Month: March 2018

Review: Root Beer Break at the Butterfields

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Root Beer Break at the Butterfields by Charles Wysocki – Buffalo Games – 300 pieces

This was such an interesting experiment for me – I was sent this puzzle to review, but I had previously assembled it. I purposely didn’t look at my post from last year until after I completed the puzzle; I didn’t want to know what I thought before, I wanted to assemble it fresh. So how did this puzzle do the second time around?

Root Beer Break at the Butterfields was an excellent, entertaining puzzle that I loved both times I assembled it. The image is different than the usual Wysocki, with a single building at the beach, and it’s a 300 large piece puzzle which I absolutely adore.

Buffalo puzzles are very good quality, and their 300 and 500 piece puzzles are my favorite sizes. The larger pieces are easier to handle, and fit together a little more snugly than their 1000 piece puzzles. They don’t have the signature Buffalo zig zag pieces, but the variety of shapes is still very good and the fit and image reproduction is great. Click the link above to see all the Buffalo puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse, they have some gorgeous puzzles ranging from 300 to 2000 pieces!

The pieces were very easy to sort and easy to assemble. The sky was the most challenging section, but there were plenty of clouds and color changes to help in finding the correct piece. The bright colors of the kites on the fence were fun to find and assemble and helped break up the fence and the sand. All around this was a quick, entertaining puzzle that was just as much fun the second time around!

*If you want to see what I thought the first time, click here.

Details:

  • Title:                  Root Beer Break at the Butterfields
  • Artist:                Charles Wysocki
  • Brand:               Buffalo
  • Piece count:     300 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 21 x 15 in. (54 x 38 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Excellent
  • Cutting:             Excellent
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny 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.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Two

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Two by Jeff Kinney – Pressman – 200 pieces

This is the second of these puzzles I’ve done, and they’re quite difficult! The line drawings and lack of color add to the challenge – you really have to pay attention to every piece.

Like the first one I assembled, the quality was very good but the finished puzzle doesn’t lie flat. This could be because we live in Florida and there’s a lot of humidity, if you don’t store a puzzle properly it could warp with all the moisture in the air. It could be that it’s been a well loved puzzle that’s been assembled many times. It’s hard to make judgments on quality when you’ve purchased second-hand; you have to rely on your prior knowledge of the brand as well as taking into account the amount of use the puzzle could have had.

This image is not one I would purchase new, monochromatic images aren’t ones that interest me. Still, it was an entertaining assembly and luckily it was only 200 pieces. With stick figures, line drawings, and no colors it takes plenty of concentration to get all the pieces placed properly.

It’s always interesting to assemble an image that isn’t your style, but most of the time I end up really having fun. That’s one of the great things about thrift stores, the price makes it difficult to pass up the puzzles and gives me to opportunity to work puzzles that I wouldn’t normally assemble. Give an unusual image a try, you just might like it!

 

Betty Crocker

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments
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Betty Crocker – White Mountain – 1000 pieces

Here’s another fun puzzle that 3 generations of women in my family assembled together. My mother, my daughter and I all spent the day together and worked on this puzzle; it was harder than it looks but we got it done!

A lot of these packages were foreign to me, toastwiches? What in the world was an Answer Cake? Never heard of them! Most of our meals when I was young were actual home cooking. Store bought cookies taste awful to me, I’ve always had homemade. (Oreos are the exception, mom never had that recipe 😉 ) Mom got reminiscent while we were working, especially about the Betty Crocker coupons – apparently our silverware was purchased with them! How cool is that?

Sometimes the White Mountain quality is just mediocre, and this was one of those times. There were a few coupled pieces that weren’t completely separated, and a few pieces with the image coming off. The image reproduction was slightly blurry in some places, but overall was good. The fit was very good, right in the middle – not too tight or loose.

Collages are my favorite puzzle type, I love the fun of assembling several mini puzzles that all connect together. Working with the box lid and having to search for where a piece or section goes feels tedious and almost like a job to me, there’s no fun in that. Puzzling for me helps me to relax, de-stress, and pass the time; if it feels like a “task” it wipes out all the relaxation and makes time seem to drag.

We all have something different that we’re looking for in a great puzzle – piece shapes, thickness, fit, number of pieces, an image that excites or inspires. What makes a puzzle fun for me may be the exact thing that drives someone else crazy – good thing there are so many different images and companies to choose from! What’s your ideal puzzle?

 

Unicorns

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Unicorns – Ravensburger – 96 pieces

If the first puzzle ball we found at the thrift store hadn’t been complete I don’t think we’d have bought anymore. That first globe we assembled was lots of fun for us and all the pieces were there, now mom can’t seem to pass up a puzzle ball if she finds any at the thrift stores. 🙂

5 missing pieces from a 96 piece puzzle is a lot, and it makes assembling a ball quite difficult. Fortunately we were able to get a pretty picture without having to show the glaring holes. This was our first time putting together a kid’s puzzle ball, and the fit seemed a bit odd. The pieces didn’t seem to want to click or stay together as well as the other ones we’ve assembled, the finished image isn’t as smooth as you’d want a ball to be. I don’t know if that’s the puzzle itself or the fact that it’s been assembled before (perhaps many times); those are the chances you take purchasing from thrift stores I guess.

Other than the fit, the quality was excellent. The pieces are thick and plastic and are numbered on the back to assist with assembly. There is an arrow underneath the number to tell you in which direction the next piece will be placed, this is extremely helpful when you’re assembling it by the numbers. You don’t have to use them though, you can put it together using the image just like any other puzzle – it’s completely up to you.

I hate saying that the quality was good “other than the fit”, fit is pretty darned important with a puzzle! Although those of us who are hard core puzzle practitioners will sometimes put up with a lot to be able to get a fix of that sweet, sweet puzzle magic. At least I would. I’ve got a full-blown addiction going on here!

Review: Apple Pie Kitchen

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Cobble Hill Puzzles.
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Apple Pie Kitchen by Kip Richmond – Cobble Hill – 500 pieces

Apple Pie Kitchen is a gorgeous image, and was a fun puzzle to assemble. I love an old country kitchen, I think I may have been born too late to enjoy them though; I was raised in the age of hideous avocado colored refrigerators and enormous microwave ovens.

Cobble Hill Puzzles are excellent quality, and this puzzle was no exception. The pieces are a good thickness with a linen finish, the image reproduction is very good with beautiful colors and crisp lines. The cut is random, which I find makes for a fun and interesting assembly although some puzzlers find working with them more difficult; and the fit was excellent. Their catalog is varied, with plenty of different styles to choose from, and their new puzzles come with a poster to help with assembly. Click the link above to see all the Cobble Hill puzzles currently available at one of their preferred online retailers, Puzzle Warehouse.

This puzzle was a joy to assemble; I love the warm, homey feeling of the image. The random cut of the pieces kept me on my toes and completing each small section gave me a great sense of satisfaction. This puzzle is definitely recommended!

Details:

  • Title:                  Apple Pie Kitchen
  • Artist:                Kip Richmond
  • Brand:               Cobble Hill Puzzles
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 26 x 19 in. (69 x 48 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Very good, poster included
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Minimal amount
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Matte 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.