MikesAPuzzler, Author at Puzzling For Fun

Spooky Tooth Puzzle from SunsOut

This Spooky Tooth puzzle from SunsOut was the first puzzle we grabbed as we began our journey through the Puzzled Fun and Games store at The Island in Pigeon Forge, TN. I knew the store would be dangerous from 200 feet away. Dangerous in a very, very good way. This puzzle caught both of our attention as the cat reminded us of our sweet Macey, a fiery tortoiseshell cat that would not hesitate to jump on a classic car sitting in a field. Or anything else for that matter.

Difficulty Rewarded

There are definitely some places in this Spooky Tooth puzzle from SunsOut that posed a challenge. In fact, very little about it was easy. The grass pieces all looked the same. The chrome was similar. The trees and sky? Oh my! Thankfully the cars were each a different color! I can’t imagine if they’d all been painted black!

SUNSOUT INC – Spooky Tooth – 1000 pc Jigsaw Puzzle by Artist: Richard Courtney – Finished Size 20″ x 27″ Halloween – MPN# 61668

The Last Piece

This puzzle did not include a poster. However, the box is pretty large and the picture on it is nice and clear. 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.

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

Heirloom Pumpkins Puzzle from Galison

This was one of the first puzzles we put together. I’m not sure how we made it through it. This Heirloom Pumpkins puzzle from Galison was not an easy puzzle to complete. So many of the pumpkins were similar in color. And texture. It was a challenge. I bought this puzzle because my wife loves pumpkins. Our efforts were rewarded because we both loved the final result.

Stems For The Win

Easy identifiable objects in a puzzle can make it a bit easier to assemble. The pumpkins themselves are very similar, so it was kind of hard to try and separate the pieces by color. But the stems seemed different enough (specially when using a magnifying glass) that they became our starting points. This Heirloom Pumpkins puzzle from Galison was a great challenge with a rewarding finish.

Galison Heirloom Pumpkins Puzzle, 1000 Pieces, 27” x 20” – Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle Featuring Stunning and Colorful Artwork – Thick, Sturdy Pieces, Challenging Family Activity

The Last Piece

This puzzle included a small but high-quality poster. You’ll need it. And if you’re like us you’ll make a lot of use of a magnifying glass. 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 a quality puzzle that brings hours of 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

Turkey In The Straw Puzzle from Buffalo Games

We needed a break. A break from the huge, tougher puzzles we’d been doing. Oh don’t get me wrong, we love doing puzzles that takes us several days. We love the challenge. But we just wanted something smaller and quicker. But still nice. So we put together this Turkey In The Straw puzzle from Buffalo Games. Another work by Charles Wysocki, and we so enjoyed this puzzle. We’ve found ourselves loving Mr. Wysocki’s art more and more.

The Right Size For A Few Hours Of Fun

This wasn’t a huge puzzle. It was the perfect puzzle for a Saturday afternoon. Sorting the pieces was pretty straightforward. The colors were great. We loved the picture in this Turkey In The Straw puzzle from Buffalo Games. It’s one of those puzzles you just feel warm looking at. From start to finish.

Buffalo Games – Charles Wysocki – Turkey in The Straw – 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults -Challenging Puzzle Perfect for Game Nights – Finished Size is 21.25 x 15.00

The Last Piece

This puzzle includes a poster that is frameable by itself. There are 500 pieces in this puzzle. The assembled puzzle is about 21″ wide and 15″ high. The pieces fit very well and the image quality on the pieces is fantastic. The colors were great and the pieces are thick and cut perfectly. This is a quality puzzle that brings a few hours of 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

Treasures Puzzle from We Care

We picked up this Treasures Puzzle from We Care in an antique mall in Kokomo, Indiana. It’s an older puzzle but it had never been opened. The artwork was appealing. From the box we could tell it was originally sold to support a local charity, We Care. The artwork was done by Mike Sears, a prolific artist that started in Kokomo and later ended up in Silver Dollar City. He has done a number of charity pieces, like this one. His story is fascinating and worth the read.

A Challenging Joy

This Treasures Puzzle from We Care was definitely not without its challenges. To begin with, the pieces are thick and fit pretty tightly. That’s not a bad thing, but when you get one wrong, you’re going to work for it. It takes a bit of finagling to get that piece back out. The trees and parts of the grassy areas were definitely more difficult. But, boy, was it great to put in that last piece and enjoy the final result!

