The Flinders Street Station And Cats

Brand: The Puzzle Colab

Pieces: 99
Size:  10cm x 14cm

Product Code: 25005M

You know how sometimes you're in the mood to puzzle but don't want to commit to a 500 or 1000 piece design?

You just want to do a quick little bite-size puzzle to whet the appetite? Well that is where micro or mini puzzles come in handy. Usually 100 pieces or less, they are quick to put together and take up a very small amount of space.

I bought this puzzle, along with a few others from the same series, just to try out the brand and satisfy that small-puzzle-piece-count urge. The artwork, by Miss Wenly Illustration, is cute and relevant to me (being a significant and iconic landmark of Melbourne) and one that I am incidentally going to be visiting this weekend on my journey into the city. The quality was great, and the puzzle came in a tiny box, no bigger than a pack of playing cards. 

If you need that small puzzle fix, you can't go wrong with a mini or micro sized puzzle. The Puzzle Collab, along with Magnolia, Werkshoppe and several others, can help you with that fix...

The Lion King

Brand: Ceaco

Pieces: 500
Size: 46cm x 36cm

Product Code: -

This puzzle came in one of the Thomas Kinkade 4-in-One Disney boxes (Season 1 if I remember correctly), and I absolutely love this design. 

All of his paintings are just magical- he manages to capture each iconic scene perfectly. 

I know some people are not fans of his puzzles due to the paintbrush strokes sometimes making completion of the puzzle difficult, but I think this adds to the charm (and really it's not that difficult to put them together!)

This one was very quick to do and brought on all the nostalgic feels! It's also fitting because the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has just announced a show where they will be playing the score to the film in concert next year- tickets have already been booked lol

She Series: Pop Culture Edition

Brand: Lucky Puzzles

Pieces: 1000
Size: 48.9cm x 67.6cm

Product Code: LP-1000-002

I'm really short on time today so this will probably be one of my shortest posts. Today I'm going to be visiting the International Air Show at Avalon, but I couldn't find any puzzles that I have completed of a plane or aircraft (although I know I have at least one in my to-do pile).

So instead, I have put up this puzzle for International Women's Day which is to be held in a couple of days on March 8. The above puzzle was a pleasure to do and features many iconic and influential female characters from pop culture- movies, music and books. I enjoyed doing it, although the irregular shaped pieces made it a little challenging at some times. 

Hopefully I won't be so rushed next weekend and will be able to put up a more detailed post! Have a great weekend!

Pop Art

Brand: Laurence King Publishing

Pieces: 1000
Size: 68cm x 48.5cm

Product Code: -

I thought I'd put up a slightly different kind of puzzle today- this one is a puzzle I purchased from a bookstore which features the artwork of Andrew Rae. 

This design follows a Pop Art theme (as suggested by the title) and was a pleasure to do. It was fun working through the puzzle and discovering all the different references to the Pop Art genre. The best part was that you didn't even notice some of the details until you were actually piecing it together, simply because there are so many things to look at throughout the design.

I think there is a similar puzzle available that covers the Surrealism genre but I have not got it in my collection as yet.

I haven't done many puzzles from this brand but so far it hasn't disappointed. The pieces are sturdy and the quality is wonderful.

How are you going with your puzzling? Are you getting through some of the backlog of puzzles in your collection? I've just begun to do some of my smaller-count-pieced puzzles in the hope that getting them done quicker will reduce my to-do pile faster!

Jenny Sanders: Green Clubsport At Huskisson Hotel

Brand: Blue Opal
Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm
Product Code:  BL02034

I was trying to decide which puzzle to put up today and thought 'Hmm.... it's been a while since I put up a car one' so here we are!

I guess it's sort of relevant- my husband has recently become interested in classic cars and would like to some day purchase one to do up. Luckily he has a few friends who love that sort of thing- including one who is absolutely obsessed and owns about 10 cars that he has bought and fixed up over the years. His collection, and his enthusiasm, make him the perfect person to help in the car hunt. I think he's more excited about the whole thing than hubby! 

