Puzzle #40 - MasterPieces -Travel Diary Amsterdam - 550 pieces

Puzzle #40 

Fun puzzle - I really like the Travel Diary series.  They are all 550 pieces - so fairly quick and easy to put together.  They provide a nice, relaxing time and the image can help you daydream about traveling again.  They are sort of a puzzle equivalent to eating cotton candy... mindless, fun, but not overly taxing (or memorable).   However, they are a great way to spend a few hours puzzling. 

Finished on June 7, 2022

Puzzle #40 - MasterPieces -Travel Diary Amsterdam - 550 pieces - David MacLean

Puzzle #38 - MasterPieces Home Sweet Home Puzzler's Retreat 550 pieces

Puzzle #38 

Very fun puzzle - good image and quality of pieces.  But missing a piece in the end.  That is so deflating.  However, it was a good puzzle experience other than that.  

EDITED to say that I FOUND the missing piece!!  It was under the posterboard - so this puzzle now goes to 5 stars.  :)    

Engaging image - solid pieces, fun to put together. 

        

(I ended up finding that missing piece.)

Finished June 5, 2022

Puzzle #38 - MasterPieces Home Sweet Home Puzzler's Retreat 550 pieces - Chris Bigelow

Puzzle #31 - MasterPieces - Travel Diary Italy - 550 pieces

 Puzzle #31

THIS will be my #31 that I actually complete!!  (after TWO 'did not complete' puzzles... wow)  Comforting to be working on a puzzle that is not horribly difficult.  However, it is a bit on the easy side.  Isn't there something in between????  sigh...

This may be the last one for a bit... I seem to have lost my puzzle mo-jo.  :). I enjoyed this one though.  A good one to take a break on.  Nice pieces that fit together well, image is clear, pieces are large, and the picture is pleasant to look at.  Good puzzle.  I have genuinely enjoyed every one of the MasterPieces Travel Diary puzzles that I have put together.  

Finished May 1, 2022

Puzzle #31 - MasterPieces - Travel Diary Italian Afternoon - 550 pieces - David MacLean

Puzzle #26 - Vermont Christmas Company - Village Square - 550 pieces

Puzzle #26

So after basically determining that Vermont Christmas Company puzzles are my favorite (except for missing a poster) this one has had multiple times where pieces fit together perfectly in the wrong place.  Twice along the edge and then once in the puzzle, but along an edge which made me finally figure that section out... then go looking and sure enough, more edge pieces were wrong.  But you couldn't tell from either the fit or the image.  None of the fits are super tight... and the images were of sky or the stone bottom, so vague anyway.  Perhaps with a larger poster I could discern there were real differences in the variation of the pieces - but naked eye, box, and such a close fit and look - there is no way.  That is so frustrating.  That is NOT what makes a puzzle FUN and challenging to me.  :(  Hmmm....   Also realizing the 1000 piece Vermont Christmas Company puzzles have irregular shapes which helps with unique fit (no mistaking where a piece actually fits).   The 550 piece puzzles (like this one) are more identically cut so you can have pieces that fit multiple places.  Very frustrating.  

Written upon completion of the puzzle...

It is truly funny to me how much easier 550 piece puzzles are (overall) than 1000 pieces.  I have come so far in just a couple months of puzzling.  I did this one in one day.  I wrote more detail on the 'underway' caption describing my frustration with pieces that fit multiple places.  But I do think it is because of the way they cut the 550 pieces versus the 1000 pieces.  1000 pieces are more random cut (which I don't like when Bits & Pieces does it, but do like when VCC does it).  That means they don't fit two places.  The 550 piece puzzles are more traditional (I think they call it ribbon?) cut - even though they say they aren't.  That means that pieces can fit more than one place.  And again, without a good poster to really see small details, it is nearly impossible to get it right.  You just play around with it until all works out.  That is not challenging, that is frustrating.  However, Vermont Christmas Company puzzles are still about my favorite at this point, I think.  I will just stick to the 1000 piece puzzles from now on...

Love that David MacLean! 

Finished on March 23, 2022

Puzzle #26 - Vermont Christmas Company - Village Square- 550 pieces - David MacLean 

Puzzle #18 - Vermont Christmas Company - French Village - 550 pieces

I had put together the edges, or thought I had, then noticed it looked a bit off.  I counted and the right side had 21 pieces while the left side had 22.  I spotted where I had made my mistake.  

