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, January 19, 2026

Coastal Landscape with Blooming Lilac Bush, Thorolf Holmboc

 Liberty, 481 pieces. Really fun whimsies, including an elaborate tree design and what might be my personal favorite, a parent/child pair reading together. 4/5




adult and child reading together: love it!





Jasamine Becket-Griffith, Alice in a Klimt Dream

 BCB Puzzles, 150 pieces. Small and colorful! 3/5





Celtic Cat

 Stave, 390 pieces. Feline fun with lots of repeating image elements for difficulty. 6/10




tug of war

kitty crown

two clover

two more

sunflower

another

scissor cat

C+hit+ink pear+tea: sitting pretty



Monday, January 12, 2026

Meditative Lines, Eduard-ArtBeat Studios

 Wentworth, 272 pieces. This extra difficult cut was a little less fun than the previous one because the nature of the repeating cut created a lattice that made the six-pointed pieces push-fit/made them mostly useful to fit in once the lattice was constructed. 3/5





The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali (BART)

 BART, 405 pieces. The change in visual textures probably makes this easier than a straight reproduction of the image would have. The whimsies are often outsized in comparison to the non-whimsy pieces, but are interestingly themed by the image/Dali. 3/5






Castle Neuschwanstein, ALIMDI.NET, Josef Beck

 Liberty, 641 pieces. I don't think I've encountered this Liberty cut style before; the whimsy style suggests an early period. A fun change! 4/5





closeup on one of the sequences


Friday, January 9, 2026

Petals of Colour, Sarah Cunningham

 Wentworth, 252 pieces. Extra-difficult cut--fun because despite the color repetition there was almost always clarity about what went where. 3/5