Month: December 2017

Festive Fir & Festive Gingerbread House

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles5 Comments
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Festive Fir – Wentworth Wooden Puzzles – 30 pieces

These are a couple of the Christmas micro puzzles from Wentworth Wooden Puzzles. I went a little insane and ordered MANY of these 30-40 piece puzzles when there was a free shipping special. I don’t regret it, I’m worth it, and they make me happy. Besides, they’re so cute and fun to assemble they will be done many more times – no doubt about it!

The festive fir was a challenging cut, but even the more difficult ones aren’t too bad when there are only 30-40 pieces. It’s lovely to sit and assemble a puzzle in the time it takes to have a cup of coffee. A fellow jigsaw puzzle blogger from Russia calls these “one coffee puzzles”; they are small piece count puzzles you can finish in one quick sitting. I love the name and have started using it too.

I’m not really a collector, so puzzle boxes aren’t really that important to me. I do take note when they’re interesting or really well done. The boxes for these Christmas micro puzzles are so adorable I had to give them a mention. They’re shaped like Christmas crackers! You twist open one of the ends, and the pieces are inside in a gold mesh bag.

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It won’t be as easy to shelve these as it would for regular boxes, but they’re just too cute not to show you. They’re a little more expensive than the regular micro puzzles, but oh well. 😎

 

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Festive Gingerbread House – Wentworth Wooden Puzzles – 36 pieces

A completely adorable gingerbread house! I’m glad I splurged and bought all of these micro puzzles – mom and I absolutely love them. This one was also a little bit of a challenging cut, but it was a joy to put together.

My wonderful husband has never said a negative word about any of my puzzle purchases, in fact he thinks I should spend money on myself more often! So there’s really no problem with all these purchases, right? Of course right! 😁 (Sometimes I have to keep reminding myself of that, it’s still pretty new to me spending money on things I don’t really need, and at times I feel a little buyer’s remorse)

Review: Harborside

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Harborside – MasterPieces (Shutter Speed) – 1000 pieces

Harborside is a beautiful puzzle that was much more fun to do than I anticipated. It looked more difficult than it was and I enjoyed the assembly very much!

I’ve reviewed several MasterPieces puzzles this year, and I’ve had great quality puzzles every time. The chipboard they use is thick and sturdy and the fit is excellent – you’re never unsure whether or not a piece fits and when complete you can lift the entire puzzle without dislodging any pieces. The image reproduction on this puzzle is bright and crisp and absolutely beautiful. This puzzle is part of the Shutter Speed series which features some of the world’s most spectacular photographs – from big cities to small towns, carnivals, and more. MasterPieces puzzles are a great value as well, click the links to see the puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.

I started this puzzle with the sky and the water, and built up from there. There were different shades in both the water and sky which made those areas easier, and before I knew it I had the reflections on the water complete and was putting together the boats and buildings. The challenge level was just right, about medium difficulty. As usual it was great fun even though it isn’t the typical puzzle that I would choose to assemble.

If you’re a fan of boat/harbor puzzles, or are looking for a gift for someone who is I would definitely recommend this puzzle. It’s beautiful and entertaining and I had a great time assembling it for review. 👍

Details:

  • Title:                  Harborside
  • Artist:                Vibriant
  • Brand:               MasterPieces
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 27 x 19 in. (68 x 49 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Good – some hanging bits of paper
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Excellent
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Semi-random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Review: Golf Around the World

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Golf Around the World – Eurographics – 1000 pieces

Collages really make me happy, and Golf Around the World was no different. I don’t even like golf! I enjoy the 4 hours or so I get to myself when my husband goes golfing, but golf just isn’t for me unless it’s in puzzle form. ⛳

Eurographics puzzles are good quality, and they have an excellent catalog of puzzles to choose from. They’ve got many beautiful collages, along with a great number of educational puzzles for both children and adults; I love the informational puzzles! From fine art to cartoons, there are plenty of interesting puzzles to choose from. Their pieces are thick and sturdy, and fit together well. The pieces of this puzzle were a bit snug, but it wasn’t extreme. The finish is slightly shiny, but otherwise crisp and clear with bright, beautiful colors. Eurographics puzzles have a random cut, which I find interesting, but not everyone enjoys the non-traditional piece shapes. Check out all their puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse by clicking the link above.

