Thursday 11 January 2018

Jigsaw puzzles!

I'm in a jigsaw puzzling mood at the moment, part of the reason that I'm not reading as much if I'm honest. Once the jigsaw puzzle mood strikes it's very hard to resist I find. So anyway, I thought I'd post a few pics of the ones I've been doing over the past couple of months as I know there are others who visit my blog who also enjoy the odd jigsaw. Click on the pics for a bigger view of them.

First up, Cats in a Toyshop, 1000 pieces, artist Linda Jane Smith... there are loads in the series, all fun to do:



Next, a sweet 500 piece one from W.H. Smith:



Next, Stag Party, 1000 pieces from The House of Puzzles. I love doing their puzzles as the pieces are unusually shaped.



Next, a Christmas puzzle... another one by The House of Puzzles. I've forgotten the title but as you can see it's all old fashioned Victorian or Edwardian Christmas cards:



Next, the one I've been doing for the past fortnight. 'Jaguar', 2000 pieces by Clementoni. Quite a challenge but thoroughly enjoyable to do:



And new purchase, not attempted yet. Saw this in a charity shop last week and even though it's 4000 pieces and my new board is not big enough to take it, I just couldn't leave it behind.



And lastly a pic of the one I've just started, Ravensburger, 1500 pieces, Neushwanstein Castle, in Germany. Another challenge...


~~~oOo~~~

14 comments:

DesLily said...

Fabulous!!

Kay said...

I am not a puzzler at all, but those you've completed and will complete are amazing! Especially love the one set in Germany. A fairy tale castle!

Nan said...

My 'puzzling' time is usually in the evening if I'm quite tired, or stressed. I put on a streaming jazz station and do my computer puzzle. I might stay at it for a couple hours, but usually it is less than an hour. The puzzle and the music clear my head of any thoughts. Very good for me. A bit like a meditation.

Jeane said...

That jaguar one is stunning.

Kailana said...

Lovely puzzles! Not sure if you like Disney and Thomas Kinkade, but the paintings he did that were turned into puzzles are awesome. I have a few. :)

Penny O'Neill said...

Oh, this are wonderful - and now I have a yen to work on a jigsaw puzzle. Happy New Year to you!

Cath said...

Pat: Thanks, Sis!

Kay: Thank you. Yes, very much a fairy tale castle... a scene that's been on more jigsaws that anywhere else I suspect.

Nan: I do computer puzzles too, last thing at night. I use the Jigidi site where there are thousands of puzzles, plus you can turn pics of your own into puzzles.

Jeane: I agree and the one was hugely enjoyable to do.

Kelly: I'm not so keen on Disney but I do love a Kinkade puzzle and have done quite a few. Always on the look out for more in charity shops.

Penny: If you decide to do a puzzle I hope you'll post a photo. Happy New Year to you too.

BooksPlease said...

Oh, fantastic puzzles - you have been busy. I've got a couple of jigsaws in progress at the moment. One is very hard - and I've been doing it on and off for most of last year. It's one my nephew had made from a photo he took of us and his children - so much detail!

Anyway yours are all great. I love that jaguar one and the Christmas cards ones are porobably my favourites. Such satisfaction both doing them and finishing them.

Val said...

Gosh you have been busy ....I especially love the deer, the postcards and the castle ..which I have a feeling my husband visited during a visit to Germany long ago!

I've been cross wording (online & not hard or cryptic) to relax ..it seems my brain needs to be engaged enough with something to let go of worries it doesn't want to release otherwise and suduko and puzzles can do the trick (when the wind is in the right direction of course ....I just have to relax and not worry that I can't do the hard ones lol)

Anonymous said...

That’s a wide variety of pictures and puzzle sizes!

I stick to 1000 as that’s all my board will cope with!

Judith said...

Hi Cath,
Oh, how I wish I could get my hands on the Christmas Cards puzzle--lucky you! Ken and I used to love to do jigsaw puzzles in the winter months, and then I'm sorry to say, came along much, much better television and our new lives as tennis TV fans. Something important was lost there. You've given me inspiration to seek out a WORTHY jigsaw for us to play with.
How is your winter faring??
Best,
Judith

Cath said...

Margaret: I think this lot have been done over the past few months, possibly longer. It doesn't half affect your reading though. Mind I never have much time to read over the Christmas period anyway and being ill didn't help.

How lovely to be doing one of your family! Quite tricky though I suspect. I too love the jaguar and Christmas cards, both were delightful to do.

Val: I must admit I'd love to go to that castle like your husabnd. Almost finished that one and have enjoyed it so much I bought another scene of the same castle with an Amazon gift token.

I think crosswords, sudoku, puzzles... anything of the ilk... are brilliant for taking your mind off worries and annoyances. Good for your brain too.

Jo: I do a *lot* of 1000 piece puzzles too. Mainly because that seems to be the generic size that manufacturers produce most of. I prefer larger if I'm honest as they're more of a challenge, but am seriously not too fussed.

Judith: I really wish someone would invent a Star Trek type transporter so we could send things like books & jigsaws off to friends abroad. I like a lot of American puzzles I see on a jigsaw puzzler's FB page but when I look on Amazon they want huge prices for them and a massive amount of postage to send to the UK. I think hobbies come and go. I used to do a massive amount of knitting and cross-stitch but no longer do any. As you say, something is lost *but* there are only 24 hours in a day so...

Doing ok thanks. Had a nasty cold bug thing over Christmas, my husband had it really badly and is only now starting to feel properly recovered. To be honest we're hibernating a bit this winter. Been hearing about your snow over there, stay safe and warm.

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

Hi Cath,

I hope that you have both managed to shake off your bugs now and are looking forward to spring. So far and touching wood, we have both managed to escape with barely a cold between us this year, but I have probably gone and jinxed that now!

I still try to fit in my knitting and crocheting for charity when I can and I always have a jigsaw started on my board, although they can sit there for many weeks before being finished. Blogging is by far and away the most time consuming of my hobbies, so much so, that even reading is starting to take a back seat to it.

Most of my jigsaws come from charity shops, although I usually tend to stick to HOP, Ravensburger or Gibson, as they are by far and away the best quality.

The 'Jaguar' is amazing and the most beautiful. 'Stag Party' is so serene and calming. However the one I would opt to do from your selection, would be the Christmas cards and I aim to try and track down a copy. I really like the imagery detail and colour variance in this style of jigsaw.

Thanks for sharing, take care and happy puzzling :)

Yvonne

Cath said...

Yvonne: Yes, thank you, we're both very much better now. Hoping to keep any more nasties a bay. I do hope that you both manage to stay healthy.

The trouble is, people like us have so many hobbies that it's hard to fit them all in. I seem to want to do jigsaws at the moment, but as the light fails at around four in the afternoon, I then move on to reading. Plus, the winter evening TV schedules are not that bright so we tend to switch off and read quite a bit. Most of my puzzles are secondhand too, either from the library in Budleigh Salterton or like you, charity shops. I do buy the occasional new one, I had an Amazon token given to me at Christmas so treated myself to a couple of beauties.

I agree, the Jaguar is lovely, even I was surpsied at just how gorgeous that looks finished. I put it up as my twitter and FB cover image and it looks quite nice. The Christmas cards one was a gift from my daughter, she has excellent taste in puzzles.

Hope you're having a good weekend.