ALL4JIG 2000 Piece Rotating Puzzle Board with Drawers and Cover,29.7″x41.3″Portable Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle Table for Adults Portable,Lazy Susan Spinning Puzzle Boards Birthday Gift for mom

One Kind of Piece

Once you’re past the edges, there’s actually only one shape of piece in this puzzle from LEGO. Each piece has two tabs on the ends, and two sockets (blanks or holes, whatever you like to call them!) in the middle. They are either placed vertically or horizontally. But don’t think that makes it easier. Get that thought out of your head right now. Some of the colors are very similar. It’s a challenge!

The Last Piece

This 1000 piece puzzle did not include a poster, however this puzzle is quite old so it’s not surprising. The assembled puzzle is about 25″ wide and 20″ high. The pieces are thick. And they’re even more stubborn to take apart if you have a piece wrong.

See More Nature- and Scenery-Themed Puzzles

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

Cookies and Cocoa Puzzle from Buffalo Games

Sometimes, it seems we can finish a puzzle from artist Aimee Stewart in the blink of an eye. Not that we’re in a hurry mind you. And it’s not that her puzzles are particularly easy. No, it’s more a matter of us getting in the ‘puzzle zone’. That’s when pieces just seem to fall into place. Well, that didn’t happen with this Cookies and Cocoa puzzle from Buffalo Games. Aimee Stewart got us on this one. We were definitely not in the ‘puzzle zone’. There were challenges to be found everywhere. Lots of patterns. Lots of colors. And a lot of little detail. It’s a great challenge and truly an enjoyable one!

The Fox

We didn’t find out until after we’d completed a few of Aimee Stewart’s puzzles that she often includes a fox in her art. Sometimes the fox is kind of hidden. Sometimes it’s not. Like in this Cookies and Cocoa puzzle from Buffalo games. There’s no missing the fox for sure!

Buffalo Games – Aimee Stewart – Cookies and Cocoa – 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults Challenging Puzzle Perfect for Game Nights – 1000 Piece Finished Size is 26.75 x 19.75, Large

Vintage Cards

There’s a lot of really neat stuff in this puzzle. Great old Christmas cards for starters. Old plates. Mittens too! And sweets and treats that we remember from our childhoods. It’s another wonderful puzzle by one of our favorite artists.

The Last Piece

This 1000 piece puzzle included a poster and is around 27″ wide and 20″ high when assembled. The pieces fit very well and the image quality on the pieces is good. The colors were great and the pieces are cut perfectly. The completed puzzle is a joy to sit back and look at. You’ll find many vintage pictures, recipes and Christmas cards.

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

Terrie’s Fall Festival Puzzle from Bits and Pieces

I can’t pass up a free or just inexpensive puzzle. New or used. Missing one piece or not. Especially if that puzzle contains pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins. Terrie’s Fall Festival puzzle from Bits and Pieces delivers on the pumpkins and fall colors. This was a very fun puzzle to assemble and one to enjoy for long after it was done. It wasn’t a very difficult puzzle, but it was still an enjoyable challenge.

Fun Picture. Fun Pieces.

The pieces in Terri’s Fall Festival puzzle from Bits and Pieces are ‘random cut’. That means most are unique. Not two pieces are cut the same. If you zoom in on the picture you can see some of the great cuts. They make the puzzle a bit more fun, I think.

I couldn’t find this puzzle online. It is an older puzzle for sure. But I did see that Bits and Pieces makes other fall-inspired puzzles, like the one below!

Bits and Pieces – Large 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults – ‘Bountiful Meadows Farm’ by Artist Thomas Wood, Completed Puzzle Size: 18″ x 24″

The Last Piece

This puzzle contains 500 pieces. The final puzzle is about 24″ wide and 18″ high. The pieces are large and thick and fit really well. It’s pretty much impossible to put a piece into the wrong spot with the way the pieces are cut. The image is crisp and bright and the colors are fantastic. Our puzzle did not include a poster, but it was used so perhaps the original did come with one.

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

Confection Street Puzzle from Buffalo Games

We can always count on a Charles Wysocki puzzle to cheer us up and provide us with hours of fun. And to challenge us, too. The Confection Street puzzle from Buffalo Games was another real joy to assemble. The storefronts, the wagons, the people and balloons were great fun. And really fairly easy to put together. Then came the trees and the sky. I think if this had been a 500 piece puzzle the trees wouldn’t have posed such a challenge. But at 1000 pieces, the details are smaller and it took a bit of time to complete them. That’s okay. We’re not in a race here.

Thoughts On Used Puzzles

We got this Confection Street puzzle from Buffalo Games at an antique mall south of Indianapolis for $1. It had definitely been assembled before. The box was worn and the folds in the poster showed age. We’ve had great ‘luck’ buying used puzzles. So far I think we’ve only run into one that had a missing piece where it wasn’t indicated on the box that it was gone. One thing that we always look for is that the pieces be in a sealed bag. Hopefully, that means it’s less likely that someone opened the box and a piece fell out only to not be replaced. It also means someone spent the time (and money) getting a bag out, taking the puzzle apart, and putting the pieces into a bag and sealing it. I wouldn’t think you’d go through all that trouble normally for a puzzle if it was missing pieces. At least I hope you wouldn’t!

