Tash Puzzle Diary

What is your name?

Natasha

Where do you live?

Wollongong, Australia

Tell me about your puzzling journey?

I puzzled as teenager, then I had a break and started puzzling about 15 years ago with my husband.

During this period, I met a lady at work and she was a puzzler so we would loan each other puzzles (we still do).

About 12 years ago as a hobby I imported puzzles from the UK and I sold them at a local market and via eBay & Gumtree.

I ended up giving it up becasue the Australian dollar dropped and I wasn’t making any money, but it was a fun way to cover my hobby and to puzzle.

Then Covid hit and I started puzzling most days, now it’s rare that I don’t puzzle in a day. I find it calming to my chaotic life. On occasion my husband joins me to puzzle and I always enjoy those puzzling experiences. Last year I started an Instagram account to save all my photos of the puzzles I completed. Instagram has such a wonderful puzzling community and I unexpectedly met so many wonderful people, including Tania Wicks Puzzles. This year I joined the AJPA, and it was fun attending a puzzle competition and meeting more puzzlers. I am going to attend a Puzzle swap in Sydney next month and can’t wait to meet other Sydney puzzlers. I can’t believe how much this hobby has evolved. The Insta Puzzle community has introduced me to so many new puzzle brands and types of puzzles, that I had not imagined I would enjoy.

I have also started 2 travelling puzzles as I enjoy sharing my puzzles with others that have a love and appreciation of good quality puzzles and hearing about their experiences with the puzzle.

Do you have a favourite piece count?

I used to only puzzle 1000 pieces, but I have discovered I enjoy quick 500 piece puzzles too, so it depends on my mood and what’s going on in my life.

What is your preferred piece cut? Random or Ribbon?

Definitely random because when I puzzle a challenging puzzle my mind initially gravitates to the puzzle shapes and I often use the piece shapes to identify the position before the piece image.

What are your favourite puzzle brands?

Ooh there are so many great ones. I love a lot of Australian brands including Tania Wicks Puzzles, La La Land, Journey of Something, One But Many, Bespoke, Ro & Co, Twigg Puzzles & Mr Bob’s. Internationally- Magnolia, Grateful House, New Yorker, Art & Fable, Galison, Ravensburger, Heye, and I have been lucky enough to try a New England Puzzle Works Puzzle.

I also have puzzles in my to do pile that I have heard great things about, so I am sure this list will continue to grow!

What is your favourite Tania Wicks Puzzle?

This is a hard question because I don’t have one favourite, I actually have three: Sea Gem, Le Macaron and Sea Beauty.

If you could meet anyone in the puzzle community who would that be and why?

Tammy McLeod, the fastest puzzler, so I could learn tips on how to get through my to do pile quicker!!!!!

Additionally, I have made some amazing friendships via the Instagram Puzzling community and would love to meet those people.

What else do you enjoy other than puzzling?

Reading, walking, bushwalking, swimming at the beach, bike riding and yoga.

What is your puzzling strategy… for example do you do border first,

are you a sorter?

Depends on the puzzle, if it’s going to be a challenging puzzle or if I want to finish the puzzle fast, I will do the border first.

But if I want to take my time, I often place pieces of puzzle onto my trays and look for colours of what I want to puzzle and pull them out all together and work on that section and the border will be completed organically with the puzzle- that’s how I puzzled Desert Beauty.

Do you have any tips for challenging puzzles?

I use the puzzle shapes and look for a particular shape, I then join them together on a tray and then join them to the main part of the puzzle.

I had a very challenging mum and baby pandas puzzle and that’s the only way I got through the black parts of the pandas.

Do you have a favourite puzzle theme?

I love Disney especially Mickey & Winnie the Pooh, ocean themed, Christmas, Australian animals, nature, abstract shaped puzzles actually anything if I really like the image, especially fun, bright and colourful puzzles.

What’s your favourite type of puzzle, eg wooden, rectangular, circular?

I don’t really have a favourite, as long as the quality is great and I like the image I don’t have a preference, I used to only puzzle rectangular puzzles, but I puzzled a round Journey of Something and I enjoyed how different the puzzling experience is, so I brought more round puzzles that are in my to do pile. I recently tried a few wooden puzzles, and really enjoy how fun they are, the pieces are so cleverly designed, I love the whimsy shapes.

How many puzzles in your collection?

2 shelves in my cupboard. I am trying to only keep puzzles I will redo, so I have lots of beautiful animal, ocean, Disney and Christmas puzzles, and of course I have completed Debut collection of Tania Wicks Puzzles!

How many puzzles in your to do pile?

Oh too many!!!!!! I don’t think I could disclose that. Let’s say 4 shelves in my cupboard and there are lots of puzzles I can’t wait to puzzle????????

Thank you, Tania, it’s been a pleasure chatting to you.

We are very excited to have Tash on board as one of two Australian Brand Ambassadors for Tania Wicks Puzzles!