Category Inspire

You’ve just won a MILLION bucks!

brilliantviewpoint 12 Comments

Something funny happened to me the other day.

I was at the thrift store looking at puzzles. This young woman calls me the “Puzzle Lady,” because I only buy puzzles. Sometimes I only find one. Then she tells me to spend more, so I get rewards back.

I did find some beautiful puzzles, see below.

MY BEST LUCK though came when I was standing in line for check out. I happened to look to my left, it was the men’s section. On a shelf with some golfing stuff was this “1,000,000 dollar puzzle.

What… Was I seeing correctly? It was so amusing. What were the chances of seeing that type of puzzle?

I mean, we just started a NEW YEAR. I felt like I hit the jackpot!

The Universe was sending me a “Good Luck” sign. It was a brand new puzzle too. Of course, it will be FUN to put together, ALL those bills at my finger tips. Wow!

So, I bought my Good Luck charm for 2026!

Here are the others I found, really lovely, in great condition, based on authors.

2026 is off to a grand start!!

Holiday MAGIC!

brilliantviewpoint 18 Comments

I don’t normally pay attention to cars / trucks, but this one caught my eye. The paint job is fantastic. It’s just perfect. A lot of thought was put into the color. Look at the details.

It’s a truck for holiday magic.. Just needs a Christmas tree in the back with some presents.

I recently did this puzzle. It’s so darn cute. We’ve become so casual, I don’t see people dressed like this. In fact, my mother recently went to the Opera, she said it was a shame, people did not dress up at all.

Wishing you all a happy holiday.

Merry Christmas!

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.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall… Who is the FAIREST of them all?

brilliantviewpoint 14 Comments

I saw this while walking.

My first thought was Snow White and her wicked step-mother, Evil Queen.

Here is picture from afar, then I walked closer.

There’s a story here. Who put this mirror there?

Ponder that on the weekend…

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?

Can adults wear kids hats?

brilliantviewpoint 27 Comments

So, this is kind of funny. When I was in Ireland a few years ago. I was looking at their woolen hats. They had all kinds, but the one I fell in love one was this pink one with the sheep.

I thought, “Is this a kids hat??

I mean, it fit me, but was it too childish for an older adult to wear?

Winter has started.

I went to put this hat on the other day. I love it, but I keep thinking, “Is this too youthful for an older adult?”

Keep in mind, I have an Italian mother. She would say, “We wear gym shoes to play tennis, NOT to go to town. We wear flip flops at the beach, NOT to dinner… On and on with fashion do’s and don’ts.”

If I wear it, maybe I could be Auntie Mame. LOL Remember that movie? Be a little eccentric about it.

I always loved Diane Keaton for having a quirky style, owning it and not caring what “others” thought!

So…Help me out. Should I, or shouldn’t I, wear this hat? Hint I’m older than 55.

When a FLIP goes wrong… Enter Puzzle Buddy!

brilliantviewpoint 19 Comments

We’ve all been there. We decide to do something that is “tricky” too quickly to “get it done,” and we end up with a mess. That was me this morning.

I completed this beach puzzle. I wanted to frame it. I needed to flip it over, so I could tape it in place.

Well, this puzzle is HUGE, 24 X 30. I needed sturdy cardboard to lock it in place for the flip.

Instead, I had flimsy poster board. The flip did not go as planned.

As I was on the floor, trying to salvage pieces that were still connected…

I remembered seeing this PUZZLE BUDDY online. What a joke I thought!

However, now, I see the value of this product. For a “re-do,” I could definitely use this.

So, of course, I wonder… Why in the heck did I need to “re-do” half of the puzzle?

There must be a REASON, but WHAT?

When a puzzle design goes wrong…

brilliantviewpoint 18 Comments

I’ve wanted to try this Ravensburger puzzle, Title: Colors on Colors, designed by Karen Puzzles for a while. It looked fun. However, I didn’t want to pay $24.99 for it.

Months have gone by, and I was at the thrift store and “there it was!” I got excited, but then my heart sank. The box was not taped closed. So, we know what that means… most likely pieces had fallen out.

Still, I had wanted it and for $1.99, it was worth a try.

From the get go, there were no end pieces. Not one. Were they lost or was that the design?

I continued… I was NOT enjoying this puzzle. It took me a while to figure out why.

Look at the photo below. The puzzle design from the box shows the distinct design of each puzzle piece. So, of course, we imagine that’s how “we” would be piecing the puzzle together.

Well, the designer did not think this through. The manufacturer put the puzzle cutting grid above the design. The result was a big mess, making this puzzle feel like your eye sight was out of focus. Definitely not like the design photo on the box.

At any rate, these things happen. I was glad I didn’t pay $24.99 for it.

I was amused at how many pieces were missing. I still think this “could have been” a FUN puzzle.

Glad I found it. Glad I did it.

Now, on to the next NEW puzzle find!