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.

Wonders Of The World

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

This weekend marks the end of daylight-saving in my state of Victoria (as well as a few other states in Australia). This means that we have to wind the clocks back an hour, and endure darker mornings as winter slowly approaches. 

At this time of year, I often feel quite lethargic and yearn for a holiday away from work, and so this puzzle was both a joy to do (and a sad reminder that I'm nowhere near any of the places featured). 

Arranged in a photo-collage design, this puzzle features notable man-made and natural landmarks around the world, including the pyramids, the Colosseum, the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, Uluru, and the Eiffel Tower among others. Keeping with the travel theme, there's also a compass, map and travel documents scattered throughout the design. 

This puzzle has very small pieces (which account for the rather small dimensions of the finished puzzle) but the quality of each piece is outstanding, with sturdy, thick cardboard pieces that slot together well. I have found over time that I actually prefer smaller pieces, and this (along with some of the Japanese Tenyo puzzles I have previously done), well and truly meets the benchmark for quality that I'd expect.

If you have the travel bug or winter blues, simply want to reminisce on places you've been, or want to plan out where to go next, Wonders Of The World  should provide all the inspiration you need.

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)

Labrador Puppy Friends

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

Yesterday, August 26th, was National Dog Day.

Yes, believe it or not, there is a day dedicated solely to the adoration of our canine friends. This day is intended to bring attention to animals in need and encourage adoption of dogs that currently have no place to call home. Originating in America in 2004, National Dog Day is now recognised in other countries (including Australia) and encourages dog ownership of all breeds, mixed and pure. It's a day to celebrate the companionship, love and dedication that comes from living with your pooch.

In commemoration, I have decided to post this puzzle I recently completed,which shows three cute labrador puppies.This wasn't a particularly hard puzzle to do, although sometimes it was difficult to determine which shade of 'blonde' fur belonged to each puppy in the picture. 

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone

Brand: Aquarius
Pieces: 500
Size: 35cm x 48cm
Product Code: 62-111

As well as doing jigsaw puzzles, I really enjoy reading and watching films, which is why I couldn't go past this Harry Potter puzzle. I decided to do this one to celebrate today's world-wide release of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, the script-format book of the London West End play. 

This tale, written by Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling and scriptwriters John Tiffany and Jack Thorne, is set 19 years after the events of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, and is the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. Harry is now an overworked employee at the Ministry Of Magic, and is the father of three school-age children, who must deal with their unwanted family legacy. Harry, too, has to try and deal with a past that doesn't want to stay where it belongs, and together with his youngest son Albus,  learns that sometimes darkness can come from the most unexpected of places.

This book, which is to be released at 9.01am on 31st July (Harry Potter's birthday), is under a super-strict embargo and so no one has actually had the chance to read it yet (besides the cast of the show obviously). But if pre-order sales are any indicator, J.K. Rowling is set to have another bestseller on her hands. 

Which brings me back to the puzzle, and the story behind it. 

The design of this puzzle- the film poster for the first film- is where the story all began, so what better place to start! Produced by Aquarius, the puzzle was a lot quicker to do than I expected, although I had to change around the order in which I put it together. I usually try and sort out the border first and then work in towards the middle using key colours, but I ended up leaving the all-black border till last, just for the ease of putting it together. Luckily there were plenty of colour sections to work with, and the puzzle came together quite quickly. I managed to complete it in a night. 

This is a super quick and fun puzzle to do, especially if you're a Harry Potter book or film buff...


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


Aquarius Harry Potter Philosopher's Stone Puzzle (500 Piece)

The Twelve Apostles, Vic

Brand: Ken Duncan Panographs (Crown & Andrews)
Pieces: 450
Size: 64cm x 24cm
Product Code: -

I'm lucky enough to live a short drive away from Australia's iconic Great Ocean Road- a scenic drive along Victoria's coastline. One of the highlights of this drive is The Twelve Apostles- if you make this trip, you'll see jutting limestone formations that rise out of the water along the shoreline of the Port Campbell National Park. While some of them have eroded in time (there are no longer twelve of them), these stacks still make a picturesque view and are often photographed by passing tourists and artists. 

One such photographer, Ken Duncan, is renowned for taking fantastic landscape images and this is one of his offerings, translated into jigsaw puzzle format. While there are only 450 pieces in this puzzle, it was still quite challenging, particularly with the similar colour tones. The colours seem to blend into one another, and I had to tackle it in sections- water in one, sand and rocks in another, and the sky and clouds together. The colours are so similar, especially in artificial light, that it could be difficult to place the pieces at times, but this only made the experience more interesting. 

