The Human Body

On June 14, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

This puzzle was very good quality, which is unfortunately NOT something I have said about the last few Eurographics puzzles I’ve assembled. Unlike those, this puzzle had thick pieces, many shapes, and a good fit. I love to be happily surprised by a brand that I’ve had issues with before!

Eurographics quality has gone down in my opinion, but this puzzle has bucked that trend and I’m happy that at least their children’s puzzles seem to have been made with a little more effort. I still wouldn’t buy an adult jigsaw puzzle from this brand for myself, but I’m happy that this one was much better quality than I expected. 🙂

Educational puzzles are so entertaining for me to put together, even if they’re made for young children. Sometimes I get to re-learn something I already knew, and sometimes I get to find out something new and interesting – and I LOVE THAT!

The smaller colored areas were easy to assemble, but the two human figures in the center were much more difficult…

The Human Body 3

Bones and muscle on both sides, looking very much the same, made it more difficult to assemble this part; and it was the last thing I put together. But I think that’s a very good thing; if a puzzle is too easy it becomes boring, and we don’t want our kids to be bored with puzzles we want them to be engaged and excited by assembling them. All the health and intellectual benefits of puzzling are even more pronounced for children; it helps their developing brains and they become better learners. I’m a huge proponent of puzzles for kids!

The Human Body 1

I enjoyed reading each of smaller sections on the different systems of the human body. It’s aimed at children, but it’s always good to give yourself a little basic refresher course. The circulatory system was the first section I assembled after completing the edge.

The Human Body 2

I find the spine fascinating, so I definitely enjoyed this small section – besides it was very colorful, which is always a plus.

Each section of this puzzle was bright and colorful, entertaining, and educational. In short… what a great puzzle!

Snail Mail

On June 13, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

This was my first puzzle back after many many days of no puzzling at all. For me, it’s always best when I get back to puzzles after any kind of break from them that I start with one that I know I will enjoy – collages are my happy place so that’s where I began.

The overall quality was good, but my one complaint was that many of the pieces were still connected. This puzzle was probably produced near the end of the run when the die had become dull, so all of the pieces weren’t cut all the way through. It isn’t the end of the world, and it wasn’t a big deal for me to separate them.

The pieces were thick and had a great variety of shapes. The fit was slightly loose, but not so much as to be annoying. The image reproduction was gorgeous with beautiful colors and crisp lines, and it really was a joy to assemble.

Snail Mail 1

The color of this stamp was the first thing I noticed – this picture doesn’t do it justice. Absolutely gorgeous!

Snail Mail 2

My first thought was that this would make a beautiful puzzle on it’s own. In fact, many of the stamps in this collage would make gorgeous puzzles by themselves.

Snail Mail 3

The look of this stamp is so unique and interesting. I absolutely love it!

Hound….In Progress

On June 12, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling6 Comments

Hound IP — Hound of the Baskervilles by Charles Wysocki – Buffalo – 300 pieces

I started this puzzle on my white board so that I could work on it in bed; that’s why there’s no pretty plum colored fabric behind it. I didn’t get very far with it yesterday before I had to put it down, but at least I made a start!

It’s been a bit since I’ve done a Wysocki, so I’m looking forward to this image. Sometimes they all seem very similar and it becomes a little boring for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love Americana images, but if I do too many of them in a row or too close together it isn’t as rewarding or entertaining.

I hope you’ll be working on a fun puzzle today, I certainly will be! 💖🧩

Boston Cowboy

On June 11, 2020October 20, 2021 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

I love this image, it’s just freakin’ adorable! If you’ve been a long-time reader of this blog you know that unlike many puzzlers I prefer puzzles with images of dogs much more than those with cats. From my viewpoint there are many more “cat puzzles” out there than “dog puzzles”; but you see more with images of dogs here at My Jigsaw Journal because I seek them out.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with cats, or puzzles with images of cats on them. So many puzzles out there have unbelievably adorable cat artwork or images, they just aren’t my taste – that’s all. I’ve done many a cat puzzle, but I’m a dog person so my preference is cute puppy puzzles instead of ones with kitty cats.

This cute-beyond-words puzzle of only 100 pieces was a gift from a dear friend who shares my love of Boston Terriers and knows how much I enjoy a small piece count puzzle. It used to be that puzzles with small piece counts were all cartoonish or childish in some way, but I’m seeing more and more options out there for adults who enjoy smaller puzzles. Thank goodness!

I put this one together around midnight one evening, in the living room in front of the television. That’s one of the great things about small puzzles, you don’t need a lot of room or a special place to put them together. At only 100 pieces this adorable puzzle can be assembled just about anywhere!

Buddy was sleeping on the couch when I finished it, and I couldn’t help myself but take an extra picture. The fit of this puzzle was so good that I was able to walk around with the assembled puzzle and stand it up next to my little man on the couch!

Boston Cowboy 1

How adorable is this? I truly wish I’d had a red bandana that I could have laid across his neck, wouldn’t that have been cute? My Boston boy next to the Boston Cowboy, so very sweet!

Ernest

On June 10, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles8 Comments

Yes, you are reading that right – this image is by comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Truthfully, I thought the artwork was funny and was going to buy it anyway; but add the fact that I am a comedy nerd as well as a jigsaw puzzle nerd and I just had to get this puzzle!

Stand up comedy has been one of my loves since I was young. When most pre-teen and teenage kids had albums from the current music stars, most of my record collection was full of Steve Martin, Flip Wilson, Robin Williams, Allan Sherman, Bill Cosby (which I debated adding here, but I can’t change the facts to suit me – Bill Cosby was a very large part of my comedy collection) and many more. We listened to comedy albums as a family, and when my sisters and I were mature enough my parents let us listen to and watch Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Redd Foxx and many of the more “blue” comedians too.

I still remember having a videocassette full of episodes of An Evening at the Improv that my husband and I used to watch during our first years of marriage whenever we needed a laugh. We’ve been fans of stand up since forever it seems, so how could I not get myself a puzzle with silly artwork from a famous stand up comedian?

The quality was about average for Cardinal – I would classify it as good/fair. Even so, I enjoyed the assembly more than I thought I would, and found the image a little bit more of a challenge than I expected as well. Both of those are very good things in my book!