Puzzle: Blue wall
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.
Feeling stressed and tired? Go to the park!
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.
Puzzle: Dancing Girl by Derjen
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.
Puzzle: Song of the Southwest, Artifacts from the Hartman Collection
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.
Choose what to remember
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.
Puzzle: Brown and Hopkins General Store, Chepachet, RI
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.
Tackle that project
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!
Puzzle: Riomaggiore
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.
Know when to take a break
When you find that your emotional state is not conducive to interacting with people, step back and take care of yourself.
Puzzle: Colony of Sea Anemones
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.
Break up your routine
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!
Puzzle: Country Christmas
A beautiful, 1000-piece fairy-tale style puzzle depicting a cozy house, snugly wrapped in snow, surrounded by festive evergreens.
Puzzle: Nautilus Shell
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.
Appreciate your reality
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.
Puzzle: Passion Flower
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 …
Creating a zen workspace
To facilitate creativity and productivity, our workspace has to provide all necessities for performing the work, as well as a few extras that help us focus, keep distractions away, and alleviate stress. Whether you are changing jobs, moving offices, or rearranging your home workspace, here are some helpful tips.
Puzzle: Provence
Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.95 cm x 48.10 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2014, No.51420ACN, A12054LP
Puzzle: This puzzle does not have a title or specify where exactly this place is. If you know, please do share.
Another one from the Vibrant series, this is a well-done puzzle with beautiful imagery. It combines bright colours and subtle shades, clear borders and soft transition, as …
The power of 15 minutes
Those of us who have been planning to organize the basement or clean the garage know how daunting the prospect of it is. We make it feel like a huge undertaking and keep putting it off, week after week. But you don’t have to dedicate 8-10 hours a day to a project to get it done.
Puzzle: Painted elephants
Bright and lovely puzzle, from the same series as Tropical Flowers, this one takes a bit more time to assemble, due to subtle textures and colour transitions.
Unpacking Tips
I have been unfolding after the move – I feel like a wound spiral that is finally let go. There is so much to do, and unpacking can be overwhelming. I found ways to make it more efficient and alleviate the stress.