Halloween Kitten

Brand: Sunsout

Pieces: 300
Size:  53.34cm x 60.96cm

Product Code: 32724

As we're only a few days out from Halloween, I thought it would be fitting to put up the above image. 

I never really used to care about Halloween, and thought it mostly to be an Americanised holiday, but over the last few years I have noticed it grow massively in popularity. My three-year-old daughter is keen to go trick-or-treating this year and wants to dress up in the highly imaginative costume of a ghost- I guess we'll see what happens...

As it happens, I have picked up some puzzles over time that feature Halloween-based designs. Not only have I collected Reverie Puzzles' two Halloween Advent Calendars but I purchased this one several years ago from Sunsout. It was tougher to do than expected for a 300-piece puzzle - the black of the cat and the surrounding orange hues made it much more challenging to piece together and the irregular shaped pieces added to the challenge. But after pushing through, the end result was quite cute.

Do you have many holiday-themed puzzles? Do you try to do them in time for the event?

Book Nerd

Brand: SunsOut

Pieces: 500
Size: 48.26cm x 48.26cm

Product Code: 71329

I'm back again! Last week was so hectic and there's no way I would have been able to post anything (as I said) so it's good to be back and showcasing puzzles that I have completed. 

I had so many options for this week's post- today is Record Store Day and tomorrow is International Book Day. It's a lot easier to accommodate Book Day with my collection of puzzles so I have decided to post the above puzzle. 

I absolutely loved this design from Edwina Owens Elliott and when I saw it, I had to purchase it. The vibrant illustration immediately drew my attention and the irregular-shaped pieces made it a bit more challenging to complete. 

I have many puzzles with a bookish theme- including most of Reverie Puzzles' designs- but this one was the one for the day!

I'll be back next week with something new... see you then!

Play Girls

Brand: Sunsout

Pieces: 500
Size: 48.26cm x 48.26cm

Product Code: 71334

Can you believe this is the last weekend before December begins? 

From next week, I will be posting up Christmas-themed puzzles throughout the month (just in keeping with tradition, I guess). 

Today I have decided to put up a colourful, pretty puzzle I picked up during a Sunsout sale that Puzzle Warehouse held a few months ago. I was immediately drawn to this bright, fun design- I love illustrations like this! This was a square-shaped puzzle that was designed and illustrated by the talented Edwina Owens Elliott. There were also plenty of irregular shaped pieces so it kept the puzzling interesting. 

This weekend is also the Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping bonanza weekend- how have you fared? Did you snap up some amazing puzzle bargains? I have to say, my bank balance will be hurting once all the payments go through. It's such a trap! Haha! 

Everything Is Better With Ice Cream

Brand: SunsOut

Pieces: 500
Size: 45.72cm x 60.96cm

Product Code: 35935

It feels like summer is finally on it's way! Last weekend we had absolutely beautiful weather (although the rest of the week left a lot to be desired), daylight savings began (which means that it's lighter later) and yesterday, our favourite local ice cream shop reopened it's doors after a winter break! Sure, it's still spring now, but the warmer weather is a-coming! 

To celebrate, I have put up this puzzle of a few kids enjoying an ice cream from a very colourful ice cream truck. I love visiting these vans down by the beach- they really evoke the feeling of summer fun. It was especially wonderful during the lockdowns of the last few years when we had the trucks driving down suburban streets to do visits for birthdays and whatnot. They were such great moodlifters. 

The above puzzle is made up of irregular shaped pieces and the artwork was created by artist Tricia Reilly-Matthews. I think this is actually the second puzzle I have done/put up of an ice-cream truck related theme. Haha oh well, why not?!

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. 

Queen Of Jade: Art by Nene Thomas

Brand: Sunsout
Pieces: 1000
Size: 48.26cm x 76.2cm
Product Code: 67683

I love the fantasy artworks of Nene Thomas- she is such a talented woman! Luckily, some of her designs are available as puzzles through Sunsout, which means that I am able to buy, piece together and enjoy her beautiful artwork!

