Frozen 2: Destiny Awaits

Brand: Crown

Pieces: 300
Size:  61cm x 45.8cm

Product Code: -

I currently have my four-year-old daughter sitting on my lap and so today I have decided (through her input) to put up this puzzle from the film Frozen 2. She is a huge fan of Elsa and when we play games, I am usually Anna. 

This puzzle was quite easy and quick to do. I usually sell on most of my puzzles after I have completed them but I think I might hold onto this one for her to do in the future (cos she is also quite an avid little puzzler, and I'm sure she'll be able to smash this one out herself soon before long).

Have you ever been inspired to do puzzle designs simply because of the people you are with at the time? I'm pretty sure I would have done this one anyway without having a kid in the house, but she still has some influence...

Disney Princess

Brand: Crown

Pieces: 1000
Size:  69cm x 50cm

Product Code: 20415

I participated in a speed puzzling competition last Saturday, and although it was a fun experience, it was such a tough puzzle! This was the first puzzling comp in Geelong, so it was good to try it out in a place close to home for once. The puzzle was from Ravensburger and was titled Retro Mickey. Of the 13 people competing, only 3 finished it in the 2-hour time limit (I was not one of them haha)

This is the second Disney one I have done in a row for competitions - maybe I need to do some more Disney ones to practice?! I definitely have enough to choose from, and from a variety of brands. That's why I have decided to put up a Disney one today, featuring so many of the popular princesses. 

The above puzzle was fun to do, with the main challenge being the rose border on the edges. Regardless, I enjoyed doing it, the design was cute and the price was affordable (as is usually the case with this brand).

Have you competed in a puzzling competition recently? How did you go?

Barbie: Girl Power

Brand: Crown

Pieces: 300
Size: 61cm x 46cm

Product Code: 19691

I was in the mood for Barbies and nostalgia for today's post, so here it is!

In recent months, I have located quite a few Barbie-branded puzzles (although mostly from Ravensburger) to add to my collection. I just love the memories the images invoke, plus they're so pretty!

This one was just a cheap one from Aldi but still turned out to be okay quality for a quick puzzling fix. Sometimes you can get some little gems from shops like this! This puzzle had thinner cardboard pieces and the pieces were quite large but it still came out alright. 

Do you have a favourite childhood toy that you would love to see immortalised in puzzle form?

Vivid Origami

Brand: Crown

Pieces: 1000
Size: 60.5cm x 45.5cm

Product Code: -

Are you much of a crafter? Do you have hobbies outside of jigsaw puzzling that you enjoy doing? I personally enjoy cross stitching and embroidery and have dabbled in many other crafts over the years, including jewellery making (beading and silversmithing), papercraft and other miscellaneous activities. 

That's why I thought I'd put up this puzzle today, featuring origami and paper folding. I love the intricacies of the artform, and how one sheet of paper can be folded into absolutely anything! I especially love this image by Aimee Stewart (which I think has also been released by other puzzle companies, although possibly under different names). 

This puzzle was fun to do and so colourful- I really enjoy piecing together her designs. It was part of a fantasy series that Crown puzzles released, although I don't think the other designs jumped out at me quite so much. Regardless, I probably ended up buying them too, just to have the whole collection! 

The Mandalorian

Brand: Crown

Pieces: 48

Size: 26cm x 23cm
Product Code: -

I don't often do puzzles of extremely small counts- usually the smallest is 100 or 150 pieces- but I thought I'd make an exception for this week! 

This puzzle is a tiny 48 pieces, and features one of the characters from the Disney Plus series The Mandalorian- good ol' Mando himself! And the reason for this one going up today? Well the second series started again yesterday (although I haven't had the chance to watch it yet) and I thought, why not?! 

I also have a puzzle from the same 'series', featuring Baby Yoda but I figured that this one would be better this time round because the internet will already be flooded with images of him. I'm giving Mando a chance to shine! 

This puzzle was fairly good quality for the price and featured large, thin cardboard pieces. I suppose it really is aimed at children, hence the piece count, but I still enjoyed putting it together- it maybe took about 5 minutes tops to do, but I'm a sucker for pop culture puzzles, no matter the size. 

