If you are a regular reader, you know that I hit thrift stores often. Probably more than I should. I have two local Goodwill stores that are my main source for puzzles and I’m happy to say that I’ve had a lot of luck with the options that pop up. Today’s puzzle is what I consider a lucky find. It isn’t exactly an expensive one (retails at $16.99) and the quality is only so-so but the artwork is so beautiful and unique that stumbling upon it among the thrift shelves made my morning.

The artwork for this puzzle is done by the incredible Hattie Stewart. Hattie is a London-based artist who creates vibrant and playful pieces of art. She has done work for some big names like GQ, Apple Music, and Gucci. A “self-proclaimed Professional Doodler” her artwork is fun, and a little psychedelic with a side of cheekiness. I adored the artwork on this puzzle from first glance. It’s different from all the other puzzles that I’ve worked on. I loved all of the little characters, with their big eyes and wide smiles.

The box for this particular puzzle had seen better days. It looked as though it had been slid, image down along a dirty warehouse floor for a decent distance. I tried to clean it up but there was only so much I could do. Unfortunately for me, this particular puzzle ended up missing three pieces as well. That’s the risk you get with buying from thrift stores though and well worth it in my opinion.

The build for this puzzle was easy. It’s only a 500-piece puzzle so I completed it in a single afternoon. There are plenty of varying patterns and textures which made sorting fairly simple. Even the stripes of blue and yellow were not too difficult. A simple sorting by piece shape allowed me to tackle those sections with no problem. The element that surprised me the most was that the characters all had similar features so sometimes it was challenging to find the specific pieces which went to each one which is why in the video you’ll see that often the character is the last thing I finished when working on the different sections.

In terms of quality, this puzzle is just okay. As I mentioned before, the puzzle is only around $16 and I think the quality is pretty average for that price. The pieces are on a paper backing and the piece shape, while varied, isn’t varied enough that I didn’t have a couple false fits. The color and printing on the pieces is gorgeous, which was a plus. There isn’t too much to write home about in regards to the quality but the enjoyability of the assembling process makes up for that and I do think it at least lives up to the full-retail price.

Packaging-wise, the box is quite sturdy and much like the puzzle within, is bold and colorful. The full image is on the top and the sides include product details while being centered in fun frames. If you had purchased this product brand-new it would have came with a set of stickers by the artist. Unfortunately, as mine was second-hand the stickers were no longer included.

While the quality is perhaps, not the best, and this particular copy was missing a few pieces, I’m still planning on keeping this puzzle to do again some day. I really enjoyed putting it together and I think the artwork is so fun that I’m hoping to find a few more puzzles that use Hattie Stewart’s art.

Have you ever done a puzzle with this artist’s work? Let me know in the comments!

Want to put together this puzzle?

Buy the Dreamland 500-piece Puzzle Here

Brand: Penguin Random House
Title: Dreamland
Pieces: 500
Artist: Hattie Stewart