I decided to put up the above puzzle because it has an Asian theme- which is quite relevant considering I will be heading off on a weeklong holiday to Japan in a few days! Because of my trip, I won't be able to post up a puzzle next week (for the first Saturday in who knows how long!), but I'll be sure to put one up when I get back after the following Monday. In the meantime, you can admire this beautiful design of the Queen of Jade...

As always, the quality of the puzzle was exceptional. This puzzle took me a little longer to do than expected, because of all the similar colours and the flowers (which were plentiful) but I think the end result makes it worth it! I have a few more puzzles in a similar style to this (also designed by Thomas) and I can't wait to do them.

I need to go organise my packing for my trip now so sayonara until next time. 

Hopefully I might be able to pick up a few puzzle purchases (from Japan) for my collection...

The Junction Express

Brand: SunsOut
Pieces: 500
Size: 18" x 24" (45.7cm x 61cm)
Product Code: 36626

Sometimes I have a reason for posting a particular puzzle, usually in commemoration of a certain day or event. 

Sometimes I don't! 

Today is one of those days- when I saw this puzzle photo sitting in my folder I thought,  'Why not?' 
So here it is!

This SunsOut puzzle is made up of uniquely shaped pieces and was a pleasure to do. Because the colours are so vibrant, it was quite quick to sort and put together, and because of the size, I was able to do it on a smaller board, making it much more manageable. If I do any transport puzzles, it's usually of classic cars rather than locomotives, so doing a train puzzle was a nice change from the norm...

I think it came out a treat! 

Return To Santa: Art By Tom Wood

Brand: SunsOut
Pieces: 750
Size: 68.58cm x 87.63cm
Product Code:   96004

Christmas feels weird this year. 

Maybe it's because it falls on a Monday and the lead up to the day is the weekend. I work in retail so I'm usually working up until Christmas Eve,  but because it's the weekend this year, I don't need to. That's thrown me out quite a bit but at the same time, I'm happy to have the time off to organise myself for Christmas! 

As promised last week, I have put up a Christmas-themed puzzle for today- a cute shaped puzzle that features the artwork of Tom Wood for SunsOut. This puzzle was much bigger than I anticipated- SunsOut usually label their puzzle dimensions in inches, and I have to then convert them to centimetres to work out just how large a puzzle it is! The pieces are also a variety of weird and unusual shapes, as is typical of the brand, so it can take some time to sort them and find the edge pieces. Sometimes pieces that can be found in the middle of the design have such straight edges, they could be mistaken for being part of the border! 

For this one, I worked in colours and textures blocks to work out what went where. The design is both cute and bright, so no problems there...I'm starting to become a bit of a fan of the randomness of SunsOut designs, although if I have one fault with the brand, it's that their boxes aren't very sturdy. I think every box I have of theirs is torn or ripped in some way because the cardboard box is so thin that it doesn't wear well if you stack a few boxes on top of one another. Nevertheless, the puzzles inside them are still good, and the designs are pretty so I'll probably continue buying and putting them together...

Have a safe and happy Christmas and I hope you get everything on your Christmas wishlist!

xo

Sound Of Soul Strings

Brand: SunsOut
Pieces: 500
Size: 45.72cm x 60.96cm
Product Code:  39366

I have a wide taste in music, which ranges in scope from Disney songs and Broadway show tunes to punk rock and heavy metal tracks. 

I'm willing to listen to anything, and appreciate most music. 

If you have a listen to my iPod, in fact, you would find such an eclectic variation, you wouldn't believe that all the music on it belongs to just one person. You might hear Muse playing at first, then Slipknot, then the Captain Planet theme song, then Celine Dion! Who knows what will play after you press 'shuffle'!

