Two new Cu(II) complexes of the ligand 3-carboxy-5-(2-pyridyl)-1H-pyrazole, H2L1, have been prepared and structurally characterized and found to be comprised of a similar [M2L2] dimer motif. Subtle variation in the synthetic conditions allowed isolation of two metal complexes: [Cu2L12(MeOH)2], 1, a discrete dimer linked by hydrogen bonding interactions in the solid state, and poly-[Cu2L12], 2, a polymeric material where the dimer motif is linked by carboxylate bridges to give an extended two-dimensional sheet. The selective isolation of each phase by careful synthetic control highlights the subtlety and importance of the underlying synthetic conditions.