Tag Archives: flower

Puzzle: Still-life with flowers

Still-life with flowers, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 49 cm x 68 cm
Artist: possibly Abraham Hendriksz van Beyeren (unsure, since puzzle box does not list the artist)
Producer: Jumbo International, #00023

Puzzle: A very rich puzzle in terms of colours and arrangement. One of the ways to approach it is to start with the larger areas of similar colour: red flowers, yellow ones, large pink and striped ones. After that, the vase and the table, as well as larger green leaves, blue stand-alone flowers, the butterfly, and the pastel flowers can be tackled. The pillar in the left top quarter separates the top area into three distinct regions and can be used as a vertical guide. The rest of the arrangement fills out easily from there. Overall, a very enjoyable vibrant puzzle, made with good quality paper.

Notes: Floral design or floral arts is the art of creating flower arrangements in vases, bowls, baskets or other containers, or making bouquets and compositions from cut flowers, foliages, herbs, ornamental grasses and other plant materials. Often the terms “floral design” and “floristry” are considered synonymous. Florists are people who work with flowers and plants, generally at the retail level. Floristry differs from floristics, the study of distribution and relationships of plant species over geographic areas. Floristry also differs from horticulture, which more broadly relates to the cultivation of flowers and plants so they will remain fresh as long as possible, and would be desirable for purchase, which also involves knowledge of customers’ requirements and expectations. The ability to create a variety of floral designs such as wreaths, bouquets, corsages, boutonnières/’buttonholes’, permanent arrangements and other more complicated arrangements is also important. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Japanese Garden, Portland, OR, USA

Japanese Garden, Portland, OR, USA, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 51.12 cm x 69.85 cm
Producer: Guild Puzzle, 1995, 4710-12

Puzzle: Not a trivial puzzle, but a very enjoyable one. Daylight is a bonus. The good starting points are red bushes with their reflections, green patch of grass, shrubs with yellow and orange flowers, the rocks, the path, and the stairs. Pink flower tree, dark red bush under it, and light green willow are good focal points as well. From there, dark green tree regions, black and white patches of the sky, and the water complete the puzzle.

Notes: Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Most species are known as willow, but some narrow-leaved shrub species are called osier, and some broader-leaved species are referred to as sallow. Some willows (particularly arctic and alpine species) are low-growing or creeping shrubs; for example, the dwarf willow (Salix herbacea) rarely exceeds 6 cm in height, though it spreads widely across the ground. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Overlook Cafe II by Sung Kim

Sung Kim - Overlook Cafe II, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.3 cm x 45.4 cm
Artist: Sung Kim – Born in 1940 in Seoul, South Korea, Sung began to exhibit his artistic talents early in childhood. Beginning in grade school, Sung entered and won various art contests by displaying his creativity and artistic imagination. He decided to pursue his passion for art and graduated with honors from Seorabol Art College in Seoul. Later he opened his own studio and worked as an illustrator for various magazines and children’s books. Sung’s artistic abilities were acknowledged when he was awarded the Grand Prize in an art competition by the Minister of Culture in South Korea and the Gold Medal prize in the art competition given by the Mayor of Seoul. He traveled throughout Europe before immigrating to the United States in 1980. For the last 20 years, Sung has worked with various fine art galleries and has produced over 400 original landscape paintings. [Tutt Art site]
Painting: original
Producer: Wrebbit, Perfalock foam puzzle series, 2005, 20068

Puzzle: A very enjoyable puzzle. I have not done foam puzzles for a while now, and this one was a reminder of a different squishy feel I liked about the foam pieces. They fit together quite well. The logical parts with which to start are the turquoise shutters and striped canopy, the white tablecloths and the chairs and railing next to them, the flower arrangements, the cafe sign and the light above it, the balcony, and the palm tree. The large tree with dark branches and houses in the distance with boats and water reflections, the patio, the pavement, and the black doorways can come next. Once all that remains are the mountains and the sky, tracing the border between them is easiest, and the rest of the pieces fall into place.

