Sometimes getting back into the saddle after a length of time can be difficult. I had finally shaken the nasty cold that had plagued me just in time to work NekoCon October 31-November 3rd. Unfortunately, even though I had gotten my flu shot days before, after con I had a small relapse of the cold.
While I was well enough to blog last Friday, I’ll admit to having a bit of a mental block. I wanted to write…but the very thought of tackling nearly a month’s backlog of emails and empty space was daunting. It still is. But! SC and I did an awesome puzzle for Halloween in the short space when I felt well, and I miss having the schedule of posts to organize my weeks. So this week you get a bonus post or two. I have a small backlog of projects to write up before I can tackle new ones.
My mom knows I love Dowdle puzzles and she got me a handful of different ones during a summer sale.
if you can’t read the above photo, the Dowdle website has both the poem and a scavenger hunt here.
I don’t have my usual frame and pieces photos as I assembled this puzzle in a bit of a hurry with SC. I wanted to do SOMETHING for Halloween since I’d been too ill to decorate and had the last convention of the season coming up in a few days.
So I sorted the pieces according to location; sky/street/townhouses and we spent an enjoyable 3 or so hours trading pieces and exclaiming over all the little Easter Eggs that Eric Dowdle puts into his art.
Because it was Halloween, I did dress up the cats in costume! Pandemonium as a BumbleBee and Hurricane Enlil as Sharknado!
I have to admit, this 500 piece was a great way to get back to my puzzling habit. It’s bright, colorful, and busy; and the pieces are the perfect size for slightly arthritic hands.
PUZZLE SPECS
- Company: Dowdle Puzzles
- Title: Trick or Treat
- Artist: Eric Dowdle
- Year released: Unknown
- Pieces: 500
- Cut-Style: Random
- Finished size: 16″ by 20″
- Bonus poster: Yes
- Made in USA
QUALITY:
- Box: Sturdy and compact, 7.5″ by 7.5″ by 3″, with paper sleeve
- Board: Medium weight chipboard, sturdy pieces
- Cut: Steel-cut Die
- Image Quality: Excellent, great color saturation
- Finish: Semi-gloss, with great color saturation
- Puzzle Dust: Minimal
- Piece shapes: A good mix of traditionally cut and irregular pieces
- Piece Fit: Very Good. Some of the irregular pieces make it so that pieces can only be moved in small groups.
Disability Notes: The slightly larger size pieces of the 500 piece puzzle are kinder to the hands while still being complex enough to challenge lovers of larger piece count puzzles. Honestly, I want to try this brands 300 and 100 piece counts for this winter when my hands threaten to swell into claws. I can recommend this for people with mild to moderate arthritis or hand/eye coordination.
Where to buy: Trick or Treat is available on the Dowdle Puzzles website for $19.99 USD.
Dowdle Puzzles : Website / FaceBook
Disclosure: I received this puzzle as a gift. The opinions are my own.
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My sister Little-Big helped me assemble this puzzle. I focused on the grass and doghouses, while she worked on the sky and words. I honestly cannot read this Charles Schulz quote without smiling. Add in the puppies, and this is a winner of a puzzle!
For all that this is a 200 Large Piece puzzle, it had some pieces that were unexpectedly challenging! For some reason, my eyes had a hard time differentiating between the sky and the mint doghouse.
As you can see, the pieces are definitely large! I found them to be lightweight but sturdy, and easy to handle on a day my hands were stiff and swollen.
PuzzlePaws 