The Benefits of Doing a Puzzle and a Puzzle Review
Home Sweet Home 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle Review
Disclosure: I was sent this puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I have to confess--between the pandemic and winter about to begin, I have not really been motivated to do anything. Yesterday as the snow fell my biggest achievement was going out to fill the bird feeders. They were busier than ever with the snow. They still are. I loved sitting and watching the snow and the birds. Today isn't much better. However I finished this puzzle quite a long time ago and have been meaning to write the review but just haven't gotten to it. So here it is. I have been writing reviews of 1,000-piece puzzles in my Mommy Time Reviews. I am going to include a round-up of them as well as the five puzzles on my to do shelf! I just need to make space to do one. Lately my puzzle space has been filled with diamond painting instead.
Nature Anatomy Birds Jigsaw Puzzle
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Now if you have been reading my blog for awhile you may know that I am a bird lover. During the pandemic I developed a love of birdwatching and kept adding new feeders to my yard. In the summer of 2020 I did an entire series of animals in my backyard including many birds. I fell in love with the female cardinal. She never gets the time the male does, but has her own beauty. Today I get to share a jigsaw puzzle featuring birds. It is Nature Anatomy Birds 500-Piece Puzzle by Julia Rothman.
In the Winter Jigsaw Puzzle -- perfect for those snowy winter days
Disclosure: I was sent this puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Now I love a good jigsaw puzzle. I have shared the benefits of doing them several times. In my classroom I have a puzzle table set up. (I even got a puzzle table cover with drawers to organize the pieces in case we need to move it.) My classroom is popular before school, during lunch, and during study halls. Many different kids come to work on the puzzle. Some only put a piece in and others are there every day. Now I got some mathematical themed puzzles, and it took several months for them to do a 1,000-piece mandala puzzle. They have been doing the other ones quickly though. Today I am going to share a perfect puzzle for the holiday season or a snowy day or in my case for when you are stuck home with Covid. The puzzle is called In the Winter and the artwork was done by Luci GutiƩrrez.
Cherry Blossom Season in Old Tokyo 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
Disclosure: I was sent this puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I haven't shared a puzzle in a while so today I am sharing a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It features the woodprint of Utagawa Kunisada. Did you know that Vincent Van Gogh collected Japanese prints? Almost half of his Japanese prints were Utagawa Kunisada's. (Source) The puzzle is Cherry Blossom Season in Old Tokyo 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle from Tuttle Publishing.

Tranquil Zen Garden in Kyoto, Japan 1,000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle Review
Disclosure: I was sent this jigsaw puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Today I get to share with you a jigsaw puzzle of a beautiful zen garden in Japan. As I have mentioned before one of the many benefits of doing a puzzle is that it is relaxing. I find having a tranquil picture even more relaxing!! The puzzle is Tranquil Zen Garden in Kyoto, Japan 1,000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle from Tuttle Publishing.

Thank You America Quilt Jigsaw Puzzle -- Mommy Time Review
Disclosure: I was sent this puzzle in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own. The links shared here are also affiliate links where I will receive a small portion of any purchases made through the links at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share.
This has been a crazy week. It is hard to believe what is going on in our country. I know I have not been myself since Wednesday. Watching the people storm the capitol was just awful. I felt like our country was truly divided and falling apart. I took a few days off from blogging because I just needed to care for me and my family and come back from all the emotions from the day. I have spent a lot of time praying and reflecting on my own life and what I want for our country as well as some crafts and puzzles. How are you doing?
Japanese Artwork inspired by the World's First Novel Jigsaw Puzzle
Disclosure: I was sent a this puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I have been loving my puzzles but I am also loving learning about the picture on the puzzle. Today's puzzle is a woodblock print by Kuniteru Utagawa called Song of the Four Seasons: Summer created in 1853. It depicts a scene from the famous novel, The Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Shikibu. The Tale of Genji is considered to be the first novel in the world. It was written in the 11th century. You can learn more about the novel here. The picture on the puzzle is of Prince Genji with his companions in a Japanese garden on a summer's evening.
Jigsaw Puzzle of and Fun Facts about the Borobudur Temple in Indonesia
Disclosure: I was sent this puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I have been very lucky to be able to get products to review from Tuttle Publishing. Since their company focuses on Eastern countries I always find their products perfect for sharing in May (though I share them all year long). Besides books they have other products including jigsaw puzzles. I thought it would be fun to share some of the puzzles I have from Tuttle this month. I have shared others previously. Plus since the puzzle is of the Borobudur Temple, I thought I would share some fun facts about the temple.

Spatial Math for Little Ones -- Two New Books
Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Bambi 1,000-Piece Puzzle
Disclosure: I was sent this puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Did you know this coming Monday (October 5) is World Animal Day? To honor this day and the world's animals I am going to be sharing several animal themed products over the next few days. Today we are going to start with a fun jigsaw puzzle I fell in love with because it is such an adorable picture. The Bambi Puzzle by Nathalie LĆ©tĆ©’ is a great quality and the picture is beautiful.

Interesting Facts about Samurai and Himeji Castle Jigsaw Puzzle Review
Disclosure: I was sent this puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Today I am going to share another 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It is a beautiful photograph from Japan. It is the Samurai Castle and Cherry Blossoms 1,000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle.

Crafty Stay-cation Activities -- Crafty Sunday Review

Holiday Gift Recommendations & Where to Shop This Year
Disclosure: All of these recommendations are based on reviews I have written or will write for products that were sent to me in exchange for a review. Some links will be affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage if you purchase through them. Thank you for your support!
This year there will be shortages for gifts, especially toys. They are saying to shop early and not wait to see if things go on sale. I decided to provide my gift recommendations and my favorites of 2021 for you earlier than usual. I went through what I have shared with you and some of what I will share with you to give these recommendations. I may make additions in the future since I don't have everything I will review this year yet. I am dividing it up by ages for actual gift recommendations! Many of the recommendations are for books. If you follow the rule of four for gifting this should be helpful! I hope you find this list helpful!
Sharing Saturday 18-2
On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!!

Japanese Food Ideas: Bento Boxes & Sushi
Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Have you been watching the Olympics? This year is the first time I have really watched in a long time. I love watching the women's gymnastics but always hated how it was shown so late. I love the live streaming videos that I can watch any time. With the Summer Games in Tokyo and where spectators are not allowed, I thought it was the perfect time to explore Tokyo and Japan. Today I'm going to share some cookbooks to bring home a bit of the Japanese culture with food and it is food your kids may enjoy! These books are also perfect for getting ready for school lunches, parties and more! We will start with Ultimate Bento by Marc Matsumoto and Maki Ogawa.