puzzle Archives – Page 6 of 29

Posts tagged "puzzle" (Page 6)

Puzzle: Detail of Roof on a Chinese Temple

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 48.1 cm x 67.95 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Structures series, 2013, No. 50941AAN, A 27053 PP

Puzzle: Another puzzle from the Structures series (see Astronomical Clock, Prague, Czech Republic, Galleries Lafayette, Paris, Sri Mariamman Temple and Church of the Savior, St. Petersburg for more).

To be honest, I did not expect this puzzle to be that interesting: from the box it looked like the too-bold lines of a too-bright building with too few detailed areas to make it interesting. It has, however, pleasantly surprised me. I’ve enjoyed following the diagonal and horizontal guide lines of the structure and the small details that revealed themselves during assembly.

I have started with the red horizontal, vertical, and diagonal regions, and built on them: each band of a different texture and colouring following the bands above or below it. The remaining regions are distinct and separated enough to be quite simple for a 1000 piece puzzle.

Notes: Unfortunately, the puzzle box does not indicate which temple is depicted on this puzzle. If you have any information on that, I would love to know.

Puzzle: Vineyard Terrace by Sung Kim

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.9 cm x 48.1 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, The Art of Sung Kim series
Artist: Sung Kim – Born in 1940 in Seoul, South Korea, Sung Kim exhibited his artistic talents early in childhood. He entered and won various art contests and decided to pursue his passion for art by attending Seorabol Art College where he graduated with honors. Sung opened his own studio and worked as an illustrator for various magazines and children’s books. He traveled throughout Europe before immigrating to the United States in 1980. For the past 20 years, Sung has worked with various fine art galleries, producing over 400 original landscape paintings, and has sold his paintings to people from all over the world. [Puzzle box]
Painting: original

Puzzle: There is a wonderful book by Gerald Durrell called “My Family and Other Animals”, in which he describes life in Corfu – a Greek island to which his mother and three siblings have moved when he was 10. As a child, he explores the island gathering various animals (he has been an enthusiastic budding zoologist at that age), against the backdrop of the slow-paced life of the adults on the island. The olive trees, the sea, the tranquility of sunny afternoons, and the overall calm of the Mediterranean is what I remember vividly from the book. And this puzzle by Sung Kim carries that same quiet feeling of a light breeze on a vine-shaded terrace, on a lazy sunny afternoon somewhere in the Mediterranean.

This puzzle is not a trivial one to assemble, as uniform patterns such as leaves at the top, trees in the background, and bricks of the terrace take up large regions. It is a very calming scene, however, so I have found it quite relaxing, so I did not mind slightly longer time to find the pieces I needed. There are a few good regions to start: the boundary of the sky and the mountain, as well as the borders of the mountain and the trees, and far away trees and the fields. The table with white tablecloth, and the wine glasses and bottles is also easy to assemble. The window with surrounding bricks, and the chairs are also a different enough shade and pattern to not be difficult. The terrace frame is a little harder to complete, but when done it can serve as horizontal and vertical guides for the res of the puzzle. The lighter bricks of the wall are sufficiently different from the tiles of the floor. The leaves at the top can be fitted in between the horizontal guides of the terrace frame, and the rest of the puzzle comes together afterwards.

The assembly went very well with a glass of wine and the early spring sun coming in through the window, promising warm afternoons, if not in the Mediterranean.

Puzzle: Curious Introduction

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.95 cm x 48.1 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Fantastic Visions series, 2013, No. 50939AAN, A 23053 PP
Artist: Aimee Stewart
Original: artwork

Puzzle: A beatiful, easy-flowing puzzle. There are so many distinct bright regions, that the pieces fall into place with little thinking. I have started with the lady and the horse, the purple flower in the bottom left corner, and the yellow-green leaves at the top. Once completed, those regions split the puzzle into left and right top parts and the larger bottom part. The bottom is easy to do as the fish and the plants are of bright colours with clear boundaries, reflection is a distinct green, and there are horizontal guides of the ripples on the water. The top right is a bright purple and the top left a distinct brown, both trivial to assemble. Overall a very pleasant puzzle to do – it helped me remember there are good things in life when I was feeling sick.

Puzzle: Havasu Falls, Grand Canyon

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73 cm x 48.57 cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group

Puzzle: There are several puzzles I have done of Havasu falls, and every time I find them breathtaking. This one is colourful and serene. The waterfall with the bright yellow leaves above it, the mountain ridges and their borders with other mountains and with the sky can be put together first and serve as the vertical and horizontal guides. The blue sky and a blue patch of water in the bottom left, the dark of the water under the waterfall, and the outline of the yellow tree leaves in the bottom half of the puzzle can be filled in next. The remaining regions are distinct enough to be completed without much difficulty.

