Month: August 2017

Bambi

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles3 Comments
IMG_3473
Bambi – Golden – 200 pieces

This is a vintage puzzle I believe; the age is showing on the image. You can’t really tell in the picture, but close up you can see some aging discoloration. Still, it’s cute and it’s the Bambi I remember. So many of the Disney images are altered these days, they don’t look the same as they did in their movies. Perhaps it’s because I’m older now that this bothers me; I think they should stay true to the original character. I don’t need the princesses to look prettier or the characters to be cuter, they should be as they were!

Sorry, that was my rant for the day. 🙂

This was another puzzle from our marathon day, I think it was the last of the small puzzles we did. I didn’t know Golden made puzzles; I knew they made books but not jigsaw puzzles! The pieces were thick and fit together very well, and aside from the discoloration this puzzle was very nice quality. It was a little bit of a challenge actually, or that could be because it was the last puzzle of the day. Who can tell? Can’t wait to see if we can find more puzzles from Golden, this one was very nice!

I loved this movie when I was little, Thumper was my favorite because he was kind of sassy like me and always laughing and joking. When I was young if you wanted to watch a movie you had to go to the theater, there was no way to watch movies at home. So mom would buy 8 tracks or cassette tapes that were sort of a read along shortened story of the movie with the actual character’s voices from the movie and the songs too! That way we could “see” the movie over and over and sing the songs at home. We had them for many of the Disney movies; we would listen to these in the car when we took road trips, or even just on the way to the grocery store. What I wouldn’t give to have those now! 🙂

 

Battle Creek Balloons

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
IMG_3475
Battle Creek Balloons by Anthony Kleem – Prism Puzzles – 500 pieces

Very fun puzzle mom and I worked together, got it finished in one afternoon. 🙂 We did most of it together and she finished it after I went home. New puzzle company too!

The quality was good – the pieces were on the thinner side but sturdy, the image reproduction was good and they fit together well. There were a nice variety of piece shapes too. All in all, not too bad!

It was a quick assembly with two people working on it, and it was easy to each take pieces for a specific section and assemble them. It’s always fun working on a puzzle with mom, even if the puzzle isn’t as fun as we’d hoped we can still talk, laugh, joke and have a good time. 🙂

I’ve been avoiding balloon puzzles for a while, and now I’ve done 2 of them in just a couple of weeks. Apparently I have no clue what will be enjoyable for me or not. Actually, it seems I like about 99% of the puzzles I do; cause I’m just a puzzle gal at heart who loves to put pieces together to make pretty pictures. 💖

Country Store

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
IMG_3468
Country Store by Tom Antonishak – TCG – 100 pieces

I love this image, it would make a great larger piece puzzle – 500 or 1000 pieces. Another puzzle from our marathon and another one that isn’t a child’s image. Unfortunately, another one with less than stellar quality. 😦

TCG and Sure-Lox, for me, are just poor quality. The pieces are extremely thin, easily bent and have quite a bit of image lift, especially if you place a piece incorrectly. It’s a bummer for me when we have a poor quality puzzle. Mom and I have decided no more of this brand even if the image is amazing.

On the plus side, the pieces were all there and the image itself is a lovely one for a puzzle. It would be excellent in a larger piece count!

Review: Albuquerque Balloons

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
IMG_3459
Albuquerque Balloons – Masterpieces (Masters of Photography) – 500 pieces

Albuquerque Balloons went together very quickly and was easier to do than I imagined. The last of the space saver puzzles for review. To my surprise it was a fun assembly and the image was excellent for puzzling, just enough challenge, but not too easy.

I can report after having done 3 space saver puzzles that the quality is quite good. The pieces are thick and feel good in your hand; they fit together well with a random cut that makes for an interesting assembly. They have a slightly shiny finish which can cause glare, but otherwise the image reproduction is beautiful. Two out of the three puzzles I assembled had obvious piece shapes showing in the finished puzzle; and while it isn’t ideal, it doesn’t really detract from enjoyment of the assembly.  Click here to see all the space saver puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse.

I’ve been pretty impressed with the Masterpieces puzzles I’ve done lately, the quality is quite good. They have a nice catalog to choose from and their puzzles are extremely reasonably priced – which is good for a tightwad like me! Check out all their puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse by clicking the link above – all Masterpieces puzzles are on sale at Puzzle Warehouse now through August 15, 2017 – 25% off, no coupon required!

I have actively been avoiding all hot air balloon puzzles for quite some time; it just seems so overdone – every company seems to have one or more puzzles of hot air balloons. I hate following the crowd and doing a thing just because other people are doing it – I’m a bit of a rebel. Turns out, I’m a rebel without a cause – at least where balloon puzzles are concerned! I enjoyed the puzzle in spite of myself and found that it was a superb image for puzzling. Will I ever learn? Maybe, maybe not. 🙂

Albuquerque Balloons is no longer available at Puzzle Warehouse, but you can find space savers and Masterpieces puzzles by clicking the links above. Or you can check out the pages and pages of hot air balloon puzzles – there are so many beautiful puzzles to choose from – the wishlist is still growing!!

 

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

House Sitting

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
IMG_3471
House Sitting by Louisa Jean – Karmin – 100 pieces

Really nice image, and not overly easy for a 100 piece puzzle – that’s good in my book! Another one from our small puzzle marathon; and another one that isn’t just for kids.

The quality on this one was lacking though, very thin pieces that were easily bent. The image reproduction is good and so is the fit, but the pieces themselves leave a lot to be desired. Still, if you’re not interested in collecting and would just like to assemble a puzzle, this brand wouldn’t be too bad. I’m not a fan, but what makes an ideal puzzle for me is different than what makes an ideal puzzle for you.

In my mind, kid’s puzzles should have the quality of a premium adult puzzle. Children are much rougher with toys and puzzles while they’re trying to develop their fine motor skills; a puzzle for a child should be extremely sturdy so it can withstand repeated assemblies and many attempts to place pieces. Again, just my opinion.

It’s a cute image, and maybe a good puzzle to donate to our local senior center. Puzzles are great for all ages – puzzle on, my friends! 🙂