MikesAPuzzler, Author at Puzzling For Fun

Santa’s Workshop Puzzle from Eurographics

Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas everyone! Let’s head over to the North Pole and peek in on Santa’s Workshop, a puzzle from Eurographics! Looks like toys are being made just in time for them to be delivered to boys and girls all over the world! And look! Santa’s dog is sitting nearby, watching closely as Santa puts the final touches on a toy train!

All The Same

If you zoom in on the picture of this Santa’s Workshop puzzle from Eurographics you’ll notice something about all of the non-edge pieces. Yep, that’s right. They’re all cut the same. There’s only one kind of piece in this puzzle. You might think that’d make it easier. But it does not. We often like to sort our pieces by cut style. Well, no point in doing that with this puzzle!

I couldn’t find this exact puzzle on Amazon, but there are lots of great Santa-related puzzles to be found online. We bought this puzzle used and it appears to be a little older, so I’m not surprised I can’t find it easily.

Ceaco Thomas Kinkade -Santa’s Workshop Puzzle – 1000 Pieces

The Last Piece

This puzzle contains 1000 pieces. The final puzzle is about 19″ high and 27″ wide. No poster was included but we did buy this puzzle used so perhaps the original came with one. The pieces fit fairly loosely. This puzzle was quite challenging despite the fact that all of the non-edge pieces are the same exact cut. The artwork appears to be a painting, and some pieces are difficult to place within the puzzle. It was all part of the fun! This was a great puzzle to step back and enjoy when completed!

Got questions about puzzling? Are you new to this great hobby? Check out our FAQ and guide to puzzling!

Ceaco – The Puzzle Scoop – A Lifting, Moving, Illuminating, and Magnifying Puzzle Accessory for All Puzzlers

‘Twas The Twilight Before Christmas Puzzle from Buffalo Games

Christmas is in the air! And snow is now too for that matter! It’s mighty cold here in Indiana. Perfect puzzling weather. Perfect for assembling this great ‘Twas The Twilight Before Christmas puzzle from Buffalo Games. From one of our favorite artists, Charles Wysocki, this puzzle was an absolute joy to do. We’ve done a lot of Wysocki’s works, so there are familiar objects in this puzzle. The hearts. The flag. Birds. Lots of things. Great things.

Happy Puzzling

This ‘Twas the Twilight Before Christmas puzzle from Buffalo Games made us happy. In big part that was because we always enjoy a puzzle of Charles Wysocki’s art. Always. We find them comforting. Relaxing. And it’s always so nice to stand back and admire the final work. This one didn’t take us long to do. I think that’s in part because we were ‘hungry’ for a Wysocki puzzle. We often turn to them after completing a super-hard puzzle!

Buffalo Games – 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle – Charles Wysocki TWAS’ The Twilight Before Christmas – Challenging Holiday Scene Puzzles for Families and Adults

The Last Piece

This puzzle contains 1000 pieces. The final puzzle is about 27″ wide and 20″ high. There was a nice poster included. The pieces are fit fairly well. The image is well-done and fun to look at. There are great touches throughout, from the birds to the people to the cats. This is classic Wysocki at his best.

Got questions about puzzling? Are you new to this great hobby? Check out our FAQ and guide to puzzling!

Ceaco – The Puzzle Scoop – A Lifting, Moving, Illuminating, and Magnifying Puzzle Accessory for All Puzzlers

The Potting Shed Puzzle from Eurographics

We have a fairly large shed behind our house. It’s where we keep the mower, pots, tools and stuff. It is nowhere near as organized as the one in the Potting Shed puzzle from Eurographics. Not even close. This puzzle was more fun to put together than organizing our shed could ever be. There are all sorts of neat garden things in it, many of them old. Some vintage. Kinda like our shed. And there is the obligatory cat. We no longer have a cat but we definitely have mice and a rather energetic ground squirrel living in our shed.