Buffalo Games – Silver Select – Charles Wysocki – Charles Wysocki – Confection Street – 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle For Adults -Challenging Puzzle Perfect for Game Nights – Finished Size is 26.75 x 19.75

The Last Piece

This is a 1000 piece puzzle. It includes a very colorful poster that is nice and large. The assembled puzzle is about 27″ wide and 20″ high. The pieces are fairly thick and fit fairly well. The image quality on the pieces is very good. The colors were great and bright. This puzzle was fun to assemble and even more fun to sit back and enjoy.

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 Crab Shack Puzzle from White Mountain

We’ve assembled our share of busy puzzles. The ones where there are objects everywhere. Some more obvious than others. The Crab Shack puzzle from White Mountain has to be one of the best. The seaside setting is littered (in a nice way) with all sorts of great, interesting objects. Lots of them. It’s a whimsically fun place full of color. We often say we are ‘working on a puzzle’, but putting this one together was definitely not ‘work’!

White Mountain Puzzles The Crab Shack, 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

A Work of Art

The imagery in The Crab Shack by White Mountain is really well done. It’s one of the best quality puzzles we’ve done. Sometimes you find things that don’t look quite right in a puzzle. Maybe an object that doesn’t quite fit. Or maybe it’s not the right size. Something about it. Not in this puzzle. Everything is drawn perfectly. It is a puzzle worthy of framing.

There are some very challenging spots in this puzzle. Not just one or two. Quite a few in fact. This puzzle brought hours of challenging enjoyment and the final result was something to relish.

The Last Piece

This puzzle contains 1000 pieces. The final puzzle is about 24″ high and 30″ wide. The pieces are nice and large and thick and fit really well. The image is crisp and bright and the colors are absolutely fantastic. A poster is included that is clear and easy to work from. 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

Birdwatching Fun Puzzle from Buffalo Games

We have assembled a number of puzzles from one our favorite artists, Aimee Stewart. This time, this Birdwatching Fun puzzle from Buffalo Games is from Lars Stewart, Aimee’s husband. What a talented pair, they are! We really loved this puzzle a lot. The great imagery. The wonderful colors. This was fun to put together and fun to enjoy when completed. For us, this is what drew us to puzzling. A good relaxing time when a wonderful result.

Buffalo Games – Lars Stewart – Birdwatching Fun – 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults -Challenging Puzzle Perfect for Game Nights – Finished Size is 26.75 x 19.75

Nothing But Fun

There weren’t any really super-challenging spots in this Birdwatching Fun puzzle from Buffalo Games. We didn’t have any overly-frustrating areas, though that’s not to say we were done with it in 15 minutes either. We concentrated on the birds and window frame first. The rest of it kind of fell into place after that.

This puzzle is one of those that you keep. We often trade or donate our puzzles, but this one goes into the ‘keep’ pile for sure.

The Last Piece

This 1000 piece puzzle included a poster. The assembled puzzle is about 27″ wide and 20″ high. The pieces fit very well and the image quality on the pieces is very, very good. The colors were great and bright.

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

Breakfast Table Puzzle from White Mountain

We have a love/hate relationship with this Breakfast Table puzzle from White Mountain. We love the vintage kitchen. The pots, the stove, the fridge, the radio… everything. Except one thing. The toy truck on the floor just isn’t right. It looks like an after-thought. Like it was pasted in at the last minute because someone had some leftover clipart. We feel the puzzle would’ve been great without it. But, fortunately, it’s small enough that it really didn’t detract from us enjoying the final result.

Puzzling The Day Away

This Breakfast Table puzzle from White Mountain is just one of those puzzles you can work on all thru the day without realizing the time has passed. It was fun to do and fun to look at when completed. That’s not to say that there weren’t challenges. The cabinets are similar throughout, making the green pieces a bit tough to place. Same with the flooring and wall paper. Most of the rest of the puzzle was fairly easy but still quite fun.

White Mountain Puzzles Breakfast Table, 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

The Last Piece

This 1000 piece puzzle included a poster. The assembled puzzle is about 30″ wide and 24″ high. The pieces fit fairly well and the image quality on the pieces is good. The pieces are cut into really interesting sizes and angles, making them rather fun to put together. And it’s almost impossible to put a piece into the wrong place. The colors were great and bright.

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