Paul Frank Pirate Ship

Brand: Aquarius

Pieces: 1000
Size:  51cm x 71cm

Product Code: 65-521

What a crazy start to the weekend!! 

I finally got all my stitching done and delivered to the showgrounds on Monday for the Royal Geelong Show, that was meant to take place this weekend. I was all set to attend like I usually do on a Friday night. 

But the weather had other ideas! We had torrential rains, most of the roads were flooded and the Show decided to make the unprecedented decision to cancel the show (for Friday, still waiting to hear about the rest of the weekend) because of flooding and safety concerns. 

I had to drive through what was basically a river to get home and I'm hoping my car is faring well after its ordeal (I haven't driven it since last night and I'm worried about what the water could have done to its undercarriage).

So I still don't know whether I won any homecraft events, or even if I'll get to see my work on display (the showgrounds are probably all still flooded now). 

Hence my puzzle choice for today. I decided to put up this cute one featuring the iconic Paul Frank with his friends, sailing on a pirate ship. It seems a boat's the only way to get around at the moment in these parts! This puzzle was very good quality and the bright chunks of colour made it easier to piece together, although I had to leave most of the orange sky till last (luckily it was in gradient form rather than solid colour to make piecing it together easier). 

Have you had any crazy weather encounters lately? It's probably best to stay inside and get some puzzling done when it's like this anyway...

Ocean Liner

Brand: Blue Kazoo

Pieces: 1000
Size: 50.8cm x 76cm

Product Code: -

I'm back!

After a lovely week spent in Vanuatu with the family, I am back to cold and blustery Geelong. Although I have to say I'm not totally disappointed, because although it was a great holiday, it's also very nice to be back home. 

While we were there, two cruise ships pulled into Port Vila. These are huge days for the town, because it means a booming tourist day and lots of business, so I thought I would share this puzzle that I completed some time back from Blue Kazoo's Across The Continent: A Vintage Travel series. I have all three of the puzzles in this collection (the other two are a plane and a train) but this one is fitting considering the huge cruise boats that we saw. 

The quality was exceptional, although I'm disappointed because they have some new designs but are not currently shipping to Australia. Hopefully this will be rectified soon, but, until then, I'll just have to get the other designs completed.

Now I need to catch up on some post-holiday work... 

See you next week!

What A View

Brand: Buffalo

Pieces: 300
Size: 46cm x 46cm

Product Code: 2841

Happy New Year!

This would have been the ideal time to put up a puzzle featuring fireworks or some sort of celebration of the coming new year, but once again, I have forgotten to prepare ahead in my puzzle-making and therefore have no images of the sort!

Instead, I have found this image, which is reminiscent of the camping trips we have taken with friends over previous years. Sure, we have not had any scenes remotely like this one appear through our tent doors (I don't know if Australia even has any spots like this) but the camping spirit is there. 

This puzzle was from Buffalo and I was blown away by how pretty the scene was. Even though I'm not a huge fan of camping, I still wouldn't mind waking up to a view like this. 

What are your plans for celebrating the start of the New Year? We left it to the last minute this time round so we will be 'camping' at a friends place. Will you be getting dressed up? Hitting the town? Seeing the fireworks?

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you enjoy a safe and fun night and have a prosperous coming new year!

See you next year with a hopefully updated puzzle catalogue!

xo

Happy Holiday

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1500
Size: 80 x 60cm
Product Code:  163076

With the approach of the Christmas season comes yet another 'event' that many people look forward to- the start of the holidays! 

While some of us only get a few days off between Christmas and New Year, for many, it is just the rejuvenation that one needs to keep going until their allocated annual leave or holiday time. 

If you're lucky enough to have planned your holiday time for this period, then you can enjoy some blissful time away from the hectic struggles of the workplace (or school, if you're studying), and relax away your days. If not, then it is easy enough to enjoy the few days you have and look forward to a longer rest a little further in the future. 

Regardless of your situation, there's no doubt that any holiday is a good holiday, which is why I thought this puzzle- Happy Holiday- would be quite appropriate. The imagery in this puzzle brings to mind sunny beach holidays and relaxing ocean views (probably quite hard to imagine if you live in the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year!), and evokes memories of salt, sun and sand. 

This puzzle, despite its size, was quite quick to do, especially when done in sections. You would think that some of the sections would be difficult (with like colours in many of the sand and sky images) but the varying shades made this less of a challenge than you'd expect.

The design is vibrant, fun and inspiring (especially if you're planning an upcoming beach holiday!)

I hope you enjoy your holidays- beachside or otherwise!