Like I said, there's also a Baby Yoda puzzle the same size from Crown, but maybe I'll put it up to commemorate the second series when it ends...

Jurassic World: Yellow T-Rex

Brand: Crown
Pieces: 300
Size: 60.96cm x 45.72cm
Product Code:  018027

Isn't Jurassic Park one of the best films of all time? I'm talking about the original one from the 90's- starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum... 

While the sequels were OK and the newest ones starring Chris Pratt aren't too bad, I don't think they're anywhere near as iconic and beloved as the first one to grace the silver screen in 1993.

Unfortunately, I have never found a puzzle to commemorate this fantastic movie so a puzzle for Jurassic World will just have to do. This puzzle was produced by Crown and features everyone's favourite dinosaur- the big, bad T-Rex! (as well as some other scaly friends).

The quality of this puzzle was pretty good for the price- with the pieces fitting together well and bold colours. The design isn't too bad either ;) I have a couple more Jurassic World puzzles from this brand which I also hope to eventually put up, featuring different dinosaurs. Should be a fun exercise!

Pets Rock Film

Brand: MB Puzzle (Crown)
Pieces: 1000
Size: 45.7cm x 60.9cm
Product Code: -

I got all four wisdom teeth out during the week, so I've had plenty of time to sit around and do things at home while I recover- there's no way I'm going out in public with puffy swollen cheeks and bruising! 

So while I can get a few puzzles done, I also have the chance to watch a few films- hence my choice for today, Pets Rock Film. 

In typical fashion, the cats and dogs in this design are dressed up to replicate famous film stars and characters. They are instantly recognisable, which means that the people behind the looks have got themselves sorted! I have put up a Pets Rock puzzle in the past (Pets Rock Fame) and some of the images from this one were used in that one too, although I found this puzzle to take longer due to the film reel and red background. Sometimes the pieces were very similar and it was difficult to find which one went where, but that's all part of the fun. 

Besides that, this puzzle was quite easy to do when you sorted the puzzle into each individual 'portrait'. I have one more of these puzzles in my collection- music- and I'll put it up eventually. Until then, we'll see what else I can do... 

Pets Rock Fame

Brand: MB Puzzle (Crown)
Pieces: 1000
Size: 45.7cm x 60.9cm
Product Code: -

I decided to put up something a little different today- a puzzle from the Pets Rock franchise that has come about from social media. I found this puzzle (as well as the film and music versions) at Big W, and was fascinated with how they managed to 'dress' the cats and dogs to look like famous icons and celebrities. It was quite disturbing to realise that I recognised most of the 'people' from just a few choice outfits!

The above puzzle is quite easy to do if you sort by each individual outfit or pet colour. The pieces are relatively small, and I was able to fit the entire puzzle on a piece of cardboard (which is sometimes difficult for puzzles over 500 pieces). The pieces fit together quite well but I'm unsure how well it would go if there were large expanses of the same colour to put together.

I already have the other two in this 'series' so it's only a matter of time before I put them up as well. But I don't want to have a Pets Rock overload (the pictures creep me out a little sometimes) so I might wait a bit before posting the next one!  

Disney Collage

Brand: Crown
Pieces: 1000
Size: 45.7cm x 61cm
Product Code:  20088551

I've been doing quite a few Disney-themed jigsaw puzzles of late, so I thought it might be a good idea to put  them up gradually and not have a whole stack of them posted up at the same time!

The above puzzle was a cheap buy from Target but the quality was quite good, with a bright and cheerful design and a majority of the characters represented in the piece. I really like that it included some of the characters that tend to get neglected in Disney-themed montage or collage puzzles, such as Lilo & Stitch and Marie from the Aristocats. The quality of the pieces was good (except for one piece which was cut so closely that one of the round bits threatened to tear off every time I picked it up!), with adequate interlocking. 

As I mentioned above, this design was bright, cheerful and very inclusive of many characters which made it immediately stand out as one of the more interesting Disney puzzles available on the market today. It was also smaller than average in terms of finished puzzle size, which is always a win in my book!