Puzzle: Reverie, 1897 by Alphonse Marie Mucha

Vintage puzzle 1, md

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 50.65 cm x 67.94 cm
Artist: Alphonse Marie Mucha
Painting: F. Champenois Imprimeur-Éditeur
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vintage series, 2011, No. 50620ABJ

Puzzle: Just like another puzzle from the same series by Alphonse Mucha, this puzzle is not a quick one to do, but very pleasant in lingering on the intricate details of the ornaments. Good places to start are the face, hair, décolletage, the top detail of the dress, the book outline, and the pattern going down the middle of the dress. The black and white curves, the orange and pink flowers, and the rest of the large background ornament can follow. The hand and the white of the sleeves, as well as the red and white of the book can come next. The rest of the dress is more challenging due to non-contrasting variations of colour.

Notes: The printing business here advertised, F. Champenois, was also used by Mucha for some of his prints for other clients. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Poster advertising trains to Monte Carlo, Monaco, 1897 by Alphonse Marie Mucha

Alphonse Marie Mucha - Monte Carlo, Monaco, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 50.65 cm x 67.94 cm
Artist: Alphonse Marie Mucha (1860-1939) – Alfons Maria Mucha, often known in English and French as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist, known best for his distinct style. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and designs. [Wiki]
Painting: http://goodolarthistory.tumblr.com/post/47541678838/artist-alphonse-maria-mucha-title-monaco-monte
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vintage series, 2011, No. 50620ABJ

Puzzle: A puzzle to savor: not completely trivial but quite enjoyable. The easy places to start are the letters at the bottom, the blue behind the figure, the face and hands, the hair and dress embellishments. From there on, the distinct ornaments – black veined one, the bottom left one, and the large circle with small flowers behind the figure are logical places. The dress and the red background on top are more obvious after that, followed by the rest of the background somewhat simplified by existence of the gradient. Not a quick puzzle to do, and good lighting is an asset.

Notes: Chemin de fer is the French term for railway [Wiki].

Puzzle: Victorian Home by Dominic Davison

Dominic Davison - Victorian Home, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73 cm x 48.57 cm
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, Country Manors series, 2011, 44612-4

Puzzle: A serene puzzle, with all its trees and flowers in bloom, and invitingly lit manor windows. Good places to start are the manor itself, the roads, fence and bench, grass, and the tree trunk on the right. Flower patch, pieces of sky, and tree leaves and branches can come next – since the tree leaves on the four trees are of different colours, this part is not difficult.

Notes: Victorian architecture is architectural style during the middle and late 19th century. The name “Victorian” refers to the reign of Queen Victoria, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, during which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction. However, many elements of what is typically termed “Victorian” architecture did not become popular until later in Victoria’s reign. The styles often included interpretations and eclectic revivals of historic styles mixed with the introduction of middle east and Asian influences. The name represents the British and French custom of naming architectural styles for a reigning monarch. [Wiki]

Puzzle: The Untold Story by Josephine Wall

Josephine Wall - The untold story, med

Size:  500 pieces
Dimensions: 48.26 cm x 35.56 cm
Artist: Josephine Wall
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, Keepsakes series, 2011, 42220-7

Puzzle: Trivial puzzle and a pleasure to do. Several sections are equally easy to use as anchoring points: skin, the large pink flower, the iguana, the hair net, flowing fabric, the ship, and the flamingos. The rest of the puzzle falls into place in greens, blues, and purples.

Notes: “As the planet evolves, humankind increasingly leaves the cities to seek peace and consolation in the country. There nature awaits with all her gentleness and beauty to welcome humanity into a more fulfilling way of life.” [Josephine Wall site]

Puzzle: Public Garden

Public Garden, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73 cm x 48.57 cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Glorious Gardens series,  2011, #40660-6

Puzzle: The gazebo, flowerbed, and grey walkways are a good place to start. Tree trunk on the right can serve as a vertical guideline. The blue of the sky, smaller garden details, and the green of the lawns can follow. From there, the remaining black parts can pave the way to the green tree leaves. Overall a pleasant puzzle, although my copy was strangely cut and unlike the usual Sure-Lox fit, the pieces did not stick together very well.

Notes: A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. Western gardens are almost universally based on plants, with garden often signifying a shortened form of botanical garden.

