Review: Rainy Day Sketch

On April 10, 2020April 10, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews11 Comments

I was quite disappointed in the quality of this puzzle, particularly the fit. Even though it’s adorably cute, it wasn’t enough to make up for pieces that seem to fit where they do not belong and a mushy feel that doesn’t let you know whether or not you’ve got the right piece. The image is great, the rest of this puzzle – not so much.

Sunsout is one of those companies whose puzzles can range from excellent to poor quality; you never seem to know what you’re going to get. Because of that I normally do NOT purchase this brand retail, but I admit to buying this and one other Sunsout puzzle last month in an attempt to stock up a bit before….well, you know.

I’ve done several puzzles with artwork by Tricia Reilly-Matthews, and they’re always sweet and cute, she captures the innocence of childhood and it makes for beautiful puzzles – that must be why I caved and bought the two puzzles. If it weren’t for the quality, it would have been quite an entertaining assembly. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, image-wise, but the challenge kept me on my toes.

The way jigsaw puzzle pieces fit together is one of the most important aspects of quality, and when it is lacking it makes for an assembly experience that is less than optimal. It was an extremely frustrating assembly that might otherwise have been entertaining. Even with chipboard that was a good thickness, a good variety of piece shapes and lovely image reproduction, the poor fit negated most of the pluses and I am not recommending this puzzle.

Usually what I tell myself is that it won’t happen again. That the next time I’m in a store near the puzzles I will remember my bad experience with this brand and will not buy any of their puzzles. The problem is that the brand isn’t consistent with it’s quality and I always want to believe that the puzzle I want to buy is going to be one of the good ones; sometimes it is, but sometimes it isn’t. Did I learn my lesson this time? Only time will tell.

Details:

Title: Rainy Day Sketch
Artist: Tricia Reilly-Matthews
Brand: Sunsout
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 19 x 19 in. (48 x 48 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Good
Cutting: Good/Fair
Image: Very good
Box: Average
Fit: Poor
Puzzle Dust: Large amount
Piece cut: Grid cut – offset
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Fair/Poor, not recommended

*These days finding any jigsaw puzzle in stores or online is almost a miracle, so if you find this puzzle out there you have to take my recommendation with a grain of salt. All reviews are only opinions; my puzzle and my opinion of it might differ from yours. So if you come across this one and you’re out of puzzles….you do what’s best for you.

No Puzzles Today 😕

On April 9, 2020April 9, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling10 Comments

As you can see there isn’t a puzzle currently on my puzzle board, it’s been taken over by a serger/sewing machine. I’ve been tasked with making cloth face masks for the family, and it isn’t as easy for me as they make it look on the YouTube videos.

I’ve never been that good at sewing, and I’m doing my best; but to say that it’s been frustrating would be an understatement. Ah well, hopefully I’ve gotten the pattern figured out and I can make a bunch and be done with it today.

I’m missing my puzzles, and hope to have my board cleared off and back to it’s original use very, very soon!

Stacey & Ruth

On April 8, 2020April 7, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles17 Comments

Ok. I know I’m supposed to say something pithy here, but I can’t. It’s just so meaningful to me, and Mr. Bob Puzzles did such a fantastic job. A beautiful puzzle of my beautiful momma and me. 💗

You can read all about how my husband got the ball rolling and commissioned this puzzle by clicking here. He’d planned to give me this puzzle for my first Mother’s Day after losing mom, but he couldn’t wait and gave it to me early.

According to my husband he first requested the puzzle to be 1000 pieces, but Mr. Bob came to my rescue and suggested that a smaller piece count would be better – this would have been a b**ch with more pieces! Mom’s dress was difficult, and all the darker areas behind and between us made this quite a challenge even at only 651 pieces. Thank you Mr. Bob for suggesting that he lower the piece count!

Stacey & Ruth whimsies 1

Mr. Bob included two doves and a dancing couple for me and my husband, two flamingos for us two Florida women – a momma and her child – (or maybe that’s all in my head), a ball of yarn (for mom), and even a Boston Terrier to represent my Buddy!

There’s not much I can say here; I love this picture, I love my mom, and I’m more in love with my husband than ever for having this beautiful puzzle made for me. It’s one of the sweetest and most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received in my entire 51 years on the planet.

There were some “whimsies” I didn’t share up above, because I wanted to show them to you first this way…

Stacey & Ruth 3

Mr. Bob and his team did such a stunning job on this puzzle and it’s design, especially these words; our names at the top, the shared passions of family and puzzles between us, and at the bottom of these was deepest love that was at our core, and the base of everything that held us up and held us together. Perfection. 💖💖

Of course this puzzle will be framed, hubby is going to build it for me. I almost want to leave the letters out to highlight these words, but of course I also want the entire assembled puzzle to be displayed. How amazing are these whimsies/words? I love them!

