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.

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Noah's Ark, Peter Barrett

 Wentworth, 250 pieces. Cute image and nice animal whimsies. 3/5




Klimt mystery puzzle

 Puzzle Michèle Wilson, 80 pieces. Doing these on felt is so much easier, and 80 pieces wasn't too much push-fit, though I wouldn't have done this if not for the other puzzle in the Hoefnagel pack. 3/5




Amethyst

 Stave, 335 pieces. Beautiful colors and surprisingly easy assembly given the repeating color patterns. 7/10






when I flipped a few very similar pieces fell out and I didn't replace well




Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Audrey

 Waterford, 470 pieces. Seven years ago, we went to a pet adoption event. My daughter locked eyes with a grumpy cat older than she was and I knew we were done. (Then I turned around and saw my husband holding a kitten up like he was in The Lion King and I knew we were getting two cats.) Audrey and my daughter love each other very much; Audrey doesn't like anyone else (no comment on my daughter). We commissioned this artwork because she is getting on in years, and Waterford made an incredible puzzle based on it, with a lot of challenging bits. 10/10 heirloom




secret extra edge row



this third one was just cruel!


special whimsy for image

Audrey wasn't as impressed
Bonus: another commissioned image with both cats:


Oriental Gate

 Stave, 520 pieces. I am so excited about Stave's new rental program! I started with two beautiful images. Lots of negative space for challenge. 7/10





I have a theory, not sure it's corect


The Fool's Journey

 Liberty Special Edition, no piece count given (300s maybe?). This is a special design that is quite challenging, with connectors that pick up on the image theme, which works really well--nice to see Liberty experimenting with special connectors. 4/5












Thursday, August 24, 2023

Old Surrey Farm

 Elms, 1050 pieces. I generally wouldn't choose images like this for myself, but they do make for really rewarding assembly as an image emerges from the colors; the final result looks so different from the unassembled pieces because of the effect of continuing a color across a larger space (or varying it). 7/10

cow with collar created by cut




multipiece ladder to tree

interacting birds

plowman and horse

I just liked this one whimsy


Peacocks

 Stave, 625 pieces. A beautiful image and a fun assembly. 8/10


















Fan + C T + ale = fancy tail