when it comes to puzzle completion and do one that's a little bit different. Pintoo usually meet that criteria for me, with their range of 3D-style puzzles. I have already completed several of their designs,and this mini-screen that they have created fits the bill perfectly if you want to do a pretty design that isn't too challenging but still has that wow factor. 

Featuring artist Alphonse Mucha's beautiful illustrations, this screen is made up of the four women he has used to personify the precious stones of emerald, amethyst, ruby and topaz. Double sided, and made of a solid plastic, the pieces fit together perfectly to create eight different panels (two of each woman- the original artwork image and a close up). The panels are joined with hinged puzzle pieces and the entire puzzle sits within a plastic folding frame. 

A close-up of the hinged puzzle pieces

This is a different style of jigsaw puzzling and makes a great display piece. 

Paul Cezanne - Blue Vase

Well it's definitely been a while since I posted up any new completed puzzles, so sorry about that.
Here is one that I recently completed to make up for it...

Brand: Eurographics
Pieces: 1000
Size: 48.89cm x 67.63cm
Product Code: 6000-3802

This puzzle took a lot longer to complete than I expected it to. I think I underestimated how similar some of the colours are, which made the puzzle a lot harder to complete under artificial light. This is a lovely representation of artist Paul Cezanne's famous artwork, and would be perfect for fans of his.The colours are vibrant, the design is pretty, and the uniquely shaped pieces make this a nice challenge. 


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


Blue Vase by Cezanne 1000-Piece Puzzle