On Your Mark. Get Set. Go!

Linda has been supplying me and Sharen with puzzles these last few weeks and we both are enjoying, fixing, and sharing them.

One of the boxes had a piece of paper in it with a website that you could go to and comment on that puzzle. That got me searching the web about all things puzzles.

One website caught my eye.
Jigsaw puzzle fixing competitions.
Wow there is really something like that out there? Could Sharen and I be good enough to compete?
We have been fixing puzzles together since we were toddlers.

There is only one way to find out.
We asked Dup to pick out one of the 500 piece puzzles that Linda had given us, so we wouldn't be biased on what it looked like. We decided to time ourselves, like in a race, to see just how fast we can get it together.
We worked pretty good together (I know, no surprise there).
We both turned pieces over, then Sharen got started on the frame while I separate all the colors into piles.
She likes to work on one big object and then fill in around it. Me I like to start at the corners and work in, so we think we have a good strategy figured out. She does the bird I work on the background.

Sharen fixing the bird in the center while I sorted the pieces.

If we felt stuck or like we were slowing down we switched places at the table.

We are having so much fun

When we were done we both admitted to being a bit nervous and anxious.
We finished the first puzzle in 1 hour, 28 minutes. Both of us were disappointed in our time. We knew we could do better, so we decided to try again the next day.

 

puzzle #1



We only had a few 500 piece puzzles to choose from. Our second attempt, that Dup chose, also was of a bird. The pieces were shaped the same as the first puzzle, so we knew we had a slight advantage with this second one.

Puzzle #2

Same routine as the first one. We both turned the pieces over - I separated the colors and Sharen got busy on the birds. I did the flowers and frame. We both filled in the green background. This time we talked a little more and helped each. My favorite part (and I'm sure Sharen's too) is when we get a piece surrounded and both raced to find it. We cut 15 minutes off our time. 1hour and 13 minutes.

Maybe we do have what it takes to compete.

Just to be sure - we changed locations - we did this last one at my house. We changed puzzle designs in both picture and pieces.
While the boys went to the movies, Sharen and I got together for puzzle #3. Here is the last one we raced to finished.

Puzzle #3

 I had just finished a puzzle with these funky pieces so I was lovin' this. Sharen wasn't too keen on the cut, but she likes to fix by color so she did the face and beard, and presents while I worked on the greens and burgundy. Together we did the fruits and holly.

Funky puzzle pieces

Time was 1 hour 20 minutes.
This was so much fun. Spending an afternoon with my twin and fixing puzzles, just like when we were little.
I think we need to try a 1000 piece puzzle next time. Stay tuned!