Tropical White Sand Beach, Thailand

Brand: Puzzlebug

Pieces: 500
Size:  46cm x 28cm

Product Code: -

Have you ever been to a jigsaw puzzle-specific second-hand sale?

Through Facebook, I have recently found the opportunity to take part in one that will be held in Melbourne in February and I am so excited! Even though it will be an early start and a relatively long drive, it will also be a great opportunity to sell some of my puzzles and meet like-minded puzzle enthusiasts. I'm really hoping I can clear some of my finished stash and make some much-needed room in my house haha. Depending on the success of the day, I would be more than happy to participate in other sales like it.

The above puzzle is one of the ones that I hope to sell (probably as a mini bundle cos I have a few and they were so cheap). I put it up today for its calm, beachy vibes and the relaxing atmosphere it evokes. The actual puzzle itself was OK to do, although the quality was as expected for the Puzzlebug brand. 

What puzzling adventures are you getting up to in this new year?

Fish School by Corinne Ferguson

Brand: Puzzle Collector Art (Lafayette Puzzle Factory)

Pieces: 1000
Size: 51cm x 68cm

Product Code: -

During these colder months, I know a lot of people who are travelling overseas to escape the winter chill. 

This time around, I'm lucky enough to be one of them- I will be travelling with my little family (and my husband's family) to beautiful Vanuatu next week! That means I won't be posting next Saturday as I usually do- you'll get a week off from me! 

Because I don't have any puzzle images of Vanuatu, I figured the next best option would be to put up a photo of a puzzle I did many years ago (and have not yet posted). 

It features a multitude of colourful tropical fish- some of which I hope to see when snorkelling. And if I don't see any like them? It won't matter cos I'll still be in Vanuatu! 

This puzzle was so colourful, and quite easy to do in colour/pattern blocks. 

Have a great week and I'll see you in a few!

Ellis Beach, Cairns, QLD

Brand: Ken Duncan Images Of Australia (Crown & Andrews)- The World's Most Beautiful Jigsaw Puzzles
Pieces: 504
Size: 64cm x 24cm
Product Code:  -

It's currently winter here in Australia and I never thought I'd say this but I'm really starting to miss the warmer weather!

Because of this, I thought I might put up the above image- how beautiful does this tropical puzzle look?! 

I've never been to Ellis Beach but I have been to Cairns, and I can remember how warm and sticky the weather was- so humid! Even if I'm not a huge fan of the weather, there's no denying how beautiful that sky looks.  

Ken Duncan always manages to capture the most beautiful images (hence the name of the puzzle brand he prints with I guess 😉)

Is there a place you're craving to go to at the moment?

Heads Up

 

Brand: Cardinal

Pieces: 500

Size: 27.9cm x 35.5cm
Product Code: -

I love hearing about random national days and weeks- when things a little out of the ordinary have their chance to be appreciated or celebrated. My Mother-in-law has a block calendar specifically for this, which was gifted to her (possibly for Christmas last year?) and which she has used to add a bit of excitement throughout the year. 

For example, on International Pretzel Day, she made some yummy pretzels and on National Eat Chocolate Day, you can guess what we did! Haha.. 

I'm not sure if they are all real recognised 'holidays' but one that I know of is, at least in Australia, National Bird Week. This year it runs from Monday 19 October to Sunday 25 October, so I've just gotten in there before it ends. I don't really know much about the Week (you might have to Google it cos I don't have time to do it for you right now) but I thought I'd put up this puzzle I did of some tropical birds a little while ago- a perfect way to commemorate the week! 

This puzzle was very good quality even though it was one of those really cheap $1 ones, and the pieces were tiny. The colours were vibrant though, and it kept my attention throughout. Love those kinds!

I wonder which interesting day/week event I can incorporate my puzzle photos into next week? 

Tropical Paradise

 

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 500

Size: 36cm x 49cm
Product Code:  141876

This is an oldie but a goodie, and one that I had to dig out of my childhood puzzle collection. I have done this puzzle countless times over the years and it always guarantees a nostalgia hit. I put this one up today because I needed to remind myself of better times, when we were able to travel to places just like this one and enjoy beautiful sunshine and tropical climates. 

I don't really have much more to say than.

I hope you enjoy looking at this puzzle as much I enjoyed putting it together.

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!

Colorful Beach Huts, Maldives

Brand: Puzzlebug
Pieces: 500
Size: 46cm x 28cm
Product Code: -

Once again, we're facing a freezing cold day here in Victoria, Australia. I guess that's to be expected when it's mid-winter but it's still not terribly pleasant!

To try and make the day seem less dreary I have put up a picture of a tropical paradise- a scene from the Maldives. How lovely would it be to rest on the deckchairs in the sunshine and listen to the ocean waves lap against the shore? 

This puzzle design was attractive to me because of the bright colours and clear image, however the quality of the pieces wasn't as good as I have experienced in the past- they didn't seem to fit together as well as they have in previous times. That said, I don't usually expect superior quality from this 'budget' brand anyway, so any good one in previous times has always been a bonus. 

At least the finished picture is pretty. 

Reef Adventure

Brand: Puzzlebug
Pieces: 500
Size: 46cm x 28cm
Product Code:  -

It's hard to believe that around this time last year, rather than being in cold, rainy weather, I was travelling around Fiji and Vanuatu for my wedding and honeymoon. 

The weather there was absolutely beautiful, the places we visited were amazing and the people we met were lovely. I had my first experience learning to Scuba Dive (granted, it was only in a hotel swimming pool, but at least I was able to learn the basics) and we got to snorkel some beautiful reefs, particularly near the amazing 'floating bar' Cloud 9, which was an experience in itself. 

To reminisce, I thought I would post up this photo of a puzzle I did recently. Although we weren't lucky enough to see any sea turtles, we did get to see some incredibly bright and beautiful tropical fish in their natural environment. This puzzle brought back memories of warm water, pretty coral and the aforementioned brightly-coloured fish. It was pretty quick to do, when working in colour blocks, and the design was (and is) fun and busy.

Perfect for brightening up a dull-weathered day and bringing back lovely memories, I reckon!

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!