Birds (Alternate Solution)

On June 5, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles8 Comments

IMG_E4688 — Birds (Alternate Solution) by Jane Tattersfield – Liberty Puzzles – 509 pieces

How cool is this? This is Birds, the same puzzle I posted about yesterday, and it looks amazing! On the Liberty website it shows the alternate solution to the puzzle, and I was hoping when I received the box it would at least come with a picture of the second assembly to help me put it together. No such luck – but I got it done anyway. 😎

I had to study the picture online to get started, and once I figured out how it was going to work I didn’t need the picture as much (at least for the feathers). Parts of the puzzle stayed put, and the pieces that were pulled out to form the new shape were laid next to the edges; they are connected to each other, but not to the original shape of the puzzle. Once I found the pieces that were to be flipped backwards, it wasn’t too difficult to figure out where the feathered pieces were coming from and where they were going.

I’m not sure why certain pieces were turned backwards, but I do see that the pieces near the owl’s head form the eyes and beak of the bird. It does make for any interesting image, doesn’t it? The flipped pieces also helped me find the right pieces to pull and where they were going. You’ve got to hand it to the designer of this puzzle, it’s a pretty remarkable composition. To design the pieces to make a perfect square when assembled one way, and to make a shaped bird in flight when assembled another – not to mention all the whimsies. Astounding!

Birds by Jane Tattersfield – Liberty Puzzles – 509 pieces

Birds (Alternate Solution) by Jane Tattersfield – Liberty Puzzles – 509 pieces

The bottom of the bird was more difficult than the feathers and took a little more time and thought. But with the picture as my guide and a bit of determination I was able to get it all put together. I was pretty proud of myself when I finished the regular assembly, but that was nothing compared to how excited I was when I finished the shaped assembly!

Liberty Puzzles are my favorite of all the wooden puzzle companies that I’ve tried. Their craftsmanship is exceptional, they have more whimsies than any other company, and the intricacy of their cuts is absolutely without equal. The pieces feel great in your hand, and there’s nothing like hearing them plunk into place when you’ve found the right spot. They’re not cheap, but I think they’re fairly priced (much more reasonably than many wooden puzzle companies) and completely worth it.

I bought myself this puzzle as a gift, and I’m looking forward to having another excuse to buy myself a present. Father’s Day is coming up this month, perhaps I need to get myself something. Without us moms there wouldn’t be fathers, right? 😇

Birds

On June 4, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles10 Comments

Stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, colorful, intricate – there are endless adjective possibilities to describe this puzzle, but I’m going with amazingly awesome! This was by far the most entertaining puzzle that I’ve assembled this year.

Liberty Puzzles are excellent quality, and they’re my favorite of all the wooden puzzle companies that I’ve tried. They have more whimsies than other companies, and the cut is extremely detailed and intricate; the pieces are works of art within the artwork! The puzzles are made from 1/4″ plywood and are a joy to handle and assemble. I’m pretty particular about the puzzles I choose to purchase new, but I would literally do ANY puzzle, ANY image from Liberty – every puzzle they have is exceptionally well made, and the cut of the pieces would make any image an entertaining assembly.

As you can see the whimsy pieces are extremely detailed, they’re all hand-drawn and beautifully made. The image is reproduced with amazing color and expertly adhered to the wood. These puzzles are made to be assembled and enjoyed over and over again.

It’s definitely an extravagance to spend so much on one puzzle, but I’ve decided that I’m worth it – they make me very happy. Most of the puzzles I assemble are the regular cardboard variety, but I allow myself to splurge on a wooden puzzle now and then; I also like to give them as gifts. Mother’s Day and my 30th wedding anniversary were a day apart this year, so I decided to get myself this puzzle as a reward for having and raising 3 children, and putting up with their father for 30 years. 😉

The colors of the birds are so beautiful, and they all work together to make a gorgeous puzzle. Even up close the colors and patterns make it difficult to see the piece shapes, so it isn’t one of those wooden puzzles where the outlines of the pieces overshadow the image. That’s part of the reason I chose this puzzle, the colorful image hides the lines that are more prominent in wooden puzzles, especially with lighter colors. I don’t consider it a flaw; it doesn’t diminish my enjoyment of the assembly, it’s just the nature of a laser cut wooden puzzle.

The edge pieces definitely weren’t easy to pick out; I found some of them, but not all. I did my best to assemble some of the edge and then decided to just start working the puzzle. I started with the yellow bird, it’s the lightest and the pieces were the easiest to find. The bright green bird at the top was next, and then the two birds with speckled coloring. The big blue owl was next, and from then it was filling in and assembling each of the smaller birds and flowers. It’s not an easy puzzle by any means, but I enjoyed the challenge of it.

