Puzzle: Evergreen Basket by Marjolein Bastin

Christmas bird evergreen basket, med

Size:  500 pieces, 1 missing
Dimensions:  cm x  cm
Artist: Marjolein Bastin
Producer: Unknown (please let me know if you have this information).

Puzzle: A bright winter puzzle, with pieces not exactly fitting together well, but due to their varying shapes, fitting unambiguously. Red regions, birds, flower centres, and the baskets are the easiest places to start, followed by colour border regions. The rest of the puzzle fits together …

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Puzzle: Stein Am Rhein, Switzerland

Stein Am Rhein, Switzerland, med

Size:  1250 pieces
Dimensions: 72.4 cm x 61.8 cm
Producer: Waddington Sanders, 1987, #116-3

Puzzle: This puzzle is best done leisurely, as it is large and there are quite a few distinct regions. I have started with the windows and the ridges between floors and parts of the building to define the vertical and horizontal guides. The flowers and the street as well as the roof/sky line can be made easily as well. …

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Puzzle: Historical Farmhouse, Bavaria, Germany

Historical Farmhouse, Bavaria, Germany, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 58.5 cm x 46.5 cm
Producer: LPF Puzzle, Shutterbug series, 2009, #1101

Puzzle: A pleasant and a quick puzzle to do. Pieces fit together well and the contrasting colours help as well. The colonnade, the door, the window shutters and the door opening on the second floor are easy regions to assemble first. The log, white regions of the walls, the blue of the top windows and …

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Puzzle: Long Fellow House

Dominic Davison - Long Fellow House, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73 cm x 48.57 cm
Artist: Dominic Davison
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Country Manor series, 2011, #44612-1

Puzzle: A wonderful puzzle to do: Sure-Lox pieces fit together very well, as usual, and there is enough challenge while guide regions are available to provide a logical succession of assembly. One can start with the path to the front door of the building, separating the bottom …

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Puzzle: Waterfall in a garden

Waterfall in a garden, med

Size:  750 pieces
Dimensions: 43.81 cm x 58.42 cm
Producer: MB Puzzle, Oxford series, 1999, C4848-18

Puzzle: Despite the large regions of green leaves and small flowers, this puzzle is relatively easy to do due to the waterfall separating the two parts at the top, and to the small number of pieces. Waterfall, the rock behind it, the basin, and the yellow spot are a good start. From that point on, darker …

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Puzzle: The Oceanwaves Quiltscape by Rebecca Barker

Rebecca Barker - The Oceanwaves Quiltscape, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 69 cm x 51 cm
Producer: Ceaco, 2003,3307-2

Puzzle: A bright vibrant puzzle, easily done due to multiple horizontal dividers with colour variations, and the geometrical patterns. The horizon line, the boats, the big turquoise wave, and the line separating the surf and sand create several distinct regions. From there on, filling out the rest is trivial.

Notes: “Rebecca has a deep …

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Puzzle: Bridge to Unity by Dave Barnhouse

Dave Barnhouse - Bridge to Unity, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 50.8 cm x 68.58 cm
Artist: Dave Barnhouse
Painting: original
Producer: Karmin International, The Art of the Dave Barnhouse series, 2006

Puzzle: Colourful puzzle, not very trivial due to large leafy and grassy parts. It’s easy to start with the buildings, street lights, the bridge and the path leading to it. Lighter grass areas, purple flowers, the cars, people’s figures, the sky, and wet …

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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 …

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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 …

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Book: Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, by Michael Pollan

Title: Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual
Author: Michal Pollan
Source: Veddma library
ISBN: 978-0-14-311638-7
Available online

Notes: Michael Pollan argues that any traditional diet is better than what has “evolved” to be the Western diet, high in “edible foodlike substances” and lacking real foods. Most of the research has been described in other books of his, such as “Omnivore’s Dilemma”, …

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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 …

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Puzzle: Christmas Tree Worms

Christmas Tree Worms, medSize:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73 cm x 48.57 cm
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, Jewels of the Sea series, 2009, 40675-4

Puzzle: This puzzle is not trivial to do, as even though there are distinct colours, they are scattered in many small regions. Very enjoyable nonetheless, with SureLox pieces fitting together unmistakably. Easiest place to start, I found, is the bottom green/turquoise/olive patch at the bottom with the adjacent white patches. The darker background …

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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 …

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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
…

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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 – …

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Puzzle: The Grey Wizard by Myles Pinkney

Myles Pinkney - The Grey Wizard, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 48.56 cm x 73 cm
Artist: Myles Pinkney
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, Glow in the Dark series, 2007, 81600-6

Puzzle: This puzzle requires good lighting – the shades of the Wizard’s robe are subtle. Blue window, hair, face, hand, beard, smoke, pipe, curtains, and blue patch on the floor are all good places to start. The remaining pieces can be split into …

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Puzzle: Breman, Germany

Breman, Germany, med

Size:  500 pieces
Dimensions: 27.3 cm x 45.7 cm
Producer: RoseArt, Encore series, 1999, 06052

Puzzle: Small and very pleasant puzzle to do – the windmill, the brick building, and the gradient in the sky makes those parts not difficult to complete, and the snowy tree limbs pieces fall into place following that.

Notes: The puzzle box actually says “Breman, Germany” – I assume they meant “Bremen, Germany”.

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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, …

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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. …

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