YvonneAs happens from time to time, I am making a short diversion away from the ‘bookish’ posts you will usually find here, to share one of my other pastimes with you.
Yes! I am a not so secret dissectologist – or someone who enjoys jigsaw puzzle assembly.
DOMESTIC DIVA by RAVENSBURGER
Unfortunately, due to the age of this long retired jigsaw, no magnified image of this item was available
A woman’s work is never done, but this doesn’t seem to worry the ladies illustrated on this puzzle, who all appear to be having a great time!
This tongue-in-cheek montage is based on illustrations and advertisements from the 1960s and is a great gift for any modern day domestic goddess.
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Artwork for this puzzle is by Kim Minichiella and Kate Ward Thacker, two former Disney designers who have remained firm friends, even though they now live many miles apart. They are both inspired by their love of vintage images and styles and are both keen collectors of what they call “miscellaneous doo-dads”
THE READING ROOM by RAVENSBURGER
Clicking on the Amazon link will enable you to magnify individual areas
Historically, Reading Rooms were often found in towns and villages and were places where residents could read books and periodicals of the day. The British Museum boasts one of the most famous Reading Rooms in the world – a place full of amazing publications. The room depicted on this puzzle is a much smaller and intimate space… somewhere to take a break from the world and delve into the world of literature. We love the vintage books, old shop fittings and all the paraphernalia scattered on the table and comfy sofa. Is this room in someone’s house or a warm and welcoming space in a public building or shop? We don’t know. All we know is that we’d love to spend some time there!
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Artwork for this puzzle is by Edouard. Born in 1984, Edouard studied at the Academy of Arts and the Faculty of Graphics in Kharkiv, Ukraine. He has long been inspired by the work of 15th century artist Albrecht Durer, and spent the early part of his career working for numerous magazines before moving into creating high quality graphics for computer games. He now lives in Poltava, having moved from Donetsk after the war with Russia in 2014. He is married and has a family.
RAVENSBURGER
Ravensburger AG is an international group with a long tradition and solid values. Its mission is “Playful Development”. The company’s most important brand mark is the blue triangle, which stands for fun, education, and togetherness.
Ravensburger is one of the leading brands for puzzles, games, and activity products in Europe as well as for children’s and youth books in the German-speaking region. Toys with the blue triangle are sold worldwide, and the international brands BRIO and ThinkFun supplement the Group’s portfolio.
Catch up with all the latest puzzling news at the Ravensburger website
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Almost all of my jigsaws are charity shop purchases, so I am always at the mercy of the previous owners, as to whether or not they have donated a complete item, although to be fair, it is not very often that I am disappointed.
Any thoughts or comments are my own personal opinion and I am in no way being monetarily compensated for this, or any other articles, or reviews.
I personally do not agree with ‘rating’ a purchase, as the overall experience is all a matter of personal taste, which varies from person to person. However some review sites do demand a rating value, so when this review is posted to such a site, it will attract 5 out of 5 stars for quality, complexity and enjoyment, plus value for money.
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I think we still have 5-6 puzzles collecting dust somewhere in the cellar…no, I am not a dissectologist either, but my husband used to enjoy assembling them. The latest one he did was about 10 years ago with Beatles Crossing, which was super easy and fun for him since he is a die-hard Beatles fan.
Hi Angie,
As a Brit of a ‘certain age’, I am obviously a Beatles fan, but only to a point! They were never the ‘one and only’ band for me, that they were for so many of my contemporaries. But then, as with my reading, I have very eclectic musical tastes and will listen to some very diverse genres of music, as the mood takes me!
I have loved assembling jigsaw puzzles since I was a child and although these days, I don’t have a jigsaw started all the time, it is never usually too long before I am searching the cupboards for my next project!
Hubbie on the other hand, fails to appreciate the therapeutic qualities of the humble jigsaw completely, so my puzzling efforts usually get barely a glance from him!
Even though this wasn’t really a post for you, I thank you for taking the time to stop by and comment, I really appreciate your kind thoughts 🙂
I love both of these! I think the first would be fun and entertaining. The second is similar to the last puzzle I shared. Any puzzle with books in it is fun and I always enjoy the added bonus of an animal or two in the scene.
I bet these were both a pleasure to work!
Hi Kelly,
I noticed the similarities between my Reading Room puzzle and the last jigsaw post you shared, right away! This one was indeed nice to work on, however a couple of areas were actually a bit more tricky than they looked!
The first puzzle is a long since retired item and a charity shop find for me, which is why there is no larger close-up image available. It was bright and colourful to make up, the border was deceptively tricky and it wasn’t until I got the box home that I realised the finished picture was portrait rather than landscape. Because of the available space I have to work in, I ended up by making this one on its side, portrait style, which gave things a whole new perspective!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you are enjoying a peaceful weekend 🙂
Hi Kelly,
I really enjoyed your snowy picture gallery and it looks as though at least the four-legged members of the family had fun!
We have had some really strange weather so far this spring, with more wind and gale force winds for May than I care to remember. It is set to sweep apart our part of the country again tomorrow, after a ground frost tonight. Hopefully there is going to be some respite midweek, when things warm up a little and there might actually be some sunshine!
I guess this is going to be the hit or miss nature of continued global warming! 🙂
My favourite is The Reading Room.
We’ve currently got a book “library” set up in the village church porch and people have started leaving puzzles too. My niece loves it and will often pick up a few books and a puzzle if I take her down there.
Hi Nikki,
Most of the ‘book libraries’ around here, have been started in ‘retired’ red telephone boxes, so space might be a little limited for accommodating jigsaw puzzles as well, but I might investigate, as that seems like a great idea!
I generally try to keep a carrier bag of books in the boot of the car, just in case we come across a ‘library’ on our travels, which looks a little depleted. Keeping one or two jigsaws with my book bag, isn’t really going to make too much difference!
Most of my jigsaws are purchased from charity shops anyway, so donating them onwards seems like a good thing to do.
Thanks for that great idea and I hope that all is well with you 🙂
I love the second puzzle, with the library, of course. The cat, dogs, tea, and that gorgeous sofa make it even more attractive. I hope you had a lovely weekend. xx
Hi Anca,
Hubbie and I both have offices which are full of bookshelves, however it has always been my dream since childhood, to have a proper library with the comfy chairs and a set of those library steps – So making this jigsaw puzzle was real fun for me!
Nothing exciting this weekend, lets’ face it, the weather is terrible!
Hubbie has this week off from work and we both have birthdays, so we’ll try to get a few days out when it dries up a bit.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you are both well and having fun! 🙂
My goodness, so intricate, its no wonder I don’t have the patience to sit and complete a jigsaw.
‘The Reading Room’ is something I’d want to frame and hang on the wall, the very thought of completing it only to put it back in its box again is something I struggle to get my head around.
Hi Felicity,
I am not known for my patience, just ask Mr. G! – However I find jigsaw puzzles quite therapeutic, even if there is no tangible result, except for putting the pieces back in the box again. I must admit that I have never felt the urge to frame and hang a puzzle, although I know people who do.
Hubbie on the other hand, has pretty much the same thoughts as you do about the whole point of doing a jigsaw, just to break it up and put it back in the box!
‘The Reading Room’ would be part of my dream home though, although a slightly more comfy sofa might be in order 🙂