Puzzle #39 - Bits & Pieces - Painted Lady - 500 pieces

Puzzle #39 of 2023

Finished July 24, 2023

Bits & Pieces - Painted Lady - 500 pieces

Painted Lady by Joseph Holodook. 

I laugh every time that I pull out a Bits & Pieces puzzle now.  Oh, how I hated these with a white hot passion when I first started puzzling.  Now I actually mostly enjoy them.  :)  They still make my brain work harder with everything at angles and not a linear thing in sight... but I like them. And I can do them now.  I figure it is good for my brain to throw these in every little bit.  I don't like the lack of poster, but at least the box image shows the whole image completely.  No blocking of image and no loss on the edges.  So that helps.  I like this image and think I'll like this puzzle.  There is no puzzle dust with Bits & Pieces puzzles.

Basically no puzzle dust.  Nice sized pieces (slightly oversized).  Colors and images good on pieces.  The angles do get to me.  I don't know why my brain struggles so much with that kind of thing but these puzzles are more challenging for me than 'normal' 500 piece puzzles.  I enjoy it at this size.  Don't think I want one in 1000 pieces (yet anyway).  

I did laugh that when I finally got the edges corrected it became much easier!  ha!  I knew I had something wrong but hadn't realized I just needed to move a piece from the right side to the left side and that would fix it all. Once I pushed it together then whole swaths of pieces connected and I was on my way.  :)  Pleasant diversion but now ready for a non-angular, ribbon cut puzzle, I do believe.

This picture is right before I discovered the edge problem

Then here I had fixed it but still hadn't fully connected the right side all the way down.

And here I have fixed it all the way down and fully connected all those middle pieces that were giving me fits.  :)

Puzzle #39 of 2023

Finished July 24, 2023

Bits & Pieces - Painted Lady - 500 pieces

Puzzle #38 - Eurographics - The Potting Shed - 500 pieces

Puzzle #38 of 2023

Finished July 22, 2023

Eurographics - The Potting Shed - 500 pieces

Started a new puzzle.  Eurographics.  I hated that one I did way back at the beginning so much.  So haven’t done anymore by this company.  This one is nicer.  Good pieces - thickness, size (oversized) and color/definition. They fit together so much better, too.  However, the lack of a poster is still infuriating.  And they cover part of that tiny picture on the box, even.  And the edges go off the side and down under the white border so you can’t even really see it.  I don’t get why puzzle companies do this.  A poster is not hard and would generate so much goodwill.  Weird.  So, while I like this puzzle better than the last Eurographics, I am still not overly impressed.

Definitely a better experience than the 1000 piece Cabin one I did in 2022...  But I cannot stand having to look at a tiny box and especially when that tiny box has parts of the image obscured by other insignia or parts of the image not even there! (edges)  Infuriating.  So no.  I will not be getting anymore Eurographics puzzles.  I think I have one or two in my already purchased stash, but there will be no new ones coming in.  Too bad - they have a lot of puzzle images that I really like.  And the pieces are sturdy.  But I just can't do the tiny box picture again.  Not fun.

Puzzle #38 of 2023

Finished July 22, 2023

Eurographics - The Potting Shed - 500 pieces

Puzzle #37 - Masterpieces - Travel Diary Parisian Charm - 550 pieces

Puzzle #37 of 2023

Finished July 19, 2023

Masterpieces - Travel Diary Parisian Charm - 550 pieces

Back to Masterpieces and the Travel Diary collection.  I love these!  This one is so similar to other puzzles I have done (other brands and types) so it wasn't as enjoyable as previous travel Diary ones, but I do seem to gravitate toward Paris scenes.   

I did chuckle at how familiar the Eiffel Tower pieces look now - and also the tables, chairs and tablecloths.  The same in puzzle after puzzle after puzzle.  :) 

This was another super quick puzzle - parts of two days.  More puzzle dust than Buffalo puzzles but far less than White Mountain.  Where Buffalo puzzle pieces are more uniform (although not identical) Masterpieces puzzle pieces are larger overall and have some wonky shapes.  that makes things go super fast at points because you clearly see the shape of a missing piece.  The finished puzzle is a bit larger than Buffalo 500ish puzzles, too.  

Very nice experience - again - with the Travel Diary series. Another wonderful image by David Maclean.  :)

Puzzle #37 of 2023

Finished July 19, 2023

Masterpieces - Travel Diary Parisian Charm - 550 pieces

Puzzle #36 - Buffalo Games - Charles Wysocki Bang, Boom, Bam & Pow - 500 pieces

Puzzle #36 of 2023

Finished July 17, 2023

Buffalo Games - Charles Wysocki Bang, Boom, Bam & Pow - 500 pieces

This was a fun and quick one.  I do like Buffalo Games puzzles.  The pieces are smaller but they are nice.  They are a bit higher in overall quality than Masterpieces, but I tend to put them in the same category.  This one went faster than I anticipated.  Good for July - bang, pow, pop.  :)  Basically NO puzzle dust at all!  Lovely big poster. This is a Charles Wysocki, which I always enjoy.  Did this one in one day.

LOVE that big poster!

Puzzle #36 of 2023

Finished July 17, 2023

Buffalo Games - Charles Wysocki Bang, Boom, Bam & Pow - 500 pieces

Puzzle #35 - White Mountain - Summer Porch - 1000 pieces

Puzzle #35 of 2023

Finished July 17, 2023

White Mountain - Summer Porch - 1000 pieces

This is my first puzzle 'back'.  Been awhile!  I have missed puzzling but life has just not even allowed me to set up my puzzle table again, until this night.  I thought this would be a good one to start back with - White Mountain and a clear summer theme.  Hope I really enjoy this.  I have been on verge of depressed and need a pick me up for sure.  Not anything frustrating.

I am now loving this puzzle!  It feels good to be getting back into the groove.  Very enjoyable.  Although, for White Mountain, some pieces don't fit as well.

This was a fun puzzle overall.  I do feel like some puzzles now have too many 'things' in them - clutter in a way - I am sure it is to give puzzlers things to focus on while working on sections.  I can appreciate that but it also clearly shows when a puzzle is created by an actual artist (like David Maclean) and computer generated.  Although, there is an artist name on this one... Joelle McIntyre.  So who knows.  the hardest parts were the blue ceiling and the white wood trim.  Next hardest was the yellow and white blanket draped over the chair.  Pretty puzzle and good WM pieces and overall quality.  Love the poster.

Puzzle #35 of 2023

Finished July 17, 2023

White Mountain - Summer Porch - 1000 pieces