While the car in this puzzle can't really be considered a classic, it is still a quite iconic Australian car, as most of Jenny Sanders' illustrated cars are. This was a beautiful quality puzzle as always and just one more from the vast collection I have of her work. Maybe the next car one I do can be a classic one, just for the boys :)

The Tower Bridge Over Thames River

Brand: Trefl
Pieces: 1500
Size: 85cm x 58cm
Product Code: 26140

With the spread of Corona Virus worldwide, the travel industry is really feeling the strain. So many people are being forced to cancel their holidays for fear of the pandemic, especially with so much uncertainty about how long this will be going on for. We have booked  to visit the USA next month and hopefully that will still go ahead. A couple of my colleagues have booked for the UK in July and they're just as hopeful. But time will tell...

In the meantime, the only way that many people will be travelling is by staying at home and viewing pictures of the places that they want to visit! I suppose that's where jigsaw puzzles of travel scenes come in handy! 
The above puzzle features one of London's key landmarks, The Tower Bridge. Although I have never been there I would love to visit it one day. In the meantime, I will have to settle for the puzzle image.

This puzzle was from Trefl and was very good quality. I haven't done many from this brand before, as they are not readily available to me. However, I was very pleased with the ease of putting it together. Some parts of the sky were a little bit difficult due to similar blue shades, but I got there in the end! Overall, it was very satisfying to complete it!

Frida Kahlo

Brand: Aquarius
Pieces: 1000
Size: 51cm x 71cm
Product Code: 65-340

In all the motivational women's books going around at the moment, Frida Kahlo is one of the resoundingly popular ladies that keeps cropping up. Although I have read about her in the past, I barely remember anything about her, besides the fact that she was someone who changed the art world against all odds and that she had a unibrow! I also know that she did a lot of self-portraits, but that is as far as my knowledge about her goes!

Regardless, when I saw the design of this puzzle, I was enticed to buy and do it. I thought the floral background was striking and the colours were amazing! This puzzle was quite easy to do when you sorted the colours by each flower style, and the pieces fit together perfectly as per typical Aquarius brand fashion.

Having completed this puzzle, I am kind of interested now to learn more about this iconic woman...

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?! 

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

Brand: Aquarius
Pieces: 1000
Size: 51cm x 71cm
Product Code: 65-304

I feel like it's a Willy Wonka kind of day...

I have always enjoyed watching this classic film, and loved the book by Roald Dahl just as much, so when I saw that this puzzle was available, I had to get it for reminiscing purposes. 

It was quite easy and quick to do, and brought back great memories of Gene Wilder (as Willy Wonka) singing and dancing his way through his chocolate factory as he guided his competition winners through each of the different rooms. I couldn't help but hear the Oompa Loompa song running through my head as I completed each section!

I love how Aquarius reproduces nostalgic imagery from movies and television to create a vast collection of memorabilia puzzles. This is another great addition to the collection. 

Sydney Opera House And Harbour Bridge

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 1000
Size: 70cm x 50cm
Product Code:  192113

I love living in Australia. 

This is something I have learnt after travelling across several countries over the years. While it is wonderful to see other cities and cultures, there's never any place quite like home. 

With this in mind, I decided to do this puzzle which features Sydney's iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Living an hour's drive away from Melbourne (which, in turn, is about an hour's flight from Sydney), I haven't had the chance to visit this amazing city as much as I would like. There is still so much that I would like to see and do there, but completing this puzzle brought back great memories all the same!

On my last trip to Sydney, I did a twilight climb to the top of the Harbour Bridge- a wonderful experience that I hope I never forget. It is something that every visitor should do if the opportunity arises. While it is a bit pricey, it's also a unique experience that's well worth the money! 

Doing this vibrantly-coloured puzzle, which features Sydney's most iconic structures (maybe even Australia's most iconic structures), was a pleasure. The imagery is beautiful and the dusky pink and purple tones of the sunset are captured perfectly. This would make a great memento of a Sydney trip, guaranteed to bring back any delightful memories you may have had. 

This puzzle is available from Fishpond by clicking the link below:

Ravensburger Sydney Opera House - 1000 Piece Puzzle