P. F. Inc. Sedona, Arizona
HomeWood Puzzles
Michelle and Tyler have lent us some amazing wooden puzzles which are all so very different. We treat them reverently and work them with clean hands, NO margarita or wine usage or spillage and capped water bottles. We are taking no chances that these beautiful works of art could be damaged. They are such a challenge and so FUN! P. F. Inc. thanks you very much!
Coughing Bear by J. C. Ayer & Company
This is a wonderful silk screened five layer wood reproduction of a 1910 medicine advertisement. It is amazing how intricate and tiny these pieces are! It took us forever to sort the pieces because we were oohing and ahhing over them and had to show each other practically every piece. The pieces are so wonderful....birds, harem girl, even a little girl dragging her doll. We each had so many favorites. We immediately put two other puzzles in progress in plastic bags in order to work on this beauty. We are being ultra careful and reverent of these fragile pieces because the puzzle cost $200 and that was 25 years ago......YIKES!!
We did not have a picture to go on.....only a tag that said "tree". So we were having a hard time until .....duh....we laid the pieces out according to the wood grain. Then we would pick up a piece and move it around another piece, keeping the grain, until we found a match. SO FUN!!!
Then we weren't sure which side was up because five pieces were double pieces. We were told the picture on the left was correct, however, the one on the right seemed more dimensional. Either way we had a blast.
Another very fun puzzle that we had NO CLUE what it was about when we began. So like the above puzzle we laid out all the pieces according to the wood grain.....well, that didn't work. Then we could tell the dark and lightest pieces were cut one way and the medium color were the cross grain. Whew......then the work began. Ruth managed to get the top row of links somewhat finished then got stuck. Suzanne figured out the added links. Some pieces fit nicely BUT were wrong! Eventually we got to the point of the left above picture and pretty much had it figured out and it proceeded nicely. But it was a lot of hmms and sighs until we got that far.
When we received this puzzle Ruth recognized it had to be taken at a reunion, so she Googled the name on the badge. It turns out to be a picture of Tyler's mother at her college reunion. When Ruth emailed and thanked them saying "Gotta love a gal named Ruthie who likes beer, right!" they had no clue what she was talking about. It turns out that they had never seen this puzzle. They had acquired it after Tyler's mom death and had no idea it was of her and had put it on a shelf.
Nervous System Natural Series Puzzle #46
This is a one of a kind computer generated jigsaw and is about 8 inches across. We had a lot of fun with this one and accomplished it it a little over half an hour. Thanks Tyler and Michelle!
Stave Wood Puzzle from Tyler & Michelle
Another simply gorgeous loan. We were so diligent and careful with both the picture and the wood grain that we were very confident we had it right. We thought this dragon breathing fire was just the ticket! But.......NO! They said "Good try, but not the intended solution--keep trying." And so we shall. AND we keep trying and trying....this is a real toughie! It was SO difficult that even after getting a picture of the completed puzzle, it had to be reworked three times. On the right is the correct solution. Whew....
Check out the Stave Website: http://www.stavepuzzles.com/
Nervous System Radial Series #531 - 80
Loved doing this puzzle so much, as we were speeding through it we were dreading the completion. Wish it were 1000 pieces. Check out the fun pieces, including a microscope!
Amoeba by Nervous System - 70
A puzzle with just 70 pieces should be a cinch, right? Well this one had us tearing our hair out, especially since Michelle who loaned it to us was not able to complete it. This puzzle is an extra challenge because it has no edge pieces and no image to guide assembly. It took forever to "start" but once I got a few pieces together, I picked up EACH of the remaining pieces and tried to match the "oddest" little curve or space. And it finally came together and what a victory!!
This puzzle doesn't have a name and basically it was a wooden circle with holes around the outside. It doesn't help that it is difficult to tell which side is up on the pieces. Making headway though......just have to keep persisting. Thanks Tyler!
Fishbowl Frenzy by Stave - 85
On loan from Tyler & Michelle, this looked like it would be a fairly simple one.......but NO! I emailed several pics to them with the first one having the cats inside the bowl. Even though they fit nicely, it was a no-go. After many trials and attempts Suzanne finally figured it out. Such FUN!
Infinity Puzzle - Natural & Turquoise by Nervous System
We are still working on this one.... tough! I found that by picking up a piece and running it all around what I have started seems to work. Doing one color at a time. Slow go.....but great fun.
