Shark Week Blogiversary – Thursday

Quote August 4, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

Hey guys, no review today as I’m out testing a sunscreen for a later review. It gives me a chance to take Hime and Bug to the pool and let them play “Baby Shark”. I’d take them to the beach, because Shark Week is all about not being afraid of sharks and water, but our area has a flesh-eating bacteria warning and that is a hard NO in my mind.

Extinct or Alive: The Lost Shark

This is amazing! The fact that the Pondicherry Shark hadn’t been seen since the 1970s, and yet sightings have been reported is intriguing. The methodology and science is valid, and well explained. The fact that Pondicherry Sharks can be mistaken for juvenile Bull Sharks and have the same fresh water tolerances means that they have been hiding under the radar all this time. While I’m disappointed that the team could not catch a live Pondicherry Shark, the fresh carcass from the fish market at least provides scientists a specimen to study. I for one, am thrilled to add the Pondicherry Shark to the list of Lazarus Species.

Capsized: Blood in the Water

This was Discovery Channel’s first Feature-length film for Shark Week and based on a true story. While mildly exaggerated(Hollywood, ya know?), the main plot points are all there. I’m not going to spoil the movie, as I rather liked it. My only real complaint was that because the events took place in 1982, the sharks were very much the villains according to the script. Also, so much over-the-top dramatic music!

Want a chance to win your own Shark puzzle? Giveaway Link: Here!

Disclosure: The opinions are my own. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Puzzle Review

Shark Week Blogiversary – Tuesday

July 31, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

Sharks of the Badlands-

I rather liked this episode, but thought the title misleading. The trial and error aspect of finding a working solution for the problem of keeping humans in the water safe from the sharks that live there was well represented. I’m glad that the scientists in questions opted for a preventative solution, rather than a reactionary one.

Legend of the Deep Blue-

This episode was iffy for me. I thought the plot was amorphous, and not well defined. While the shark known as Deep Blue is one of the largest ever tagged, she isn’t the only large shark in the ocean, and finding her without tag data is like looking for a needle in a haystack. As the scientists I follow on Twitter noted, scars do heal, so they are not reliable identifiers after several years. DNA is the only way to be sure. That being said, the episode was fun and had amazing shark cage footage!

The Sharks of Headstone Hell-

So many tiger sharks! Another great shark episode with a great explanation of both the history of the area and the current events impacting both locals and the shark population. Hopefully, now that it is known that the area around Norkolk Island is a tiger shark hotspot it can be designated as a protected area.

Today’s puzzle is a fun one! Ravensburger’s Smiling Sharks is a puzzle I’ve been hoarding for months, waiting for Shark Week. It is a part of Ravensburger’s Perfect Age Fit series, which features graduated piece sizes for young puzzlers. As a puzzler with hand issues due to arthritis and nerve problems, I really wanted to test these puzzles out.

Smiling Sharks is a 300XXL puzzle, which is the smallest piece size in the series. I found the pieces to be comfortable in my hands, and the thick chipboard satisfyingly heavy.

The border was the easiest part of this image.

I love the fact that each shark in this puzzle has a different face and personality! Ravensburger is known for quality puzzles, and the attention to detail is one of the reasons why!

Overall, a great puzzle! The image is challenging without being overwhelming. Little-Big and I had a nice afternoon puzzling. Shark Week and puzzles go together!

Want a chance to win your own Shark puzzle? Giveaway Link: Here!

PUZZLE SPECS

Company: Ravensburger
Title: Smiling Sharks
Artist: Howard Robinson
Year released: 2017
Pieces: 300XXL
Cut-Style: Grid
Finished size: 19 x 14 inches
Bonus poster: No
Made in Germany

QUALITY:

Box: Sturdy but lightweight, 13 x 9 x 1½ inches, Linen finish
Board: Extra thick chipboard
Cut: Cut with a steelcut die
Image Quality: Excellent, great color saturation
Finish: Linen matte
Puzzle Dust: Minimal
Piece shapes: 2 different shapes that repeat, Large size for easy handling
Piece Fit: Excellent! Great snap and I could move multiple pieces easily

Disability Notes: The 300XXL size puzzle pieces are a great size for a person with hand issues, or a short attention span. The pieces are sturdy and wellmade.

Where to buy: Smiling Sharks 300 XXL Puzzle is available on the Ravensburger website for $14.99 USD.