Some traditional types of eastern gardens, such as Zen gardens, use plants such as parsley. Xeriscape gardens use local native plants that do not require irrigation or extensive use of other resources while still providing the benefits of a garden environment. Gardens may exhibit structural enhancements, sometimes called follies, including water features such as fountains, ponds (with or without fish), waterfalls or creeks, dry creek beds, statuary, arbors, trellises and more. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Wine Cellar Château Cantenac-Brown, France

Wine Cellar Chateau Cantenac-Brown, France, med

Size:  500 pieces
Dimensions: 46 cm x 61 cm
Producer: The Lafayette Puzzle Factory, Colorluxe, 2012, #3091

Notes: This puzzle is a pleasure to do – the most complicated area is the flowers, but having placed everything else, that only leaves about 2-3 rows of pieces. I have started with the sky and the building top, followed by the pillars, the trees, grass, gate and the ground in front of it, the building, and finished with the flowers. Sat down to puzzle for half an hour, got up about 2 hours later with the puzzle completed. This is a relaxing one.

Château Cantenac-Brown: Château Cantenac-Brown is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. The Chateau has 104 acres (0.42 km2) planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Chateau produces a second wine labeled as Brio de Cantenac-Brown. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Sonata by Firelight, by Judy Gibson

Judy Gibson - Sonata by Firelight, medSize:  550 pieces, 3 missing, see another copy acquired in 2016 with all pieces present
Dimensions: 46 cm x 61 cm
Producer: Master Pieces, #60105
Artist: Judy Gibson: Animals find their natural habitat in the artwork of Judy Gibson, whether depicted in soulful portraits, snuggled in cozy home settings, perched on snow-laden branches or engaged in spirited competition. Born in Paris, Texas, Gibson draws much of her inspiration from her deep love and respect for animals. In her teens, she painted portraits of prize bulls and horses for area ranchers, and still loves painting symbols of the Southwest. She works in oils, and also enjoys the spontaneity of watercolors. Gibson’s heartwarming art has adorned tapestries, jigsaw puzzles, wallpaper, computer screen-savers and numerous other products. [Art.com]
Painting: http://imgc.artprintimages.com/images/art-print/judy-gibson-sonata-by-firelight_i-G-10-1010-UUYW000Z.jpg

Puzzle: Good regions to start are the white cat, the music sheets, the flower bouquet with the ivy, and the shawl, and the candle holder. The orange separator of the piano lid isolates the top left corner. Flames for the candles and the fireplace are easy to locate, as well as the bust and the wine glass. The keys of the piano, the rug near the fireplace, and the curtain can follow, and the rest of the pieces are trivial to place. Easy and pleasant puzzle to do.

Puzzle: Ladies Night by Patricia Govezensky


Size: 500 pieces, 1 piece missing
Dimensions: 48.26cm x 35.56cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Celebration of Women series, #44296-4, 2008
Artist: Patricia Govezensky – “For me painting is a means through which I find expression of life’s joy and fulfillment, and I believe art, more than merely being a means of expression itself, also serves as a medium to help us to make peace with our lives through positive and enthusiastic sentiments and regard for the brighter aspects of our existence, escaping form protest, cynicism and selfishness.”

Patricia Govezensky was born in Tel Aviv in 1961 and was raised in Jaffa, a picturesque quarter known for being the site of the oldest port in the world. Patricia, a sensitive artist, brings to her canvas the immortal effeminate women, combining her tender touch & simplicity with magic moments of beauty in delicate domain. [Puzzle box]

Puzzle: With so many distinct bright regions, this puzzle is trivial to do and is a pleasure for the eye.

Ladies Night: A ladies’ night is a promotional event, often at a bar or nightclub, where female patrons pay less than male patrons for the cover charge or drinks. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Fenced Flower Garden


Size: 550 pieces
Dimensions: 33cm x 48.3cm
Producer: RoseArt, 1997, No. 99999RA
Puzzle: Not a trivial puzzle due to the shape and fit of the pieces, but not significantly difficult as it is only 550 pieces. The most logical part to tackle first is the fence, providing vertical and horizontal guidelines to the variety of small flower patches behind it. Once the fence is done, yellow flowers and orange lillies are the easiest to complete. The bottom right purple batch of flowers and the fuchsia one above are equally good to take on next, and the few remaining green pieces can then easily be placed.