The best part of this puzzle (besides it’s beauty) is that there is an alternate solution, one that is even more challenging that the traditional assembly. Once I finished assembly number one I was looking forward to attempting the second solution, but came down with a virus and spent the next four days in bed with no puzzling going on at all. Yesterday I was finally recovered enough to get back to it and I conquered the second assembly. Stay tuned, tomorrow’s post will feature this same puzzle looking very, very different!

Review: First Trip to the Beauty Shop

On June 3, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews5 Comments

First Trip to the Beauty Shop by Norman Rockwell – Kappa Books Publishers – 500 pieces

I did it! I actually finished the worst quality puzzle I’ve ever worked with. Sometimes for some reason I can’t explain I just have to finish a puzzle even if it’s horrible to work with and frustrating as hell. This was one of the those puzzles – I have no explanation for my stubbornness, I just had to finish it!

Kappa Books Publishers mainly deal with books, and I would encourage them to stick to publishing. This puzzle was terrible quality; the pieces were the thinnest I’ve ever worked with, and the fit was absolutely horrible with pieces seeming to fit everywhere. When the pieces were “connected” properly you could just pull everything apart with very little effort – even when the entire puzzle was complete I could pull gently on both sides and it would separate. Even the box was terrible quality; you had to cut it to open it, and once you did the bottom section just fell apart. It was made of extremely thin cardboard and the corners weren’t taped or held together in any way – once I lifted the lid it all just fell open.

The only good thing about this puzzle was the image reproduction. It seemed very true to the original and was adhered well to the chipboard. I’m sorry to say those are all my positives.

IMG_4656 (2)

This was my favorite section of the puzzle to assemble, there’s just something innocent and adorable about it. I think the image itself is part of the reason I stubbornly refused to abandon this puzzle; I just wanted to see it complete.

I wasn’t planning on completing the dark blue sections at the top and the bottom, but by the time I was finished with the image itself it seemed a shame to give up. And I knew if I separated the pieces by shape it wouldn’t be too difficult. I was right, it wasn’t that bad; and I surprised myself by not needing hubby’s help to do it. I am pretty proud of myself for finishing it!

Please, if you love jigsaw puzzles, do not buy any manufactured by Kappa Books Publishers. The quality is terrible, and you deserve better.

Details:

Title: First Trip to the Beauty Shop
Artist: Norman Rockwell
Brand: Kappa Books Publishers
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 18 x 11 in. (46 x 28 cm)
Purchased: Thrift store, unopened

Quality:

Board: Poor
Cutting: Fair
Image: Good
Box: Thin, flimsy, very small
Fit: Poor; extremely loose, pieces seem to fit everywhere
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Some variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays mostly flat

Overall Rating: Poor quality, not recommended

Pining for Pieces

On June 2, 2018June 2, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling4 Comments

I finished my last puzzle on Tuesday morning and haven’t worked on a puzzle since. I came down with a virus or something and have just felt too awful to even work on a puzzle in bed. I’ve been missing it very much. 🙁

Usually I can work through whatever’s going on and at least put a few pieces into a puzzle every day. Even if it’s only a couple of pieces it makes me feel a little better. I can’t remember the last time I went this many days without puzzling at all.

There are MANY puzzles here that I am looking forward to assembling, so it’s definitely not a lack of puzzles to choose from. I’m hoping to at least start a new puzzle today. I found a couple of 100 piece puzzles at mom’s house that I hadn’t seen before and brought them home; I figure maybe such a small puzzle won’t be too overwhelming and might help get me back in the groove. Hopefully today’s the day – fingers crossed! 🤞

Doc’s Pond

On June 1, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

This is another puzzle where the picture isn’t my usual, but as free is my favorite price it isn’t one that I would pass up. It was given to us by a friend of my mother’s who only does 300 piece puzzles. Usually they keep them for years and keep track on the box of each time it’s assembled. I don’t think they cared much for this one, it seems to have only been put together once and then given to us.

Most of the EZ grip 300 piece puzzles have very thick pieces, these did not. They were sturdy, but not overly thick. They’re actually the nicest Sure-Lox pieces I’ve worked with before. They fit together well and the image reproduction was good. There was only one piece shape, which I am not fond of – especially with an image like this one where there is so much greenery.

Sure-Lox puzzles are on my list of puzzles we don’t buy, not even from the thrift stores. All the pieces are what I call ballerinas, and when you add that to the thinness of the pieces and how easily they are bent – I just don’t find them worth my time. I assembled this one because I wanted to work with one of their large piece puzzles to see how they compared. The pieces were sturdier, which is a plus in my book. But still the thin pieces with just one piece shape – I wasn’t overly impressed.

It’s a pretty puzzle that fit together well, but that’s about all the praise I have for it. It was a quick assembly, and not too difficult. A fun afternoon of puzzling.