EuroGraphics The Potting Shed 1000pc

My Pet Peeve

We really did enjoy assembling the Potting Shed puzzle from Eurographics. But… now it’s time for one my pet peeves. This puzzle did not come with a poster, which is fine. We can work from the picture on the box. Well, sort of. You see, there were little graphics, words, that covered parts of the picture on the box. It wasn’t a big thing, but it kinda gets me going. I know people that assemble puzzles without ever looking at the picture so I got a slight feel for what that’s like. I think I’ll stay to using a picture!

The Last Piece

This puzzle contains 500 pieces. The final puzzle is about 27″ wide and 19″ high. There was no poster included and as I mentioned, a little bit of the picture on the box was obscured. The pieces are fairly big and thick and fit fairly well. The image is well-done and fun to look at.

We purchased this puzzle at Hobby Lobby but you can also find a larger version (1000 pieces) on Amazon.

Got questions about puzzling? Are you new to this great hobby? Check out our FAQ and guide to puzzling!

Ceaco – The Puzzle Scoop – A Lifting, Moving, Illuminating, and Magnifying Puzzle Accessory for All Puzzlers

Come In Red Riding Hood Puzzle from Ravensburger

You’ll find yourself saying “Grandmother, what big ears you have!” when you complete this Come In Red Riding Hood puzzle from Ravensburger. I certainly did! This is one really fun puzzle. That’s why I bought it, I loved the image on the box! The artwork is from Dean MacAdam, a famous artist. He has produced a collection of fun, whimsical works like this one, that are available as puzzles. The art is amazing. The colors are amazing. If I had room, I’d frame them all!

What Great Colors You Have!

The quality of the artwork is the star of this Come In Red Riding Hood Puzzle from Ravensburger. I really found the detail and colors to be fantastic. I cannot wait to assemble the other puzzles in this series. Dean MacAdam did a fantastic job on these! He does amazing work, make sure you check out his website!

Ravensburger Dean Macadam Come in, Red Riding Hood 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults – 12000630 – Handcrafted Tooling, Made in Germany, Every Piece Fits Together Perfectly

The Last Piece

This puzzle contains 1000 pieces. The final puzzle is about 19″ high and 27″ wide. No poster is included, though the box is large and the image easy to see. But, for a Ravensburger puzzle, we were a little disappointed in the quality. Usually we find the puzzles from Ravensburger to be of the highest quality. We found these pieces to fit rather loosely and in some cases, the top layer (where the image is) was separated or lifted up. But still the puzzle was amazing because of the fantastic artwork. The slightly poorer quality than usual pieces did not detract from our enjoyment!

Got questions about puzzling? Are you new to this great hobby? Check out our FAQ and guide to puzzling!

Ceaco – The Puzzle Scoop – A Lifting, Moving, Illuminating, and Magnifying Puzzle Accessory for All Puzzlers

Surf Shack Puzzle from Buffalo Games

The Surf Shack puzzle from Buffalo Games is one of the hardest ones we’ve ever completed. The edges were the easiest part. It got tougher, much tougher, from there. So many colors. So many pieces. Objects everywhere. Small objects. Oh yes, it was worth it, but this one took us a while to complete. But, we’re not on a schedule here. We get done when we get done and we enjoy the ride as we go.

Buffalo Games – Garry Walton – Surf Shack – 2000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults Challenging Puzzle Perfect for Game Nights – Finished Size is 38.50 x 26.50

Reuse Recycle

One thing I found interesting with the Surf Shack puzzle from Buffalo Games was that some of the objects in it are re-used in other puzzles from the manufacturer. I’m not surprised but it just caught my eye. The image in this puzzle is nicely done and is high-quality. I wouldn’t call it a ‘copy and paste’ job.

The Last Piece

This puzzle contains 2000 pieces. The final puzzle is about 27″ high and 39″ wide. A large poster, included, is a great help. The pieces are fairly small. They fit together well and it’s hard to get a piece in wrong. The image is crisp and bright. The final picture is worth the struggle with the many, many colors! Sorting this puzzle was a challenge!

Got questions about puzzling? Are you new to this great hobby? Check out our FAQ and guide to puzzling!