This puzzle went together very quickly – collages usually do in my house. It’s hard to walk away, because finishing one small section leads to the next and so on. I loved all the colors in this image, there’s something really beautiful about the vintage posters. The illustrations are detailed and lovely, much more interesting than the posters and ads we have these days in my humble opinion. Collage puzzles are my favorite 🙂 , click to see the pages and pages of fun to assemble collages available at Puzzle Warehouse.

I’m not sure if this puzzle is going to be framed for hubby or not, we’ve already done several puzzles that have been glued and framed; we may be running out of wall space! This puzzle would be an excellent wall hanging for a golf lover, and as a bonus it’s a puzzle that’s a LOT of fun to assemble!

Details:

  • Title:                  Golf Around the World
  • Artist:                Eurographics
  • Brand:               Eurographics
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 19 x 27 in. (49 x 68 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Good, a bit tight
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Review: Paradise Banderoles

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Paradise Banderoles by Eva Marie Nitsche – Schmidt – 500 pieces

Paradise Banderoles was the first puzzle I can remember that when I was finished I wanted to take it apart and immediately do it again. It was just a thoroughly enjoyable assembly from start to finish – fabulous!

I believe this is only the 3rd Schmidt Puzzle I’ve completed, and I’m wondering why in the world I haven’t ordered more. The quality of these puzzles is stellar, and it makes the assembly experience even more wonderful. The finish on the pieces feels lovely, and the pieces themselves are extremely thick and sturdy. They fit together satisfyingly, they almost settle into place – I can’t recommend this brand enough!

After I assembled the edge, I had to stop myself from working on the puzzle for a while. The pieces felt so good and fit together so well that I knew if I let myself I wouldn’t get up from the puzzle table until it was finished. I wanted to enjoy the assembly, so I made it last a little while. I started assembling the scalloped lines separating each section, and the entire puzzle just came together. It wasn’t overly challenging, but enjoyable regardless. I was slightly disappointed that there were only 500 pieces – I would have loved to have spent more time with it! Two thumbs way up!! 👍👍

Details:

  • Title:                  Paradise Banderoles
  • Artist:                Eva Marie Nitsche
  • Brand:               Schmidt
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 19 x 13 in. (48 x 34 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Excellent
  • Cutting:             Excellent
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Excellent
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Excellent, highly recommended

 

I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

 

Review: Sweet Surprise

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Sweet Surprise by Steve Barry – PuzzleTwist – 1000 pieces

That’s not a picture of a completed puzzle! What gives? Well, it’s a surprise, a Sweet Surprise. Just like with What If and Wasgij puzzles, I’m not showing the finished product because that would give it away, and it might spoil someone else’s fun. This is a picture of the puzzle in black and white; the twist is the puzzle inside is in full color! And not only that, once the color is added it forms a picture that you can’t really see it until it’s all done. It’s sweet, trust me. But just to prove I actually completed the puzzle, here’s the lower right hand corner. I’m not giving anything away, this is the portion of the puzzle shown in color on the box. 😉

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I had no idea that it would be as difficult as it was, it took me 4 days to do this one! 😮 Usually I can finish a 1000 piece puzzle in 2 days. It’s so different seeing the full image without color and translating that to the pieces you’ve assembled with color. My brain was working overtime!

The PuzzleTwist quality was very good, I was impressed. The pieces are sturdy, with a good thickness and they fit together quite well. The image reproduction is crisp and clean, with wonderfully bright colors. The cut is random with a very good variety of piece shapes, and there was almost no puzzle dust in the bag. Overall an excellent first impression was made. Click the link above to see all the “twists” currently available at Puzzle Warehouse. There are 6 different types of puzzles, all with a separate twist on the box image; Something’s Amiss!, 4More!, What’s Up?, Here or There?, Mixed Up!, and Reveal the Color!.

Even though it was a bit of a challenge, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will say, there is a LOT of green in this puzzle. A LOT! Luckily there are different textures and shades for each of the green candies used, so although it may test you, it can definitely be done! I’m really proud of myself, my brain cells may have gotten an extra bit of a workout, but they were up to the challenge – even if it took a bit longer than expected. Definitely recommended. 👍

Details:

  • Title:                  Sweet Surprise
  • Artist:                Steve Barry
  • Brand:               PuzzleTwist
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 19 x 27 in. (48 x 69 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     None
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.