Fence: A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. Fences are generally distinguished from walls by the lightness of their construction and their purpose. Walls are usually barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage, while fences are used more frequently to provide visual sectioning of spaces. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Symphony in Red by Nava Grunfeld


Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 51.12cm x 66.52cm
Producer: Hasbro, MB Puzzles, Big Ben, Artist Series, Nava Grunfeld, 2008
Puzzle: This puzzle is not trivial, but not significantly difficult either. Large blue dish with white spirals and smaller blue dish give a good outline to the top half of the puzzle. Lemons can be filled in afterwards, as well as the lilac-coloured flowers. From that point on, green, yellow, orange, red, and brown patches are equally challenging: I ended up finishing with the tulips, but perhaps a reversal might have been easier.

Artist: Artist Nava Grunfeld was born in Sweden and grew up in Israel, where she began to closely observe nature. She is known for her bold watercolor paintings of still life objects, fruit and flowers. Her technique of layering multiple veils of transparent color onto each painting brings a luminous quality to her work. Like a stained glass window, the white of the paper acts as the light source that glows through the colors. [Puzzle box]

Puzzle: Columbia River Gorge


Size: 500 pieces, 1 missing
Dimensions: 35.24cm x 50.48cm
Producer: MB Puzzle, Croxley series, 1996, #4611-14
Puzzle: The waterfall and the tree are the logical places to start, followed by highlighted grass and leaves, the flowers, and finally by branch and leaf regions. Pleasant and not trivial.

Gorge: A canyon, or gorge, is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon.

Canyons are much more common in arid areas than in wet areas because physical weathering has a greater effect in arid zones. The wind and water from the river combine to erode and cut away less resistant materials such as shales. The freezing and expansion of water also serves to help form canyons. Water seeps into cracks between the rocks and freezes, pushing the rocks apart and eventually causing large chunks to break off the canyon walls, in a process known as frost wedging. Canyon walls are often formed of resistant sandstones or granite. Submarine canyons form underwater, generally at the mouths of rivers. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Iris (1889) by Vincent van Gogh (Dutch 1853-1890)


Size: 63 pieces
Dimensions: 13cm x 18cm
Producer: Product Art Inc., Toronto, Mini-Puzzle series, No.113
Puzzle: Very small puzzle that can easily be done in 10 minutes. Pleasant lines, green leaves and the purple of the flower fall into place, and the rest is simple.

Iris: Iris is a genus of 260–300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Wild flowers & summer wine


Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73cm x 48.57cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Canvas Collection series, 2011, #44716-1
Artist: Stephen Darbishire/Rosenstiel

Puzzle: There are multiple regions of the puzzle that can be done independently: fruit, cheeses, yellow/green grass, blue cloudy patch of sky, wooden table parts, bottom of the window, and the chair cushion. From that point on, the window frame, the bright tablecloth top and plates, the lilac of the mountains, and the dark blue/purple of the tablecloth can be completed. The tree branches,  the white of the sky, the remaining bouquet, and the dark curtain and bottom left corner remain. Very pleasant and calming puzzle to do, due to a variety of patterns, vivid colours, and serene imagery.

Wild flower: A wild flower is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the way it appears in the wild as a native plant, even if it is growing where it would not naturally.

Puzzle: Pie baking day by Janet Kruskamp


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 45.26cm x 35.56cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Country Kitchen series, 2011, #42225-3
Artist: Janet Kruskamp

Puzzle: The orange curtains and the checkered parts are an easy place to start. Flowers on the window sill, apples, edge of the green table, sky, and tree can follow. The pipe, door frame, garden, and beige cupboard can be finished next, leaving the cans, dishes, and a few other small areas to complete. Very pleasant and staightforward puzzle. It also includes a shortbread cookies recipe and a red puzzle piece cookie cutter.