Puzzle: Sam Park – Barcelona Flower Market

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 51.12cm x 66.52cm
Producer: Big Ben, Artist Series, 11404294BX
Artist: Sam Park
Original: painting

Puzzle: A bright and colourful puzzle, a pleasure for the eye. Easiest places to start would be the striped pavement, the sky and tree leaves bordering it, the buildings, and the uniform colour of the market stall roofs. The yellow lights and the dark flower buckets/vases can be done next. The rest of the puzzle is the jumble of small coloured regions that can slowly be filled in.

Birthday Weekend

This weekend has been far from boring. I spent most of the day Saturday putting together a few snacks and playing with the kids, which was followed by a few people coming to share in my birthday. After the celebrations and late night clean-up on Saturday, Sunday was more relaxed. I have managed to indulge in several of my favourite activities.

I have slept in until 9:30 and then connected with a friend to pass on a braided fertility necklace to her. She has discovered it is my birthday from social media, and has brought me an unexpected gift of soaps: cucumber and calendula, lavender and tea tree, and oatmeal. I love Easter European traditions of giving birthday gifts. My love also gave me two clever gifts: a Dali melting clock, and a Canon lens collection cup.

We had leftovers for breakfast, and headed to Ikea for the breastfeeding event happening in the sofa section. The goal was to thank Ikea for their great breastfeeding and baby-friendly practices and highlight the importance of public breastfeeding, since it has a significant impact on mothers breastfeeding to term. I also wish other businesses took notice of what Ikea is doing to implement family-friendly practices, and followed suit. It is surprising how many “family-oriented” establishments lack such simple accommodations as a changing table (especially in men’s washrooms) or a place to safely put a baby down (when a baby is not yet able to sit up on their own, but is not confined to a bucket car seat).

The atmosphere at Ikea was great: I have chatted with a few friends, CTV was there to cover the story, we have spoken to Ottawa Citizen, and ended up participating in an ad hoc focus group for a Carleton breastfeeding research study, which lasted for a while after the official event was over. My older child was rather enjoying the play area during that time.

Afterwards, I have cuddled my babies to sleep at home, and took a break with a lager and some smoked salmon for lunch. During their nap time, I have spent some time puzzling and listening to The Wheel of Time – The Shadow Rising – in other words, in my zen state.

After a break to feed the baby and rock her back to sleep, it was time to pull out my newly-arrived gemstones and play. I have just found beautiful beads of lapis lazuli and blue-white chalcedony, and combined with turquoise, amethyst, moonstone, and rose quartz, they have made three new pregnancy tracking necklaces and two new fertility/cycle tracking bracelets. In a few days, I will make them available for purchase on Etsy.

Gemstones, md

Lapis chalcedony fertility and pregnancy tracking necklaces and bracelets, design, md

Lapis chalcedony fertility and pregnancy tracking necklaces and bracelets, md When the children were up, we brought out the leftovers and a large 100-piece United Kingdom puzzle (the largest my oldest has ever attempted). We sat on the floor with food and drinks, doing the puzzle and listening to some music. That was a lovely quiet way to spend the evening. We stayed up later than usual, the kids had their baths, and there was more cuddling them to sleep. After all was peaceful and quiet, my love and I had some time to ourselves. A wonderful way to spend my birthday, I must say.

Puzzle: Déjà view

Size: 500+ pieces
Dimensions: 61.5 cm x 46.5 cm
Producer: Unknown – I do not have the box anymore, if you know the producer and the series, could you please share?

Puzzle: Not a trivial puzzle to do due to many similar regions and the lack of large uniform colour patches. One could start with the bright accessories – the ribbon, the bouquet, small flowers, the butterflies, the feather, the hair piece, and the round peacock feather. The brighter white and yellow postcards and letters can be filled in afterwards, as well as the black photos and the photo in the black oval frame. For the rest of the puzzle, it takes a bit of time to complete, but as the pieces are large and it’s not a big puzzle, I would not say it is hard.

Puzzle: Tom Kidd – Success!

Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 46 cm x 61 cm
Producer: Sunset Glow? (I do not have the box anymore: if you know who the producer is of this puzzle and what the series is, I’d appreciate it if you share.)

