Portofino, Italy

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

I felt like putting up a travel scene today- a beautiful aerial shot of the coastal town of Portofino in Italy, 

I have never been here but I adore the colourful view of this place, with its brightly painted buildings alongside vibrant blue water. It has a nice summery feel in comparison to the cold greyness of home right now.

This puzzle had quite small pieces (which, as you probably remember, I absolutely love) and the colours were vibrant. The pieces fit well together too, which is always a bonus with these cheaper brands.

Australia Day, Sydney Harbour, NSW

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

Yesterday, January 26, was Australia Day- a public holiday! 

It's meant to be a day when Australian's celebrate the anniversary of the First Fleet landing on Australian shores in 1788, thus paving the way for colonization of the country. 

But in recent years, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the day- particularly for indigenous Australians who have renamed the day 'Invasion Day' and want Australia Day celebrations to fall on a more inclusive day for everyone.

At the moment, things are still up in the air about the future of Australia Day, but until then, it will continue to be a day filled with Aussie flags, barbecues and a day off with family and friends (if you're lucky enough to get time off work). 

Above is a puzzle that I found by renowned Australian photographer Ken Duncan, featuring a scene on the Sydney Harbour from Australia Day in previous years past. This panoramic puzzle was quite easy to do, despite all the yachts and boats dotted throughout the picture, and the quality was wonderful. 

It's rare that I can find a puzzle that fits perfectly with a day's theme- so I was happy to find this one to put up from my collection! 

Colorful Boats On The Lake

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


How was your Christmas? I hope you had a fabulous day with your family and friends, and were able to fully enjoy the festivities!

Now, if you're a regular reader of this blog, you will know that this is not my usual posting day. I usually post up each Saturday morning (at the moment it's Friday night), but I'm going to be a bit out of the ordinary this week and put up my weekly post now. I'm heading off camping with friends for New Year's and we're leaving bright and early tomorrow morning. Hence, the reason I'm posting now- there's no way I can get up early enough to write something and still be ready in time to leave! And there is likely to be little by way of phone reception or internet access where we're going...

For my last puzzle post of the year, I have decided to put up a picture of Puzzlebug's Colorful Boats On The Lake. I was hoping to get a puzzle I have of fireworks done in time to celebrate the new year, but wasn't able to complete it in time. Maybe next year! 

I decided to put this one up because we're going to be near a lake (while camping) and it still has a summer- type of vibe for our southern-hemisphere new year celebrations.  

I hope you have a safe and happy new year and look forward to the adventures and puzzling that 2018 will bring!! 

Jenny Sanders: 'Yellow Sandman'

Brand: Blue Opal Deluxe
Pieces: 1000
Size: 69cm x 49cm
Product Code:  BL01865

After a two week 'experiment', the results are in! Licenced and popular franchise puzzle versus generic animal design. I have to say, I am quite surprised. I'm not sure if it's because of the designs I chose, or because of the audience I have on Instagram but I wasn't really expecting the results that came in.

After one week on Instagram, my Wonderous Safari  puzzle had 58 likes, and I had 2 people start following me (this may have been a higher number earlier but some people may have unsubscribed before I took down my figures). 

After one week on Instagram, my Justice League Of America puzzle had 55 likes, and I had 4 people start following me. Again, the numbers may have changed as some people unsubscribed but this is where it stands at time of writing. 

So it's a pretty close call. The first puzzle definitely had momentum at the beginning but the DC one had a gradual growth in numbers over the week...

Very interesting.

Well, now that that's over, onto today's puzzle!

I have decided to put up a photo of something a little different today- a Blue Opal Deluxe design by Australian artist Jenny Sanders, called 'Yellow Sandman'. This iconic old Australian car is part of a series Sanders has done that features artworks of classic cars (mostly Holdens). 

The pieces fit well together and the colours are quite bright (obviously depending on the design). I particularly like the beach scene behind the image of the car, as it brings back fond memories of warmer days!

This was a great puzzle to do, and something that many classic car fans will appreciate. 

Sailboat Village

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

It's autumn here in the southern hemisphere and the days are starting to get colder. 

Perfect weather for sitting inside and doing a jigsaw puzzle, that's for sure! Especially when the wind outside is blustery and chilly, and we keep getting rain storms that make you want to avoid going outside. 

I decided to do this puzzle to remind me of the slightly warmer months, where a trip to the local marina in beautiful weather can brighten up your day. This puzzle was relatively quick to do, considering all the colour blocks of the buildings. The only part that took some time was working out where each of the buildings in the design were, because there were so many of similar colours! This was a bright and cheery design to complete and the quality of the pieces was excellent. 

I wouldn't mind visiting a picturesque place like this in the future!