Jurassic Jumble

Brand: Wentworth Wooden Puzzles

Pieces: 50
Size: 32.9cm x 25cm

Product Code: 910307

I was trying to find a green-themed puzzle because tomorrow is St Patrick's Day and this was the best I could come up with on a moment's notice. This wooden puzzle was gifted to my daughter for Christmas last year but was way too difficult for her (she's only three years old!) so I decided to do it myself haha!

It has a few dinosaur-themed whimsy pieces and was the exceptional quality you'd expect from a Wentworth Wooden Puzzle. The illustration is by Rosiland Solomon, and I'm curious to see what designs might be available from this artist.

Sorry, today's post is just going to be a short and sweet one.

Hope you have a great weekend of puzzling and I'll see you next week!

Outback Christmas

Brand: Mr Bob Puzzles

Pieces: 101
Size: 34cm x 22.5cm

Product Code: -

This post is going up a little later (time-wise) than usual. I'm not sure if it's because of the times I've been posting, the pictures I've been putting up, or because of some other reason, but lately my views have been lessening. 

So I've decided to test the theory of time and put this up a little later. 

This small wooden puzzle contains cute whimsy pieces following a Christmas theme. It features a candy cane, Christmas tree and snowman, as well as a not-so-Christmasy boomerang (in a nod to the indigenous theme of the design). Using Christmas colours and Aboriginal art, this design embraces an Outback Christmas and gives a different view of the festive season.

Have you got many Christmas puzzles in your stash that you plan on doing soon? Only 9 days to go!

Going Trick Or Treating

Brand: Mr Bob Puzzles

Pieces: 525
Size: 40cm x 30cm

Product Code: -

After all the excitement of last week, reaching 400 posts, and the Victorian Puzzle Competition, I forgot to post up a photo of a Halloween-themed puzzle!

I was never really interested in Halloween until recently, and just saw it as another 'non-holiday event' but it has really started to take off here in my area, and now I'm getting a bit more involved. Enough so that I have started doing Halloween-themed puzzles anyway! lol.

The above puzzle features a cute illustration by artist Alicia Rutigliano, and is the first larger-piece-count wooden puzzle I have completed. The design was so cute and I was just drawn to it. 

In true Mr Bob style, it also features cute whimsy pieces of Halloween motifs, although I don't think I pulled any out for the photos unfortunately.

There are so many cute/ scary/ cool  Halloween puzzles out there nowadays, and I'm keen to do a few more. I especially loved the Halloween Advent Calendar that Reverie Puzzles released and will probably post some photos from that at some point. 

Which awesome Halloween puzzles did you do? 

Pearling At Dampier

Brand: Mr Bob Puzzles

Pieces: 252
Size: 38cm x 38cm

Product Code: -

This week is NAIDOC Week in Australia (which stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee)- a week when we celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

I have several puzzles that feature Aboriginal artwork and I had planned on getting them done in time for this week, but alas, time slipped away (as usual) and I wasn't able to complete them. 

One puzzle I had already completed, however, was this wooden one from Mr Bob Puzzles, featuring the artwork of Emma Blyth. I thought this image was absolutely beautiful when I first saw it, and thought it might be relevant to the theme this week. This puzzle had several whimsy pieces like flowers, leaves, and a kangaroo within Australia, amongst others. The pieces fit together well and the quality was wonderful. 

If you haven't yet done a wooden puzzle from Mr Bob Puzzles, you should get onto it! They might be a bit pricey but they're well worth it!

Mother And Son

Brand: Mr Bob Puzzles

Pieces: 252
Size: 30cm x 38cm

Product Code: -

Tomorrow is Mother's Day so I thought this puzzle would be appropriate to commemorate the day!

I absolutely love this image-it's so cute! It was designed and illustrated by Australian artist Rebecca Cool, who has collaborated with and released quite a few puzzle designs with Mr Bob Puzzles. 

This was one of her designs that jumped out at me. 

This wooden puzzle features your usual whimsy pieces like a flower and a heart, but it also has a baby crawling and a onesie in there too. 

I haven't done a lot of wooden puzzles- I think all the ones I have done have been from this brand- but I really enjoyed the finish of this one. 

