Barbie: Fashion Icon!

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 1000
Size:  70cm x 50cm

Product Code: 175185

I thought I'd put up this beauty today - a workspace devoted to Barbie and her various fashions. 

It features blueprints and photos of Barbie and her clothing throughout history, and was really enjoyable to do. 

I had to purchase this one from a UK-based website, as good Barbie puzzles for adults are unfortunately really hard to come by in Australia. There is such a market for them though! I sold it straight away when I attended a puzzle sale day.

I'm hoping to find some more over time, but for now I'll have to curb my puzzle spending and complete some of the ones I have in anticipation of the next puzzle sale (next month, to be held in Melton). 

Snail Mail

Brand: Re-Marks

Pieces: 300
Size: 45.7cm x 61cm

Product Code: -

Well, it's a brand new year- we're already a week in!- yet everything feels very much the same for me. 

I'm still spending way too much on puzzles that I want to do, but probably won't have the chance to do! 

How good were some of the Boxing Day and End of Year sales? 

Once again, I bought way too many and now have over 300+ puzzles on my to-do list- all of which are currently sitting in my spare room which I was hoping to clear out sometime soon! 

I don't know how I'm going to get through them all (without the added pressure of completing ones that I'll no doubt continue to buy- I know I have a problem). Even if I complete one a day (unlikely), that's still gonna take me about a year to get through them... but hey, I'm willing to give it a shot! I'll just have to forgo other activities to get it done 😉

The puzzle I've chosen for today was one I completed a few years ago that features stamps from all around the world. I figured this one would be appropriate for the holidays, especially with all the travel that's taking place at the moment. This puzzle was bright and colourful, with lots of lovely stamp images. As someone who collects stamps, I enjoy looking at designs like this one. 

Do you collect anything other than puzzles?

Cat Lover's

Brand: Ridley's Jigsaw Puzzles

Pieces: 1000
Size: 55cm x 70cm

Product Code: JIG034

Today's post is quite late- I usually post first thing on Saturday morning but today it's closer to 4.30pm. That's because we stayed overnight with some friends for the extra long weekend and we only got home a short while ago. 

Extra long weekend, you ask? Well, being in Victoria, we were due to have a long weekend anyway (with Friday off for the AFL Grand Final public holiday), but then Australian's were also given the Thursday off as a National Day of Mourning on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. That meant that we had two days off, in addition to the weekend (therefore an EXTRA long weekend). 

This year the AFL Grand Final was between our hometown team of the Geelong Cats versus the Sydney Swans. So, since I don't have any football-related puzzles, I figured the next best thing would be to put up a puzzle of cats (especially since at the time of writing, the Cats are very convincingly winning!)

The above puzzle shows a selection of cat breeds and was quite good to do, although some of the pieces had the backing peeling off them (as a manufacturing issue, because the puzzle was brand new). Other than that, I quite enjoyed it. There are also other puzzles in this series, including one that features dogs. 

Next week my posting should be back to normal, time-wise, so we'll see what we have in store...

Matilda (Roald Dahl)

Brand: Aquarius

Pieces: 500
Size: 35cm x 48cm

Product Code: 62-155

Matilda has always been one of my favourite books (and films). 

So much so, that when the musical (featuring Tim Minchin's music) was shown in musical theatres, I went to Melbourne solo to watch it! 

I recently found out that they're reproducing the musical as a recorded film and I'm not sure how I feel about it. But, that said, I'm also very likely to watch it when it comes out. In the meantime, you can see what you think about the puzzle that I have put up today. 

Featuring the classic illustrations of Quentin Blake, this puzzle highlights the best parts of the story. It was a quick and fun one to do and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

There are more puzzles like this that cover some of Roald Dahl's other iconic and popular stories, like James And The Giant Peach and The BFG, but this was the one for me! 

The only thing I'm really disappointed about is that my photo is not as clear as it could have been- Oh well, it was the best I could do at the time!

Happy Dawgs

Brand: Cra-Z-Art

Pieces: 1000
Size: 69cm x 51cm

Product Code: -

My husband's cousin got a brand new puppy during the week and so I couldn't help but want to put up a dog-related puzzle image! 

I did this puzzle (design by Dean Russo) a little while ago and it was more challenging than I anticipated. 

I think it was the multiple colours that got me. Dean Russo's artworks are very similar in style but I enjoy doing them. They always look very striking, and the best thing is, so many companies have produced his work, so you can always find a great design by him. This one is from Cra-Z-Art but I have also done puzzles featuring his artwork by Aquarius (and probably others, which I just can't think of at the moment). 

Do you have a favourite artist whose puzzles you always try to get and complete? Dean Russo isn't my favourite, but he would have to be in my Top 10 at least!

Animalia Book Cover Collector

Brand: Ikon Collectibles

Pieces: 1000
Size: 51cm x 74cm
Product Code: IKO1846

As my baby girl grows older, we've been reading a lot more books that I used to read myself as a child. One that I haven't yet read to her but plan on introducing very soon is Animalia- the wonderful picture story by Graeme Base. His books are so beautifully illustrated, and when I first saw this puzzle that features the front cover artwork of the book, I knew I had to get it! 

This puzzle was a joy to do- there was barely any puzzle dust, the artwork was perfect, and the nostalgia hit I got after I completed it- woah! haha

There are a few more puzzles in this range, as well as some from another of Graeme Base's books, The Eleventh Hour, so I might have to add a few more to my wishlist.

