Our 2023 year has come to an end, and Joe and I looked back on our year. What were our favourite memories, books, records, and movies? I had such a great time compiling a top five puzzles list last year that I thought I should take a look back at the puzzles I completed this past year and choose my top five favourite puzzles of 2023.
Here goes!
Despite the missing pieces, I have to include the beautiful vintage Ravensburger puzzle that I completed in the early fall – Canaletto – the Bucintoro in front of the Doge’s Palace. It’s such a rare thing to find a Ravensburger from the 60s and 70s, and when you do, it is such a special experience. I also really enjoyed all the incredible details in this painting, and that sky was stunning! No. 5 on my list, for sure.
Our No. 4 for the year would have to be this vintage F.X. Schmid puzzle called Mount Everest. it was a challenge, just like the Canaletto, but this photograph is incredible. Those colours, this was such a great take on a gradient puzzle that the puzzling just flew by! And what amazing luck that this was a complete copy!
My No. 3 goes more to the gem of a find that this was, the puzzles are cute and definitely feature some fabulous artwork, but I am in absolute awe that I found this unopened set of vintage children’s puzzles in their original box. Six Interlocking Jigsaw Puzzles by Regal Stationary. These rainbow tins are also possibly the most beautiful puzzles that I own.
My second favourite puzzle of the year goes to our 3D puzzle ball of the Simpsons characters. What a unique experience this was, I really couldn’t put it down, I worked on this for about 4 and a half hours straight, I definitely had a sore neck by the time I was finished, but I was hooked. I still have it assembled and displayed on our bookshelf, it’s just so neat! I think this worked especially well, because of the cartoon characters that I was so familiar with, it made this way too fun!
And finally, my top puzzle of the year is Metamorphose by M.C. Escher manufactured by Selegiochi. I’ve done a lot of puzzles in my life, many of which have been Escher puzzles, but this is one special puzz, friends. The art work is stellar, how on earth did this man imagine all this?
Not to mention the fact that this puzzle can stretch out to an impressive length, or can be shown as I have in the photo above makes for a gorgeous, challenging, and special puzzling experience. It’s a stunner for sure, and the first one I posted about in 2023! So I guess you could say that I started off with a bang, but it most definitely was not downhill from there 🙂
This was another fun year of thrifting, and assembling unique and sometimes very rare jigsaw puzzles. I don’t know if I will ever tire of these two hobbies of mine, they bring me so much joy and I hope that you enjoy reading about them.
Thank you to everyone who reads this blog, leaves comments and sends messages. I truly love hearing from you and reading about your own puzzle adventures, thanks all for reading and thanks for sharing!
thepuzzlesivedone 
I wished I was able to collect that kind of stuff but I live in a small place that doesn’t give me room to do puzzles I don’t have the table to do it on I can’t see very well I have cataracts in both my eyes and I’m losing vision when I put a puzzle together it’s basically feeling besides and noticing the shape of it puzzle piece sometimes I recognize the colors and what have you it’s just more difficult than picking the puzzle pieces up is difficult because I have a stroke and it limits my hands from doing task of picking small items up but I’m working on it it’s therapy and I love it I can get some puzzles from my local library but not very often and like I said a table looks just for puzzling or a desk and right now where I’m living I don’t have room for either of those so puzzles get done on a pizza pan kind of difficult at times but hey I can put in 100 piece 300 piece a 500 pieces kind of difficult but 100 and 300 I can do but most of those puzzles are very childish and I belong to a puzzle group and they put up these beautiful puzzles like you have and I feel bad about putting my puzzles there alongside of yours because minor kids sized but it’s the best I can do and it’s therapy for me well I get a chance to do it and I don’t get interrupted by pets two pets in particular love to eat all the puzzle pieces any suggestions on the thrifting part since I’m not able to leave my home any suggestions
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Thanks for your comment, Donna. It sounds like you’re managing to puzzle as much as possible. I wouldn’t feel bad about sharing the smaller piece count puzzles, lots of people are looking for those and would be open to trading. Try Facebook Marketplace or post a note at your local library if you can. All the best and thanks again for your comment!
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