Puzzle: Easy enough to complete, with large distinct pieces and many differently-coloured regions, this puzzle is a good one when you crave a fairy tale visual. Many good places to start: the book and flame, the wizard’s face and hands, the glowing ball at the top of the staff, the red robe, the hat, the white horses, the castle, and the sky wall boundary. The book stand top and round parts in the bottom half of the puzzle can serve as guides. The rest of the pieces should fall into place.

Puzzle: Covered bridge

Size: 500 pieces, 1 missing
Dimensions: 48.5 cm x 35.5 cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group

Puzzle: Simple enough to complete due to many differently-coloured regions, this puzzle is a quick one to do. The Sure-Lox pieces fit together snugly. One can start from the red of the bridge building, the beige and yellow regions of the roof and the roads, the black and brown of the bridge building, the white railings, the river water and the border between the mountains in the background and the sky. From that point on, the small buildings, the trees, and the remaining regions fit together easily.

Puzzle: Glimmer

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.95 cm x 48.1 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2013, No. 51420AAN, A 29073LP
Artist: Adrian Klein
Original: photo

Puzzle: This puzzle takes a little time, but reflections are easy to do, and the vibrant colours and well-fitting pieces make this puzzle a pleasure to assemble. The easiest regions to start are the top of the mountain and its border with the sky, and the mountain’s reflection and its border with the river water. The blue of the sky and the river water, as well as the white of the river near the horizon can be put together next. The green grass in the middle and the horizontal white line serve as horizontal guides along which the mountain bottom and the evergreens can then be completed. The grass islands on the river and the remaining mountain pieces fall into place easily after that.

Notes: The sunrise light glimmers briefly on the summit of South Sister in Three Sisters Wilderness. [Adrian Klein site]

Puzzle: Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 48.5 cm x 35.5 cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group

Puzzle: A small, not very complicated, puzzle. The best place to start is the building roof/sky border, the distinct towers and building elements, white roof segments, and the sky itself. The bottom white region is also easy to complete, leaving the bushes for the last. Overall quick and pleasant puzzle to do, the Sure-Lox pieces fitting together well.

Notes: Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England. It is known locally as “the ship of the Fens”, because of its prominent shape that towers above the surrounding flat and watery landscape. The first Christian building on the site was founded by St. Æthelthryth (romanised as “Etheldreda”), daughter of the Anglo-Saxon King Anna of East Anglia, who was born in 630. She set up and ruled a monastery at Ely in 673, and, when she died, a shrine was built there to her memory. A new Benedictine monastery was built and endowed on the site by Athelwold, Bishop of Winchester, in 970. This became a cathedral in 1109. The cathedral is built from stone quarried from Barnack in Northamptonshire, with decorative elements carved from Purbeck Marble and local clunch. The plan of the building is cruciform (cross-shaped), with an additional transept at the western end. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Dürnstein, Austria

Size: 1000 pieces, 1 missing
Dimensions: 73 cm x 48.57 cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group

Puzzle: Not a completely trivial puzzle to complete, due to the snow and trees on the mountains forming a somewhat-uniform pattern. It is simple to start from the more prominent regions, such as the bright buildings, the river/snow border, the snow on the roofs, and the steps going up into the mountains. Once that is done, the top mountain range is separated into mostly blue and mostly black regions, and the central blue tower serves as a vertical guide to assist the completion. The Sure-Lox pieces fit together well and simplify the process that would have been harder with more loosely-fitting pieces.

Notes: Dürnstein is a small town on the Danube river in the Krems-Land district, in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Wachau region and also a well-known wine growing area.

The town gained its name from the medieval castle, Burgruine Dürnstein, which overlooked it. The castle was called “Duerrstein” or “Dürrstein”, from the German duerr/dürr meaning “dry” and Stein, “stone”. The castle was dry because it was situated on a rocky hill, high above the damp conditions of the Danube at the base of the hill, and it was built of stone. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Winter

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 43 cm x 27.5 cm
Producer: I no longer have the box for this puzzle, so I would much appreciate any information on its name and maker.

Puzzle: Not a hard puzzle to do, since even with its similar colours it’s rather small and the pieces are distinct. Good places to start are the mountain/sky border, the houses, and the brighter patches of the sky and the snow. The rest takes a bit more time, but is quite pleasant to assemble as the pieces fit together well.