Stacey & Ruth whimsies

Many thanks to Mr. Bob puzzles for doing such a fantastic job on this puzzle that’s so personal and precious to me. It is beautifully crafted and lovingly made and it makes me more happy than words can express.

Most of all, a special thank you to my sweet hubby for doing all of this. You never cease to amaze me with your thoughtfulness and loving kindness. I’m excited to start working on the second puzzle you got me, hopefully soon. And I promise I’ll try to remember how awesome you are when you’re home too much and annoying me. 💘

Baskets

On April 7, 2020April 6, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

Baskets was so much more difficult than I thought, still it was a fun challenge to assemble. I wouldn’t say that it’s “pretty”, but it’s an interesting image and I enjoyed putting it together.

The quality was quite good, and the hand feel of the pieces was very nice. Overall I find these smaller Milton Bradley puzzles to be very good quality with beautiful image reproduction, and they have so many interesting and different images like this one.

Baskets 1

This is the first basket that I assembled, the pink and black pattern was easy to pick out, but none of these baskets was easy to put together. With so many areas of shading, and different patterns and shades of color, it was much more difficult than it looks.

Difficult or not though, it kept me fully engrossed and entertained; I was pretty proud of myself when I finished too!

What Do I Do With These Puzzles Now?

On April 6, 2020April 5, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling10 Comments

Marketplace 2 — So we’ve done all of these, what do I do with them?

So you and your family have purchased puzzles to assemble during the quarantine, well done! Jigsaw puzzles are a great choice to help keep hands busy, minds active, and thoughts occupied. But now that you’ve assembled them all, what do you do with them?

Please, I beg of you, DO NOT THROW THEM AWAY!

There are so many things you could do to spread the puzzle love around. I’ll give you some examples – but use your imagination, look at your community, and see where you might do some good by the simple act of donating your gently used puzzles. Staying home and assembling puzzles can help keep us all safe. And happier. And distracted. 🧩💖

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*If you have a senior living facility near you, consider donating to them. In most places in the U.S. there is no visiting allowed right now, and having puzzles to work on could be a such blessing to them. Large piece puzzles are usually best for aging eyes and hands.

*If there is a VA hospital, health facility, or veteran’s home near you, perhaps they would welcome a donation of puzzles to keep hands busy and minds active.

*Cancer treatment centers might also welcome puzzles to keep in their waiting rooms.

*If you have children’s puzzles that you no longer need, perhaps a local foster home might be glad of a donation of puzzles for the children.

*Do you have an elderly neighbor or relative nearby that might enjoy a puzzle? Why not put together a small care package with a puzzle or two, with a note to let them know you’re thinking about them. I know that I’d love to find such a thoughtful gift on my doorstep.

*Looking to make a quick buck or two to boost your income? Why not post them for sale on Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, or other online resale site? Ask a reasonable price and you may be surprised at how quickly they will sell. With Paypal you should be able to conduct a contact-free transaction. You’ve got some extra money in the bank and the puzzles are re-homed with someone else who will enjoy them.

*If you haven’t already, consider joining a Facebook group of jigsaw puzzlers, there are many to choose from. I think you’ll find lots of people willing to swap with you or buy your puzzles.

*Did your coworkers or friends miss out on stocking up before they were told to stay at home? Why not give them a call or send a text to check up on them, see how they’re doing, and ask if they’d like a few puzzles. You never know how much a kind gesture like that can brighten someone’s day.

Or if you have the room you can store them until the crisis winds down – when libraries, schools, thrift stores, and senior centers reopen they would most likely love to have some donated puzzles. According to the CDC, the coronavirus can only live on cardboard for 24 hours at the most, so airing puzzles out for a day is all that’s really needed to make them safe.

If you’re looking to donate your puzzles, a call to whatever recipient you choose should let you know if they’re accepting donations; if they’re not you can choose another. I think it’s worth spending a few moments on the phone to perhaps brighten someone’s day with a caring donation.

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These are just a few suggestions, but again, look at your community and see if there a need that you might be able to help fill. Please keep yourself safe, first and foremost. If you are under a stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order, please do not put yourself at risk by making extra trips out for any reason. But if you can donate the puzzles safely, then by all means, please do so.

For hardcore jigsaw puzzle addicts like me, the thought of millions of puzzles being assembled once and disposed of makes me extremely sad. Most puzzles can be assembled many times; think of all the joy it would bring if they were used and enjoyed by many.

Please be safe. And please don’t throw your puzzles away. Spread the puzzle love! 💖