Puzzle Review: White Mountain’s Bird Crochet

I was so excited to work this new 1,000-piece puzzle from White Mountain: I love birds, I love crochet, and I love brightly-colored collage puzzles! Plus, while this puzzle features birds, White Mountain has also recently released Crochet puzzles featuring flowers and Halloween-themed items as well…all in my wheelhouse.

With art by Jessica White, this collage-style puzzle features twenty-four birds in their respective habitats, each crocheted with colors that pop and charming details. Pieces are a nice size, with standard shapes. What I especially love about this puzzle is that the art is so vibrant, the crocheted pieces look almost 3-D; taken as a whole, the art feels almost textured.

I also liked the varying shades of border around each bird, making the pinks, blues, and yellows easier to tell apart when looking closely.

Overall, this puzzle is a nice challenge (but not so challenging as to frustrate) with wonderful artwork and a fun theme. I give it five out of five puzzle pieces.

 

Puzzle Review: White Mountain’s Love Stamps

Looking for a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day? This colorful 1,000-piece puzzle featuring 27 U.S.A. LOVE postage stamps from over the years makes a great gift or together-time activity (be sure to pair it carefully with chocolate-drizzled strawberries and a favorite beverage!).

I had a lot of fun working this vibrant puzzle designed by Lois B. Sutton. But first, I had to manage putting together the edge pieces, which were quite the challenge. As you can see from the photo below, the edge pieces are black on the bottom and include the scalloped edges of the stamps on top. Some scallops also offer color to sort by, but others don’t, and in many cases, the “squiggles” almost appear to be a new language. For this 24″ x 30″ puzzle, working the edge pieces took me much longer than usual.

Once I did finish preparing for the heart of the puzzle, the stamps themselves offered a mostly easy endeavor. I especially liked that not all the stamps were pink or red or even featured hearts, and they included a variety of styles and sturdy pieces.

All in all, I think you will, ahem, love this puzzle. I recommend it for ages 12 and up (not ages 6 and up as listed by the manufacturer), and give it 4 out of 5 puzzle pieces.

National Puzzle Day 2024 Puzzle Review: White Mountain’s Storytime

It’s one of my favorite annual celebrations: National Puzzle Day. And what better way to enjoy it than by working a fun puzzle that focuses on a passion of mine: picture books (I write them and love to read them too). This 1,000-piece puzzle from White Mountain features the covers of classic childhood stories such as The Snowy Day, Corduroy, Pippi Longstocking, The Little Engine That Could, and Madeline, among many others. It’s made of sturdy, vibrantly-colored pieces, which feature fun, unusual cuts…no boring rectangles or squares here.

This puzzle is a walk down memory lane, for sure, but also an enjoyable way to spend a cold January day (whoever made National Puzzle Day occur in January instead of June knew a little something about getting through Winter!). It’s easy to work, so I recommend it for ages 10 and up, and give it five out of five puzzle pieces.

Puzzle Review: Gibson’s I Love Winter

What better time than during an arctic blast of below-zero temperatures to work a puzzle titled I Love Winter? And because I, personally, do NOT love cold and ice, I prefer to enjoy winter instead through this Mike Jupp art that shows a funny and fun side to this season.

This 1,000-piece puzzle from Gibsons (also available from All Jigsaw Puzzles as Mike Jupp’s I Love Winter) features a chaotic winter scene with pops of color to break up the white snow. Humorous vignettes include a skiier with his pants falling down, a man encased in ice, a runaway snowball that’s swept up numerous people on its roll to the frozen river, and a bevy of characters waiting on the bus (though one woman with blue lips is sporting a look of horror on her face, which is pretty odd).

All in all, this is an easy puzzle to work. I recommend it for ages 10 and up and give it four out of five puzzle pieces.

Puzzle Review: Springbok’s Sweet Tooth

If you’re looking for a 1,000-piece puzzle* that offers a nice challenge, bright colors, uniquely-cut pieces, and a fun theme, you’ve found it right here with Springbok’s Sweet Tooth. I’m a candy lover myself, so when I first saw this puzzle, I felt a connection right away. The array of hot pinks, greens, oranges, blues, and yellows add to the carnival atmosphere, but also add to the challenge: just when I thought I’d found all the candies of one color or one kind, I’d find another hiding out across the way. The unique, unusual, and never-repeat-shapes puzzles pieces are a nice change from the standard fare (though a couple I found had nearly-straight edges that threw me off when sorting). And as always, I love that Springbok’s puzzles are made in the USA. I recommend this 1,000 piece puzzle for ages 10-12 and up.

*Also comes in 500 pieces

Because I enjoyed this puzzle so much, I am giving this puzzle five out of five puzzle pieces.

Holiday Gifts With a Twist: Puzzle Gift Holders

Looking for a way to make this year’s gift giving of cash, gift cards, or even that very special piece of jewelry just a bit more fun? Try a puzzle box or maze to add that extra twist (literally!). Here are just a few I’ve found* that represent what’s out there, but there are many, many on the market in various formats, styles, and price ranges. One caveat: be sure to read the descriptions as not all fit gift cards or even come with directions!

