Aly K

Artist Alley Puzzle #6: This Lunar New Year puzzle was created by @Creator.Jazzy . It's so cute and a fun assemble, though it wasn't 100% easy since the different dragon colors are interspersed throughout. I didn't get to chat with Jasmine since she had another event that weekend, but I did get to chat with her lovely parents who were excited about her puzzle and to help host her booth! A little more about her from her Etsy: 'I am a Chinese American artist and NICU nurse. I make art in the space between 12 hour shifts and quiet moments of reflection. Art has always been how I process the world and rooted in the things we need to hear most; that it's okay to ask for help, and resilience isn't about being unbreakable—it's about showing up for yourself and those around you. My biggest inspiration is my community: the aunties, the friends, and the strangers.' She has really incredible art which reminds me of images I've seen on @ChuffedPuzzles and @GoodFortunePuzzleCo . Keeping my fingers crossed for collabs so that I can puzzle more of her work! @usajigsawpuzzle @puzzleyou_us @zakcopuzzleboards

Next Nationals recap - The Final Speed Run! (And a Speed Run history) I was SO excited for this culmination of the Speed Run! From humble beginnings in 2022 as a way to celebrate our Design Contest winner & a pet project for me (with gamer-inspired advice thanks to @Seraph741 ), here's how we got to the Final Run: 1ST SPEED RUN Intentional Kindness By: Robin Decaire & @PuzzleTwist Luckily Tony took a chance on this! I did my best to force it 😆 running & graphing it thanks to a stint of funemployment. @SpoonPuzzles & @KCollins771987 joined the battle, but Liz Nelson swooped in at the end! Winning times were: Solo - 24:58 Pair - 16:20 Trio - 14:18 Quad - 16:48 2ND SPEED RUN Rainbow Cats By: @Allegra_Vernon_Design & @CobbleHillPuzzles 2024 Design Contest winner @YHaDuong created an image we LOVED (see @ usajigsaw.org/puzzledesigncontest)! But due to difficult logistics, Speed Run images had to go a different direction. Luckily @CobbleHillPuzzles made Rainbow Cats work for us, which birthed a literal friendship between @Iryna.Puzzles , @Diana_is_Puzzled , & @Puzzle.Box.Pandora (go watch Diana’s pinned reel!) Winning times: Solo - 17:44 Pair - 11:36 Trio - 9:31 Quad - 7:30 3RD SPEED RUN Quilted Critters By: @MirkaDraws & Puzzle Twist Unveiled WITH Mirka at 2025 Nationals! Competition was tight with @XinPuzzles , @PuzzlesAlltheWayDown , Tim Miller, & @EmilythePuzzleNerd . I loved @Imagi_Nathan 's poll of racer's favorite piece (which you develop after SO many runs). Winning times: Solo - 17:17 Pair - 11:56 Trio - 10:32 Quad - 7:34 THE FINAL RUN Thanks Kevin & Nicole for making it possible!!! By combining our fastest racers with live competition energy, I was pumped to see fastest Pair & Quad times shaved by a full minute! The excitement was electric & puzzlers assembled on another level! Once I improve Solo conditions next year (my bad!), I'm sure we'll see the same there too! 4TH SPEED RUN Rainbow Birdies By: Allegra Vernon & Cobble Hill Love the excitement already! What's next? Have we hit the physical limit of speed puzzling? Comment if you plan to participate & if you'd be interested in maybe joining a group chat! I want this sub-community to keep grow