It actually appears more obvious (that it is not the correct piece) in the photo I took than it did in real life.  But then, my eyes are getting older and the camera 'sees' far better than me!!  :D

So then I was back on track - hadn't yet found the final edge piece, but everything fit where it should (so far).  :) 

Vermont Christmas Company has very nice puzzle pieces.  They feel good in the hand and are sturdy; a great size.  Easy to work with.  Some of the colors are a bit vague, but this puzzle overall could just be that way... the muted colors.  It is very pretty.  I enjoyed putting it together a lot.  In fact, Vermont Christmas Company puzzles are among my favorites, I believe I would have to say.  It also comes apart easily for putting away.  Better than any other puzzle.  And yet the pieces do click together and feel fairly snug.  So don't know how they manage that on both ends, but they find the good middle.  

Puzzle #18 French Village by David Maclean 550 piece Vermont Christmas Company puzzle.

Finished on March 2, 2022

Puzzle #18 - Vermont Christmas Company - French Village by David Maclean 550 pieces

Puzzle #14 - Masterpieces - Travel Diary San Francisco - 550 pieces

This was so enjoyable.  I have really liked all the MasterPieces puzzles I have put together.  They are shorter to solve (550 pieces, mostly) and have vivid images.  And I love the destinations... dreaming of travel.  :)  This was challenging enough because of the similarity of colors in road, lights, trolleys and even sunset.  But not frustrating.  A very good puzzle experience.  (A glass of Maddalena Pinot Grigio paired with it well.)  :D

Finished on February 15, 2022

Puzzle #14 - MasterPieces Travel Diary - San Francisco - 550 pieces

Puzzle #11 - Masterpieces - Heartland Collection Fireworks Finale - 550 pieces

This was a very fun puzzle to put together.  It was complex but not frustrating and had lots of interesting parts.  The pieces snapped together fairly well and were in mostly good shape.  Could make out the print on them, too.  

This puzzle makes me think of Jackson - his favorite holiday has always been the 4th of July - even choosing to get married in July so they could set off fireworks at the reception.  :)  And I always appreciate when there is a poster included for close viewing.  Will have to pull this one back out in July!

Finished on January 31, 2022

Puzzle #11 - MasterPieces - Heartland Collection - Fireworks Finale - 550 piece puzzle.

Puzzle #9 - Masterpieces - Travel Diary Barcelona - 550 pieces

This was the puzzle that I completed while we were (finally!) getting out of covid quarantine!  But by this point, I was totally hooked on jigsaw puzzles.  :)  I knew that even though we were returning to our 'regular' lives, I would continue putting together puzzles.  

This was my first MasterPieces puzzle and the first of their Travel Diary series.  This one was of Barcelona.  Truly, on a cold winter day, imagining travel to Spain is a very good thing.  :) 

Some of the pieces 'fit' more than one place.  But not bad and not detracting from the fun overall.  Nice scene.  9th puzzle - a real challenge, especially at the end!  I was realizing at this point how much I love having a poster included with a puzzle.  So much easier to hold and look at than the box.    

Finished on January 28, 2022

Puzzle #9 - Masterpieces  - Travel Diary Barcelona - 550 pieces

Puzzle #8 - Vermont Christmas Company - Biking Through Italy - 550 pieces

I remember this puzzle felt like a turning point of some kind.  I was ready to really seek out new puzzles and felt like I had a feel for what I liked (and didn't like).  This was my first puzzle from Vermont Christmas Company and definitely made me a stalwart fan.  This was also my first puzzle by artist David Maclean.  And while I didn't realize it then, he would absolutely become one of my very favorite puzzle artists - no matter the brand!

It was a 550 piece puzzle and was harder than I expected it to be.  The colors and print were quite vague so it was hard to tell what was what.  However, it was enjoyable - not frustrating like that Bits & Pieces puzzle had been.  It felt like a good challenge - and was very fun.  I even sent a photo of the completed puzzle to my friend, Donna... the bikes reminded me of her.  :)

Finished on January 26, 2022

Puzzle #8 - Vermont Christmas Company Biking Through Italy - 550 piece puzzle - David Maclean