Storytime Kittens

On August 14, 2020August 14, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

A puzzle full of kittens? I know, right?! Even though this isn’t my typical genre of puzzle image, it was still pretty darned enjoyable and I would recommend it – especially to multi-generational families who enjoy puzzling together.

Every time I assemble a Cobble Hill puzzle I am reminded of what a great quality product they put out. The linen finish on their puzzles gives not only a great hand feel, but cuts down on glare and make for such a pleasant puzzling experience. The pieces are thick, they fit together well, and the image reproduction is lovely. Why am I not assembling more of their puzzles? I have no answer to that right now – because I should be, they make me happy.

This is a “family puzzle”, which means that there are three different sizes of pieces. And this brand does it the way that seems most practical to me; large on one side, medium in the middle, and smallest on the other side. I have assembled family puzzles where the largest pieces are the outer edge and the pieces get smaller towards the middle – that makes no sense to me. The point of a family puzzle is that everyone can work together, but if the entire outside of the puzzle has to be put together before the smaller pieces fit anywhere, you cannot work together; you have to wait for one section to be finished before you can actually begin. Nonsensical in my book.

Even though I almost always work on family puzzles by myself, I like that Cobble Hill family puzzles are made so that everyone can work together.

Storytime Kittens 1

This side of the puzzle has the large pieces, and takes up the most space. I love the bright colors and fun image, it made for an entertaining assembly.

Storytime Kittens 2

You can see in this image how the pieces fade from larger to smaller, and it’s pretty seamless and well done. And even though we all know kitties aren’t my preferred animal for puzzle images this was some really beautiful artwork by Amy Rosenberg.

By the way, I’ve had sort of an epiphany about why I enjoy family puzzles so much; and it truly just occurred to me this morning as I was getting ready to type up this post. It’s the sorting! It’s the ease of sorting differently sized pieces that almost buoys my spirits. Sorting is the worst part of puzzles for me, even though my mild OCD requires that I sort; but having it made so much easier and faster because of the different sizes of the pieces makes all the difference. 😎

Best Friends

On August 13, 2020August 13, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

Stacey loves herself some puppy puzzles, and here’s another one. Look at those adorable faces – completely irresistible!

The scarves on this one were the most difficult part for me, it wasn’t always easy to tell which way things went and what went where. But overall this puzzle wasn’t too terribly challenging, and in the end you get this sweet image of two best friends. Aw!

Such a Struggle!

On August 12, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling, Miscellaneous13 Comments

man using laptop on table against white background

I’ve been trying for an hour to set up my new computer and get myself onto my blog, and I gotta tell ya – frustrated isn’t quite a harsh enough word for my feelings. My struggle to get myself to the place where I was logged in to WordPress and able to get onto my site has probably caused quite a rise in my blood pressure. My cardiologist would not be happy.

Anyway, I’m finally here and ready to get today’s post up, and afterwards I cross my heart that I will – at last – get my butt back to the table and start a new puzzle. I need to get myself there for many reasons, not the least of which is lowering my blood pressure back to acceptable levels. 😉

Since I finished the Wizard of Oz puzzle I have not put together any puzzle pieces at all. Anxiety, depression, pain, exhaustion have all played their roles in keeping me out of the puzzle room. And I now find myself overwhelmed by the thought of starting any puzzle larger than 300 pieces.

When I finished the Oz puzzle I chose a 1000 piece collage that was to be next; it sat on the board for a couple of days, then my daughter and I spent the weekend making masks, and then I spent Monday and Tuesday doing absolutely nothing. Now, the thought of starting that collage I’d previously chosen makes me uneasy. I don’t know how to describe it to those who haven’t dealt with anxiety, but it feels awful; racing heart, taking deep breaths and taking them too quickly, a sense of dread, a pressure in my chest, etc. – in short, it really, really sucks.

And so, because of that, the next puzzle will be a 200 piece kids puzzle, and then, perhaps a 300 piece; and we’ll see how it goes from there. You might want to get used to seeing smaller piece counts for a while, because that seems to be as much as I can handle at the moment.

So here’s to hoping I can get used to how this new computer works, and happy puzzling today for all of us!

Disney Diner

On August 11, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This is the first Ceaco I’ve done in quite a long time; and this was a puzzle I got in a swap, I absolutely did not buy this – they’re still on my naughty list. I found that I was still carrying an attitude about this brand, which previously I might have apologized for, but not this time. My attitude is justified, and I won’t be saying I’m sorry for it.

Anyway, on to the puzzle.

The image is cute, and I enjoy puzzles with Disney images so this one was fun to put together. Thanks to Penny for sending it along!

Puppy Party

On August 10, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

The puppies are having a party and they’ve invited all their friends – a good time was had by all. 😉 These sweet animal images by Jenny Newland are the perfect potion to brighten my day. The adorable faces make me smile, and we could all use more smiles these days; at least I know I could.

MasterPieces has some great 300 piece puzzles out there, they’re just right when you’re in the mood to puzzle but not ready to dive into a 1000 piece or larger. The quality is excellent, and the image reproduction is stellar. I’ve sometimes had issues with a super shiny finish on their puzzles, but this one was more matte and easier for these old eyes to work with.

Puppy Party 1

I cannot resist a sad puppy face, it makes me feel so protective and want to give them SO much love and snuggles!

Puppy Party 2

I love these lovebirds!

Puppy Party 3

There’s something about the almost deadpan look and smile on this fish – it cracks me up! Jenny Newland sure does know how to make animals look sweet.

Loved it. 💗