The Moon

by Dorothy Krusky
(Ontario Canada)

Cobble Hills 2020 featured The Moon, 1,000 pieces.

In the past couple of weeks I took the “out of this world,” experience. For all the folks in the Jigsaw Puzzle Connections they can relate in so many ways. I’d say many of them are a seasoned group, dedicated to puzzling. Some members will challenge themselves by doing a puzzle of 5,000 pieces and up. I can only say WOW! Then other members count how many puzzles they do per month. Their challenge is to see if they beat last year’s count. In any event these people amaze me.

That was one reason for attempting to do a puzzle of 1,000 pieces titled The Moon from the 2020 collection of Cobble Hill Puzzles. Little could I imagine what this puzzle would go through to get complete. I’ve come to know having a good space to lay out a puzzle is most important however little did I anticipate dropping a couple of pieces. I rescued the first one from the jaws of the puggle. Whew. Now that would have been a big event in itself but nope. The next day I was moving the puzzle and kerplunk, down it went. Did I get angry...no use. Each section was picked up and set gingerly back in the box. The thought was to put it away.

The puzzle was on my mind so much so that once again the busy hands began the task of finding all the little pieces to put in their correct place. Well, once again the dog managed to find a piece and totally destroy it. Was The Moon telling me something? Not giving up and getting encouragement from my sister Linda I continued. Cobble Hill Puzzles was generous in that once they heard about the plight of the puzzle they helped to see this one come together by sending a replacement puzzle for me to locate the 2 er… missing pieces. Definitely a big thank you.

Solar System

by Roberta S.
(Scottsdale, AZ, USA)

Sunsout
20” x 27”
1000 pieces

I’ve done and liked other random cut puzzles, this was my first from Sunsout. I would label it EXTREME random! More than the usual number of non interlocking pieces and what looked like edge pieces that were not. In other regards, pieces were sturdy enough, but fit was loose. Even small sections would fall apart trying to lift them. No additional picture is included, but the box picture is complete and colors are accurate. Not the fault of the puzzle, this one was harder to sort by color than I had expected. Turned out all those things were small annoyances. I had a lot of fun watching the solar system come together. Alas, done did not mean complete this time. No ultimate satisfaction placing the last piece - one was missing. Still and all, I enjoyed the process and it is stunning; something quite different from the rest of Sunsout’s offerings. They do have some other interesting themes to choose from, and I have purchased more. They are well priced and their customer service is top notch. There is a missing piece replacement form. I filled it out one evening, and got an email confirmation a replacement puzzle had been sent, the next day!

Anu

Piatnik 1000 pieces

A Christmas Story

by Patty Herpel
(Carrollton,Georgia,USA)

A Christmas Story

Based on the movie A Christmas Story from 1983. 300 pieces.

The Village Toy Shop

by Carol Ribner
(Philadelphia, PA)

Brand: White Mountain Puzzle Company
Pieces: 1,000
Title: village Toy shop
I only recently became a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast when we all started staying home due to the virus. I purchased a puzzle form the USPS gift shop to help support the post office and I was hooked. This latest puzzle was a lot of fun. I took only two days, working in the evening.

Socks and Kittens

by Edna mefford
(Southern Calif.)

Socks and Kittens

Approx. 1000 Pieces, Size: 35" x 26", Artist: Christopher Nick & Lori Schory, by SunsOut

Parkside View

by Roberta Shore
(Scottsdale, AZ, USA)

Parkside View (1000 pieces, Galison)

Galison, 1000 pieces, 27” x 20”
Framed behind plexiglass, no glue or tape, puzzle had pick up tight fit and can become a puzzle again!

