Dog

Brand: Critters Within Puzzle

Pieces: 230
Size:  29cm x 40cm

Product Code: -

My daughter wanted me to put up this puzzle today because she loves dogs and this one was her favourite from the choices that I had. 

This puzzle was from Kmart and was part of a set of four. The wooden pieces were quite thick and fit together nicely. It was a little more challenging than expected because of all the colourful pieces and floral design. 

Considering the price, this puzzle was pretty good quality and I'm glad I gave it a shot.

Hot Dog

Brand: Typo

Pieces: 200
Size:  30cm x 30cm

Product Code: -

Today is AFL Grand Final Day and it's a match between the Geelong Cats (my home team) and the Brisbane Lions. 

I was scouring my puzzle photos, trying to find something that would be relevant to the day but unfortunately couldn't find anything that would be a good representation. So instead, we're going with a lunch snack (sort of?) that might be associated with a footy game - a hot dog!

This puzzle was from a range that Typo put out which made a play on different food names. Generally I try to avoid buying puzzles from this brand - although they have some awesome designs, they are renowned for being poor quality. Their pieces are usually all cut the same, which means a lot of false fits and sometimes the print job can be blurry. I have done a couple but they have not been the best ones to do, and I've seen reviews on social media from a lot of people who absolutely refuse to purchase them. 

That said, this puzzle wasn't as bad as some of them and I do still like the image. It's just a matter of 'buy at your own risk' when purchasing from them. They might need to stick solely to what they're best at, which is quirky homewares and stationery...

The Bookshop Cafe

Brand: Reverie Puzzles

Pieces: 1000
Size: 50cm x 70cm

Product Code: -

Hi all, I'm not sure if I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was going to skip a week of posting. I had to travel interstate for work and was unable to put up any photos on this blog or on Instagram. But I have a couple of weeks free before my next interstate jaunt, so here we are. Today you get the honour of seeing this amazing puzzle from Reverie Puzzles, and who knows what next week will bring!

This puzzle was a pleasure to put together. The design (like all of the ones commissioned for this brand) is gorgeous- I love the illustrations! The colours in this design are vibrant, the pieces fit together snugly, and there's just general good vibes surrounding this puzzle (I don't know how else to explain it). I own most of the puzzles from this brand and look forward to having the chance to complete them all at some point. 

Is there one puzzle brand that you absolutely love and wish to own every design from?

Vintage Barbie

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm

Product Code: 150212

Last week was Easter and sadly, I realised that although there was plenty of chocolate eggs in the house, I had no Easter-themed puzzles to put up. I didn't even have any of a rabbit in my collection! How sad. It got me to wondering, are there really that many puzzles around with an Easter theme? I am only aware of a few- they are nowhere near as prolific or popular as Christmas-themed puzzles... 

On Monday is ANZAC day, and I don't even have any puzzles to commemorate that! No poppies, no soldiers, nothing. I don't know if there is even any that exist! Oh well...

Today I have decided to put up a pretty Barbie puzzle- just because.

This one was from Ravensburger and I had to purchase it online from America because it's not available here in Australia. It was such a nostalgic and pretty puzzle that I had to have it! I also purchased a couple of other Barbie ones at the time- it was a Barbie order- but I haven't had the chance to complete them yet. 

I used to love Barbie when I was younger (being the only girl in the house, I had quite a few). I still love her, and love how she's now inclusive of all skin colours. I even saw one with more realistic proportions a few days ago- love them bigger thighs! Its great how they're trying to cater to more different looks nowadays. And about bloody time too! 

 

Hey Sup

Brand: Cra-Z-Art
Pieces: 100
Size: 33cm x 25cm
Product Code:  -

Hey Sup? 

Haha wanna know the reason for today's puzzle? It's AFL Grand Final day and the contesting teams are the Bulldogs (as above) and Melbourne. I haven't followed the footy in years but I thought I should put up something of relevance today and this was the only puzzle that really fit the bill. I honestly don't care who wins. Football is just one of those things that I've turned away from over time...

The above puzzle was part of a series (I think I've posted at least one other from it in the past) that was photographed by Keith Kimberlin. He has done many other dog and cat portraits, which were released as a 100 piece per puzzle collection- 6 in all. They're cute and good for something different. Quality was cheap as expected for the price and brand, but you get some cute stickers with the pack too!

Sometimes you just need to do a smaller piece puzzle for a quick fix...

Dog Lover's

Brand: Ridley's Jigsaw Puzzles

Pieces: 1000
Size: 55cm x 70cm
Product Code:  JIG033

During the week it was International Dog Day (August 26) so I thought I'd put up this illustrated guide to dog breeds. Produced by Ridley's Jigsaw Puzzles, it shows a variety of breeds and explains about their origins/temperaments in a beautifully illustrated design. There is also a cat version, which I may put up one day (maybe if there's a day dedicated to cats?)

This puzzle was fun to do but I wasn't terribly impressed with the quality. This brand, from my experience, always seems to have the design peel back from the pieces, which can be quite frustrating and detracts from the overall quality and enjoyment of the puzzle. This puzzle also comes in tubed packaging, rather than your standard box and has a reference poster to help you put it together. 

Other than that, the puzzle is not too bad (at least the design is good) and it hasn't stopped me from purchasing other designs by them. I'm hoping someday I'll get a good quality one!

Feelin' Just Poochy

Brand: Cra-Z-Art

Pieces: 100
Size: 33cm x 25cm
Product Code:  -

What more can I say? 

It's a new year, all my appointments with my obstetrician have shown than my pregnancy is going well, and it's a lovely day (weather-wise) today. Who wouldn't be feeling poochy (peachy)? Haha 

Hoping that I haven't jinxed myself now!

This puzzle was part of a collection of six that I came across while in Kmart. Each feature cats and dogs with graffiti-style artwork surrounding them- quite cute! Being cheaper types of puzzles, I expected the quality to also be cheap (and I was right- very large and thin pieces of cardboard), but the designs are cute enough that I was happy not to worry about it. 

They are from the artist Keith Kimberlin if you feel like checking them out. 

Summer Doggy Days

Brand: Puzzlebug
Pieces: 100
Size: 22cm x 28cm
Product Code: -

I'm not sure what the weather is like where you are, but at the moment, we're going through a bit of a heat wave! Over the last few days, we've had temperatures reaching over 40 degrees celcius! Wayyyyy too hot for me! Luckily I've been inside most of the time at work (with air conditioning)  but I've still felt the heat.

I thought I'd put up a 'summery' picture today because of this. This was one of the cheap Puzzlebug puzzles that I came across one day at Kmart. These puzzles usually have images different to those you would normally find,and I thought the above design was relevant to this post. Quick, easy, and relatively good quality for the price, these puzzles are alright for a bit of cheap fun. 

Cute Husky

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 500
Size: 61cm x 46cm
Product Code:  136827

Last week I spent a little bit of time with my brother-in-law, who has a husky named Sasha. She's a very affectionate dog and loves to jump up onto people (much to Kurt's consternation, considering her size!). He's had her since she was a puppy, and when I saw this puzzle image, I was immediately reminded of when she was a rascally little pup, running around and getting into mischief.

Although this Ravensburger puzzle is only 500 pieces, it's a lot larger size-wise than other 500 piece puzzles of the same brand. That is because the pieces are significantly larger than usual. That said, it was still a rather quick exercise to piece it together. The only thing that really held me up was differentiating between all the shades of grey and white in the husky's fur, to find which piece went where. 

Dog lovers, and in particular, fans of the husky breed, are sure to enjoy the end result of this cute puzzle.