Ravensburger Puzzles: Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I received a complimentary puzzle from the manufacturer in exchange for review. The opinions are my own. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Puzzle Review

Shark Week Blogiversary-Monday

July 30, 2019 PuzzlePaws 6 Comments

I’m tired from traveling home from DC, but I had this sweet little puzzle by Ceaco and the first two episodes of Shark Week 31.

Expedition Unknown: Megalodon

I’ll admit that I enjoy Josh Gates’s Expedition Unknown series. I found this episode to be both funny and informative, and SC and I loved all the movie references! It was a great mix of shark science and entertainment, while making no bones of the fact that Megalodon is extinct. The “can I lick science” moment was hilarious, and the explanations of the current theory behind the possible why of Megalodon’s extinction were well done.

Shark Trip: Eat. Prey. Chum

Ugh. I’m not going to mince words here. I despised this show. Rob Riggle and his friends are actors, and you cannot convince me that they knew EXACTLY what the script entailed. That being said, the writers of this particular episode need to go back for sensitivity training. Rob’s bullying and toxic masculinity for the sake of cheap laughs and Anthony Anderson’s over-the-top screaming and flailing were not funny. I watch Shark Week for sharks and shark science, not to watch actors act like jerks and spread shark fear.

I had a devil of a time trying to find this puzzle! I’d seen it in my local Walmart months ago, but hadn’t bought it at the time. When it got closer to July, I started to panic because I could no longer find it! I trolled through every Walmart I went into looking for it! Thankfully, I found it in NH while camping.

At 100 pieces, this isn’t meant to be a difficult puzzle. Normally, puzzles of this size are marketed to children, but I’ve found that they are fantastic for bad hand days.

My sister Little-Big has recently moved in with us, and she helped me assemble this puzzle.

I found this image of a Great White swimming through a set of presumably Megalodon jaws perfect to start my Shark Week!

This puzzle is part of Ceaco’s glow line, so SC pulled out the black light for this pic!

It glows!!!

Here is the puzzle in all it’s sharky glory!

Giveaway Link: Here!

PUZZLE SPECS

Company: Ceaco
Title: Under Sea Glow – Great White Delight
Artist: Jerry LoFaro
Year released: 2016
Pieces: 100
Cut-Style: Grid
Finished size: 15″ x 11″ inches
Bonus poster: No
Made in USA

QUALITY:

Box: Sturdy but lightweight, 6x6x2 inches
Board: Medium thickness, chipboard
Cut: Cut with a steelcut die
Image Quality: Excellent, great color saturation
Finish: Semi-gloss with glow in the dark lines
Puzzle Dust: Minimal
Piece shapes: 4 different shapes that repeat, Large size for easy handling
Piece Fit: Good,I could move small sections of 2-4 pieces

Disability Notes: This is a great puzzle for people with hand or eye issues. The image is clear and the pieces easy to handle. A quick small puzzle, it fits well on a lapdesk or puzzle board.

Where to buy: Under Sea Glow – Great White Delight Puzzle is available on the Ceaco website for $6.99 USD. It can also be found at certain Walmart stores.

Ceaco Puzzles: Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I purchased this puzzle for review. The opinions are my own. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Announcements

Shark Week Blogiversary!! One Year of PuzzlePaws. Giveaway inside!

July 30, 2019 PuzzlePaws 2 Comments

Last year I started this Blog on July 28th by watching Shark Week and assembling a Shark Puzzle by EuroGraphics. It started as a way to write about my hobbies as I battle my chronic illness; but has morphed into a way to fight for the much needed recognition for people with invisable illnesses amongst the big names in the toy/hobby industries.

I’m watching Shark Week via Amazon Video this year, so each day’s post will include my thoughts on the episodes from the previous night. Each day’s post will also feature a different shark or ocean themed review!

For my first every Blogiversary, I reached out to Eurographics. They sent me two puzzles to give away to my followers!

Prize 1 is a copy of my first ever review puzzle, 1000 piece Sharks!

Prize 2 is is a copy of the same Sharks puzzle in 100 pieces, along with a copy of Mindware’s Color Counts Glitter Under the Sea.

To enter the giveaway, click on the Rafflecopter link!

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Uncategorized

Rough week, but good things to come!

July 26, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

I didn’t want to write this, but I get antsy when bloggers I follow disappear for any length of time.

No worries, folks. I’m fine, just overwhelmed and tired.