Paris in a Day

by Roberta S.
(Scottsdale, Arizona, USA)

The inspiration

Brand: EeBoo
Size: 21” x 28”
Pieces: 1000

I turned 75 in October and just recently decided I needed a new hobby. Started with a Cobble Hill 500 piece rectangular puzzle, then an EeBoo round 500 piece, then a MasterPiece 750 rectangular one. I researched many companies, focusing on puzzle quality, piece cut, variety of piece shape, etc. There are some boutique companies like eeBoo, that don’t get much press, but offer a highly rated product. I was ready for 1000 pieces, or so I thought. The first of those was a Springbok called State Plates — little did I know they list in their hard category. I chose it because their finished puzzle is larger than most others, so the pieces would be bigger. Unfortunately, it had a missing piece Remember, I’m a beginner. But, I was feeling pretty confident!

I was particularly taken with the quality and look of the first eeBoo, they do have a shiny surface which I know may not appeal to everyone, but otherwise the pieces are sturdy, the fit is pretty solid allowing small sections to be moved without falling apart, and they snap in place without having to pick up surrounding pieces. I chose the one that is the subject here because it reminded me of a Paris street artist’s primitive painting that has hung in my home for 45 years (included in this commentary). Sad to say, 6 pieces had irregularities — bent or lifted bobs, separation. But none were missing — that is the biggest deal, I think.

I admit it, I am pretty proud of myself for what I’ve accomplished. But mostly I see puzzling as a super activity for the mind and spirit. Getting lost in the process is actually a reboot to face the day. If I’ve learned nothing else, taking breaks from puzzling is imperative, going back to it renews the joy.

Thank you for this beautiful site! A wealth of knowledge and inspiration! I have learned so much and am putting it into practice with each puzzle I tackle. I love a challenge, but it will be quite a while before I tackle some of the ones you have completed. Wow! At this point, I look at composition. I consider the prospect of sorting by color. I am a graphic designer (retired to hobby status :-) ), which I am certain reflects my puzzle choices. I don’t even want to work on the frenetic, mishmash of many “collage” themed puzzles. Nor do I need to be so challenged by, for example, an entire red puzzle. Maybe someday.

One more shoutout to eeBoo. A New York based company dedicated to producing sustainable products. They are “Woman owned, mother run”. Many of the puzzles reflect women’s strengths and accomplishments. There is an entire series themed “Piece and Love”. The artwork is colorful, sometimes quirky, and offers a variety of subjects. I loaded the round one (23” diameter) here — no bent pieces, none missing. It was joyful all around!

Starship

by D.Hummel-Marconi
(Bonita Springs, FL)

Self-produced by White Mountain Puzzle Manufacturer. 18x24, 550 pieces.

The Village Toy Shop

by Carol Ribner
(Philadelphia, PA)

The Village Toy Shop

Brand: White Mountain Puzzle Company
Pieces: 1,000
Size: 24" x 30"
Title: Village Toy Shop

I only recently became a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast when we all started staying home due to the virus. I purchased a puzzle form the USPS gift shop to help support the post office and I was hooked. This latest puzzle was a lot of fun. It took only two days, working in the evening.

Country Bells

by Edna mefford
(Southern Calif.)

Country Bells

Sunsout, 27x31", 750 pieces, Artist Lori Schory

Night Messenger

by Lorna Hutchinson

Night Messenger

Finished Size: 19.25" x 26.625"
Artist: © Anne Stokes
Size: 1000 pieces

Here at last is the Night Messenger, as I have never done a Cobble Hill puzzle before I found it quite a challenge with the quirky shapes but I made it and enjoyed every bit of the challenge.Only took about 3 weeks with weekends and Easter breaking in all the time. Would've been a keeper for me but I did it for the son of a friend it is now framed and looks amazing.

Floretine

by Cassia Lancaster

Cassia Lancaster

Springbok 1972 Florentine

Mosaic - 500+ pieces

Whoo hoo lovely little puzzle - was such a challenge: acted and took as long as most 1000 piece puzzles. Took almost 11 hours. Great quality and challenge. Exact same Pattern repeats x 4 -so busy, so distracting, sooooo much fun!

#1 Bird Village .

by Edna mefford
(Southern Calif.)

Edna Mefford Birds View by Lori Schory

# 1 Ravensburger, 1,000 pieces, 27 X 20
Artist: Lori Schory