Ceaco – The Puzzle Scoop – A Lifting, Moving, Illuminating, and Magnifying Puzzle Accessory for All Puzzlers

Train Station Puzzle from Dowdle

We are big fans of Dowdle puzzles. The great images, colors and quality are always a joy. And we don’t have to worry about them. We know we are getting the ‘good stuff’ when we buy one. Like this Train Station puzzle. Even the box this puzzle came in is quality. It doesn’t feel cheap. The pieces were heavy, not cheap. And of course, we knew we were in for a bit of a challenge.

Fun Things.

A puzzle should be fun. You shouldn’t fear working on it. It should be an enjoyable experience from the moment you see the box art until the moment you step back and look at the finished puzzle. We certainly enjoyed this Train Station puzzle from Dowdle. All the way through. As we went, we noticed all sorts of fun little things in the puzzle. That really contributed to a great puzzle experience. We recommend that you don’t rush it. “Stop and see the puzzle” would be our motto!

Dowdle Jigsaw Puzzle – Train Station – 1000 Piece

The Last Piece

This puzzle included two greatly colored posters and a resealable bag to put the completed puzzle into. There are 1000 pieces. The assembled puzzle is about 20″ high and 27″ wide. The pieces fit very well and the image quality on the pieces is fantastic, and the colors were great. A few spots were a bit challenging for sure! This is another enjoyable puzzle from Eric Dowdle.

Got questions about puzzling? Are you new to this great hobby? Check out our FAQ and guide to puzzling!

Ceaco – The Puzzle Scoop – A Lifting, Moving, Illuminating, and Magnifying Puzzle Accessory for All Puzzlers

Noodles For Lunch Puzzle from Galison

It never fails. We make a puzzle that is food-themed and I get hungry. This time it was the Noodles for Lunch puzzle from Galison. Thirty five bowls of noodles. If that doesn’t get you hungry, nothing will. Each bowl is different. The chopsticks are different colors. And the backgrounds are different. Thankfully. Otherwise this would’ve been one seriously-tough puzzle. As it was, it wasn’t that hard. But then, it wasn’t that easy either.

A Tight Fit

I was able to pick this Noodles for Lunch puzzle from Galison up by a corner piece when we were done. The pieces fit tight and do not come apart easily. It’s hard to make mistakes putting this one together. It’s pretty obvious if you have a piece wrong. Or even try to put a piece in the wrong spot.

Is this puzzle a frameable work of art when you’re done? Probably not. But it’s a cool puzzle nonetheless and it was fun to do. And that’s the whole idea!

Noodles for Lunch 500 Piece Puzzle from Galison – Featuring 35 Colorful Images of Tasty Noodle Dishes from Southeast Asia Photographed by Troy Litten, 20″ x 20″, Fun & Challenging, Unique Gift Idea

The Last Piece

This puzzle contains 500 pieces. The final puzzle is a square that is 20″ x 20″. The pieces fit really well and are nice and thick. The images of the bowls are a little less crisp making them a bit challenging but not super-difficult. There is a poster included. This is a great challenging puzzle!

Got questions about puzzling? Are you new to this great hobby? Check out our FAQ and guide to puzzling!

Ceaco – The Puzzle Scoop – A Lifting, Moving, Illuminating, and Magnifying Puzzle Accessory for All Puzzlers

Chicken Family Puzzle from PPuzzling

Puzzling should be fun. This Chicken Family Puzzle from PPuzzling was one of the most fun puzzles we’ve ever completed. Not only is the final picture funny and so well done, but the entire puzzle is of the highest quality. The box is thick and sturdy with great colors. The pieces are packaged in a resealable bag. They are thick, fit well and have amazing imagery and color. The poster is large and as wonderfully colorful as the puzzle. This puzzle is great!