There were no posts this week because of a thousand things needing to be done and the simple fact that I ran out of time. I underestimated how much time it would take me to recover from my previous trip and conventions, and it bit me in the butt. Chronic illness is like that. It’s always there, but sometimes it will stilly whammy you. I spent last week putting my house back to rights after being gone for most of a month, and forgot that both sleep and food are necessary parts of life(to be fair, it was hotter than hades and no one wanted food). I had to pack for my current convention, and deal with both SC and Little-Big have executive disfunction on different issues. Plus I had to plan around Hime’s summer visit.

I have the testing and notes for posts ready, but no spoons or brains to write them. I’m currently in Washington DC, at Otakon, busting my butt selling plush on little sleep and lots of caffeine! The Blogaversary posts are prepped, and should be ready to drop Monday!

Thanks for following the blog, and I promise I’ll try to plan a bit better next time!

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Inventory and Plushie Zoo, or how I spend my summers.

July 19, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

I’m finally back home after being away for 3 weeks. Slowly, the cats are forgiving my absence while I rest from hard work and travel. Like most people with a chronic illness, I have good and bad periods. Summer is typically my good time. My Fibromyalgia flares are less, the weather is more conducive to being outside and active, and I feel less fatigued.

For the second year in a row, I went north to Massachusetts to The Dragon’s Lair HQ. The Dragon’s Lair is a convention-only pop-up shop that sells T-shirts and stuffed animals aka plushies.

Nice setup, right? But it takes a lot of work behind the scenes to make a good looking booth!

That’s where my summer trip comes in. I’m the inventory minion! At least once a year, the Boss needs to know exactly how many pieces of stock we have on hand; and how many we have lost due to shrink or sales.

As a pop-up shop, we don’t have a warehouse or brick-and-mortar store. Everything is either in our 12 foot trailer or the Boss’s front porch. So I end up emptying the trailer into the garage and then opening each bin of shirts and box of plushies before reloading the trailer.

Five bins high, four bins across and an extra column of bins equals 25 bins, full of T-shirts! This was a single days work, and I was super tired at the end. The Dragon’s Lair stocks T-shirts from adult smalls to 5x-larges.

This is my standard plushie inventory setup. I lay out a handful of empty boxes to sit on and have a clean place to lay out each box’s plushies. Each one needs to be counted by sku number and checked over for any damages. Any missing or mangled price tags are replaced.

I find all sorts of fun and different plush!

It takes roughly 3 to 4 days to go through all the boxes and to fill the trailer.

Now inventory is only part of the story! It is something we do annually, but conventions are something that happens several times a month!

When we arrive at a convention venue, the trailer and back of the pickup must be unloaded, then myself or another minion/booth bunny/assistant (there is a rotating schedule of minions depending on the convention) build the grid-cube wall that is a staple of our plushie zoo.

This usually takes between 3-5 hours depending on how large the grid-cube wall is to be and how many minions are working on it. Then we use whatever time we have before the close of the dealer’s room for the evening filling cubes with plushies. The Boss’s Wife is Queen of the T-shirts, so all I need to focus on is plush. Usually, there is a few hours the following day to finish filling the booth before the dealer’s room opens for business.

Tada! One epic booth including T-shirts and the Plushie Zoo!

Our next 2 conventions are Otakon on July 26-28th in Washington DC and DragonCon on August 29th-September 2nd in Atlanta, Georgia. If you are going to attend either con, come see us at in the Dealer’s Room!

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Coloring Book, Coloring Supplies Reviews

Mystery Mosaics – Brainteaser and Coloring Zen!

July 13, 2019 PuzzlePaws 1 Comment

I saw a lot of awesome stuff at Toy Fair last winter, and the MindWare booth was right up there as one of my favorites. You see, MindWare specializes in “brainy toys for all ages”.

They have a ton of great activity and coloring books in their collection, and today I’m reviewing Color by Number Mystery Mosaics : Book 13. This book has 18 separate images, including 4 double-sized ones.

Bonus, unlike most color by number books, MindWare has created their own matched set of color pencils!! I won’t lie, this really is what excited me about the brand. I like color by number things, but hate digging out coloring supplies to match, much less trying to remember which number is what color! This 36 color pencil set not only comes in a sturdy tin travel box, but each pencil is labeled with both its color and the corresponding number! And! All the MindWare CBN books are standardized!

At first glance the pages looked super hard and I wasn’t sure I was up for this challenge!

But I decided to start small and focused on a single number and took it one row at a time.

Slowly but surely, my pattern grew!