Puzzle: Forces of Time

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.95 cm x 48.1 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2013, No. 51420AAN, A29073LP
Artist: Sean Bagshaw
Original: photo

Puzzle: Not a completely trivial puzzle, but due to its vibrant colours and the pieces fitting together well, it makes for an extended pleasure to assemble. The easiest region to start is the border between the rock and the sky. Sky can be completed next. The uniform areas of orange, red, and dark red can be done next. The white/blue diagonal ridges serve as guidelines, along which various layers can then be assembled. A serene puzzle to do with a good audiobook.

Notes: Sandstone layers form intricate and alien patterns of color and texture in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona. [Outdoor Exposure Photography site]

Puzzle: Josephine Wall – Fantasy Wedding

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67 cm x 48 cm
Producer: RoseArt, Masterworks series
Artist: Josephine Wall

Puzzle: A simple puzzle to do, due to its many distinct elements. One can start really anywhere – good places are the rainbow-coloured flowers in the bottom right, the white of the bride and her horse, the balloons and the sky, palm trees, waterfall, and river. The building and various animals can follow, and the rest is trivial.

Notes: “At a fantasy wedding there is no need of a limousine when the bride can arrive on a pure white unicorn, and the groom on a powerful striped mount.With attendants from the jungles and plains, the happy young couple set out on their journey through life together, surrounded by all the things that have meant so much to them. What a magical day, one never to be forgotten!” [Josephine Wall site]

Puzzle: Parliament Buildings [Canada] in 3D

Size: 87 pieces
Dimensions: 28.4 cm x 28.4 cm x 18 cm
Producer: CubicFun, 3D Puzzle series MC, #MC081h, complexity 4/5
Original packaging: unable to find on the CubicFun site

Puzzle: Following the St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Taj Mahal 3D puzzles, I am now perpetually on the lookout for other higher-complexity puzzles made by CubicFun, and found a Canadian one in a nearby toy store (Mrs. Tiggy Winkles), sold as a special before Christmas.

Here is the box, the booklet (see below for the historical information contained therein) and sheets with puzzle pieces.

I have done this in three stages:

1. Separating all the pieces from the sheets in which they were embedded.

2. Punching out the holes in the pieces (I used a tip of a mechanical pencil).

3. And putting together the puzzle itself. Below are the progress photos (this time I had enough willpower to stop briefly to snap a few photos):

3D Parliament Puzzle - core separated, md

3D Parliament Puzzle - core, md

3D Parliament Puzzle - core and towers, md

3D Parliament Puzzle - front full, md

The sides of the back buildings were tricky – there were several small pieces that had to fit together just so, and ended up not fitting very well, snapping off easily (tape to the rescue), and causing the edge towers and roofs to tilt. While rotating the puzzle, I had to keep straightening them.

3D Parliament Puzzle - side 1, md

3D Parliament Puzzle - side 2, md

3D Parliament Puzzle - back, md

A fun puzzle to do. However, compared to the previous two, punching the holes was not as easy: the pieces often did not fully separate, and attempting to remove the unnecessary parts peeled off the top layer of paper, so I had to be very careful to try minimizing the damage. This seems like a manufacturing issue with this particular puzzle, as the previous two puzzles did not have it.

I also had my 3 year-old catch me at separating the pieces from the sheets and insist on participating. He was mostly successful with some supervision (which speaks to how well the puzzle sheets are designed), with minimal damage to a couple of pieces, most of which I was able to fix with glue.

Notes from the puzzle booklet:

“The world’s famous architecture we build it. Parliament Buildings [Canada]

Tourists can visit the House of Commons and Senate chambers in the Centre Block. Inside the rotunda are the statues of Queen Victoria and former Prime Ministers of Canada. The office of the first Prime Minister, John A. MacDonald, in the East Block is open to public.

The parliament buildings were designed in Gothic Revival style and were made of sandstone and granite with magnificent carvings.

The parliament buildings are three edifices arranged around three sides of Parliament Hill’s central lawn. The Centre Block which contains the House of Commons and Senate chambers, features the Peace Tower on the south facade with the Library of Parliament at the building’s rear. The East and West Blocks each contains ministers’ and senators’ offices, as well as meeting rooms and other administrative spaces. The ground was broken in December 1859, followed by a number of other extensions to the parliament and departmental buildings. A fire destroyed the Centre Block in 1916. The Parliament Hill took on its present form with the completion of the Peace Tower in 1927.

The parliament buildings are fronted by the Peace Tower standing at 92.2 meters tall on the south facade of the Centre Block. CUrrently, the Peace Tower with 4.8 m clock face and 53 bells in its carillon is known as the world’s most delicate architecture in the Gothic Revival style.