Baking: In ancient history, the first evidence of baking occurred when humans took wild grass grains, soaked them in water, and mixed everything together, mashing it into a kind of broth-like paste. The paste was cooked by pouring it onto a flat, hot rock, resulting in a bread-like substance. Later, this paste was roasted on hot embers, which made bread-making easier, as it could now be made anytime fire was created.

In ancient history, the first evidence of baking occurred when humans took wild grass grains, soaked them in water, and mixed everything together, mashing it into a kind of broth-like paste. The paste was cooked by pouring it onto a flat, hot rock, resulting in a bread-like substance. Later, this paste was roasted on hot embers, which made bread-making easier, as it could now be made anytime fire was created. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Blue Stove by Janet Kruskamp


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 45.26cm x 35.56cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Country Kitchen series, 2011, #42225-1
Artist: Janet Kruskamp

Puzzle: I have started this one with the blue regions: the door, the stove, the rug, and the chair. Window frame, white flowers in the vase, red apples, bowl on the table, the vase, the plaque on the stove, and the garden path are smaller self-contained regions. The flower garden and the light part of the floor easily fall into place, and the brown under the vase and all around and on the stove are the more subtle parts left over. Not a hard puzzle to do, it helps to have natural light at the end. The puzzle includes a shortbread cookies recipe and a red puzzle piece cookie cutter.

Stove: The Old English word stofa meant any individual enclosed space, such as a room, and ‘stove’ is still occasionally used in that sense, as in ‘stoved in’. Until well into the 19th century ‘stove’ was used to mean a single heated room, so that Joseph Bank’s assertion that he ‘placed his most precious plants in the stove’ or Rene Descarte’s observation that he got ‘his greatest philosophical inspiration while sitting inside a stove’ are not as odd as they first seem.

In its earliest attestation, cooking was done by roasting meat and tubers in an open fire. Pottery and other cooking vessels may be placed directly on an open fire, but setting the vessel on a support, as simple as a base of three stones, resulted in a stove. The three-stone stove is still widely used around the world. In some areas it developed into a U-shaped dried mud or brick enclosure with the opening in the front for fuel and air, sometimes with a second smaller hole at the rear. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Canning Day by Janet Kruskamp


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 45.26cm x 35.56cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Country Kitchen series, 2011, #42225-2
Artist: Janet Kruskamp

Puzzle: A logical starting point are the checkered curtains, followed by the yellow batches of colour and the stove. Floor boards, white table, garden path and flowers, the patches of sky, and the vegetables make stand-alone regions that are easy to put together. Door frame and window frame logically fall into place. The rug, corn, and places under the stove follow, to leave only the cupboards and a few dark areas. Easy and fast puzzle to do. It also includes a shortbread cookies recipe and a red puzzle piece cookie cutter.

Canning: Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as long as 30 years in an edible state. In 1795 the French military offered a cash prize of 12,000 francs for a new method to preserve food. Nicolas Appert suggested canning and the process was first proven in 1806 in test with the French navy and the prize awarded in 1809 or 1810. The packaging prevents microorganisms from entering and proliferating inside.

To prevent the food from being spoiled before and during containment, a number of methods are used: pasteurisation, boiling (and other applications of high temperature over a period of time), refrigeration, freezing, drying, vacuum treatment, antimicrobial agents that are natural to the recipe of the foods being preserved, a sufficient dose of ionizing radiation, submersion in a strong saline solution, acid, base, osmotically extreme (for example very sugary) or other microbially-challenging environments. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Tulip Rows, Mossyrock, WA


Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 51cm x 68.5cm
Producer: Lafayette Puzzle Factory, Colorluxe series, 2009, #1500
Puzzle: The sky, trees, and the horizon with narrow flower rows of different colours are the easy part of this puzzle. The yellow and red tulips, together with green leafy regions present more of a challenge. Not very hard to complete, but having good lighting is a bonus.

Mossyrock: Mossyrock is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 759 at the 2010 census. The city began as a trading post named Mossy Rock in 1852, after a 61 meter high moss-covered rock at the east end of Klickitat Prairie. The Indian name for the area of Mossyrock was Coulph. [Wiki]