Artist Alley Puzzle #5: This one is called Sometimes, created by @Allis.Fiction . I've been waiting to start it because I knew it'd take a bit to complete. It's clearly a tough puzzle, but it was a satisfying tough. I did as much of the edges as I could before starting in on the red sections. Then I moved to blue, and finally the very tough black and all white. The cool thing was though, reading the text made it easier to place pieces, which reinforced engaging with the composition and what it had to say. Upon completion, I sat and read through the entire piece written on the puzzle. I hadn't looked as closely at it as I would've liked when we selected this piece for Artist Alley, so I was happy to finally take the time. It's somewhat of an existential reflection on language, writing, and the generation of thoughts and ideas. In Adolfo's own words 'My intention has always been to explore the way we experience language and thoughts by using words and phrases.' It was a great exercise for me to read through it, breaking down my usual pragmatism and aversion to taking anything too seriously. I usually only reserve serious energy for crisis situations. However, I tried to stay open to Adolfo's intentions and respect his vulnerability in creating this work, and it paid off. ☺️ Each section begins with 'Sometimes, when I find myself inside the composition...', creating a melodic flow as I advanced to each new paragraph. Winding along with the words and embracing his philosophical questions was very mediative. Makes sense - he refers to them as Mediations on his website. It kind of evoked the same feeling I get when enjoying a puzzle - thinking about what I'm doing while simultaneously resting my brain. I included close-ups of some of my favorite parts of the writing. It was a great way to finish enjoying this puzzle. ☺️ I'm so grateful that Adolfo made the trip from Mexico to share his art with us and I hope he enjoyed his visit! I believe he has some copies left so be sure to head to his IG and website if you'd like to check out this puzzle! Fun Fact - The original composition dimensions didn't all fit onto the puzzle so there's more to enjoy on the print!

Quickie Nationals recap, What's in the Box edition: This is the last of my giant haul from our Atlanta visit. In the final days before Nationals, as the board was prepping, we managed a quick trip to 'The Garage' which is about an hour outside of town. A lovely couple runs an online puzzle resale business and keeps all their stock in the garage (and parts of their house). They allow locals to come peruse and I'm glad we did because they'll be shutting down the business soon to fully enjoy their retirement. Got some puzzles that are hard to find in the US and ones I've been meaning to get/try. I managed to hold back on not getting too many since I knew I'd be getting far more during Nationals weekend. I've got one more Nationals haul recap coming up but it's from a separate box that I just received. Can you guess what it is?

Next Nationals recap - Special Competitions! @Jigsawlogist & @Faith_the_Puzzler championed & led this new feature to incredible success! The feedback survey indicated it was one of people's favorite features! Special Comps came out of a desire to make a space for: * International puzzlers (only US residents can compete in the main championship) * Puzzlers who didn't make it off the waitlist * Puzzlers who didn't advance to Finals * Casually competitive puzzlers * Puzzlers who want to meet new people It was sponsored by the wonderful @CobbleHillPuzzles who even launched a 100pc line to make it all possible! Between our team & the lovely Linda from Cobble Hill, they planned a slew of competitions including: * Puzzle Chess tourney - 4x larger than previous years (400 competitors!) thanks to spectacular planning skills of lead @TiffanythePuzzler ! Winners got awesome prizes like a chalice from Cobble Hill & crocheted trophy made by Becca! * Casual sprints & chess - similar to previous years, puzzlers could race 100 - 275pc puzzles at their leisure. * Cobble Together - teams of 4 were split into pairs & tackled 2 x 500pc puzzles simultaneously. Each pair has the other's reference image so it required collaboration between teammates. * Team Relay - teams of 8 were split into quads & tackled 2 x 1000pc puzzles, swapping puzzles at regular intervals. We know how fun relays are & were excited to include one! * The Gauntlet - teams of 4 had to complete a 275, 350, and 500pc puzzle in a row to win. * First Run - Details coming in a future Speed Run recap. The coolest part of these competitions was the push to sign up solo & be randomly assigned teams, so the name of the game was to have fun, build new friendships, and even learn new puzzling styles. Congrats to all the winners throughout the weekend with extra special shout-outs to @EmilythePuzzleNerd & @Kylko for 1st & 2nd place wins in the Chess Tourney! Great work to Becca, Faith, Linda, @DaphnePuzzles , Tiffany, Issac, Cord, & other volunteers I'm sure I'm forgetting (so sorry!)! I'm so glad you created this fun & welcoming space for attendees!

