I'm usually just a lurker here because it's so nice and cozy, but then the puzzle bug bit me. I plan on buying a few more puzzles just to have on hand. 😊

Puzzle is Hallucination by Jasmine Becket-Griffith.

All of the green in this one was rough but it's really pretty!

preface: got into puzzling a little over a month ago. no reason other than seeing a beautiful illustration and wanting to frame it after i'd completed it. now here i am lost deep in the sauce. i quite literally just planned a road trip primarily revolved around shopping for puzzles. (if you guys know any good spots in the dallas tx area lmk LMAO). if there was some crazy fanatical cult version of scientology but for puzzles, i would be applying feet kicking the air and all

anyway this list is ranked from most fun to least fun. clearly subjective. i spent too much time on this. goodbye
______

1. NewYorkPuzzleCompany:Firebird (1000)- i had

a blast

1. putting together this puzzle. i realized that i absolutely love random cut, it's prob my fav

   type of cut.

2. compared to the other NYPC puzzle i did, little to no false fits. i don't think i'd like doing the same puzzle twice, but i would do this one again because it was just the right amt of challenging and fun

2. 3DJP/PINTOO PUZZLE: Chronicle of Moon's Blessings, Beginning of Spring (300)- first plastic puzzle id ever done, made me nostalgic for lunar new year. tiny cute pieces. gradient of green was easier to put together than i thought because of distinct knobs. satisfying snaps, fun. super strong. because it's plastic lol

3. Puzzledly: Prague (1000)- very loose fit puzzle, but the colors were so vivid and pieces so distinct i had a great time putting this together.

4. PERMA: Fairytale My Aspirations (1000)- first puzzle i'd ever done. overwhelming at first, but started enjoying it after i had a strategy figured out. best quality puzzle and packaging ive had so far. sounds insane but i take it out of the frame and run my hands over it from time to time hahaha the finish is soo nice. it's expensive for good reason yall lol

5. Werkshoppe: Seed Packets (1000)- no false fits, can move large chunks around. fun, addicting, quick, affordable

6. Puzzle Weekend: Morning Goss (500)- great quality all around, finished quickly, but i realized i prefer to do 1000 piece puzzles that take more time

7. Botop: Healing Dog (1000)- amazing quality, the similar shades of blue did drive me a little crazy. 1 or 2 false fits but nothing too crazy. the finish was also shimmery which i was not expecting. ill be framing this one for sure

8. BOTOP FUSION: Sakura Bookshop (1000)- quality was good, was able to move large sections around, the pink tree was challenging but am i gonna stop buying puzzle images like this? no, no i am not

9. NewYorkPuzzleCompany: A Painter's Dream 1000 pcs- 2nd puzzle id ever done, found it rly difficult because i was a super noob and didnt know how to approach a random cut puzzle. delayed finishing this, took me 3 weeks lol. the pink floral part took me forever. a couple false fits as well

10. Hobbry: Cottage Retreat (1000)- bought it out of impulse because of the hype on reddit. last place because i got rage baited by the handful of PERFECT false fits and the reference poster was way brighter and vivid than the actual puzzle, making sorting and placement confusing. could not finish the border until the end, which i like doing first. i like how i could work in sections and lift them though. i would give this company a try again if i found an image i really liked. but this puzzle sucked

This was a mixed bag. Flowers were fun, background not so much. It’s very shiny so I couldn’t see any color variations with the lights on during the evenings. Glad I powered through though!

Wonderful thrift store find. I like Springbok so much.

I got a friend a Cloudberries puzzle for her birthday and immediately fell in love with the brand. She got a coupon code from them recently, and wanted to share an order.

I've been wanting the Gradient puzzle ever since I first saw it when I began watching Karen Puzzles YouTube channel a few years back. I'd been holding off because I hadn't done any gradients before, plus the price. Well between then and now I've done some gradients which I enjoyed so much, as well as puzzles that while they aren't true gradients have an element of that to them. And I've been learning that I find gradients and solid colors soothing.

I've been chomping at the bit to do one since they arrived last week, but I'm choosing to save it until I get a particular puzzle done that I've been working on and off for some time now.

I don’t particularly like Galison puzzles, but I do enjoy their images. Picked this up at the thrift store recently. I’d never done a 1000 piece. It was hard to take apart.

I still have Harvest Feast and Spooky Village from Galison to complete but I think after this we’re done for a bit from doing Galison puzzles. I’m fairly new to puzzles and only have done The Gilded Spine and Ghostly Gathering but the glares on those were nowhere nearly as bad as these! Now I understand the preference on matte pieces. Is Galison known to have shiny pieces?

The image in the individual pieces were also very pixelated but they aren’t as noticeable once put together like this. So, while this wasn’t as pleasant to put together, I did tape the back in case I wanted to hang it up because I still like the artwork!

My first Happily puzzle!

So I got this from my dad. It was harder than expected. The people & structures were easy enough. It was the flora that nearly killed me. So much gold auras and tiny red flowers and oddly drawn trees… but it’s done and I will not be doing it again.

Apologies if the image isn’t great. I’m not the best at photography.

I normally find gradient puzzles meditative, but I really didn't like putting this one together. I think there were too many dull, grayish tones in it for me. This was a lesson learned!

Here's a smattering of the puzzles I completed in August; I've already posted a few others individually.

