Paris

On October 24, 2019October 24, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

I didn’t realize when I was assembling it that this artwork was by Ciro Marchetti – no wonder I loved the image so much, now it makes perfect sense! There are two other images in this series, New York and London. Hopefully these aren’t exclusive to Ceaco, I’d love to find them by another brand with better quality.

I was very disappointed by the quality of this puzzle. The pieces weren’t completely cut through, some so much so that I couldn’t separate them without damaging them. There was an abundance of puzzle dust that got everywhere, the fit was terrible and loose, and the pieces were thin and very easily bent. It’s been my experience that Ceaco puzzles of 750 pieces or less are better quality than their puzzles of 1000 pieces or more. I certainly won’t be assembling any more of their puzzles over 750 pieces if I can help it.

Paris 1

The fireworks and the word Paris were so much fun to assemble, I didn’t find them overly challenging. Many puzzlers say that assembling fireworks is frustrating and difficult, though I didn’t find that to be the case with this puzzle. I absolutely loved it!

Paris 2

This statue/light post was the most challenging part of the puzzle in my opinion. It was the last bit to be assembled, but I love the look of it – it’s very Parisian.

Paris is a beautiful image, but unfortunately the puzzle it was attached to was of poor quality. I can’t recommend this puzzle, but if you find the image made by another brand it is highly recommended. Even with the awful quality I found the actual assembly of the artwork to be extremely entertaining.

My Puzzle Pal

On October 23, 2019October 20, 2021 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling4 Comments

I’m working on a What If? puzzle at the moment, so I can’t show you an in progress picture, it would give too much away. So today instead of the puzzle I’m currently assembling I’m showing off my handsome puzzle pal . At this very moment he’s curled up in his bed taking a nap here in the puzzle room – it’s so darn cute!

Soon, when he’s had enough of being patient he’ll get up and go underneath the table and bump me on my knees with his cold, wet nose; what he’s saying is “That’s enough of being in here for now. Let’s go watch tv in bed or go outside.” He’s very polite about it, just a gentle little nudge to get my attention – he’s such a sweet tempered little guy.

When we go outside sometimes he wants to play, and sometimes he just wants to lay down in the sunlight. It’s very important to him that I go out too. He’s almost like a toddler, always wanting me to be there watching over him so he feels safe. Here he is yesterday taking a break from being in the puzzle room, working on his tan…

Buddy 1

We keep each other company during the day; whether we’re together outside while he plays or lounges around, watching tv, or while I’m working on my latest puzzle – he’s my constant companion wherever I go. I’m pretty darn fortunate to have such a good friend to share my days with. 💗

Miniature Succulents

On October 22, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

Mini Succulents — Miniature Succulents – Milton Bradley – 300 pieces

Some people say 300 piece puzzles aren’t worth their time – too few pieces and they just aren’t challenging enough. To those people I say, try this little succulent out, it’ll give you a run for your money!

Many times a 300 piece puzzle can be assembled in one sitting, but this one took me quite a bit longer. I enjoyed the challenge of it though, and had a great sense of accomplishment when that last piece finally went in. If I could have given myself a pat on the back I would have. Well done, Stacey!

This puzzle was 300 pieces of completely absorbing entertainment. I couldn’t help but get sucked in every time I sat down in front of it; it doesn’t look terribly difficult, I should be able to get it done in no time. Then you’re looking for the right piece – why can’t I see it, where does this fit in? Why does every succulent look like all the other succulents? What kind of word is succulents anyway?! Who shot JR?

*(Sometimes my train of thought goes off the rails, my apologies. Everyone knows that Kristin shot JR.)

This was a great little entertaining puzzle! 🙂

Review: Big World

On October 21, 2019October 21, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews5 Comments

If I’m being honest I’d tell you I was a little bit scared to start this puzzle. Look at the image, it’s gorgeous – but I didn’t know where I would begin. Once I started sorting the pieces though, I found a few sections to pull out and start with; when they were assembled it didn’t seem so daunting to keep going and filling in from there. Sometimes I have to just jump in and get myself going, most of the time it’s never as difficult as I think. 🙂

Milton Bradley puzzles seem to have improved their quality quite a bit, I was thoroughly impressed with this puzzle and it’s quality. The pieces are on the smaller side, but not too much so. They had a good hand feel, fit together quite well, and had a very good variety of shapes. The image reproduction is excellent and did the artwork justice in my opinion, the colors are beautiful with no blurriness or fuzzy areas. Overall a very good quality puzzle.

Big World 1

There’s just something about peacocks, they make for wonderful puzzle images. This one is beautiful, and I wish the picture did it justice. It was one of the first things I assembled after the edges and even though there weren’t many pieces to it, it gave me a great sense of accomplishment.

Big World 2

This flying fish balloon and the ship below it – great fun to put together! The use of colors by Ciro Marchetti brings to mind images by Aimee Stewart – both artists produce absolutely gorgeous artwork. This one especially has a dreamy quality, a fantasy image that makes no sense but definitely looks like a world you’d want to visit (or at least I would).

I’ve been a little obsessed with assembling panoramic puzzles lately. It’s much easier on your back to not have to reach so far to put pieces in at the top; having the entirety of the puzzle very close to you is somehow comforting and I am completely enjoying working with them. I only have one more panoramic here in my stash, I guess that means I might have to arrange a shopping trip – these puzzles are good for my mental health.

Big World was more fun than I expected and had much better quality than I anticipated. If you’ve got a long enough workspace to assemble a panoramic puzzle this one is absolutely recommended – two peacock tails way up! 🦚🦚

Details:

Title: Big World
Artist: Ciro Marchetti
Brand: Milton Bradley
Piece count: 750 pieces
Size: Approx. 11 x 34 in. (27 x 86 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Very good
Image: Excellent
Box: Average, sturdy
Fit: Very good
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Very good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Very good, recommended

Who Said That? In Progress

On October 20, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling2 Comments

Who IP

I’m working on a giant of a puzzle, and it’s quite difficult but really a lot of fun! This is a quiz puzzle from Buffalo, there are faces and quotations and you have to match them up. Every face fits every quote, so you have to be careful and also use the slight overlap of the images to help you. The pieces have been sorted by portraits and quotes, now the hard work begins.

Who IP1

I have no idea what Lao-Tzu had said yet, but I know the quote above him because of his lovely hairdo! I’m pretty sure the quote above can be credited to a mountain climber, I just have to find him.

There are 240 people and 240 quotes, a total of 504 pieces including edges. It is by far the largest 500 piece puzzle I’ve ever seen. It’s about the size of the average 2000 piece puzzle at approximately 38 x 24 inches (97 x 61 cm). Have you ever seen such an enormous 500 piece puzzle? I certainly haven’t!

There are a few people and quotes I was able to match while I was sorting to get myself a head start on the matching. You don’t have to know all the people and quotes to get this one done, and you don’t have to sit with a computer or phone and look them all up either; the portraits all have a slight overlap, but you have to pay very close attention. Here are a few that were easy to find, and you can see how the overlap of images helps in the assembly.

Who IP2

This is the kind of puzzle mom and I adored doing together; we did one with word definitions and one with tv shows. She would have loved some of the silly quotes, we would have been reading them to each other while we sorted and laughing our heads off. Puzzling always makes me think of her, but this puzzle does especially, we always had such a good time with these quiz puzzles.