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I really love these pencils! The colors are nice and bright( with the exception of #31 White Peach, which is too pale for my eyes); and they lay down smoothly. Having the prematched numbers took away all the stress, so I was able to fully enjoy coloring.

The above photo showing the camper is one of the 4 extra long coloring pages in the book. These 10 by 15 inch folded double spreads allows you to explore a larger image with great detail.

If you want to color with something other than the MindWare pencils, I colored this sunflower with basic Sharpies and it turned out great!

Disability Notes: I will admit that Mystery Mosaics is an advanced book, and may not be for everyone. You may not like it if you have eyesight issues or problems with fine motor skills. If you are a colorist who has anxiety about choosing colors, this set may be something to try! However, MindWare does have a set of color by number books called Color Counts that feature larger coloring areas. I’ll be reviewing one of those during my Shark Week special.

Where to buy: Mystery Mosaics: Book 13 and the 36 Colored Pencils Tin are available on the Mindware website. The book is $7.95 USD and the pencils are $19.99 USD. MindWare has tons of other Mystery Mosaic books are well as other coloring and activity books, so you’re sure to find something for nearly every taste!

MindWare : Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I received this coloring book for free in exchange for a review. The opinions are my own. All art shown on this post is Copyright ©2019 MindWare Corporation. The coloring is mine. All links are direct; I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Coloring Book

Animal Mosaic – A Pop Art Color by Number

July 9, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

Last weekend was great! I hung with new and old friends, ate great food and managed to find some much needed zen in the early mornings. Part of that zen was using those early hours before everyone else was up to listen to the birds as I colored.

I was approached by the Belba Family on Instagram after they saw my other review posts. Would I be interested in reviewing some of their books? I love small press coloring books, so of course, I jumped at the chance! I recieved both Animal Mosaic and Travel Mosaic (which I’ll be reviewing later) quickly through Amazon Shipping.

Animal Mosaic is a fun color by number coloring book that uses 18 classical colors and 4 additional shades, focusing on pop art styles. The pictures are divided into geometric shapes, large enough to color easily.

There are 24 individual images, each with their own names! I found this made a delightful detail, giving each picture a little personality.

I really enjoyed this book. The pages are single-sided, and blacked on the opposite side to prevent bleed-through. The smooth pages take color well, and the pop art styling makes me smile! Due to being small press, this book does not have perforated pages. That is only a minor inconvenience for me, as I prefer to detach my pages and color on a clipboard.

When I tested the pages with markers, I found that there was minimal bleed-through even when using Sharpies.

Colored with a mix of Sharpies and Brush Markers.

Disability Notes: I found the coloring areas large enough to accommodate nearly any coloring age group, through a few pages have a higher level of difficulty than others. If you have eye issues, you may have difficulty seeing the numbers as they are printed in a charcoal ink that is designed to blend into the colored page.

Where to buy: Animal Mosaic is available at Amazon. The book’s MSRP is $7.99 USD.

Belba Family: Website / FaceBook / Instagram

Disclosure: I received this coloring book for free in exchange for a review. The opinions are my own. All art shown on this post is Copyright ©2019 Belba Family. The coloring is mine. All links are direct; I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

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Going Back to America’s Roots – The Dissected Puzzle

July 3, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

Something a little different this week, folks. I’m combining both my Tuesday and Friday post this week to bring you a nifty treasure, as well as to buy myself a bit of breathing room. I’d forgotten that inventory can be both physically and mentally exhausting! We’re halfway through, and the Boss and family have squired me away to Camp for a second weekend. It’s a holiday, y’know?

Every once in a while, you find an odd but cool thing at the thrift store. For me, it was this odd reproduction of one of the very first types of puzzle.

They’re called dissections, and were typically made by pasting a map to thin wooden board and using a very fine saw to cut along geographical borders. The first ever puzzle of this type is credited to John Spilsbury, an Englishman in 1767, although there are recorded Dutch puzzles up to ten years prior.

cw puzzle close up — Excerpt from the back.

This particular dissection is based on a 1710 map by Peter Schenk the Elder; and was created and sold by the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area Stores.

The original map only has 3 surviving copies, one at Colonial Williamsburg, and the others are parts of private collections.

The pieces are huge in comparison to modern puzzles, on a heavy stiff chipboard. It makes sense, considering that the original use for these is to teach children. The borders lock together, while the interior pieces just “float” until assembled correctly.

Honestly, this map was a piece of art! The top and bottom borders are highly detailed and beautifully colored.

Included in the map is an inset of the North Pole, detailing the presumptive NorthWest Passage.