Artist Alley Puzzle #4: This piece is called #Equation, created by @AnjiRayArt and I really loved it! It was medium difficulty with a lot of repeating colors, but the green, purple, and blue stood out as the areas to tackle first, and the black programming operators helped inform the trickier colors like the red and orange. I wish I'd had more time to chat with Anji Ray - she was a delight and had such a passion for her art that it was infectious! She shared so many interesting things about her art too. For example: #Equation speaks to the idea that the craft of technology, such as programming eloquently, can be closely related to art. And as she assembled the puzzle for the first time, it felt like when she created the original art piece. She also told me that sharing her art in this new way inspired some changes in her mindset and some new pieces! ❤️ Fun fact: Anji was unsure about creating a second puzzle of #fruitOfTheSpirit (Picture 2, top left). She wasn't sure if it'd be too tough but I told her that I would really like it and it gave me Fish & Fuchsia vibes (2025 Pairs Finale puzzle) so I think it'd be successful. Luckily she pulled the trigger & sold out! I didn't have room in my suitcase for it then, but hope to get on the wait list if she makes more. I really really enjoyed having Anji Ray at the Alley and am excited to see what she does next! @usajigsawpuzzle @puzzleyou_us @zakcopuzzleboards

Catching up on Nationals pictures - though Golden State Puzzlers did not compete together at this event, we just had to get a picture with Linda from @cobblehillpuzzles ! She is such a wonderful human and great to work with. We are thankful for her and everything she does. If you haven’t already done so, listen to her episode on @piece_talks to find out more about her and Cobble Hill. It’s a can’t miss! @pieces_of_the_picture @tammymcleodpuzzler @puzzlesnpups #puzzlelife #usjigsawnationals2026 #cobblehillpuzzles

Next Nationals recap - VR Villa! I'm so excited we managed to finally make this happen because the conversation first started in 2025. We couldn't make it happen as part of AwesomeCon last year and this year didn't look possible either. However, just a few weeks before the event @VRVillage came to us with a way to make it happen, thanks to sponsorship from @JigsawNightApp ! We quickly put the pieces in place to make space and logistics for it at the event. And I got to meet Steve Lukas, the developer of Jigsaw Night, because he's also a San Diego local! He showcased the game to @Seraph741 and me at a nearby brewery and we got to nerd out about how cool it would be to grow the world of virtual speed puzzling! Virtual speed puzzling is something I've been excited about for a while. It started before 2024 Nationals when I was playing @PuzzlingPlaces often (3D virtual puzzling) and thought it'd be great to invite them to have a table. Az from their team came and hosted the first ever virtual speed puzzling championship, with @Iryna.Puzzles as the winner! A little while later they also hosted an online competition and @Kylko and I took second place! I'm so excited that Jigsaw Night is now also on the scene with 2D puzzles! I love how good the assembly technology is (especially with controllers, but the hand tracking is quite good too!), that you can add your own images, choose piece shapes, and a bunch of other customization options. My favorite though is that you can co-puzzle or race in the same environment so you can practice with your team remotely. And I'm especially excited about how committed Steve and Jeff (VR Villa owner) are to grow the scene! There's still time to get discounted games (I'll add to my story) and even an additional drawing for a MetaQuest headset if you head to their profile! (Not paid for this, I just really wanna spread VR puzzling haha) Ps thanks to Jigsaw Night social media for allowing me to remix their already amazing video with a few more tidbits!

Artist Alley Puzzle #3: This one from @PaperSpaceship is part of her Portals series. It's so gorgeous and was one of my favorite images! Maybe I'll put this on my wall... She originally chose a different image that didn't convey the same depth as the original oil painting when put into puzzle form, and therefore would've been too dark and tough (in an unfun way). I'm so excited she decided on this one instead because, while it wasn't a super easy puzzle, it was really relaxing and fun! Most pieces gave you a little hint of the image, like at the bottom there are lots of little lines across the page. But when it came down to a piece sort of single color pieces, @puzzleYOU_us is good enough quality that everything fit properly/there weren't false fits. I really really hope Maile considers making her whole Portals series into puzzles because I would absolutely collect them all hehe (hint hint). Thank you so much Maile for sharing your beautiful creations with us puzzlers! (Post edit - wish I had remembered to share a photo of her booth setup because it was SOOOO beautiful!) @usajigsawpuzzle @zakcopuzzleboards

