Deck The Halls

Brand: Waddington's Of London (Winning Moves)

Pieces: 1000
Size: 66.5cm x 50cm

Product Code:  WM00507-EN1

The second of this year's Christmas puzzles is by Waddington's Of London, who have released this puzzle in Australia through the brand Winning Moves. Deck The Halls is a wonderful nostalgic scene of a Christmas gathering, with the kids helping mum to decorate the tree and the dog begging for Christmas treats from dad. 

This is such a classic scene that I couldn't help but order it when I saw it. The design is vibrant and features gold foil on the Christmas tree- giving it that extra sparkle (unfortunately it's not terribly visible in the photo). This puzzle also came with a certificate of authenticity and a collectable golden coin for people who have collected the series over the years. 

This was a great and busy puzzle to do and I might look out for more like it in the future.

Monopoly: Australian Community Relief Edition

Brand: Winning Moves

Pieces: 1000
Size: 53cm x 53cm
Product Code:  WM01148-EN3

The Monopoly board game has such a, well, monopoly I guess, over the gaming world. There are so many different versions- covering music, pop culture, and even cities.

Now they have a few variations in jigsaw puzzle format. 

I have the original Monopoly jigsaw puzzle, which I plan on doing soon but I also have the above one, which was released as a fundraiser for struggling Australian communities. In it, the towns names have been changed to some of those affected and in need of aid (although I'm not sure if it was because of fires, floods or some other disaster which has befallen the towns- I really should read what it says on the box!)

This puzzle was quite different, in that the piece shapes followed a certain format. They were longer and narrow, and followed a pattern as you assembled the pattern. That said, it was quite quick to complete, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Mario Kart: Funracer

Brand: Winning Moves

Pieces: 1000
Size: 68.3cm x 48cm
Product Code:  -

Hey all, welcome to a new year! Hope your New Year's festivities were safe and a whole lot of fun.. 

There are two reasons I have put up the above puzzle today.. 

One reason is because, being a new year which has followed an extremely unprecedented and shit year, this puzzle is kind of relevant. It's all about racing forward to cross the finish line and be a winner. Hopefully that's something that people can do this year.

The other reason is a more personal one. One of my best friends has a nine year old son who has been battling a debilitating muscle disease his whole life. In the last few days, his health has gone very downhill and though we are all trying to be optimistic, it isn't looking good :'( One of his favourite games/characters is Mario, so this one is for him. Hope he pulls through....

This puzzle is by Winning Moves and was a little challenging in some parts (the sky, ugh!) but it turned out well. The quality was great and the pieces fit together well. It's likely I'll do a few more puzzles by them in the future...

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone

Brand: Winning Moves
Pieces: 500
Size: 50cm diameter
Product Code: -

Over the last few days I have been receiving a lot of emails from various ticketing agencies, reminding me that tickets will soon be released for the Harry Potter and The Cursed Child stage show in Melbourne next year. They are all telling me that if I sign up to their priority access list, I will have a chance to get early bird tickets to the show before they go on sale to the general public. 

I wonder if everyone who has shown an interest is getting as many emails as me? 

As it is, I have decided to put up a Harry Potter puzzle I have done in the past...

This one, from Winning Moves, was different from some that I have done, being a round shaped puzzle. The pieces travel inwards as you put them together (does that make sense) to create the picture. The edges appear to be straight until you put them together, where the distinctive curve of the outside pieces start to show and the puzzle begins to round out. This one features scenes from the first film and was enjoyable to do. The quality was fantastic and the images were clear.

This puzzle is perfect for fans of Harry Potter who are looking for something just that little bit different...