This is were the really nifty part comes in… this puzzle isn’t available anywhere! Nowhere, and I mean nowhere on the internet has images of this puzzle.

It was made sometime between the late 1970s and the early 1990s. There is no company mark or copyright dates on the box. I used to work for Colonial Williamsburg a few years ago, and these puzzles where not anywhere to be seen except for a display in the Governor’s Palace.

I love this odd little slice of history, and while everyone else is focusing on the red, white and blue, I wanted to take a look before. Because before we were America, we were a colony; before there were jigsaw puzzles, there were dissections.

Happy Independence Day!

PUZZLE SPECS

Company: Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area Stores
Title: Dissected Puzzle
Artist: Peter Schenk
Year released: Unknown
Pieces:36
Cut-Style: Grid
Finished size: 18½ x 21½ in
Bonus poster: No

QUALITY:

Box: Lightweight, 9 x 7½ x 2 inches
Board: Very thick chipboard
Cut: Cut with a steelcut die
Image Quality: Excellent, muted tones
Finish: Matte
Puzzle Dust: None
Piece shapes: Large size for easy handling
Piece Fit: Excellent, small clusters of pieces could be moved without falling apart

Disability Notes: I found this puzzle to be easy on my hands, but due to the muted colors,not so easy on the eyes.

Where to buy: Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find this puzzle anywhere online. It was made specifically for Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area Stores.

About the Artist: Peter Schenk the Elder (1660-1711) moved to Amsterdam in 1675 and began to learn the art of mezzotint. In 1694 he bought some of the copperplate stock of the mapmaker Johannes Janssonius, which allowed him to specialize in the engraving and printing of maps and prints. He split his time between his Amsterdam shop and Leipzig and also sold a considerable volume of materials to London. Wiki

Colonial Williamsburg: Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I bought this puzzle for the purpose of doing a review. The opinions are my own. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Puzzle Review

Campside Series – A Day at the Lake

June 28, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

I got safely to Massachusetts last night, and today I’ll be heading up to Swanzey, New Hampshire with the Boss and his wife to camp.

MasterPieces Puzzles has a new series out this year that is perfect for this weekend, and all summer long. Their Campside series is a set of 4 puzzles that showcase the fun of both summer and camping!

I love going to camp, it means different things to different people. For me, it means walking cool forest trails, petting all the other campers’ dogs and swimming in the lake.

This is a fantastic 300 piece EZGrip puzzle. The EZGrip puzzles are made with larger puzzle pieces that are better for people with hand issues or for children learning to puzzle.

I was having a bad hand day when SC and I assembled this, so I consider it a decent test of whether or not it works as advertised.

I love all the different details and aspects of camping shown in this puzzle! It really hits all the best bits of a summer holiday in my mind.

This raccoon made me smile! The artist, Adrian Chesterman, really makes his images feel like you are really there!

It’s a picnic! Without ants!

As you can see, I had a ton of fun with this puzzle. As experienced puzzlers, it only took SC and I about 45 minutes to assemble. That being said, this is a great puzzle to do with the family, either at camp or home. SC and I thought it’d be perfect for a rainy day or after supper activity.

I’ll be definitely looking to collect the rest of the Campside series for my summer puzzling!

PUZZLE SPECS

Company: MasterPieces® Inc.
Title: Campside – Day at the Lake 300 Piece EZ Grip Puzzle
Artist: Adrian Chesterman
Year released: 2019
Pieces: 300
Cut-Style: Grid
Finished size: 18x 24 in
Bonus poster: No
Made from recycled materials
Made in China

QUALITY:

Box: Sturdy but lightweight, 8 x 8 x 2 inches
Board: Medium thickness, recycled chipboard
Cut: Cut with a steelcut die
Image Quality: Excellent, great color saturation
Finish: Semi-gloss
Puzzle Dust: Minimal
Piece shapes: 4 different shapes that repeat, Large size for easy handling
Piece Fit: Excellent, small clusters of pieces could be moved without falling apart

Disability Notes: I found this puzzle to be easy on my hands and the many bright colors to be easy on the eyes as well! This is definitely a puzzle for (almost) all ages and abilities!

Where to buy: Campside – Day at the Lake 300 Piece EZ Grip Puzzle is available on the MasterPieces website for $12.99 USD.

MasterPieces Puzzles: Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I received a complimentary puzzle from the manufacturer in exchange for review. The opinions are my own. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Little pieces make a bigger picture