If you're celebrating Mother's Day tomorrow, I hope you have a good one!

Noongar Six Seasons Collage

 

Brand: Mr Bob Puzzles

Pieces: 40
Size: 16cm x 10cm

Product Code: -

Two days ago we had the public holiday for Australia Day (also known as Invasion Day and Survival Day). Whatever you call it, there is a lot of tension surrounding the date of January 26 nowadays. 

I want to keep this page as politically neutral as possible, so I'm not going to give my thoughts on the matter. The main point of this blog is jigsaw puzzles- so that's how it will stay!

Today's puzzle is a small wooden one from Australian company Mr Bob Puzzles, designed by Kevin Bynder. This one was part of their first mini series, but is available to purchase in a larger piece count, if you so prefer. You are also able to buy each of the six seasons (separated by colour) individually. This one was a cute little snack puzzle, which still featured a few of Mr Bob's signature whimsy pieces. 

Also, Happy National Puzzle Day (for tomorrow)! I hope you enjoy piecing together some of the beauties in your collection! 

Look After Your (NBCF Limited Ed)

Brand: Mr Bob Puzzles

Pieces: 201
Size: 39cm x 39cm

Product Code: -

I think this is a good indicator of just how far behind I am when it comes to my puzzle posting lately! 

I bought this puzzle last October from Mr Bob Puzzle, as a percentage of the funds were being donated towards the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). 

Now, a year on, I have decided to post up the image of the puzzle that I completed! I have so many puzzles that I have bought as soon as they've been released, only to complete them a ridiculous amount of time later- so sorry! 

But I have finally got this one up now, in time for this Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

The quality of this puzzle was absolutely perfect (as usual from this brand) and the image is a stark reminder that breast cancer can affect anyone, no matter your age, colour or even gender! 

This puzzle has a few whimsy pieces and, while the piece count was small, it was still a pleasure to complete.

Bunnings Warehouse 2020

Brand: Mr Bob Puzzles

Pieces: 141
Size: 40cm x 30cm

Product Code: -

I know this puzzle is titled with the year 2020, but really, not much has changed when it comes to the glorious Australian hardware store mecca that is Bunnings Warehouse. Mr Bob Puzzles released this puzzle as a limited edition and I was able to pick up a copy via Facebook Marketplace. I only really bought it for the chance to say that I have owned and completed it!

This puzzle is wooden and the quality is excellent as expected from this wonderful Australian small business. 

Mr Bob Puzzles are cut and created in Western Australia, and are produced to the highest quality standard. They feature whimsy pieces relevant to the subject matter (in this case, handyman tools) and the colours and fit are excellent. I was extremely happy to be able to get a hold of this puzzle. 

100 Aussie Icons

Brand: Mr Bob Puzzles

Pieces: 101
Size: 40cm x 30cm

Product Code:  -

It's Australia Day this week, and the public holiday will fall on a Wednesday, so I'm excited to get a mid-week day off work! 

But besides that, I think a lot of the public favour for the day has gone sour. 

While a lot of people celebrate the day, there are just as many people who are disgusted by it and have renamed it 'Invasion Day'. I personally feel for the Aboriginal people that this day has affected and would be happy for the day to be renamed or even for the date to be changed so that it has less negative connotations. 

But even though I feel this way, I couldn't let the day pass by completely unrecognised, so I have posted up a picture of a fantastic wooden puzzle that I purchased from small Australian company Mr Bob Puzzles. They design and cut all their own puzzles in Western Australia, using quality products and including whimsy pieces. 

The artworks are incredible and the overall quality is amazing. You definitely need to check out what they have on offer. This puzzle celebrates 100 Aussie Icons and is designed by artist Jim Tsinganos. It includes whimsy pieces such as the Sydney Opera House, a kangaroo, an Australia outline and much more. This would be perfect for wooden puzzle collectors or even as a souvenir of the country. 

2020: Commemorating The Hardest Year

Brand: Unknown

Pieces: 500
Size: 52cm x 38cm
Product Code:  -

Hello Lockdown 5.0!