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!

Little Feminist

Brand: Mudpuppy

Pieces: 500
Size: 51cm x 51cm
Product Code:  -

It really feels like these weeks are just flying by. 

I don't know if this is the case for everyone or it's just because I have a new baby who seems to be growing up so quickly, but it feels like each day is over almost as soon as it begins. I guess that's what sleep deprivation can do to you!

During the week it was International Women's Day and I had every intention of putting up a puzzle that had strong women themes, but of course, I missed the boat! So I've decided to put this one up now, as a tribute to that. It was a toss up between this one and a women in science one, but I've decided to save that one for another day. 

This one, by Mudpuppy, is much more colourful and has cute illustrations of some of history's most influential women. I absolutely love the design and the quality was wonderful, much in the way you would expect from the Mudpuppy brand. 

Hopefully by the time the day rolls around next year, I will be more organised- there's an awesome couple of puzzles from Lucky Puzzles that I have ordered and expect to arrive in the next month or so that would be perfect for the next International Women's Day (if I can last that long without putting them up!)

Cool Cats A-Z

Brand: Mudpuppy
Pieces: 1000
Size: 69cm x 51cm
Product Code: 01/2018 M120617G

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not usually a cat fan. I much prefer dogs over their feline counterparts, but every now and then a cat will come along that I don't mind quite so much. It's so bizarre! All of my closest friends have cats and I can deal with that, but I don't think I'd ever want one of my own. 

That's why I was surprised that I was so drawn to this puzzle. For some reason, the design really stood out to me. I have since learnt that there is a dog alternative and I wouldn't mind sourcing that. But for now, here is a bit of information about the above puzzle that I completed from Mudpuppy. 

I hadn't done this brand before but I wasn't disappointed. It's a little difficult to tell from the photo but the background of this puzzle is pale pink. The cat illustrations are unique but pretty (I'm not sure who the illustrator is) and well spaced out. This puzzle also features the breed names, various cat-related paraphernalia and flowers. I enjoyed piecing this one together, especially with such good quality pieces and minimal dust. 

I'll have to try and find the dogs one so that I can complete the 'set'!

Birds Of A Feather

Brand: SunsOut
Pieces: 1000
Size: 50.8cm x 68.58cm
Product Code: 55957

Today is AFL Grand Final Day- a big event on the Australian sporting calendar. 

This year, the West Coast Eagles are up against the Collingwood Magpies- which isn't a game that really appeals to me much. I'm not really a fan of either team, but I suppose I should be going for Collingwood (just because they're a Victorian team- although I really can't stand them otherwise!)

Anyway, because I don't believe that there are any AFL jigsaw puzzles available (that I've seen) I decided to put this puzzle up instead. It features birds (in the design and the title)- and that's symbolic of the Pies and the Eagles versing one another! Clever, huh?! (Not really, but it's the best I could do this Saturday morning!).

This puzzle was rather quick to do, particularly when you completed each individual bird 'square' separately and joined them all together. With a distinctly French vibe, this design is quite pretty and perfect for bird lovers and watchers. 

Dinosaurs

Brand: Eurographics
Pieces: 1000
Size: 48.89cm x 67.63cm
Product Code: 6000-1005

The new Jurassic World film (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) was released on Thursday, and while I haven't yet had the chance to see it, I thought I'd put up a puzzle of dinosaurs in tribute to such a fantastic franchise.
I have seen all of them so far (besides the latest) but I'd have to say that my favourite is definitely the first- the others are okay but nothing can compare to the original in my books!

This puzzle by Eurographics was quite interesting to do- it took a little while to piece together anyway! These puzzles always contain so much information and are great educational resources. Considering there are so few dinosaur puzzles of larger counts around (surprisingly), I was happy to find this one. The quality was wonderful and the design was typical Eurographics style.

Fantastic for any fans of dinosaur facts and figures... 

Favole series by Victoria Francés

Brand: Heye Puzzles
Pieces: 75
Size: 10.5cm x 29.7cm
Product Code:  Tree (29368), Portrait (29365), Curly (29363), Snowflake (29366), Shoulder (29364), Leaves (29367)

Until recently in Australia, the Halloween holidays were not a big deal. 

It was considered more of an international event, celebrated in America and some European countries. 

But over the last few years, more and more Australian retail stores have begun to seize the day- selling costumes, house decorations and other Halloween-themed paraphernalia. 

To embrace this theme, I decided to scour my collection to find a suitably spooky puzzle to do, but it turns out that my collection doesn't really extend to ghosts, witches and vampires at this point! 

Instead, I found these six mini vertical puzzles from Heye, which feature the gothic illustrations of Victoria Francés. Taken from her Favole collection, the women in these pictures are all gorgeously supernatural-looking, which I think lends to the spooky Halloween theme perfectly.

Curly

Leaves

Portrait

Shoulder

Snowflake

Tree

Each puzzle has 75 pieces, which means that they're relatively quick to do. While many of the colours are similar, it is easy enough to work out where each piece goes, and as I mentioned before, the illustrations are quite pretty, if not a little eerie. Victoria Francés, a Spanish artist, specializes in gothic romance illustrations, and these puzzles certainly fit the bill.