This puzzle is a great way to capture the panoramic view of this world-famous natural attraction.

Pokemon Character Chart

It seems that Pokemon Fever has truly gripped the world, and it doesn't look as though it's going to abate anytime soon. 

Thanks to the release of the Pokemon Go app in Australia, New Zealand and America (with many more countries soon to follow), the characters from the Nintendo gaming world have never been so popular. 

Everywhere you go, there are people walking around with their phones, trying to catch an elusive Pokemon to add to their collection. 

I'm not sure how long the novelty is going to last, but it inspired me to dig through my childhood belongings, where I knew that an old Pokemon jigsaw puzzle lay in wait. 

The box was slightly battered, and I had forgotten how large the pieces were, but I dutifully put it together to create a whopping 61cm x 91cm puzzle. 

Featuring the characters from the first series, and with the theme song playing in the background, it was with great pleasure that I was able to recall all the Pokemon of my youth, and put the puzzle together without looking at the box for help. 

This was certainly a case of nostalgia at its best...

Marvel Heroes

Brand: Educa
Pieces: 1000
Size: 68cm x 48cm
Product Code: 15193

Who doesn't love a superhero? I've long been a Marvel fan, and when I saw that this puzzle was available, I just had to do it! Featuring pretty much every Marvel character from the comic books, this puzzle was a fun challenge. There's plenty to look at as you're piecing it together, and you can easily work by colour or character. 

This puzzle would make the perfect gift for any fan of the franchise...

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

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

Aurelia's Dream (Illustration Aurelia Fronty)

Brand: Djeco (Puzzle Gallery)
Pieces: 500
Size: 97cm x 33cm
Product Code: DJ07623

Besides being a panoramic puzzle, there were some obvious differences between this puzzle and others. The pieces were quite large and glossy, with the brand Djeco printed on the back of every one. Some of the pieces were also unusually shaped (with waves on one side rather than your standard 'peg and hole'). 

During assembly, each piece 'placed' vertically, so you would know as you were doing the puzzle that the layout would be consistent the whole way through, rather than having one piece laid out in a vertical position and the one next to it horizontal. 

The vibrant colour blocking makes this a quick and easy design to complete, and as a bonus, you get a gallery print poster included in the box. 

Wonderful World Of Disney I

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1000
Size: 67.5cm Diameter
Product Code: 157846

When I do jigsaw puzzles, I generally have an order in which I do them. I always separate the edges and corners from the rest of the pieces first and try to create a border. Having completed that, I will then work on colour blocks or distinctive sections and eventually piece it all together from there.

This puzzle was a little bit different from my usual ones, in that it is obviously round in shape, rather than the standard rectangular or square design. What I didn't expect was for the edging pieces to all be straight, rather than curved. The outside edging curves around as you join the pieces, but at first glance, it looks like you only have straight-edged pieces! This was an unusual quirk but also quite cool to see as the puzzle progressed. This design features quite a few popular Disney characters so there's something for everyone.


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


Ravensburger Wonderful World Disney 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle

Britto

Brand:P'Kolino
Pieces: 500
Size: 20 inches x 16 inches
Product Code: PKTYPZBT500

The main appeal of this puzzle for me was the bright, cheerful colours and the bold design. Romero Britto is a well-known Brazilian artist whose vibrant work reflects a modern pop art theme. His designs can be found on a variety of products, including luggage, bottles, accessories and art supplies. The pieces in this puzzle were not standard (they came in lots of different cuts and sizes) so that lent an added interest to the completion of the puzzle.

Below is a picture of some of the uniquely-shaped pieces:

This puzzle is available for purchase from Amazon by clicking the picture below:




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


Britto Animals Jigsaw Puzzle - 500 Piece

Road Trip USA

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 1000

Size: 70cm x 50cm

Product Code: 192120

I visited the USA a few years ago, and some of my memories of the trip were revived when I saw this puzzle. This design reminded me of some of the amazing places that I saw, and the vintage poster-inspired design really appealed to me. This is a pretty quick puzzle to do, especially when you work in poster sections, as the colours are bright, distinctive, and easy to separate according to each part.

This puzzle is available for purchase from Amazon by clicking the picture below:

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

Ravensburger Road Trip USA - 1000 Piece Puzzle