From late June to the third week of August, the Changing of the Guard Ceremony takes place on the Parliament Hill. It starts a little before 10:00 in the morning when the Old Guard arrives. Once the Old Guard has been inspected, the New Guard arrives to relieve them.

The Mosaika Sound and Light Show takes place every evening on the Parliament Hill from early July to early September. A powerful narrative set against the spectacular backdrop of Parliament Hill, Mosaika takes the audience on an unforgettable journey of sound and light, as we explore Canada’s physical, historical and cultural landscapes. This bilingual show is 45 minutes in length and free of charge.

When visiting the Parliament Hill, visitors will fall in love with the solemn and magnificent buildings, pleasant charms from Peace Tower, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Ceremony, and the Sound and Light show.” [Puzzle booklet]

Puzzle: Hin Chang Tor by Aimee Stewart

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.95 cm x 48.1 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Fantastic Visions series, 2013, No. 50939AAN, A 23053 PP
Artist: Aimee Stewart – Aimee is a self-taught artist who specializes in lush, eclectic digital painting and photomanipulation. Heavily inspired by music and literature, Aimee works from the heart to bring her unique and transporting visions to life, whether they are surreal, storybook, or something plucked from ‘otherwhere’. In essence, she is a cartographer of the imagination, and a champion of daydreams. [Foxfires site]
Original: artwork

Puzzle: A beautiful fantasy puzzle, not completely trivial to put together. Some of the best places to start are the balloons, the coloured ribbons cascading from balconies, the waterfall, the multicoloured sky and grass, and the sky/castle boundary. From there on, filling out the rest of the pieces is a big slower but many small details are revealed in the process, making this puzzle a pleasure to assemble. Good quality pieces fitting together well.

Puzzle: Flower field, North Holland Province, Netherlands

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 51.12cm x 66.52cm
Producer: Hasbro, MB Puzzles, Big Ben, 2008
Photographer: Jim Zuckerman
Puzzle: This puzzle allowed me to get lost in myself when putting it together. It is not completely trivial, but the regions are distinct enough to guide one through the assembly. The windmill, the rows of flowers close to horizon, the white row of tulips, and the paths between flowers are good places to start. The fields can then be completed. In the sky, the clouds serve as the guiding regions. Very pleasant puzzle to do.

Puzzle: Rochefort en Terre, Brittany, France

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 51.12cm x 66.52cm
Producer: Hasbro, MB Puzzles, Big Ben, 2005, #04962-G52
Puzzle: A pleasant puzzle to do, for stone parts good lighting is a plus. A good place to start are the windows and the door as well as the large bright flowers and leaves in the bottom right and the border of the roof and the sky. After that, the window borders, the water pipe, and the iron structure in the top left can serve as guides. Flowers and the rest of the stone work can follow. Not a completely trivial puzzle, but quite enjoyable.

Notes: Rochefort-en-Terre is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. Inhabitants of Rochefort-en-Terre are called in French Rochefortais. [Wiki]

Brittany is one of the 27 regions of France. It occupies a large peninsula in the northwest of the country, lying between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its capital is Rennes. The name of Brittany derives from settlers from Great Britain, who fled that island in the wake of the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England between the fifth and seventh centuries. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Fire Sunset on Mount Rainier

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.95 cm x 48.1 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2013, No. 50420AAN, A 29073 LP
Artist: Kevin McNeal
Original: Last Bit Of Light – Paradise Area, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Puzzle: A beautiful puzzle that I managed to complete within a span of a single day, so easily the flow of piece placement continued. I have started with the sun, the orange and red regions of the sky, mountains, and snow, and the clouds, continuing to the pink highlights on the trees and the snow, the multiple colours of the sky, and finishing up with the purple of the snow and the bright blue of the sky at the top. A vibrant, peaceful, entrancing puzzle.

Notes: Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located 87 km southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc.

Typically, up to five earthquakes are recorded monthly near the summit. Swarms of five to ten shallow earthquakes over two or three days take place from time to time, predominantly in the region of 4 km below the summit. These earthquakes are thought to be caused by the circulation of hot fluids beneath Mount Rainier. Presumably, hot springs and steam vents within Mount Rainier National Park are generated by such fluids.

Glaciers are among the most conspicuous and dynamic geologic features on Mount Rainier. They erode the volcanic cone and are important sources of streamflow for several rivers, including some that provide water for hydroelectric power and irrigation. [Wiki]

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