We're All Mad Here - Come Join the Tea Party!

With all the talk lately about protective measures from Covid-19, one might think that the title of our blog is about the state of our sanity, but it's in fact a behind the scenes look at two of our NEW 2020 puzzles, "We're All Mad Here" 1000 piece and "Mad Hatter's Tea Party" 2000 piece. Let's take a look at the set up, which took place in our old boardroom (I say old because we're in the middle of renovations and the board room has been relocated - more about that in another blog).

Enter the hallway to the room where we find a lot of vintage books to create our Alice in Wonderland scene. The Creative Team built the house of hearts cards that stood up quite well during the shoot.  A lot of the china used in this shoot has also made an appearance in some of our other Truly Original Photo puzzles, like Teacups!  Allegra, our Creative Art Director, had to carefully choose which cups and saucers she wanted to stack and which to use for presenting all the goodies for the party.

There are a lot of little elements seen throughout the puzzles, especially the 2000 piece Mad Hatter's Tea Party.   The interesting thing to note is that many of the little Alice-esque features in the final puzzle were created with Photoshop, so you while you see the object here, you won't see the little image elements that were added in later - like Alice on the cover of the book with the key.

These types of photoshoots require a lot of adjustments and patience. The lighting has to be just right, the angle of the object needs to be clearly seen, and the computer is checked many, many times! Our valiant photographer, Jo-Ann Richards from Works Photography in Victoria, BC has braved many adventures with us and has been our trusted go-to photographer for all of our Truly Original Photo shoots.  She even gets in on the action by holding up little elements to create better shadows!

The "Before" picture below will help you see all the magical work that went into creating this fun adventure with Alice and her friends.  Notice in the photo below, the teapot at the top is not in a tipped position (that was for We're All Mad Here), then slight adjustments were made with it tipping for Mad Hatter's Tea Party (see final photo). There are a lot of little tweaks that are fun to find!  While the "Before" photo was not taken at the same angle and a few teacups were added into the picture, you can use it to see all the Photoshop work that had to be done to make this really pop. Obviously the twinkle lights are one magical element. However, there are many others circled in red so you can compare.  All of these adjustments gave the final image pops of colour and life!

"Before" shot (taken with camera phone) of nearly the final image that was used in Mad Hatter's Tea Party 2000 pc.

In the final shot below, you'll see a cute furry friend in the sugar bowl. She is the "Dormouse" from the adventure story and her name is "Moana". She was actually on set (brought by her owner and our designer, Emily) - that is not a Photoshop job!

We hope you enjoyed viewing our behind the scenes of Mad Hatter's Tea Party and We're All Mad Here. Thank you! Stay safe and sane out there!

Mad Hatter's Tea Party 2000 pc Truly Original Photo puzzle by Cobble Hill Creations

Available at your local retailer or favourite online store.

On the USA and Canada Cobble Hill website, search item code: 89011

We're All Mad Here 1000 pc Truly Original Photo puzzle by Cobble Hill Creations

Available at your local retailer or favourite online store.

On the USA and Canada Cobble Hill website, search item code: 80268

Clicking and Clanging of Yesteryear

by Elmer Prather, guest blogger from Canton, GA

When I spend time and energy to put a puzzle together I have to have a connection with the puzzle. My latest puzzle is the 31st Cobble Hill puzzle that I have had the pleasure of putting together. It is a 500 piece puzzle titled Trolley Station by Joseph Burgess. The reason I chose this puzzle is the colorful trolley shown in the puzzle. It reminded me of the Saint Charles trolley in New Orleans, Louisiana. Putting this puzzle together was a fun experience.

Trolley Station 500 pc by Joseph Burgess / Assembled by Elmer Prather

In New Orleans, trolleys are called streetcars, and their image is iconic to the Crescent City. The streetcar system is cheap and easy to navigate. Single rides cost $1.25. There are currently 5 streetcar routes: the Riverfront; St. Charles; Canal (Cemeteries); Canal (City Park/Museum); and Rampart/St. Claude lines.

The Historic St. Charles Streetcar Line is the longest in the city and the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world. It started operating in September 1835 using steam locomotives and horse drawn trams. In February 1893 they converted to electric streetcars/trams . The street cars on this Line are registered on the National Register of Historic Places and remain unaltered. This means there is no air conditioning; the cars ride with open windows. The cars on this line run all day and night, seven days a week. This line starts on Canal Street near the French Quarter and ends at Palmer Park. The line serves a 6½ mile run and the cars turn around and head back in the opposite direction. A one way trip along the line takes about 45 minutes.

