Happy 10th Anniversary My Jigsaw Journal!

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling, Miscellaneous2 Comments

Ten years of jigsaw puzzles, I almost can’t believe it! And all from wanting to do a GIANT jigsaw puzzle and document it online for my friends and family. Just….wow.

So when I realized that this year would be the 10th anniversary of the blog, I mentioned it in passing to my bestest puzzle pal, Penny. We talked about how we’ve been friends for over nine years because we met right here at My Jigsaw Journal and ended up trading emails, then phone numbers, then we started trading and gifting puzzles to each other – but we’d never met. We live in the same state, just under two hours away from each other, but it never worked out for us to get together.

Until now, of course! 😎

Penny and I talked about how I started the blog because I was working on the world’s largest (at the time) commercially available puzzle and I wanted to keep family and friends updated on my progress. By starting the blog I could update every day, and whoever was interested could read when and if they wanted to – that way I wouldn’t bore people or become completely annoying talking to them about something they weren’t really interested in. Penny then earned her title of The Vice-President of Enabling by telling me that Trefl has some new very large piece count puzzles, including ones with Disney images; and wouldn’t it be great for the 10th anniversary of the blog to start another great big Disney puzzle just like I did ten years ago?

Wouldn’t it be great? Hmmm….

This of course led to checking out the puzzles online and of course they were adorable, and before you know it there were a couple of very BIG puzzles on their way to my house. Penny and I decided that we were both going to start working on this new puzzle at the same time, and that when we got together we’d each have our puzzles to show off and take pictures with. So before you see any of those pictures, here’s the new puzzle we’re starting today…

Golden Age of Disney – Trefl – 13,500 pieces

Ain’t she a beauty?? It reminds me of Disney’s Memorable Moments, mostly because of the separate sections with different movies or characters shown, and the fact that there are even twinklies in the background! (If you were here at the beginning you’ll know what that means 😉)

Just because I can, I’m going to brag a little…here’s me on top of my giant puzzle from 2016. It took me six months to complete it all, but I’m immensely proud of the accomplishment; and it’s the whole reason I started My Jigsaw Journal – so my friends and family could watch me put it together online.

Memorable Disney Moments – Ravensburger – 40,320 pieces

The new puzzle is not nearly as big as that giant one that had me going “temporarily” bonkers ten years ago🥴, but it’s still pretty darn big and I’m almost as excited to start this one as I was the enormous Disney from a decade ago. This new puzzle is in more easily digestible chunks – 1,500 pieces per section as opposed to 4,032 pieces on the larger one. That’s a huge difference for me, and the sections are small enough that each one would even fit on my white board if that’s where I wanted to work on it. With the previous puzzle I had to work each section on my BIG board (5 ft x 4 ft,) because they were colossal sections. Mostly though, I’m very happy to only have to sort through only 1,500 pieces for each section, that’s the best part of all! (Sorting really helps me with the way I puzzle, but it also needs a big straw, which is to say…it sucks.)

I love the images, I love everything about this new puzzle except for one thing. The little booklet that comes with this puzzle tells you that if you want to connect everything together you have to remove rows of pieces from each section so that they all connect into one puzzle. Uh….no thank you. What’s going to happen is I am just going to put each completed section where it goes and take a picture of it that way. I already know what a chore it is to assemble and connect an extremely large piece puzzle, there’s no way in hell I’ll be disassembling part of it just to take a damn picture. The way it’s described in the booklet says the puzzle has 13,500 pieces, but if you’ll be assembling and connecting it their way the finished puzzle would be 12,556 pieces. Nope. No thanks. Not going to happen.

I can’t speak to how Penny will be connecting or photographing hers, but my pictures will just be sections set next to each other. And since I’m not technically connecting them they could be put in any order or shape I’d like; it doesn’t have to be a three by three square/rectangle, it could be one long row, etc.

So when Penny and I were finally able to meet for the very first time I brought my new giant puzzle and we took a few pictures. If you’ve been here long enough you know I’m not a fan of me being in any photos, especially online, but I made an exception here for the anniversary post…

We’re both going to be starting this big puzzle at the same time, but since she has younger kids, a job, and a life I have a feeling that I might be the one who finishes first. Doesn’t matter though, it’s still going to be fun!

It took nine years of emails, texts, and talking in the comments of the blog before we finally met and I’m so very glad that we did. It was a whole big deal for me involving several days away from home, my daughter had to take the day off work in order to drive me, etc. I normally don’t do much that’s just for me, but this time it was important. So all the arrangements were made several months in advance and we were finally able to get together. Our visit was only for a few hours, but completely worth all the fuss!

Ten years of this blog – it’s brought me many things. Best of all is friends from all around the world, and this one specifically that is so close to home. She’s my bestest puzzle pal and the only one in my life, really, who is always down to talk about puzzles (or anything, honestly). Everything and anything puzzle related she’s ready to listen, talk, share pictures – whatever we feel like doing. I’m so glad we found each other here. 💚🧩

There have been hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of puzzles here (about 1,451 actually, with a grand total of 735,306 pieces assembled so far) and many, many comments and conversations about all things puzzle and beyond. Yep. I checked that too. Of course I did – 7,972 comments!

I’ve found fellow puzzle bloggers from Finland and Germany and Russia that I’ve traded many emails and puzzles with, and fellow puzzlers and PADS sufferers from around the globe who love to talk puzzles with me. I’m so glad to be in this community of people who are so kind, considerate, compassionate, and giving. We puzzle nerds are the best, even if I do say so myself! I am most definitely a proud puzzle geek. 🧩🤓

So Happy Anniversary to My Jigsaw Journal! I never thought I’d be doing this for so long, but here we are. We’ve puzzled and shared and laughed and cried together, all of us. And it means to world to me, you have no idea. 💕💖💕

Dressed to Shine

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles3 Comments

Dressed to Shine – Mega Puzzles (Multipack) – 150 pieces

I avoided this image in my thrift store box of eight Disney puzzles for the longest time; but today decided that I needed to finish all of the puzzles that were left in this multipack and get the whole box out of here and back to the thrift store so someone else can enjoy them.

