I'm a sucker for quilts, so I like that one best. You've been busy.
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I'm a sucker for quilts, so I like that one best. You've been busy.
My boyfriend sometimes helps me with my puzzles. It makes me so happy. Ex-husband refused to even consider it. I can't wait until I move and I can make my young nieces and nephew do puzzles with me!
I try to do puzzles once in a while, but for some reason I am just so, so bad at it.
I find that I have to really be interested in the subject matter of a puzzle. It also helps to have a bit of OCD. haha
The whole thing that got me going was finding a couple of my favorite wildlife artist's paintings available as puzzles. They are a lot cheaper than the limited reproductions!
My neighbors leave their old puzzles in our craft room. I found the "world's most difficult puzzle" there and gave it to my cousin to try. The photo is just lots of dalmations, but the puzzle is two sided, with the same picture rotated 90 degrees on the other side. He's up for the challenge.
I think I would get too discouraged if it was too difficult.
Here are the last 4 puzzles I've done. I get pretty obsessed with these things! I love nature ones. I have to stop every so often between puzzles because sitting there makes my legs hurt so bad for some reason.....which is a bummer.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e%20framed.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...20puzzle-1.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...GH%20owl_1.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...%20cropped.jpg
Very nice, CathyA! They are beautiful!
beautiful! what do you do with the ones you don't frame?
does anyone have one of those puzzle mats that you can roll the whole thing up while you are working on it to get it out of the way? does it work?
where's the best place to get puzzles inexpensively?
Thanks happystuff and freshstart. Well, I guess you could say I have a problem. haha I've been gluing quite a few of them and framing them. I buy the cheapest frames from Michaels. But I haven't framed a number of them. The glare off the plexiglass sort of ruins the image, but I just figured out how to remove the plexiglass (it was glued in) and I'll frame things with no plexiglass on them. The ones I haven't framed and haven't glued, are stored in cardboard science fair tri-fold things and the glued ones are just hanging around. haha There surely will come a point when I realize I have no space for these! Our house is fairly open and I don't have many walls. The ones I wasn't crazy about I took apart and will probably give them away. I had only planned on framing the Robert Bateman images, but after I spent so much time on others, it's hard to just take it all apart. I don't know why I enjoy it so much. I guess I like looking for and finding things! :)
As far as the Bateman images, these in print are hundreds or thousands of dollars........so I feel like I'm getting a real bargain at $12-15!
I like Robert Bateman. Years ago I went to a book warehouse sale and bought two gorgeous books filled with his prints.
I received this a few years ago: http://www.bitsandpieces.com/product...Fckehgod2-YPyw Mine may be a bit smaller. Anyway, it's great for storing everything to keep it out of the way when not working on it. However, there's no way you can carry it by the handle without ruining the puzzle---all the pieces will just slide to the bottom. It's made of cardboard and OK if you don't lean on it. When doing a 1000 piece puzzle, some of the pieces don't fit in the drawers. Since I don't have a place to work on a puzzle, I can set this on a wooden chest that I use as a coffee table, set the drawers around me on the couch, and I'm good to go.
We used a big piece of plywood and would store it under a bed or in a garage, then set it on a dining room table - fun times! We could pick it up at anytime and carry it carefully so as not to dislodge the pieces.
I feel like doing a jigsaw puzzle so bad right now, lol
Pony Mom......I had looked a lot of those things over when I started my first puzzle, and ended up going pretty simple. I bought one of those 3 drawer plastic units for different colored pieces of the puzzle. I keep it on a TV tray next to the card table. I bought a tri-fold smaller kid's science fair project cardboard and it works great. That way, I can move it if I need too. If I want to glue the puzzle, I will slip waxed paper under it, and that protects the cardboard. Also, I do a lot of 18"x24" puzzles, and if I can't decide if I want to glue them or not, the outer sides of the cardboard fold over the puzzle and protect it somewhat for flat storage under the bed.
freshstart.........lol! Go get a puzzle! :)
It's funny, if I finish a pretty challenge puzzle, I think to myself "man, I need a break from this"........but within a couple of days, I'm thinking of starting another one. I don't know what the draw is for me. What's most important to me is the subject matter of the puzzle. I don't think I'd have any interest in something like a dozen colorful donuts, or beer labels or firetrucks, etc. I love nature scenes and birds. I just love looking for things (puzzle pieces), finding them, and then putting them where they're supposed to go! I wish I was into house cleaning that much!