St. Charles Street Car Line

Swaying along St. Charles Avenue through a tunnel of Live Oaks, the streetcar passes dozens of antebellum mansions, Loyola and Tulane Universities, breathtaking Audubon Park and fine hotels, restaurants and bars. A ride along St. Charles Avenue is much like a journey through the history of New Orleans. Today’s streetcars on this line still have mahogany seats, brass fittings and exposed light bulbs from an era before plastic seats and aluminum rails.

I have ridden this trolley when I visited New Orleans. The photo below is of the trolley as I disembarked at the end of the line. Notice the destination “Saint Charles" in the window over the cab.

Photo credit: Elmer Prather

Riding the trolley is a fun thing to do and convenient to get you around town. Hearing it clicking and clanging as it goes down the track sends you back to yesteryear.

Trolley Station 500 piece by Joseph Burgess

  Available at your local retailer or favourite online store.

On the USA and Canada Cobble Hill website, search item code: 85082

Why "Puzzling Together" is Perfect for Social Distancing

With the call to cancel large group gatherings and to practice "social distancing" as a precautionary measure against the spread of Covid-19, we thought this was the perfect time to highlight a fantastic puzzle group on Facebook - Puzzling Together!

Puzzling Together is a virtual group with hundreds of puzzlers who puzzle together, as the name implies! It's different than many other public and private puzzle groups in that there are focused theme weeks, artist events, brand of the month, step up challenges, catch up weeks, and the host, Julie Smith, has even put on a special event group for Cobble Hill's Rainbow Collection and the Elements Collection.  This is a great group if you have a stash of puzzles that you want to get through and are motivated by doing the same puzzle or something in a similar theme with other puzzlers.  It's also the perfect puzzling group for those who crave connection and focus during this challenging season. And this group also participates together in other events, so activities can extend beyond the group if you choose to join in, like World Puzzle Day.  Since it is a private group, you are required to click "Join Group" on the Facebook page and an administrator will approve your request upon review.

Click "Join Group" and Julie or one of the administrators will approve your request.

You can be confident when joining the group that you're in company with a host who is a dedicated puzzler. Julie really puts her heart into creating a fun place for puzzlers to connect.  Another fun fact about Julie - she is a "Milky Way" star when it comes to the World Puzzle Day (WPD) event hosted by Gunther Simetsburger (we'll have to highlight Gunther and WPD in another blog because he is quite impressive too)! But, what does Milky Way mean?  It means she is "out of this galaxy" with having completed an amazing 224,357 pieces since WPD 2013. She rocks the number three spot at the top of the overall player level list (which is a list of over 1000 people) and she is the ONLY player from the USA on the top 20 list. It's impressive. I assure you. And for the 2020 rankings, she took fourth place in the single player event with 74,276 pieces assembled (that was 70 puzzles in 60 days) and is the current record holder for 2020 in the USA! I'm exhausted thinking about it!

Julie Smith in 3rd place with 224,357 puzzle pieces assembled for combined World Puzzle Day events

Also, many of her group members joined her in the WPD event for 2020, which Cobble Hill sponsored (and we are 2021 sponsors too).  Julie's Puzzling Together Facebook Group was the number one Fun Group!  Her team of avid puzzlers assembled a staggering 1,164,942 pieces. They are the only team to have broken 1 million pieces with their team of 56 players. Before you start thinking, "Of course they were first, look how many players they had" -  when Gunther broke down the numbers for Fun Groups by pieces sorted by players, her group still came in at number seven!

However, to side step here for a minute - we have to give applause to two other Fun Groups because the individuals on these teams ranked #1 and #2 for single players with untouchable numbers! So major hand claps to Dutch Power created by 1st place WPD winner Erica Duijker (Netherlands) who alone assembled 138,511 pieces, which is a new record for herself. The other applause goes to 2nd place WPD winner Emma Gonzalez who assembled 110,582 pieces and also manages a puzzle Facebook group too, Rompecabezas Mexico. These two women were in a league of their own when it came to assembled pieces! Bravo to all the players and the groups!