Thanksgiving Chicken Puzzles for Adults 1000 Pieces, Funny Chicken Family Jigsaw Puzzles, Colorful Winter Animal Puzzle as Home Decor

They’re Watching Us

You have to admit, the picture in the Chicken Family puzzle from PPuzzling is funny. Very funny. After we finished the edges, I started with the firework explosions and my wife worked on the eyes. The eyes are amazing. The faces are amazing. And even the feet are fun! There’s nothing about this puzzle that doesn’t make you smile.

The Last Piece

This 1000 piece puzzle included a wonderful, large poster. The assembled puzzle is square and is about 24″ wide and high. The pieces fit really well and the image quality on the pieces is very good. The puzzle picture is slightly glossy and is humorous and challenging. This puzzle is well worth the price and is definitely frame-worthy when completed.

Got questions about puzzling? Are you new to this great hobby? Check out our FAQ and guide to puzzling!

Ceaco – The Puzzle Scoop – A Lifting, Moving, Illuminating, and Magnifying Puzzle Accessory for All Puzzlers

Breakfast In Bed Puzzle from Buffalo Games

Sometimes I feel a little like a broken record when I say “We love Aimee Stewart’s puzzles”. But it’s so true. The combination of the often nostalgic images and the wonderful colors appeals to us. This Breakfast in Bed puzzle from Buffalo Games is another of Ms. Stewart’s great works. It’s not overly complex, but subtle in many ways. How can you beat a great breakfast in bed, with a book, flowers, kitties and more?

It’s Not All Avocado Toast and Kittens

There are parts of this Breakfast in Bed puzzle that were a big challenging. Actually quite a few spots were. While the image is quite colorful and crisp on the left side of the puzzle, much of the right side is softer, more subdued. The colors are more pastel. Not super hard, but that part of the puzzle took us a little longer than the rest.

Buffalo Games – Aimee Stewart – Breakfast in Bed – 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

The Last Piece

This puzzle included a poster. There are 1000 pieces in this puzzle. The assembled puzzle is about 20″ high and 27″ wide. The pieces fit very well and the image quality on the pieces is fantastic. The colors were great. This is another enjoyable puzzle from Aimee Stewart.

Got questions about puzzling? Are you new to this great hobby? Check out our FAQ and guide to puzzling!

Ceaco – The Puzzle Scoop – A Lifting, Moving, Illuminating, and Magnifying Puzzle Accessory for All Puzzlers

Disney Tsum Tsum Puzzle from Ceaco

You never know what puzzles you might find in an antique mall or flea market. Sometimes you go bust. Sometimes you find magic. I came across this Disney Tsum Tsum puzzle from Ceaco in an antique mall in El Paso, Illinois. For $2 no way was I going to pass it up. The picture looked fun. Even though I had no clue then what a Tsum Tsum is, I had to get it.

Lots of Interesting Faces

There are all sorts of wonderful characters in the Disney Tsum Tsum puzzle from Ceaco. Fortunately, though, they are all facing forward. If they’d been oriented randomly we’d still be working on this puzzle weeks after starting. The colors and the faces were all that saved us from a long time of puzzling.

This was a really fun puzzle. It is one of our all-time favorites. It is an older puzzle. I was not able to find it available new online, though I did see a few used ones on eBay. Ceaco makes a similar puzzle that is still available (below).

What’s A Tsum Tsum?

Heck I didn’t have a clue what a tsum tsum is. Well, after a little research I found that it’s a very very popular toy in Japan, mostly, but also elsewhere. Pronounced ‘(t)soom (t)soom’, the toys are highly collectible. And kinda cute, I have to admit. And they make for a great puzzle, too!

Ceaco – Disney – Photo Magic Pins – 750 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

The Last Piece

This is a 300 piece puzzle. It did not include a poster. The assembled puzzle is about 19″ wide and 19″ high. The pieces are thick, fit well and the image quality on the pieces is good. The colors were great and bright. The characters are whimsical. This puzzle was fun to assemble and was a joy to look at when completed.

Got questions about puzzling? Are you new to this great hobby? Check out our FAQ and guide to puzzling!

Ceaco – The Puzzle Scoop – A Lifting, Moving, Illuminating, and Magnifying Puzzle Accessory for All Puzzlers