The quality is the same as the previous ones in this Mega Puzzles multipack; thin chipboard, loose fit, etc. But I knew what the quality would be when it was purchased and I still wanted to assemble them. This image is the one I really didn’t care for out of all eight puzzles; that’s ok though, there was still enjoyment to be had in the assembly itself and I did my best.

To me, the Disney princess images that are available for things like puzzles are just ridiculous these days. The face of Cinderella shown here is NOT the same face she had in the movie. What’s wrong with Cinderella’s face the way it was? Why did it have to change? Did the imperfection of an artist-drawn image really need to be changed into a male’s airbrushed concept of femininity? It disgusts me that she’s been updated to be more beautiful and modern; and I really hate that all the princesses seem to have the waistline of a small, sickly pre-teen boy. Ick. What a ridiculous ideal for girls to try to live up to. Just…ick.

*It’s hard to find nice things to say when you’re “in a mood”, and as you can no doubt tell I am most definitely in a mood today. Sometimes it just spills over and comes poring out of my fingertips and you get a post like this where I rant about Disney movies, how things were better back in the day, leaving good things alone, and feminism. I’m not apologizing for it, just explaining it.*

Interior In Progress…

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling7 Comments

Interior by William Ireland – Liberty Puzzles – 527 pieces

Currently this gorgeous Liberty puzzle is on my board and I am reveling in the fun of assembling it. There are so many little wonderful tableaus going on with the whimsy pieces, it’s so entertaining to watch them all come together. In the lower right corner you can find a couple dancing, the old Victrola is playing and musical notes are floating out.

You can also see an old grandfather clock sticking out of the bottom section, what a fantastic piece! If you can’t tell yet I am very much enjoying this puzzle. 😎

I absolutely love this multipiece whimsy: lying on the couch with lots of pillows, some comfy slippers, a good book, being kept company by furry friends – it’s so good! I haven’t worked my way to the section where it fits into the puzzle yet, which is why it’s got a white background; it’s still sitting on a tray waiting for placement. But it’s so cute that I can’t seem to stop staring at it, even though I’m not quite close to where it belongs in the image yet.

It’s been so enjoyable putting this one together that I am purposely drawing it out to get maximum entertainment from the assembly. I adore the image, and the puzzle itself is just as gorgeous. 😍

Country Delivery

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

Country Delivery by Eduard – Buffalo – 1000 pieces

This puzzle was so entertaining that I spent WAY too much time at the board with no breaks. I’m paying for it today, but it was totally worth it! I love a slice of Americana, and this puzzle is so beautiful with just the right amount of challenge.

Usual Buffalo quality, no problems at all other than a shiny finish. The completed puzzle is lovely and it’s one I’d do again if there weren’t hundreds of other puzzles here for me to do. The Country Life series has so many great images, seeing how fun this one was makes me want to get more of them – many more. 😇

When’s the last time you saw one of these out in the world? I couldn’t even tell you the last time I saw a real phone booth or public telephone anywhere. The Bell system, anyone still remember that? My dad worked almost his entire adult life for Michigan Bell, before they were taken over by AT&T. Man, that seems like a lifetime ago.

This puppy seems out of place to me, adorable as it is. I have no problem with digital artists, obviously, as Aimee Stewart is my absolute favorite and she is a digital artist. I know the images we puzzle are many times manipulated to make them more pleasing to the eye, etc.; but for some reason this puppy and bucked just seem very out of place – like they were just plopped there because something was needed to break up all the pavement. Nothing else in this image seems to me like it doesn’t belong, just this. This is all just my opinion of course, if you don’t agree just pay no attention to my rantings.

I just love the look of this old delivery vehicle. Can’t you hear that old timey horn blowing? Ah-oo-ga!

If this image gooses your gumdrops I say go for it; it’s absolutely worth your time and money. 👍🧩💚

Fast Food Craving

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

Fast Food Craving by Graffi*tee Studios – MasterPieces – 500 pieces

I enjoyed this puzzle, and even though it was a little more challenging than I bargained for it was an entertaining build – and I love the look of it!

This one came from a shopping trip out in the world where I picked up some 300, 500, and 1000 piece puzzles. I cannot seem to stop myself from buying more, even though there are PLENTY of puzzles here to keep me busy for a very, very, very long time. Most of the ones I purchased were MasterPieces, and I have to say I am truly loving their quality. Interesting shapes, great fit, beautiful reproduction, nice chipboard – they seem to have it all under control.

I never really thought about this, but there was a time when drive thru windows didn’t exist and people needed to be taught how to use them. So of course a sign like this might have been necessary. As a person who used to work in a fast food place I can tell you that people STILL don’t know proper etiquette and have to be told what to do or not to do. Turn off your windshield wipers people! You’re just throwing water on them.

How would you like this place? A restaurant with a sign that says JUST EGGS and maybe bacon? Yes please! I love breakfast and a good plate of eggs with some potatoes, toast, and maybe a little bacon sounds just about perfect right now. Yum.

You guessed it, I just had to. Apologies if these pictures don’t tickle your fancy, but they definitely make me smile. With all the crap companies out there making crap puzzles for a quick buck, having a great quality puzzle that fits so well you can stand it on it’s edges is quite a blessing to me. Standing up puzzles has been going on for more than a decade in my house, and it will continue till I’m gone or can’t puzzle any more. It just makes me happy, and what a great reason to do it, huh?