Category Create

Puzzling… Is this CHEATING?

brilliantviewpoint 28 Comments

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…

The EDIBLE * Snowman *

brilliantviewpoint 19 Comments

You’ve probably seen the snowman in hot chocolate drinks. This was very cute and funny.

But… Have you ever eaten a snowman pizza? In all these years, this is the first I heard of this.

Then there are pancakes…

What other edible snowman have you seen?

Let’s have some fun.

Advent Calendars – A Puzzle one!

brilliantviewpoint 27 Comments

When my children were young, we always had a chocolate Advent calendar.

Well, this year, I learned that there are Advent Calendars in PUZZLE form. Yes, see photo. You do one puzzle a day and by Christmas Eve, you have the entire puzzle scene finished.

As you can see, I got a little excited and kept puzzling. Each day, in this particular puzzle, there are ~50 pieces a day. So, it’s fun and easy.

I really liked this stained glass Christmas scene. However, they have puzzles that are not religious in nature and where each puzzle stands alone. So, this can be for everyone who enjoys puzzling.

Anyone else out there doing an PUZZLE Advent Calendar?

Weekend Plans… A New Puzzle!

brilliantviewpoint 21 Comments

Life can be interesting. I’ve never been to Mt Rushmore, but I think it’s beautiful.

A friend was just traveling and she went there and sent photos.

THEN… I was at a thrift store looking at puzzles and LOOK what I found. YES, Mt Rushmore.

Puzzling is perfect right now as the weather has gotten cold and the days are getting shorter.

I hope all the pieces are there.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Creative Gardening!

brilliantviewpoint 13 Comments

Some people are so creative. I love this type writer placed in the garden.

When I took the picture, I was hoping a bird might fly by, sit on type writer and I could get an even better photo. However, I didn’t get so lucky.

Have fun walking, there is always something new to discover.

Enjoy the weekend!

Summer Puzzling…

brilliantviewpoint 17 Comments

I was at Hobby Lobby recently. They were having a puzzle sale, 40% off. Now, that was a good deal. So, I looked at my options. I found this one by Brother Sister Design Studio. I was curious about the “soft touch.”

This was a fabulous puzzle. First off, it’s so cheerful. I was surprised at how huge the puzzle pieces were. I give a comparison, see the blue puzzle piece, it’s from a 1,000 piece puzzle I’m working on. Then to the right was a puzzle piece from this puzzle. Fun, but it did feel a little bit like going back to grade school.

Finally, the finished product. HOWEVER, it’s hard to fit the pieces in the box, see photo. I mean, who wants to “carefully” stack puzzle pieces in a box, so they will fit?? Not me, but I do LOVE this puzzle.

So, I guess I’ll have to stack them nicely… LOL

Cheers to more puzzling.

Rough Horsetail – A plant that is like a puzzle!

brilliantviewpoint 11 Comments

Growing up by Lake Michigan, we always had fun playing with Rough Horsetail. Of course, back then I didn’t know what it was called. I just had fun taking it apart and putting it back together in different ways.

I completely forgot about it until this weekend when friends pointed it out. LOOK, they said, “This plant comes apart and you can put it back together again!”

We all laughed, I told them of my childhood and we had fun playing with them.

This YouTube video gives information on horsetail.

If you are at a beach and you, your friends and/or kids are bored. Find some rough horsetail and have some fun! So many different combinations you can build.

Time for the beach. 🏖️

Summer has started, time for FIREWORKS!

brilliantviewpoint 16 Comments

You know summer has started when you go for a walk and you see the kids RUNNING & SCREAMING! At first, I thought, “What the heck is going on??” Then I realized — SCHOOL’S OUT!!

That means July 4th celebrations are around the corner. I’ve been eyeing this puzzle for a while. I was drawn to the Fireworks in the background. So, I took the plunge and bought it.

Life is FUNNY! Last night, I got the fireworks done. Just after I finished them…

I got a call. A family wedding next Saturday! I chuckled to myself.

So, that’s why I did the fireworks!! Can’t you FEEL the different explosions of color!

The Universe has such interesting SURPRISES this year!

It’s SUMMER… On my walk, I got wet by a water sprinkler. Obviously, I thought I could “beat” the timer of when the water would hit me…

I was STARTLED!

It was REFRESHING!

Have a great weekend!

How 6 Million People Read My Blog Post!

brilliantviewpoint 23 Comments

Did it work? Did I catch your attention with the 6 Million readers?

I saw an article on the art of blog writing. It mentioned that it helps to use a “number” in the title. Personally, I always steer clear of posts that say, “3 Best Gluten Free Breads,” or “10 Worst TV Shows,” etc. I used to get sucked into those, then realized they were full of “fluff.” WHY, because they got the memo that adding a number to their title would get you readers/followers, so a bit boring, lots of copy cat articles.

I sold advertising for magazines years ago. We had certain issues that used the “number technique.” It did work. Our February Wedding issue focused on the 10 Best Wedding Planners, June would be the 20 Best Dentists, September focused on the 5 Best Senior Centers… You get the idea.

It helped sell advertising. Think about it, were these companies really the BEST or were they the ones willing to pay high advertising rates? This is when I realized, there are a lot of “fake” articles out there.

So, if you want to be an influencer, then you need to write in a certain way.

If, you are like me, and write for enjoyment. Then you write your post, get your coffee, sit back and see who comes. If no one comes, tweak things a bit, then see / hope your numbers soar.

Have fun writing!