Taking Pumpkins to Market

On August 21, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles6 Comments

So I found a total of 20 puzzles that I’d previously assembled and posted pictures of on my completed puzzles pages, but had never written an entire post for. The only conclusion I can come up with is that the pictures are so unbelievably horrid that I was loathe to unleash them on the unsuspecting readers. Well, times being tough and all, I need puzzles to post and so here we are. With the “found” puzzle pictures I have now given myself a 3 week cushion in which to get off my lazy butt and get some serious puzzling done. The pictures are terrible, but a girl gots to do what a girl gots to do! 😇

Another stellar photograph – this time with my husband’s shoes showing up in the background. Yeesh.

Still, this is an exciting puzzle – it was my very first Cobble Hill! I remember being so excited about this puzzle, not only did the pieces look and feel amazing – the box did too! The linen paper they use on both the puzzle and the box gives a great feel in your hand. They do such a good job with quality, especially on their smaller piece count puzzles.

What fascinates me about this puzzle is that it seems quite bright and colorful, but I distinctly remember that all the pieces seemed rather dark with varying shades of brown/black/dark. It was much more of a challenge than it looks, but it was still entertaining and excellent quality.

TV Legends: The Honeymooners

On August 20, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This puzzle was completed more than two years ago, but I’m going back through the ones I’ve done and that are posted on my completed puzzles pages to find new ones to post here. I’ve done complete posts on most of them, but there are some left that I’ve never written about. My lineup of puzzles in the queue to be posted has been almost completely depleted! 😱

As you can see, my photography leaves a lot to be desired. At the time I was taking pictures just to send to mom to show her the finished puzzle; I had no idea that I’d start a puzzle blog and be posting the pictures online! As a result, the picture is cockeyed, and you also get a small view of my bedspread – not my best camera work.

This was a thrift store puzzle, and was pretty fun to assemble. As usual for me I started with the words and the Honeymooners emblem. Ralph Kramden’s outfit was easy enough to find and pull out to assemble, as was the tablecloth and all the flesh. The rest of the assembly was just picking what color or texture to do next and going for it. The floor was the most challenging part to put together – that I definitely remember! This puzzle was entertaining and challenging in a good way, and the quality was pretty good for a Ceaco.

I was planning on posting this yesterday, but was feeling terrible and out of sorts; it just completely slipped my mind. I make it a point to post a puzzle every day, but with the medication I had to take I spent most of the day either sleeping or just resting in bed; there was almost no time spent on the computer at all. My apologies for my tardiness. 😦

Walk Me

On August 18, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

How cute is this little one? I definitely wouldn’t be able to deny him/her a walk. The rug, however – yikes! The background was the most difficult part of the assembly, but overall the entire puzzle was fun to do and highly entertaining.

Bits and Pieces puzzles don’t have the best reputation in my book, but I’ve also worked some great puzzles from them. The quality being hit or miss, we don’t buy this brand new – we only get them from thrift stores. This puzzle was good quality, but not great.

The pieces were a good thickness, with an excellent variety of shapes. The fit was good, if a bit on the loose side. The image reproduction was good as well, although the finish was quite shiny which made for added difficulty when working the darker areas under indoor lighting. There was a fair amount of puzzle dust, even being a thrift store puzzle and having been worked before.

My one major problem with this puzzle was the construction of the edge pieces – not all the pieces connect. You can see in the picture below that you can pull away a whole section because some of the pieces only sit next to each other instead of fitting together.

This is a pet peeve of mine, and a major annoyance; especially when they are edge pieces. Until you get specific pieces inserted into the inside of the puzzle the edges move and it becomes extremely irritating.

Although it doesn’t seem like it, I very much enjoyed this puzzle. Other than the edges, the quality was good and the image is adorable! I started with the leash, and although it didn’t go quickly it was fun to figure it out; the puppy was next and kept me completely enthralled. The rug, however, was quite challenging and was the part that took the most time. Still, the entire puzzle was highly entertaining and so damn cute!

Cupcakes II

On August 17, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

With such beautiful colors, wonderful detail, and excellent fit these puzzles give me so much enjoyment that I can’t seem to put my thoughts into words. I know that shaped puzzles aren’t everyone’s jam, and to be honest they’re not always what I’m looking for either. But these small, separate shaped puzzles are amazingly entertaining.

If you haven’t worked a shaped puzzle before, these might be just the thing to get your feet wet. The colored backs mean that you can separate each puzzle by color before you begin, or you can ignore the colors and treat it like a “regular” 500 piece puzzle.

I think I prefer regular old cupcakes to eat, but these cupcakes are much more fun to assemble. I enjoy sorting them into different piles, colored backs facing up, and then picking a pile to work on and then enjoying watching each puzzle take shape (I put the box away immediately, and don’t consult it at all while I’m assembling). These are my favorites from this batch, but they’re all so intricate and lovely to look at that it was difficult choosing which ones to show here…

Which of these 12 gorgeous cupcakes wets your whistle? If I had to choose, I would probably go for the chocolate cupcake with the chocolate frosting in the lower left corner. As for which one to assemble – all of them!

Review: Peace Love (POP Art)

On August 16, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

Peace Love (Pop Art) by Howie Green – Ceaco – 550 pieces

This is a wonderfully colorful image that was extremely challenging to assemble. I love the look of this puzzle, but it was much more difficult to assemble than I bargained for.

Ceaco puzzles do not always get a recommendation from me, but this one does. The pieces were on the thinner side, but they were sturdy and fit together very well. The image reproduction was very good, with bright colors and clear lines. Altogether the puzzle had very nice quality for a Ceaco, and I even commented on it while we were assembling it.

I assembled this together with my mom and son. It wasn’t a puzzle that went together quickly, but it was still entertaining – although mom wasn’t as entertained as I was (she commented when we were finished that she did not find it much fun). We started with the blue coat and the long, flowing hair. After that, there were so many colors and lines that we had to let the pieces guide us on where to go. It took a bit longer than a 550 piece puzzle would normally take, but the end result is a beautiful finished image.

The psychedelic color scheme is fun to look at, but not as much fun to assemble. The colors and lines everywhere make it hard to know what part of the puzzle you’re assembling, or where the piece you have in your hand may go. That said, if this image is one that you like, the quality was quite good and it’s definitely recommended. It would make a great wall hanging, perhaps for an old hippie in your life. Flower power! 🌻🌻

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