Because of this diverse appreciation for music, it means that I have seen many fantastic bands/artists and have many more that I wish to see throughout the coming years (provided they come to tour Australia). 
As it is, I have just bought tickets to see Robbie Williams when he comes to Australia next year, will be seeing Muse in December, and hope to buy tickets to see The Foo Fighters and Pink when they are released. A couple of weeks ago I saw Stone Sour- an awesome show- and I'd love to see Metallica again if they plan another tour soon. 

The puzzle I have posted today is musically-themed, although, once again, it is a different kind of genre to all of the popular music-type artists I have mentioned above. Focusing more on a classical aspect, this puzzle by SunsOut features a string instrument (I'm unable to decide whether it's a cello or a violin) and a keyboard on a vibrant background. Musical notes float around the almost tribal design, making the images stand out. The pieces in this puzzle are made from a thick recycled cardboard (of high quality), and come in a variety of strange and unusual shapes, as is the norm for this brand. 

This was a relatively easy puzzle to do, when working in sections of colour and pattern, and is perfect for any lover of music. 

Orchids (Art by Nene Thomas)

Brand: SunsOut
Pieces: 1000
Size: 48.3cm x 76.2cm
Product Code:  67636

I love romantic fantasy art. 

Usually comprised of a beautiful woman in a stunning landscape, these artworks are often a sight to behold. 

While there are many talented artists, one in particular that I admire is Nene Thomas, who has released many of her artworks as prints, cross stitch charts, and lithographs (among other things). You can purchase some of her work at http://nenethomas.com/

In conjunction with SunsOut, Nene Thomas has gifted puzzlers with some of her work in jigsaw puzzle format, including the above design.

Orchids is a stunning (and somewhat challenging) puzzle which, as you can see, contains a lot of similar background colours. I have to admit that it took me quite a while to complete this one, over a space of several days. That said, the end result is absolutely beautiful. The colours are vibrant and the quality of the unusually- shaped pieces is excellent.

I will more than likely follow this puzzle up with some other puzzle collaborations by both Thomas and SunsOut.

Beachfront: Art by Lori Schory

Brand: SunsOut
Pieces: 1000
Size: 32.875inches x 26.5inches
Product Code:  96018

I have to admit, I haven't done very many shaped jigsaw puzzles. 

Perhaps it's because they aren't as readily available as your standard rectangular puzzle. 

In the past, I have completed a round puzzle (Wonderful World Of Disney 1) , but even as I was doing it, it didn't feel as though it was shaped, due to the straight edges of the border. 

That's why doing the above puzzle was such a profoundly different experience. 

The fish shape of Beachfront actually made the completion of this puzzle feel different. Not only do you have to work out the shape of the fish, but you have to find where the rest of the design correlates to that outline. Putting  together the jagged fins on its upper and lower body was a little bit challenging, as they came in several pieces and sometimes you weren't sure exactly how long each part was meant to be.  But this was a very welcome challenge- it's not every day that I have the opportunity to put together a puzzle like this! 

The design, which is bright and full of detail, was fun to put together. This puzzle also has uniquely-shaped pieces (including the occasional fish-shaped piece!) which only made the 'shaped' experience feel more complete. 

I haven't done many SunsOut puzzles because they're not as common in Australia as they would be overseas, but I will be making more of an effort to seek them out in the future! 

Royal Peacocks

Brand: Sunsout
Pieces: 500
Size: 45.7cm x 61cm
Product Code:  11040

You know how sometimes you're just in the mood to do a puzzle from a particular theme? I'm not sure why, but for some reason I was really interested in birds this week. So what was I to do but go in search of a puzzle that would showcase something of the feathered variety? 

This puzzle- made by the USA company Sunsout- features two beautiful peacocks in front of an Orientally-themed background. The colours in this design are vibrant, with a lovely mixture of turquoises, greens and muted pinks. The blossoms, feathers and tile patterns really enhanced the Oriental style, and the unusually shaped pieces added to the complexity of putting together the image.

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

Royal Peacocks a 500-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle by Sunsout Inc.