Zpisf Money Maze Gift Boxes Set

This brightly-colored set is good for kids and adults. It’s for small items, like money or candy, as the opening is only 1.8″ in diameter. Gift receivers must roll a ball through the 3-D maze to the end in order to retrieve their gift. The mazes can be re-used for gift-giving or as piggy banks as well.

Atdawn Secret Puzzle Money Box

This small wooden box is just one idea out of many similar designs for presenting cash or a standard-sized gift card to a teenager or adult. The recipient needs to figure out how to work the knobs and lift/slide the two top wooden pieces in order to access the inside compartment.

Bits & Pieces 11-Step Mosaic Secret Puzzle Box

Even though this looks like a carved mosaic box, it’s actually a wooden box with mosaic stickers. But Bits & Pieces boasts an 11-step solution for solving the puzzle to access the gift inside, so for those looking for something with more challenge for their gift recipient, this might be worth a look.

DC-Beautiful Impossible Dovetail Box Mini 3-D Brainteaser

This 3″ x 3″ x 2″ solid-wood box is not only beautiful, it’s the most challenging I’ve listed here for one main reason: it does not come with solving instructions! The manufacturer encourages users to take their time and just think, then try…and the solution will come in time. This is a lovely gift-giving vessel for jewelry or other small item which will fit into a small round hole inside (which is maybe half the diameter of the box itself). And because of its difficulty, it’s definitely for older teenagers and adults!

So whether you choose one of the above designs, one that’s completely different, or even design one of your own, you can make your gift-giving this holiday season just a bit more fun: give things a twist with a puzzle gift holder!

*I have not personally tried these items, and have no ties to any of the manufacturers. Please do your due diligence by reading product descriptions and reviews thoroughly before purchasing.

Puzzle Review: White Mountain’s Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Oh, what fun it is to sparkle, shine, jingle, glare–maybe even blind–with all the tinsel, bows, and sequins (and much, much more) on these ugly Christmas sweaters designed by artist Lori Schory! This eye-bending 1,000-piece puzzle is filled with seasonal colors and motifs, making it a bit of a challenge to work, but the creativity of each sweater just might inspire you to head off to make your own when you’re finished. Or, bring this puzzle to your Ugly Sweater Party to work as a group!

I recommend this puzzle for ages 12 and up, and give it 5 out of 5 puzzle pieces.

   

Puzzle Review: SunsOut’s Spooky House

This 1,000-piece shaped puzzle by artist Lori Schory has been a favorite in my family for a few years now. It’s chock-full of Halloween-themed colors, objects, and atmosphere, with a touch of whimsy to boot. Don’t be fooled by the cute cats and ghosts, though, or the relatively smooth borders. This puzzle still offers a fun challenge for the family with older kids (middle school age and up), and is just right to put you in a spooky-season mood!

 

I give this puzzle 5 out of 5 puzzle pieces.

Puzzle Review: White Mountain Puzzles: Backyard BBQ

When those long summer days become scorchers, or family comes to visit and you’re just not sure you can handle one more card game, it’s the perfect time to pull out this festive 1,000-piece puzzle from artist Steve Crisp. With brightly colored summer-related details–including flowers in full bloom, a cookout, a spirited game of badminton, a kiddie pool in full use, friends and family gathering, and plenty of decorations–this backyard scene has something for everyone. My only quibble with the scene is the odd choice of tree and birds near the back porch, which don’t really fit with the setting and the colors of which detract from the rest of the sunshine-y scene.

Nevertheless, this is a nice puzzle to have on hand this time of year, and I recommend it for ages 10 and up.

I give this puzzle: 4 puzzle pieces out of 5.

Puzzle Review: Piatnik’s Salamanders

If you’re looking for a challenging nature-themed puzzle for adults, look no further. This 1,000-piece puzzle features a great cast of brightly-colored characters (“tiny newts, fickle chameleons, and scaly creatures of all shapes and size” according to the manufacturer), with doubles and even triples of some to throw off all but the best puzzler. A muted background of fall leaves adds an additional dimension of challenge, though it does detract slightly from the nice colors on the amphibians. Note: this puzzle has been discontinued, so if you can find one on a resale site, be sure to grab it up!

I give this puzzle 4 puzzle pieces out of 5.

Puzzle Review: Kodak Premium Puzzles: Sugary Shakes

This 1,500-piece puzzle featuring photographer Karen Romanko’s bright and fun photo is a nice challenge for anyone looking to spend more than a day or two on a single puzzle. Specialty milkshakes – filled with candy, cookies, and other sweet treats – sit upon patterned squares, all with enough colors and designs in common to make close attention to detail necessary. Pieces are “mounted on European Blue Board,” and feature unique, easy-connect shapes.

The manufacturer recommends this puzzle for ages 10 and up. My 17-year-old daughter (an avid puzzler) and I worked this puzzle together over 2-3 days and found it a small, though enjoyable, challenge at times, so I would recommend this for teens and above with patience and time on their side.

I give this sweet puzzle 5 out of 5 puzzle pieces.