Cosmic Voyage

Brand: Crown & Andrews (The World's Most Beautiful Jigsaw Puzzles)

Pieces: 1000
Size: 49cm x 68.5cm

Product Code: -

It's so frustrating that I have so many puzzles, but when I want to put up a particular themed image, I can't find it! 

Take this week for example. 

During the week it was May the 4th (Star Wars day). Do you think I could find an image today to put up? No! 

I know for a fact that I have several Star Wars puzzles in my to-do pile but I haven't completed any lately to post! It's also Mother's Day tomorrow but I couldn't find anything appropriate in my saved photos for the day. 

So instead I'm going with a vintage puzzle I did (and have owned since I was a child). The relevance? There isn't any really. I like the image and feel like putting it up. I went through a real dolphin faze when I was in school and this was a puzzle I adored doing at the time. The design is by Christian Riese Lassen. I'm not sure if you can still get designs by him?

Do you have a stack of puzzles you want to do but haven't gotten around to yet? I have literally hundreds and I keep finding more I want to get. This situation is getting out of hand haha. I need to start putting restrictions on myself, especially when stores put new puzzles on sale!

Flipper Romance

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 500
Size: 49cm x 36cm
Product Code:  141524

I don't know about you, but do you have a jigsaw puzzle that you have grown up with and done numerous times? I have a few like this, which I have always gone back to and re-completed, even though I have no real reason to do so. The puzzle above is one of them. I probably got this one when I was about 8 or 9 and have done it sooo many times. 

Now, in my big clear out, I have decided to complete it one last time and say goodbye. 

I've had hours of pleasure from it and I feel like I should give someone else some of the joy of doing it. 

I have (obviously) taken a picture of it for posterity and I will be listing it on eBay with some of my others over the coming days. While it will be sad to see it go, I'm also grateful that I was able to keep it for so long and complete it so many times! I don't even do that with any of the puzzles I purchase now so this one is particularly special. 

I've also managed to keep it in great condition, with no pieces missing and only a tiny bit of scuffing (one line) on the bottom of the image from age. 

Have you got a puzzle in your collection that's close to your heart? 

Do you think you'll ever say goodbye to it?

Dolphin World

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

It's quite rare, but occasionally you come across a brand new puzzle that has a fault or two in it. 

Sometimes the pieces aren't cut correctly or they're cut so finely that a knob piece has snapped off in the packaging. 

Sometimes (although rarely) there is an extra piece in the box that has no place in the actual puzzle (or is a duplicate of a piece that has already been placed).

But this is the kicker- the real and very frustrating problem that some puzzlers face- a missing piece!

Sometimes it is the fault of the puzzler, having dropped a piece. Sometimes the missing piece is the result of a wayward pet who has decided that they would like a tasty cardboard snack. But sometimes it IS the manufacturers fault and the piece is simply not in the box. 

This was the case for the above puzzle. I didn't bother contacting the manufacturer or the place that I purchased the puzzle- it was not worth the trouble for the price that I paid for it- but it was extremely frustrating. 

Luckily it isn't terribly noticeable in the overall scale- can you see where the piece is missing in my above photo? But my point is that it does occasionally happen, and it can be a very annoying deal, especially if the piece count is high and you've been working on completing the puzzle for some time. 

That said, despite the missing piece, I quite enjoyed the above puzzle and was happy with the design. If it was fully complete it would have been a treat to do!