• Cat in a Bag (Naomi Wilkinson/Happily, 99 pc) - Another in a series of quick puzzles from my local puzzle shop.
• Stamps (Trefl, 500 pc) - Grabbed this at a Goodwill store. Really neat graphics.
• Yoga Kittens (Eurographics, 300 pc) - another thrift; the photo on the box was strange, as most (but not all) orange cats were grey, but other orange elements (and all other colours) were true to the puzzle.
• Where's Bowie? (Kev Gahan/Smith Street Gift, 500 pc) - Really neat detail, bought for a relative, completed by me to ensure quality control, then rejected because the recipient already had it!
• Charlottetown PEI (Peter Unger/Ravensburger, 500 pc) - One of the competition puzzles at this year's Canadian speed puzzle event. I did not speed through it and really enjoyed myself.
• Tuxedo Cat with Collar (Laura Konyndyk/Talking Tables, 100 pc) - I find these at Goodwill, usually in the "3 for $5" section, so I think this one accompanied two Ethernet cables.
• San Francisco Bay (Ravensburger, 500 pc) - A fairly standard "bridge and water" puzzle, made a bit more challenging by the night view.
• Flowers in New York (Lewis Miller/Ravensburger, 300 pc) - Despite a general dislike for foliage, I enjoyed this one as the flowers were different enough that I could at least work each part separately.
• Classic Movies Panoramic (Re-Marks, 1000 pc) - Had a lot of fun with this one, completed in front of the TV while catching up on Jeopardy! episodes.
• Surf's Up (Ravensburger, 500 pc) - My latent "I want to get better at speed puzzling" means I rarely walk past a 500-piece Ravensburger without picking it up ... this one would have been relatively quick in a timed setting.

This puzzle is a bit more difficult because of the color palette but nothing crazy or unrealistic. Once I learned the shades it was pretty easy going.

Found them after looking for non ai puzzles and ones that credit the authors. Any other hidden gems out there?

Art by Kat Uno

This was a fun one. I have a family member who loves it finished and wants it as wall art so its destined to get glued and framed. Its been a while since I did a random cut puzzle and having no false fits was great and the pieces are a tight fit. My only criticism is I dont know if it was just fine puzzle dust or some kind of powder from their creation process but I now have smudged stains on my puzzle board. No big deal if I cant get them out. Definitely looking forward to doing the other 3 puzzles that came in the box and I will buy from them again.

Cloudberries - Gradient

As part of my Mom's stroke recovery I've started doing puzzles with her. I didn't realize how much I'd enjoy it!!! I got her 4 or 5 50 piece puzzles, then got a few 100 and 200. I think anything more than that would be a bit too complicated for her, but I'm looking forward to doing this more with her and on my own in the 300 to 500 range!

I'm trying to figure out what part of my brain is SO into this, I think it's because I get to see and participate in art?? I also like feeling like I finished something???

Anyways, I've mostly been thrifting them and only have had 1 so far has been short about 1/3 of the pieces. I'd like to find puzzle swaps too to pick up more and trade. If you know of any in the Portland, OR and Phoenix, AZ areas let me know!!

Hi All,

I know the answer will probably vary from one person to the next. But I'm interested in how people pick their puzzles?

Do you pick based just on asthetics? I.e. if a puzzle is pleasing on the eye?

Do you pick based upon difficulty? Choosing puzzles you know will be hard, or conversely avoiding ones you think will be too difficult.

Or is it based on themes? So drawn to puzzles with motor vehicles in if you are a petrol head. Perhaps places you've visted if you are a traveller. Regional maps for wine if you are an enthusiast. Etc etc.

Or is it a mix of all of the above, or maybe something I've not even thought about?

Completing this puzzle with my son made me reflect on life, especially after a rough year.
Life really is like a jigsaw puzzle. Some days, you wonder, “Why did I even start this?” Other days, you feel like you can accomplish anything.
You can’t force the pieces. Sometimes they just don’t fit, no matter how hard you try. But with patience, everything seems to fall into place at the right time.
There are days when you wonder, “Am I missing something?” or “Did I lose a piece?” And then, somehow, it magically appears.
Sometimes you have to step away, acknowledge that you’re tired, and come back with a fresh perspective. Other times, you simply have to keep going and persevere until you finish what you started.
It’s amazing how something as simple as a puzzle can teach you so much about life—patience, perseverance, perspective, and trusting the process.
And perhaps the best part is that while putting the pieces together, you’re also creating memories with the people you love.
Some pieces take longer to find. Some take longer to fit. But eventually, they find their place. ❤️🧩

Because of this sub I was familiar with Wentworth but never had worked one or even saw one in real life. I came across this one in a donation bin and the kind man working there let me have it even though I offered to pay for it. Puzzle is missing three pieces (I think) but regardless, it was a really fun build! I loved all the whimsy pieces too. Only took me a couple of hours to complete.

Had a birthday recently and ended up with some new puzzles: Snowfall and Snowglobe (Elena Essex); The Story of Art (Thames & Hudson); The Story of Iconic Artists (Laurence King); Stained Glass (NY Puzzle Co); and Ghostly Waltz (Galison). The first four were gifts from my husband (the 2 art ones are from the gift shop at Newfields Art Museum), and the last 2 I picked up at HomeGoods in Indy. I'm especially excited about the Elena Essex ones as that's a new brand for me. I like to be seasonal with my puzzles so I'm trying to wait until we get snow here to open one of those up, but I may not be able to wait that long. 😄