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!

 

Jenny Sanders: Famous Sandman

Brand: Blue Opal
Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm
Product Code: BL01907

Over the last few years I have put up quite a few of Jenny Sanders' designs, which have been produced by Australian company Blue Opal. Her illustrations of classic Australian cars are always wonderful, and the sense of nostalgia you get from piecing them together is second to none. 

Above is a puzzle which features the iconic Sandman, set in a beach scene. This puzzle was a pleasure to do, with vibrant colours and an appealing design. 

I still have several more puzzles from this series in my collection, and I hope to eventually get through them all soon. Which will be next?! 

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! 

History Of The Holden Ute

Brand: Post Age Jigsaw Puzzles
Pieces: 1000
Size: 48.9cm x 71.7cm
Product Code: HJ06

I thought I'd go for a car one today...

Lately I've been taking note of all the done-up old-school cars that have been driving around my area (I think there must have been some classic car shows on recently), and this puzzle reminds me of that. My dad also recently bought an old Austin from the 50's which he intends to do up at some point, so my puzzle choice was also inspired by that! 

This design could be looked at as a nice piece of history, and features a collage of Holden utes throughout the years- perfect for a Holden fan. The pieces are good quality and went together nicely. The colours are also quite vibrant. 

This puzzle comes in a collector's tin so it makes a great gift for Holden enthusiasts! 

Jenny Sanders: Running On Empty

Brand: Blue Opal
Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm
Product Code: BL01905

I'm not sure why, but I really like these collections of puzzles by Blue Opal that feature the artworks of Australian artist Jenny Sanders. I have already posted up quite a few of them and have plenty more in my collection to do. Not only is the quality of the pieces great, but the designs are just perfect representations of classic Australian cars in 'their natural environment' (whatever that means, haha). 

I have always admired old, done-up cars, although there is no way I would be able to maintain or drive them myself. While a few of my friends have restored some in real life, the closest I think I'll be getting to them (besides being a passenger in one) is to do these puzzles!

This one features a lovely old green Holden (I don't know what kind of make it is but I'm sure someone could tell me!) in front of an old-school cafe (seemingly in the middle of nowhere). The colours are vibrant and the design layout made it pretty easy to piece together- the only challenge really came in the colours of the sky but even the gradual shading in the colours made it less difficult than it could have been.  

There will be more of these Jenny Sanders car puzzles on the way in this blog so if you're not a fan of them (as I am) then you'll probably be a bit disappointed! C'est la vie!

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...

Jenny Sanders: Red Monaro

Brand: Blue Opal
Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm
Product Code:  BL01904

Today is the birthday of one of my brothers, so I was trying to find a puzzle that would be symbolic of the things that he likes, to put up today- easier said than done!

Although he is a cyclist and big Pokemon Go fan, I had trouble finding puzzles along these themes that I could do, besides the ones that I have already posted! 

So I decided to put up this Blue Opal puzzle of a red Monaro. It's only a little bit relevant, but it'll do! When we were younger, we sometimes attended the Motor Shows that were held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, where car companies showcased their newest models to the public. While they didn't often show older models (unless they were revamped), I will always remember admiring the new (in the 90s!) version of the Holden Monaro, and fighting with my brother about who got to keep the free poster we were given of it! (We eventually got a few free posters, so that solved the arguments!).

This puzzle is a reproduction of an artwork by Australian artist Jenny Sanders, who specialises in painting older models of well-loved classic cars. The puzzle pieces are of a high quality and the images bring on a sense of nostalgia for an Australia of old. 

The are plenty of other old cars featured in Jenny Sanders'  Blue Opal collection- I have previously put up Yellow Sandman- and I will continue to do these puzzles as I come across them. The images are wonderful and the quality is outstanding!

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.