I just can't get enough of puzzles. I don't quite understand the "addiction". Just finished a cheap "hot dog" one for my son. He eats incredibly healthily, (vegetarian/pescatarian) but loves an occasional hotdog. He even had a wallet with a hot dog image on it. haha
I bought him a cheap hot dog puzzle and he loved it. Well, he loved getting it, but it was cheaply made and all the pieces were the same shape and never stayed in place, so he gave up. I offered to put it together for him. Man, what a difference it makes between a cheaply made one and a good one. Several times I almost gave up, but always went back to it. I finally finished it last night. What a labor of love! When I would make progress on it, it would come apart in various areas. Soooo frustrating. I just find it curious that I have so much patience with puzzles.
Anyhow.......I've done about 15 this year, and bought about 6 more to work on. But I just discovered wooden puzzles. They are very interesting (and quite expensive). The pieces are many times made out of "whimsical" shapes.....fish, trees, etc. I've seen a couple very beautiful ones.....like cherry blossoms, water lilies. But many of them are very small and cost around $50-60.
I do lots of other things during the day, otherwise I'd be a bit concerned about all the puzzles I do. I like to call it "perseverance" but I think it might also be called OCD. haha
I just have to shake my head, wondering why the heck I love these so much. Mostly, it's the image. I couldn't do any hot dog-type puzzles again....unless it was for someone I loved who wanted it!
Take a look at the Wentworth wooden puzzles, or the Artifact Puzzles. Some are pretty bizarre.........but others are beautiful.
I recommend the book Flow. It is kinda related. It is about getting into something and getting out of your head in the simplest terms. He talks about artists and their process but honestly I think puzzles, games etc. are things that bring out the same mind state.
I will do puzzles when I don't have cats! Meanwhile I play solitaire on the computer and do fill-in puzzles.
Ah, puzzles with cats in the house... a challenge. We've been doing cheap, 500 piece Family dollar puzzles. They are amazingly fun and yes, a bit addictive. They are cheaply made, so not always tightly locked in place, but quite workable if no cats come to share.
Shared this website with a friend who was very thrilled! Thanks for the info!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Float On
Those puzzles are nice and amazingly done! I'd love to try some other puzzle but I'm very busy most of the time. By the way, you may see a wide range of puzzles on BrainBashers. I found some easy and difficult but I just thought, it would be interesting.
Oh, your welcome.Quote:
Originally Posted by frugal-one
I found this online the other day thought it was pretty funny......knowing how crazy it can make you, to be missing a puzzle piece.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...le%20piece.png
I just ran across an interesting jigsaw puzzle on line. A little pricey, but I bet it would keep you busy:
http://calamityware.com/products/cop...e-2-evil-twins
Oh gosh! I don't think so! I'm into nature scenes. I think that one would surely drive me nuts! haha I've been looking at a couple wooden ones. But I bought a bunch of the regular ones to do in the future, so it might be awhile before letting myself get into wooden ones.
Here's a really neat one. It's a bit cheaper than the others. You can see in an image to the side how unusual the pieces are.
https://www.amazon.com/Artifact-Puzz...C+naughty+bird
Here's my last 2. The first one is of Wood Ducks, and the second one is "The Road to Yesteryear". I love getting lost in the puzzle. I had to force myself to stop a couple weeks ago, because I have too much to do for christmas.......but when New Years comes..............
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You pick the prettiest puzzles.
LOVE those wood ducks! Who is the maker of your puzzles, Cathy?
That Naughty Bird puzzle looks like fun--I like the puzzle shapes.
Some of those wooden puzzles are called "artifact" puzzles........I think it's because of all those hidden shapes. Some of those wooden puzzles can have quite bizarre images, but I like more nature stuff. But as you could see, it's pricey.......and some are $150. So......I wouldn't want to get addicted to those!
