We all know how fast the tension rises and the moods sour when we are racing against the clock in the morning, in order to make it to work on time. Children add an entire level of complexity to getting out of the house. Dealing with the same frustrations week after week, I have come up with a few strategies to make the mornings less stressful.
Another puzzle from the Reflections series, this one depicts a peaceful landscape with a mill, flowing water, a covered bridge, and flower gardens. Serene and easy-to-assemble, it makes for a relaxing activity.
Beautiful, vibrant puzzle of a street during a carnival – an uplifting and festive image. The variety of bright, well-separated colours and distinct gradients, in combination with easily-manageable 750 well-fitting pieces makes this puzzle a breeze to assemble.
With its wonderful fantasy imagery and subtle colour variation, this is one of my favourite puzzles, so much so that it decorates the wall above my work desk. Reminiscent of Elven trees from Middle Earth’s Lothlórien, Vallenwood trees from Dragonlance, and Ygdrassil tree ships from the Hyperion Cantos, its winding steps, dwellings, and terraces are a calming, inspiring sight.
When a day is frustrating and you’ve had little rest, every tiny thing can throw you into despair. Someone breaks a dish, or cuts you off in traffic, or destroys a project you’ve been working on. And you are on the brink of losing it, screaming your head off, or just giving up and walking away. Take a deep breath. Take a step back.
Jolly and colourful, this simple puzzle with large pieces was a hit with my son. He loved the bright colours and clear borders. Simple, vibrant, and refreshing.
How often have you come home after a long day feeling stressed and tired, with the only thought of plopping down on a couch and not moving for the rest of the evening? Traffic jams, errands, being bombarded with information, work demands and children that need your attention. My answer? Grab a snack or have a quick dinner, and head to a nearby park.
The imagery for this puzzle does look beautiful, and I had fun assembling all four sides of the lantern, together with my son. However, putting them together into a 3D shape has proven somewhat awkward. The small plastic pieces easily snap out of place and the completed shape does not have proper right angles.
Beautiful, earthy colours showcasing unique artifacts — I loved this puzzle so much, it is now decorating our guest room wall. With a variety of textures and colours, it was a pleasure to put together.
How often do we share an event with someone else, only to discover in a conversation later that our perceptions of it are significantly different? Where some see a traumatic experience or an insult, others find a lesson or a conversation that’s not worth remembering. You can take what you value from an experience or an interaction, leaving behind the negativity and emotional baggage of others.
First puzzle assembled in our new place — after all the moving and organizing it was nice to get lost in the antique feel of this cozy store. The pieces fit together well, the puzzle is small enough to be simple to do, while a bit of challenge is being added by small repetitive detail of the merchandise shelves.
When we have a large project on our mind, we often make it out to be more intimidating than it is. We think it is harder, more complicated, and will take a lot of time. We wait for that “right” day when we have 8 hours without interruption to even tackle the planning of it. As a result, the project gets postponed indefinitely. We end up procrastinating, instead of studying for an exam, executing a work project, completing a home improvement. It’s not as hard as you imagine!
Beautiful puzzle, lots of small detail adding to the challenge, but larger areas of gradient colours and the manageable size of 750 pieces make the assembly easier. Riomaggiore is a village in Italy, part of Cinque Terre — beautiful coastline with five villages.
When you find that your emotional state is not conducive to interacting with people, step back and take care of yourself.
Small, but not trivial due to small repetitive patterns and areas of colour, this puzzle is a pleasure to tackle, thanks to well-fitting Sure-Lox pieces.
We are creatures of habit. It is so easy to fall into repetitive familiar patterns and end up getting bored with your reality. Feeling locked into a routine? Break it up!
A beautiful, 1000-piece fairy-tale style puzzle depicting a cozy house, snugly wrapped in snow, surrounded by festive evergreens.
From the same series as the Passion Flower puzzle, this lovely shell was a pleasure to put together. Not completely trivial due to repeating patterns, but with enough colour variation and clear outlines to easily guide the assembly.
Recently someone has shown me a video depicting nutritionally-empty mud cookies being made, sold, coveted and consumed by people in a society where food is extremely scarce. It reminded me of an old saying, “I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet”. We in the West are revolving in a stressful reality we ourselves have created. It helps to slow down and consider how lucky most of us are.
Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 30.02 cm x 48.26 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2014, No. 51410ABN, A 04034 LP
Photographer: Johnnyraff
Puzzle: Lovely puzzle to make — not extremely difficult, but not completely trivial either. The bright colours and clear boundaries split the image into several logical areas, and repetitive elements add challenge. An easy place to start is the three-pronged purple stigma(?) on …
