It's Summertime!

It’s here, it’s here!!!! Summertime is just around the corner and can I say, I am SOOO excited! If you are new to my blogs, this was my first Washington winter after 10 years of living in Southern California. I knew moving up here was going to be an adjustment, but I thought, “eh I grew up in Maine, I’m used to the seasons.” However, I didn’t realize just how much it really does rain up here! I swear about 90% of our days since October have either been rainy, misty, overcast, or in a couple instances snowing.  My lack of vitamin D is very apparent and I cannot be more excited for our dry sunny season to be upon us. I want to soak it all in! 

This makes me think that my puzzling this summer might take a bit of a dip. I have a feeling I am going to be doing some smaller piece counts or my 1000 pieces might sit a little while on my table while I enjoy the outdoors. We also have a very long trip to the east coast in July, so a bit of vacation puzzling will be on the agenda.   I thought in this blog I’d share some of the puzzles that are super fun summery puzzles. Some I have done, and some I am eyeing. I’d love to know if you are doing anything fun this summer! Let me know in the comments. (I do read them all!)

Weekend Escapes by Masterpieces

First up, let’s talk about a brand I have been sleeping on, and I’m kind of kicking myself for it, Masterpieces. I’ve always thought of the brand as a bit too traditional for my liking. In May I did seven from the brand and I’ve enjoyed every single one. Yes, some of the images are a bit traditional, but there are some really good images! One I did was Weekend Escapes, which I did as a YouTube live event. This one is a very bright and vibrant beach scene.   I LOVED this one!! I did it later in the evening when it was super rainy outside and it really just added the summer vibes I needed. This one was a nice and quick 500-piece. There are so many things to work from and the colors on this one are superb!

Lakeside Memories by Masterpieces 

Another one from Masterpieces I did was Lakeside Memories. This one was a 300 piece puzzle. This image is pretty classic, but again the colors!! Something about their printing makes the colors just pop. I really enjoyed this one and could see me bringing something similar during our travels, such as Cabin Crossing.  Both puzzles would be great to have on hand if there was a passing shower or evening in.

Beach Summer Fun by Eurographics

A puzzle I really enjoyed this winter was Beach Summer Fun by Eurographics. To be completely honest, I’m never a fan when puzzles are only one piece cut. However, for this image it didn’t really bother me too much. I actually didn’t really even notice till I got closer to the end. The coloring was so engaging and again lots of stuff to work off of. The different umbrellas are a bunch of different colors and patterns. Starting this puzzle, I didn’t know where to start because I kept getting distracted by other elements of the puzzle. (This was a good thing) It made the puzzle go by very quickly! If you are a newer puzzler and wanting to try your hand at a 1000 piece, this may be a great one to start with. You will never be stuck!

Cats on the Beach by Anatolian

I love when puzzle images you love come in different piece counts. For this, I will be talking about the same image, but two brands carry it. The one I did was Cats on the Beach by Anatolian, which was a 260 piece puzzle. However, Beach Cats by Willow Creek Press is the same image as a 1000 piece. How cute is this puzzle?!? Doesn’t it just scream summer!!! I really enjoyed this image with the little cat family playing at the beach. I liked it as a smaller piece count but think it would be great as a larger one too! There is a lot to work from, not too much fur and the colors are very vibrant. (I am seeing a trend in this blog…) I do wish though that there was a piece count in the middle, like a 500 or 750 piece, but not a big deal. I would consider getting the 1000 pieces in this image as I’ve enjoyed Willow Creek Press in the past.

Jaguars and Butterflies by Eeboo

 So apparently bright and colorful images are what I crave for summertime.  If I was inside puzzling (I’m assuming it’s raining or nighttime) but wanting to be outside enjoying the sunshine, vibrant puzzles would be the mood boost I need.  I couldn’t talk about bright images without mentioning Eeboo. Recently, I did one of their newer images, Jaguars and Butterflies. As always, Eeboo has some of the most eye-catching images out there. This is also a great beginner friendly image, as I flew through this one! Someone made me laugh over on my Instagram after I posted a picture of this one. I mean, it does look like the Jaguars may have had a bit too much catnip. I think it’s the eyes. Now, I can’t unsee it!!

Cozy Backyard Bliss by Ravensburger

The Cozy Collection is still one of my favorites out there and I’m very tempted to pick up Cozy Backyard Bliss for the summer. I have completed six or seven from this line and they are so good!! I love that this one is 750 pieces. WIth this style of image I always just see myself as the person in the image. I would love to be the lady out in the garden with some lemonade and a good magazine.  The puzzle will take up the same amount of table space as a 1500 piece puzzle. Just as a bit of a warning, you will need more space to do this one.

The Shell Collector by Ravensburger

A couple other’s I have my eye on are The Shell Collector and The Gardener’s Palette both by Ravensburger and are 1000 piece puzzles. I know I said that I’m leaning more towards smaller piece counts. However, they have such a summery feel to them, I don’t think I’d mind them hanging out on my puzzle table for a while. The Shell Collector, it just screams summer. There is quite a bit of sky, but the colors on this one seem nice and calm. On the other hand, The Gardener’s Palette is one I actually picked up recently and it’s just full color. I love how it is a gradient rainbow with substance. I love the whole range of color with flowers and it would go by very quickly.

The Gardener’s Palette  by Ravensburger

So those are some summer puzzles I thought I’d share, but as always my wishlist is always growing. I’m currently picking out some puzzles to bring with me on my trip, and thinking I need to go look at some Masterpieces. They take up less space for travel and have some fantastic images for summer!! Anyways, enjoy the sunshine!!! 

Emilee @thecasuapuzzler