Monday, January 21, 2013

Puzzled no more!

Back in November, I blogged about finding a teacup-themed puzzle I thought would be fun to put together over the holidays. Now, all I want to say is, friends, why didn't somebody stop me? What I *thought* would be a fun little two- or three-hour activity ended up taking me about a month to complete, consuming far more of my time, craft room and brainpower than I wanted. No more puzzles for this girl!

Why? Well, for one thing, I didn't realize how difficult it was to put together a 1,000-piece puzzle when so many of the pieces look alike. ("Duh," you are saying!) Here are just a few of the pieces that were all from different gilded teacups. You might see a smidgen of pink or green here or there, but for the most part it was a sea of gilding on those babies. Also, I didn't realize that of the 1,000 pieces in this puzzle, 978 of them were shadowy white teacup interiors or pieces of the green background beneath the teacups. It only *looks* like there are other colors in there. Amazing how they did that …

The one thing that kept me going was the realization that I wanted to hang this as artwork because I actually like some of these images, including this teacup, which was my absolute favorite. Now I'm not normally a huge fan of black and white teacups, but I think this one looks like what Audrey Hepburn would have sipped from in "My Fair Lady." No idea of the maker, of course, so if you ever see this one, holler, will you? Still, I am happy to be done with this thing. Just as I was finishing up over the weekend, I read an article about a convicted stock fraudster who was suing the Bureau of Prisons. He said his First Amendment rights were violated because he wasn't permitted to have a puzzle in his cell block. I say this: Let the guy have his puzzle, the bigger the better. Give him a sheet of notebook paper on which to assemble it. And leave about three of the pieces out of the box. That ought to set anyone back on the straight and narrow path!

19 comments:

  1. You are so funny. I am laughing out loud at your last lines.

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  2. Wow, that is quite a puzzle! I would never have the patience to finish one like that. I used to help my grandmother do jigsaw puzzles, but I get tired of them way before they are done. However, that one was worth staying with if ever one was. Enjoy the art now!

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  3. After Thanksgiving dinner has been cleared away, we set out a puzzle on the dining room table. Puzzles really need to be a group effort, because then finding the difficult pieces becomes a good natured competition... you have to find it before the other guy does.
    :-)

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  4. Funny. You have more patience than I do.

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  5. Your blog post brought a smile to my face this morning! ;-) You get an A+ for persistence, and the finished product is lovely.

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  6. Oh NO!! I was given this puzzle for Christmas and until today, looking forward to making it... I guess I'll "let" my husband (who loves puzzles) "help" me with it. Did I mention, I'm not a puzzle fan either.. pray for me! That said thanks for giving me a laugh; sort-of... Happy New Year!

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  7. Goodness...you were brave to try that one...or just half asleep when you agreed. I think that would have driven me nuts! Well done...what's next? A snowman in a snowstorm????
    Ruth

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  8. We do puzzles at our summer cabin. We put it our on the table on the enclosed porch and they usually take at least a week to do. I bought this one and the teapot one for next summer after I saw them on your blog.

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  9. Funny! I have a tea related puzzle, different than this one. I could send it to you, smiling! I have yet to do it.

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  10. Congratulations on completing this puzzle. I would much rather read a goo book and leave the puzzles to someone else.

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  11. Lifting my teacup to a job well done - and your craft table back!

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  12. Hello Angela
    I think the completed puzzle will look very nice hanging somewhere.
    Judith

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  13. I got a chuckle out of your last comment. The puzzle is pretty. Now I will never be tempted to do a puzzle that big.

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  14. Hahaha or straight to the rubber room!

    Love your puzzle, and it truly is the perfect wall hanging!

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  15. I lurve your puzzle! And enjoy doing them... they actually make for a fun activity when your socializing around the table and talking. Don't give up girlfriend! ha ha

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  16. This is a beautiful puzzle... but I believe I would not have the patience to complete it.

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  17. Great job, even if it took longer than expected. It will be a nice addition as artwork.

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  18. Beautiful puzzle, Angela - I like the My Fair Lady teacup too! I admire your patience, great job!
    Joanie

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