Nationals Convention Hall recap continued - 'What's in the Box?' edition. I meant to post this with the video recap but decided to relax with a puzzle instead. 🤷‍♀️😆 More of the contents from my giant box that I sent back from Nationals: -Event program, badge, & pins from many, including a creative 3rd Speed Run puzzle piece pin thanks to @Puzzle.Box.Pandora , and an awesome 3D printed Board Member badge from @Kcollins771987 -Adorable crocheted puzzle piece gifted to me by the lovely Shirley from @ChicagoPuzzleClub -Personalized chopsticks gifted by @VRVillage who also runs a wood art booth (with wooden puzzles) at other events as @BazLLC -@USAJigsawPuzzle merch: A tumbler & apron, (nerdy but actually extremely helpful while running the event) -@RavensburgerNA merch: A stuffed 'Puzzle Shark' & sleek long sleeve pullover -Ravensburger overstock puzzles & bag that we got at the end of the weekend (volunteers who stay til the bitter end usually get a crack at these) -Puzzles from exhibitors gifted to me by friends who already enjoyed them -@CobbleHillPuzzles & bag from the Special Competitions (recap coming soon) [email protected] mini puzzle & competition puzzle created by @IndoorKidsPuzzle & brought to me by @Puzzle.Michelle -Nationals SWAG: Black event shirt, red volunteer shirt, water bottle & collapsible bag (Teddy did not come in the box but is provided here for scale and adorableness) Believe it or not, there was more in the box and I'll show you that in one of my next posts!

Artist Alley Puzzle #2 - This @OfficialShayJayReed piece is called Wonderland Hair, Don't Care and it was such a delight to puzzle! There are so many fun Alice in Wonderland references throughout this image and it's such a great blend of color that it was an easy assembly. ShayJay has so many great pieces that I'm delighted to hear we'll be seeing more of them in puzzle form soon with @UnifiedPieces ! @zakcopuzzleboards @puzzleyou_us @usajigsawpuzzle

Next Nationals recap - the Convention Hall! This turned out even better than we imagined! There was SO much space to fill, but @ValCoit and her volunteer @StaceyAnneMD knocked it out of the park with signage & materials to make the space beautiful & lively! @RavensburgerNA & @CobbleHillPuzzles added some extra special touches too. However, the biggest kudos goes to @Jigsawlogist for filling the room with 35+ exhibitors from companies big & small! Becca's wide brand knowledge was clutch & her hospitality to each company was unmatched. From behemoths like Ravensburger, @MasterpiecesInc , @BoardwalkPuzzles , & @RoseArt_Puzzles to boutique companies like @UnifiedPieces , @BookwormPuzzleLLC , & @1Canoe2 , to unique providers like @Orange_County_Speed_Puzzlers , @PortlandJigsawMasters , @SarahDoesPuzzles , & @ZakcoPuzzleboards , there was something for everyone. Almost every booth provided swag, raffles, or both. I'm sad I didn't have more time to participate in them! Our goals were for puzzlers to discover new brands and vice versa. Some brands were so excited to hear directly from their biggest fans and it was so fun to see them discover the speed puzzling community! In addition to exhibitors, the hall housed: -Artist signings (competition & other puzzles) -Unsupervised competitions (sprints, puzzle chess, speed run) -Practice tables galore -Large format puzzling (5,000+ pc) -Competition livestream viewing -Artist Alley** -Final Speed Run* -Virtual Reality puzzling* -Food vendors Other convention aspects outside of the hall: -Puzzle swap -Relaxing space -Stretching classes -Seminars/panels* -Special Competitions* -SWAG* I can't believe this was only Floor 1 of 2, but am SO proud of how it turned out! (*Recap upcoming **Already recapped)