maker: puzzle designers
Falling by Mandy Budan, Stumpcraft
460 pieces, puzzle design by Jasen Robillard of Stumpcraft, artwork “Falling” by Mandy Budan. Rental from Hoefnagel. There is a “deep dive” blog post discussing the puzzle and its cut. Like all Stumpcraft puzzles, this one was beautifully cut, and based on beautiful art. I pulled out the whimsies for the photo, and flipping them […]
Shroom Town, Kristian Adam (Artifact)
When I saw this puzzle, “Shroom Town” (art by Kristian Adam), it reminded me so much of Ash’s little sculptural mushroom villages, that I had to get it. We had fun assembling it today — I was more challenging than one would expect from a 211-piece puzzle. The irregular edge really added to the challenge! […]
Samuel Hayward “Cat in Garden”, Artifact
We three did this nicely cat-whimsy-filled “Cat in Garden” puzzle from Artifact today, with art from Samuel Hayward. Please note that Zeniba is in a very similar pose and attitude as the titular “Cat in Garden”. Artifact’s description:
Karla Gerard Night Song, from Artifact
A beautiful puzzle loaned to us by my neighbor Yael; Ash and I did some of it, then I finished it off. I really enjoyed this puzzle — kind of a riff on “traditional” style pieces, with quite a few fun and interacting whimsies. Looking at the back, the almost radial symmetry was well done, […]
Louis Wain’s Fiddling Cat, from Artifact
I really loved Artifact‘s contribution to the Puzzle Parley 2024 — the speed puzzle, Louis Wain’s “Fiddling Cat“. So I picked it up, and Ash and I did it, speed-style (that is, with a timer) and I feel pretty good about our time! Which to be clear was more than double the time that the […]
3 Cat Max dragonfly, Vicky!
Vicky & Michele did a 3 Cat Max dragonfly. … finished the tail off a little later.
Moonlit Serenade, Fathom Puzzles
“Moonlit Serenade” — another amazing puzzle from Fathom Puzzles in Vermont — this one a complex, shaped wolf-themed puzzle, with cut-outs and some non-unique connections, requiring very careful attention to the grey-scale patterning — and a few times I flipped pieces over to verify a match based on the wood grain. I really loved the […]
Rhode Island fishes, Hope Puzzles
I really enjoyed this fish-shaped puzzle from Hope Puzzles in Rhode Island — the “Fish of Rhode Island” puzzle. Fish shaped, fish images, fish whimsies … truly fishy. Thanks, Hoefnagel! It had one of my most favorite etched whimsies ever — the manta ray (or skate? hmm) with the spots. Etchings are not usually my […]
Birds and Bees, Stumpcraft
Some group puzzling at Puzzle Parley! I did the bee, and a lot of the flower bed on the right …. This was a sweet StumpCraft, “Birds and Bees”: Artist: Pam WeberPuzzle Designer: Jasen RobillardDimensions: 27.5 cm x 27.5 cmPiece Count: 284Difficulty: 3 out of 5 The air is a buzz with the flutter of wings […]
Artifact Puzzles Abu al-Hasan Squirrels
From Artifact Puzzles, via Hoefnagel, public domain art by Abu al-Hasan (1589-1630) or possibly Ustad Mansur. Squirrels in a plane tree by Abu al-Hasan (1589 – c. 1630) , Mughal India. Ash and I liked this one – the geometric shape to the “square” pieces, the whimsies, the border …. Artifact says: Here is a […]
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3 Cat Max, Dragonfly
Very pretty dragonfly, by 3 Cat Max.
Ryoko Meditating Skeleton by Artifact
“Meditating Skeleton” by Ryoko, from Artifact. Super fun! I really liked the irregular border. The base puzzle shape was a skull, with little heart-shaped bone socket connectors. I’ve had this puzzle since April 2022, and just hadn’t gotten around to it, but I’m so glad I finally did. The back makes me think very much […]
Mondrian, Composition with Grid 2 (1915), Artifact
This 153 piece Artifact puzzle is, unsurprisingly, a lot harder than the number of pieces would suggest. Mondrian‘s “Composition with Grid 2” is basically about 80 rectangles in various shades of blue-grey and brown-grey, over the eponymous blue grid … I really liked it. … The Artifact description calls this “calming blue”. If you look […]
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Two Cats by Yuri Gorbachev
Ash and I pushed through “Two Cats” by Yuri Gorbachev, an Artifact puzzle cut design by David Figueras with 314 pieces. Super satisfying and fun! Loved the border, and the general diagonal layout, and enjoyed the whimsies. Look at the matryoshka dolls whimsies! I got it through Hoefnagel with the Owl Internet Cafe. Artifact description: […]
Internet Owl Cafe, Artifact
Coincidentally, just after doing the Paris Map, I got a Hoefnagel package with another VladStudio illustration! This also came with one of the lovely little Hoefnagel surprises — Mardi Gras beads from the previous puzzler! Awww…. Anyway, the black/white/blue color scheme made this puzzle a bit more challenging than one would expect. Plus, the protrusions […]
Vladstudio Paris Map, Artifact
Really fun map puzzle – greatly enjoyed the border cut (the fleur-de-lis on the four corners, and the variable patterned border on the sides). I also liked the generally swirly nature of the pieces. Not a lot of whimsies, but I enjoyed the two-piece Toulouse-Lautrec style cat — I was puzzled by the bottom part […]
Owl Be There, Fathom
Loved this puzzle, so much! Owls, beautiful crafting, puzzley but not too crazy hard. “Owl Be There“, Fathom Puzzles. Packaging was also extra nifty! And it included an owl magnet. A contender for my favorite puzzles of the year, to be sure! Fathom Puzzles is by Geoff Cota.
Bumfuzzled 1 Enigmatic Gewgaw
A nice fast solve, at the end of a long hard day. I guess the peices with the little “x” are supposed to be drop-outs and puzzle pieces to re-insert? Note: My puzzle arrived with a little stain or scorchmark – that is not a result of me being sloppy! I find the coloring on […]
