Puzzling… Is this CHEATING?

brilliantviewpoint

I’ve been wanting to do this Disney puzzle for a long time, but 1,500 pieces seemed like a lot.

2026 – It’s the year. I was at a puzzle exchange and “there was the puzzle.” I immediately snapped it up.

Imagine my surprise, when I opened the box, and the person who donated it had left many sections intact. Sometimes this is done, when it is too hard to take the pieces apart.

I have to admit… I was excited versus annoyed.

I did think… Is this cheating?

I mean, we’re “supposed” to do a puzzle from start to finish. Then I thought, it’s winter, I’ll pretend I’m on a cruise. I’ve gone to the game room and the puzzle is sitting there and I just continue working on it.

As you can see, I need to improve my evening lighting. Hard to get clear photos, but you get the idea.

I was able to complete this puzzle in one evening. Disney puzzles are SO MUCH FUN!

We had a snow storm yesterday, so a lot of puzzling and book reading here.

I sure hope Spring comes soon, miss outdoor walking! Too icy to walk outside right now…

31 thoughts on “Puzzling… Is this CHEATING?”

  1. It isn’t cheating because there are no rules when working puzzles. It’s your choice how you go about it.
    I’m sharing my feelings, but please don’t think I am criticizing you in any way or trying to insist my way is the right one.
    I don’t want any pieces already worked when I open a puzzle. If I find even two pieces together, I separate them and place them far apart back on my puzzle board.
    If I find that the 300 pieces are too easy, I sometimes work them without looking at the picture for more of a challenge.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I’m like you, if I open a box, and a few pieces are together, I separate them. However, while puzzling is enjoyable, sometimes we just want to get it done. It depends on the day. For example, I got a beautiful puzzle at a puzzle exchange, Art & Fable brand. I was excited to do it. When I opened it, it was still intact and nicely separated into quadrants. Now, that one, I took apart completely, so I could do it myself. This Disney one though, because it was 1,500 pieces, I was kind of excited to have it partially done. It’s all in our minds… I looked at it as the Cinderella story, where little mice come in the middle of the night to lend a helping hand. Happy puzzling.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Yes, it’s important to do what makes us happy. As I go to different puzzle exchanges and thrift stores (I also buy my own.), I’ve been venturing out, because I see puzzles / different brands that I have not heard of with beautiful illustrations. I tend to go for bright colors. I’m just doing a puzzle by Magnolia. I have mixed feelings on this brand. Beautiful colors, nice quality pieces, but the pieces are quite small for 1,000. Also, this image is rectangular vertically, so I can’t reach the top of the puzzle. I like a puzzle where I can sit in one spot and do it. The White Mountain brand are large, but I can still reach the top. So many NEW puzzle brands out there. It’s fun. Happy puzzling.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I share your feelings on the vertical ones.
        I also hate small pieces.
        I’m not too fond of the really large pieces either though. It makes me feel like I’m working a kiddy puzzle.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I was tempted to do the same with our completed Advent puzzles when we broke them down after Christmas. It took a lot of time to put the mini-puzzles back into their individual boxes as piles of pieces. But next year we’ll get the same enjoyment out of it. As Vero says, whatever rules you come up with are fair! BTW, that’s an impressive time frame of Disney villains. I can’t name the movie for the crowned lion, can you?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. I’m enjoying the “cheating or not cheating” debate you’ve stirred up in the comments here. No, the lion remains a mystery. He looks more dated than Scar. The crown is really throwing me!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. For sure, someone will be happy. A few years ago, I was like you. I tried a puzzle and wasn’t feeling it, so back into the box it went. Then last year, it was so cold in Chicago. I was at a book store with my daughter and I found a puzzle on Rothenburg, Germany. I so enjoyed doing that puzzle that I actually went to the city during their Christmas Market. That’s how I got hooked on puzzling. Also, in the evening I was getting bored with reading, scrolling my phone, watching a show… Needed to change my routine. So started listening to audio books while I puzzled. We go through phases in life. I’ve been meeting a lot of new nerdy people, I like it. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. It is absolutely cheating! I know this because my mother would thoroughly take every piece apart when she finished a puzzle. And what our mothers taught us was always the right way, wasn’t it? At least that was how it worked at my house! 😛

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a reply to E.A. Wickham Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.