Well, the makers aren't usually the artists who have created the image. But they are the ones with the jigsaws! I like several of the companies. Cobble Hill made the Bateman ones and makes others. The only thing I don't like about them is that it seems they need to sharpen their saws. They always have a lot of white tags on their puzzle pieces and if the puzzle is darker, it really shows. I bought a package of different colors of permanent Sharpie markers and it covers up those tags very well. Also, Some people don't like Cobble Hill's style because all the pieces are different shapes and they don't go straight across the image, but are in wavy patterns. Some people really don't like that and find it too difficult. But some of us like that challenge.Quote:
Originally Posted by KayLR
I also really like Buffalo Games company and SunsOut company. I'm sure there are other good ones, but the puzzles I seem to like are from these companies. Mostly I look for images that I like the most, and go with whoever makes that one.
I bought my son a Puzzlebug one of hot dogs. hahaha It's a thing he has. He's a vegetarian for the most part, but has a soft spot for a good hot dog. Anyhow, it was too hard for him and he gave up. I told him I'd do it and boy, was it cheaply made and because of that, it WAS really hard. It wouldn't stay together and sections of it would pop out, just by looking at it. But I finished it and glued it. But along the way, I had to put weights on those areas that kept popping up. It ended up making a good image, but I don't think I would order their puzzles again. And it definitely wasn't a nature scene! haha
Here's a pic of that silly, frustrating puzzle:
Attachment 1672
this puzzle would put me in the looney bin!Quote:
Originally Posted by JaneV2.0
I bought my mom two puzzles and a puzzle mat for Christmas. I got 500 pieces, she's struggling with those now but wants to keep all these 1000 piece ones we have from decades ago. I don't forsee us getting up to 1000 pieces for a good long time. How many pieces do you guys do?
Thanks Kestra. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Kestra
My first one was 1,000..........but it was soooo hard. It was mostly gray and white. I've done a couple 1,000 piece ones, but I'm not crazy about them, unless they have a super cool image. I've come to like 500-550, but those can be hard too at times.
For a nice break, I'll do a 300 piece. I think those are the best for a very short-term project.
I did buy one with 1,500, but don't know when I'll tackle it. It's such a beautiful image......of fall with a horse-drawn wagon on a stone bridge over a stream with some mist over it.
I bought a 1,000 piece one that looks fun. They have several similar to this with different subject matters. It's made by ceaco and is called "Coming to Life" It has a framed picture on a mantel that has the subject matter coming to life and coming out of the picture. Mine is an English cottage by a pond. But a squirrel, a duck and ducklings, birds and even the water is flowing out of the picture onto the mantel. It's a cool idea.
that puzzle does sound cool
Just starting to get back into puzzles as a prelude to my 2017 retirement. The 1,000 piece was definitely too much for an amateur like me, so the 500 piece we've started is more my speed. I am also learning to appreciate the differences in the more expensive puzzles as has been mentioned here.
The 500 piece puzzle was made by a German company, and even though it is many years old it's still sharp and the colors are fresh. I think the maker is "Heye."
We get 500 piece at the dollar store and enjoy them. The more expensive do fit together better, especially if you do them over and over...we only do them once- then pass them on.
I love doing puzzles while listening to the radio. Heaven!
My middle daughter loves puzzles. For Christmas I got her a small (for her) puzzle - 500 pieces. But the puzzle itself is just one solid color that transitions from a turquoise green to turquoise blue, left to right. She really liked me giving it to her - I hope she still thinks that after she starts working it.
This reminds me to look for one at an after Christmas sale. Puzzles are good for your brain to prevent dementia.
I'm addicted. I did about 25 last year and I'm on #3 already this year. I always take a little time between them, in order to get anything else done! My DD is sending me a couple custom-made puzzles of a couple of my photographs that I took! (christmas present that didn't arrive on time). I am just totally mystified why I love doing this so much. But they do have to be images I really like. Here is a picture of one of the wooden puzzles I did recently.
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