Puzzle #50 - White Mountain - Summer Breeze - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #50

Large, solid (mostly) pieces.  Several pieces had paper in the little pockets/slots - sloppily cut, I guess.  I think this happens with White Mountain.  Not a deal breaker but noticeable.  Also noticeable and I remember happening once before so will try to determine if it is a WM issue... there was a teensy tiny bug crawling in the puzzle dust.  Ugh.  Almost too small to see.  Made me think about how many more and in how many boxes and can it spread from box to box and what is it??  sigh.  The poster is nice but is actually a tad bit smaller than the image on the box.  MasterPieces and Buffalo Games still win on poster size, I think.  But the overall size of this puzzle is nice to work with.  It completely fills my jumbo size puzzle caddy.  Been looking forward to doing this puzzle for awhile.  Love this scene.

Taking photos to show progression and difficulty - what was the last to go together.

This puzzle was an absolute dream!!  I was a little gun shy on White Mountain after Beach Vacation was SO much fun until it became pure drudgery at the end... putting a damper on things.  This one never did that.  It was challenging, to be sure, but never frustrating.  It was such a lovely and relaxing image and had so many interesting aspects to it.  I had to sit and finish it not because I wanted to move on but because I was so enjoying myself.  Wonderful puzzle!  White Mountain pieces do tend to have small (almost insignificant) damage to pieces - bent places, top lifting off... but not bad at all.  Just not as strong as say, Ravensburger or even Cobble Hill I think.  Still, it is definitely a puzzle company I really enjoy.  And you just can't beat a good David MacLean image!

Finished on July 27, 2022

Puzzle #50 - White Mountain - Summer Breeze - 1000 pieces - David MacLean

Puzzle #42 - Ravensburger - Rig Views - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #42

I do love Ravensburger puzzles.  The pieces are nice to handle (although one from this box is already separating top from bottom) and the colors/image are clear.  However, this box is tiny and it is almost impossible to see detail.  Plus, the box doesn't show all the image because of banners across parts so then you turn to the teensy tiny image on the side of the box.  No good.  Ravensburger needs to include posters with their puzzles.  For the life of me I do not understand why they don't!  They are the 'Cadillac' of puzzles, but they really fall short on this part.

top lifting off this piece

This box is smaller overall than the 'typical' Ravensburger box... I wonder what that indicates?

Last bits were tough.  :)  Organized by color this time, not shape, because there were variations in the brown.  Puzzle was fun, not frustrating.  Again, only frustrating part is no poster!!  :D

Finished on July 15, 2022

Puzzle #42 - Ravensburger - Rig Views - 1000 pieces - Jason Taylor

Very pretty puzzle - enjoyable.  Ravensburger is good quality. 

 

Puzzle #41 - Cobble Hill - Nancy Drew - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #41 

Oh my goodness!  THIS is one of my favorite puzzles I have ever put together!  I LOVED this!  The book covers took me back.  They were an interesting mix, though, of the covers I read and some covers that Julie read.  Seeing there is also a 'Vintage Nancy Drew' that is the really old covers... And also a Hardy Boys version.  May have to do both of those as well, although THIS was the one that touched my heartstrings.  

A nice large poster was included - I do love that.

This was my first Cobble Hill puzzle - very nicely done.  Solid pieces, random cut, vivid colors (mostly) and challenging (especially at the end) but not frustrating.  This puzzle brought me so much joy!  This one I could actually see myself doing again in the future!!  Also of note - becuase it was a collage I found myself piecing it together differently than any other puzzle.  I was working on pieces of the covers and then eventually got them connected.  

Finished on June 12, 2022

Puzzle #41 - Cobble Hill - Nancy Drew - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #36 - White Mountain - Beach Vacation - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #36

Delightful!

Really enjoying this one.  Colorful and fun to put together.  Challenging but not frustrating.  That is the gold standard.  :)  A few pieces sort of fit more than one place, but not enough to cause real trouble.  I like having the poster, even if it isn't large.  Better than holding the box.  Am loving White Mountain and Springbok puzzles... love the larger size overall.

So this one went from Delightful to UGH... It was absolutely wonderful, colorful, fun right up until the end.  And then the end took SO LONG and all I wanted was to be DONE!  The sky was awful but the grasses were HORRIBLE!  Ugh.  I finally had to just sort the pieces by shape and them hammer through them.  No joy - just a determination to finish this darn thing and then do a 300 piece palate cleanser afterward.  :D  Still really LOVED the first 85% of the puzzle.  But the last 15% was pretty awful.  

It took me over 2 (not enjoyable) hours to complete it from this point...

Finished on June 2, 2022

Puzzle #36 - White Mountain - Beach Vacation - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #34 - Springbok - Palace in Paris - 1000 pieces

 Puzzle #34

After enjoying Eiffel Magic so much, I ordered a bunch of Springbok puzzles!!  This is such a great picture!  It could have been awful to put together with so much going on - but the larger pieces made it not horrible, but interesting.  The most challenging part by far was the top ceiling of gray, the stripes and the round things into the chandelier on the right.  That took the most grit to finish.  But this was a really fun puzzle.  Can't wait to do another from Springbok!  Again, just wish they had a poster.  But the box size is pretty good.  LOVE the oversize.

Finished on May 22, 2022

Puzzle #34 - Springbok - Palace in Paris - 1000 pieces 

Puzzle #32 - Springbok - Eiffel Magic - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #32 - the puzzle that brought back the love of puzzles for me!!  

This was a gift from Maverick and his parents for Mother's Day and it turned out to be one of my favorite puzzles I have ever put together!  I had actually taken down my puzzle caddy and put it away after the last puzzle May 1.  I just hadn't had enjoyment with a puzzle for most of April and felt it had run its course.  Then Mav gave me this beautiful puzzle and I knew I wanted to put it together right away.  What a wonderful gift in so many ways!!

I LOVE the large size pieces that are thick and colored well.  Distinct.  It was such a pretty picture and great fun to put together.  Felt so good to really enjoy a 1000 piece puzzle again.  I know the larger pieces really made a difference in my enjoyment level.  It does have the crazy shaped pieces - which means even figuring out edges isn't totally simple.  But unlike Bits & Pieces puzzles, the crazy shapes aren't annoying.  For the most part they don't put pieces at a funny angle that is hard to look at and place.  They are just cut uniquely, but still in a way that makes sense (to my brain, anyway).   

There was certainly challenge (streets, brown/gray buildings) but there were lovely fun places to work with first (car, blue building, purple awning, even the Eiffel tower).  SO enjoyable!  I am sold on Springbok!  And to think I had studiously avoided them up till now!  Taught me a thing or two! The only downside is no poster included, but the box photo is decently sized.

Finished on May 17, 2021

Puzzle #32 - Springbok - Eiffel Magic - 1000 pieces

So glad to be back to enjoying puzzling!