About my ratings

Perhaps because of my day job, I'm a tough rater. Everything 3/5 and above I consider worth the time and money. If I purchase on Etsy or a similar platform and the puzzle is as expected, I will give a top rating on the platform because of how seller ratings work, but here "as expected" is probably a 3/5 in most cases.

Monday, September 30, 2019

No Swim Zone

Stave, 100 pieces.  A nice Teaser with a bunch of fish to put together.  6/10




Mel's Belles, Sarah Gentry

Liberty, 546 pieces.  Nice garden-themed Liberty with some larger patterns. 3/5


a bird inside a bird

they seem to have changed the standard "lunch table" configuration, which is good

multipiece butterfly

painter at work

lion-faced sun (?) centered on a flower in the image

musical performance centered on a flower


Friday, September 27, 2019

Can You See Me?

Wentworth, 245 pieces. This colorful puzzle was well suited to a difficult cut with repeating lizard shapes.  Quite enjoyable to do.  3/5



Thursday, September 26, 2019

Fairy Magic

BCB Puzzles, 250 pieces.  A very nicely done puzzle with limited but vibrant colors and just enough variation to keep assembly moving along with neither too much nor too little difficulty.  4/5



Garden of Delights (Hieronymus Bosch)

Stave, 860 pieces. There is an awful lot going on in the picture (less realist in today's terms in depicting distance, though still perspectival as between background and foreground) for added difficulty. Some of the whimsies echo figures in the puzzle, including a figure apparently wearing a hat and clutching a giant strawberry. There are a number of whimsies interacting sexually, which actually works fine for the puzzle theme, and a rebus that may well be sexually themed.  7/10


feet of a couple presumably having intercourse

figures riding animals

couple having standing intercourse

couple engaged in gymnastics?


rebus (reversed)

Lady Godiva?

priapic man grabbing woman's behind

floating couple

man performing oral sex on standing figure


figure clutching a gigantic strawberry

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Bokuyo Forest Diptych

Artifact, 689 pieces.  This one was very difficult because it's mostly green.  The diptych feature was neat because of the connector pieces cleverly inserted between the two panels. Some cute little animal whimsies as well. The very large multipiece trees were another highlight, with very different shapes than the standard pieces and connectors.  4/5


hiker


closeup on one very multipiece tree

closeup on the other multipiece tree with woodpecker

family of deer
 
bear and baby bear

woodsman (below L) and bear about to grab a fish (upper R)


Tropical Punch, Candy Thun

Stave, 50 pieces. The first Teaser I ever did!  It amazed me and pushed me further down the path of loving wood puzzles.  7/10 (Two swords only but nostalgia value)



Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Alfredo Arreguin, From Here to Eternity

Wentworth, 500 pieces. Complex picture with plenty of difficulty. Lots of bird whimsies; I liked the peacock whimsies best (fitting the puzzle theme).  3/5




Flower Decor

Stave, 470 pieces.  This one was hard!  Lots of blurry color and irregular edges, plus the usual whimsies (including a rebus) and some personalization. A couple of animals mating in the whimsies.  8/10


mating rabbits and pigs

kissing ducks

bride and groom (possibly salacious given bride's belly and groom's trousers)

multipiece horse


rebus