So, if you are not a member of any puzzle groups, we recommend joining one if you're interested in sharing your assembled puzzles and seeing what others are doing too!  We assure you that Puzzling Together is not some clique group where you feel shut out - they do not tolerate bullies or putting people down.  There are some wonderful administrators and moderators who are seasoned puzzlers and they are very on top of conversations. Because it's a private group, we can't share other examples except this recent post from Julie, but we hope it ensures you this group is very approachable.  It's a safe space for your puzzling adventures!

Join Puzzling Together now!

East Coast Victorian Meets Old Wild West Excitement

by Elmer Prather, guest blogger

This is the 28th Cobble Hill puzzle I have had the pleasure of putting together. It is a 1000 piece puzzle titled Prince of Wales Hotel by Walter Campbell.

When I spend this much time putting a puzzle together, I have to have a connection with the image in the puzzle. The attraction I have with this puzzle is two fold. The first is that I have visited, but did not stay overnight at the Prince of Wales Hotel while touring Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Niagara-on-the-Lake is located approximately 15 miles North of Niagara Falls and is home to Niagara Apothecary, the oldest apothecary in Canada.

Prince of Wales Hotel 1000 piece puzzle by artist Walter Campbell. Assembled by Elmer Prather.

The hotel went by several names before renaming it to the Prince of Wales Hotel, after a visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York who stayed at the hotel in 1901. And in 1973, the hotel was graced by Queen Elizabeth II who stayed there during her visit to the area. It still has flowers hanging off the front and still offers horse and buggy rides to hotel guests like the puzzle depicts. It is a beautiful old hotel that was built in 1864.

People enjoying dining under the flower baskets and the "Established 1864" signage.

The second connection I have with the puzzle is that it reminds me of the Delaware Hotel in Leadville, Colorado. I have visited Leadville on several occasions and have stayed in the hotel once. It is a three story building built in 1886. It has a very interesting history and has hosted many famous people. Some of them are the unsinkable Molly Brown, one of the few Titanic survivors, Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp after their gun battle with Billy Clanton and his gang at the O K Corral in Tombstone, Arizona in 1881, Hudini, Billy the Kid, and Butch Cassidy just to name a few. As a side note, Doc Holliday is from my home state, Georgia. He was a dentist in Griffin, Georgia and after he contracted tuberculosis moved out West for his health.

The historic Delaware Hotel in Leadville, CO.

The Delaware Hotel has a similar style architecture as the Prince of Wales Hotel. When I saw the puzzle, I immediately thought about the Delaware Hotel.  Leadville is known as the highest elevated incorporated city in America. I can tell you that lugging suitcases up three flights of stairs in that high elevation will make a traveler huff and puff before they reach their room.

Last bit of history, Leadville was also the home of David May who opened a mercantile store in Leadville named Mays Mercantile. After several consolidations and mergers the May’s store successor is known as Macy’s department stores.  Leadville was a rough and tumble town during this time. It was filled with gold and silver miners who were looking for their next strike. If you are inspired to visit this town, it is located 100 miles South West of Denver, Colorado and 52 miles South of Vail Ski Resort in Colorado.

Prince of Wales Hotel 1000 piece by artist Walter Campbell

 Available at your local retailer or favourite online store.

On the USA and Canada Cobble Hill website, search item code: 80290

Family Day with Family Pieces Puzzles

Family Day is a holiday in many provinces across Canada and it lands in February every year. What a great day to set aside quality time to spend with your loved ones.  And what better way to spend it than enjoying a quality puzzle together!

Now, if you have older children or if your family members are all adults or well skilled puzzlers, then perhaps enjoying puzzles with higher piece counts is the way to go. However, if you have some younger children who are just starting out with puzzles or even if you have grandparents in the mix, who need larger sized pieces, then our Cobble Hill Family Pieces 350 puzzles are a great option!

Family Pieces 350 puzzle with large, medium and small pieces great for all ages.

The small pieces can be about as small as a quarter and not much bigger than a toonie (that's a Canadian two-dollar coin). Large pieces can be several inches, so it's easy to pick up for hands that need a little helping and they're also great for seeing more detail per piece. We love the fun(ky) random cut shape pieces in these puzzles and we're sure your younger ones will have a blast looking at all the weird shapes!