Yes, Victoria is in lockdown once again, with Corona cases making our premier decide that a snap 5-day lockdown from last Thursday onwards will be the way to combat it! It has worked in the past and hopefully will work again but I have to say that it's getting old. Just when we start to have a bit of freedom, we have to endure this again. 

Oh well. I guess it's better than the alternative...

I decided to put this one up today because 2020 may have been the hardest year but 2021 is shaping up to be a serious rival. 

You can't really tell from the photo (somehow it looks quite clear) but this puzzle was a design disaster. I received it from the website Wish (instead of the one I had actually chosen) and so I ended up getting it for free because they refunded my money. I'm so glad they did! I would NOT have wanted to have paid for it! Although the pieces fit together well (it's a wooden puzzle), the design was soooo blurry and low quality. I usually sell on my puzzles when I complete them but there's no way I could consciously sell this to somebody else. 

That said, I still decided to complete it and above is the end result. Have you ever done a puzzle that had such a poor print job that you decided to chuck it in?  Next week, once lockdown (hopefully) ends, I will put up a photo of a much better puzzle!

The Collector's Cupboard

Brand: Wentworth Wooden Puzzles

Pieces: 500

Size: 51cm x 36cm
Product Code: 840313

What can I say? I'm an addict. 

I have so many puzzles waiting on the sidelines to be done- the entire top shelf of a built-in-wardrobe and piles all over the floor. They are just the ones I haven't done! And I have to try and reduce the amount before bub arrives because who knows how much I'll be able to get done after that? But I still find myself looking at (and maybe buying) more designs. I'm a shocker! I'd like to say that the above puzzle is mine but this is one I actually borrrowed from my brother-in-law. Yes, even though I have so many options of my own, I still borrow other people's puzzles to complete! 

But how cool is it? Can you honestly blame me? The above puzzle is from Wentworth Wooden Puzzles and yes, every piece is laser cut from wood. These are not your traditionally shaped pieces- every piece is unique and the design contains many whimsy pieces of various designs. I suppose they took their themes from the design (Collector's Cupboard) because the whimsy pieces were of everything from buttons to cats to cars- very cool. 

I have included some extra pictures below to illustrate how unusual this puzzle was to do:

Anyway, I'm very glad I was given the opportunity to try this puzzle- the quality was fantastic and the design was chaotic (in a good way) and very entertaining. You'd think you'd seen the whole design and then a new aspect would jump out at you that you hadn't seen previously. 

If you ever have the chance to do one of these, I say go for it!

The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

Brand: Wentworth Wooden Puzzles
Pieces: 40
Size: 12.5cm x 8.7cm
Product Code:  740404

I haven't really done many wooden puzzles- they're a lot rarer and a lot more expensive to get a hold of. But a while ago, I came across Wentworth Wooden Puzzles and bought two of their ''fine art' range.

I have previously put up The Scream by Edvard Munch and thought that today I might put up a Vincent Van Gogh design. 

The wooden pieces in this puzzle are randomly cut- some in the recognizable shapes of a paintbrush and pallet, a bottle and a photo frame (see below). While expensive (and with smaller dimensions and piece count than I normally do), I thought it would be good to branch out and try something a little bit different. 

Bear Fairy Tale

Brand: Unknown
Pieces: 1000
Size: 75cm x 50cm
Product Code:  -

I've done a lot of jigsaw puzzles over the years. These have ranged in piece size, brand and quality- I like to shake it up rather than stick to one particular type. If I see an attractive design, I will go for, whether or not I have done something from that brand before. It's usually the design that draws me in, rather than who makes it or how long it will take to complete.

That is how I ended up doing this puzzle. 

I purchased this one from the shopping app Wish, and even though the box text is all in Chinese, I managed to work out (thanks Google Translator) that this one is called Bear Fairy Tale (or something along those lines!). I have no idea what the brand is (or much else for that matter) but I was greatly impressed by the quality. 

The pieces are cut from wood and have the alphabet printed in sections on the back to help make the puzzling process easier. The front of each piece is glossy and bright and the design is cute and well done. 

I really enjoyed doing this puzzle and will probably look at others of the same style at some point. I haven't done a wooden puzzle as big as this before so it was a nice change from putting together the usual cardboard pieces. When designs are this cute, it's great to branch out and try something a little bit different!