(Left) Small pieces, (Right) Medium pieces, (Bottom) Large pieces

Our Family Pieces 350 puzzles include small, medium, and large size pieces that cascade in one direction so that skilled puzzlers can work on one side with the smaller pieces and puzzlers can work on the other side with the larger sized pieces.  This is a fun way for the whole family to connect with one another as they assemble an image that they can all enjoy. In the Holy Night Family Pieces 350 puzzle below, the large pieces are at the top and the small pieces are at the bottom. In other puzzles, the arrangement of pieces could be different, but they will always cascade from large to medium to small whether from top to bottom, bottom to top, left to right, or right to left.

Cobble Hill offers over 40 wonderful Family Pieces 350 images to choose from and we're sure your whole family will be entertained.  Which one will you choose for your family?

The Warmth And Comfort Of A Quilt

by Elmer Prather, guest blogger

This is the 26th Cobble Hill puzzle that I have had the pleasure of putting together. It is a 500 piece puzzle appropriately titled "Portrait of a Quilt" by Hellen Klebesadel.

"Portrait of a Quilt" 500 piece by Helen Klebesadel. Assembled & Photo by Elmer Prather.

The reason I chose this puzzle was the brilliant colors in the fabrics displayed. The pieces reminded me of the different colored cloth my mother, grandmother and aunts used to make quilts. We lived in the country when I was growing up and my mother would let me do some of the sewing of the quilts that they made. I really enjoyed that. This puzzle was a pleasure to put together because as the puzzle came together, I could see in the puzzle the same colors of the pieces of cloth they used for the quilts. It made me want to find a needle, a thimble and some cloth to sew together.

My mother has passed but I was blessed to have had the best while she was here.

NEW 2020 Cobble Hill Puzzle - "Portrait of a Quilt" - includes reference poster

Available at your local retailer or favourite online store.
On the Cobble Hill website, search item code: 85079

The Informational Age of Puzzles

The Information Age began in the 20th century and continues on today. From being on the computer while watching TV or doing a puzzle and listening to a podcast, more than ever, people are multi-tasking to cram in as much information as possible while completing a task. So, it only makes sense that puzzles would soon welcome itself into this information age in the 21st century - it's "elementary, my dear Watson".

"Sherlock" 1000 pieces - a small excerpt from a 2020 informational puzzle

While puzzles are an ideal hobby for relaxing, after the puzzle is complete there are only a few options.  At some point after the puzzle is assembled, whether immediately or delayed, it needs to be dismantled. The other option is to preserve the puzzle with glue or some other method so that it can continue to be enjoyed, perhaps as a piece of art.

However, in between these two options, we say welcome to the informational age of puzzles! Cobble Hill is presenting a type of puzzle that provides information about a particular subject.  The company started with a few light versions of this "informational puzzle" by creating collages of quotes on different subjects like Dog Quotes, Cat Quotes, Chicken Quotes, Butterfly Quotes, Moth Quotes, but the information was more whimsical in nature in that they were simply quotes.

"The cocks may crow, but it's the hen that lays the egg" from Chicken Quotes 1000 piece puzzle

In 2020, Cobble Hill began introducing a more in depth type of informational puzzle for the more epistemophilic puzzler. Around the image subject, one would find anything from facts, figure, dates, and quotes. When a puzzler has assembled the puzzle, it can then be enjoyed for its information.

Cobble Hill has started out with a few space themes that include interesting facts and some speculation about our solar system. "The Moon" and "The Planet Mars" are two 1000 piece puzzles created from the work of Eleanor Lutz. She is a PhD candidate in the University of Washington Biology Department. She has a remarkable ability to take vast amounts of data and make it visually arresting.  To learn more about her science illustration visit the website (Tabletop Whale).

"The Moon" 1000 pieces with beautiful illustrations and arresting facts.

"The Planet Mars" 1000 piece with a visually appealing layout.

These solar system puzzles are definitely a challenge to put together, but they can be sorted into sections by colour and are completely achievable. We recommend these for the more avid puzzler or for a group of determined individuals.

To see more of these types of puzzles, visit our website's "Shop By Theme" link and click on the "Informational" link.  We'll share one more image of Sherlock so you can see what the excerpt looks like relative to the whole puzzle below.

"Sherlock" 1000 piece box, includes a reference poster.