Author: Stacey at myjigsawjournal

Christmas Spirit

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

Christmas Spirit by Susan Winget – Ceaco – 577 pieces

This special edition Ceaco was quite a difficult puzzle to assemble, but I’m glad that I finally put it together. Mom bought this at the thrift store at least 5 years ago, and paid a whole 99 cents for it! I can’t say it was overly enjoyable, but it wasn’t too bad either.

Ceaco came out with a few puzzles backed in velvet many years ago, and this is the second one mom found at a thrift store. They’re interesting to work with…

Beautiful to look at isn’t it? Not so much fun to assemble on a fabric covered board though; the velvet grabs onto the fabric and sliding sections around is almost impossible. The irregular border meant that I didn’t start there, I started with the words in the middle. When you don’t start with the border all you can do is “guesstimate” where everything goes, and it’s never perfect; there’s always adjusting and wiggling pieces around to get things exactly where they belong. Once the pieces were laid down they didn’t want to let go of my beautiful fabric board; and because there are whimsy pieces in the puzzle, lifting a completed section to move it meant pieces falling out. Frustrating. Annoying. So, because the border wasn’t put together first, things had to be moved around to fit together properly – and the damn velvet made it so difficult!

The pieces are thicker than a regular Ceaco puzzle, and the velvet adds even more thickness. Otherwise the quality is only fair/good. Many of the pieces were bent and had image lifting off, the fit was very tight, and the finish is shiny. It’s a beautiful image, but working with this puzzle had me to ready to say NO MORE CHRISTMAS PUZZLES!

There were quite a few whimsy pieces as well as these letters, but so many of them were two pieces that weren’t easy to find on the initial sort – that means I didn’t take a picture of anything other than this.

I wish I’d enjoyed this more, but I just didn’t. 🤷‍♀️

If you find one at a thrift store, or somewhere out in the world – give it a try. Hopefully you’ll like it more than I did.

Sweata Weatha

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Sweata Weatha – MicroPuzzles – 150 pieces

Now this is my kind of Christmas puzzle! There is no perfectly decorated tree with snow falling softly outside, no Coca-Cola Santa, no roaring fire – just silly sweaters in a colorful image. It was so much fun!

If memory serves me correctly this was in my MicroPuzzles subscription box from the holiday season in 2021, it was an extra puzzle sent “compliments of Brian in shipping“. You remember Brian, don’t you? If not, check out Brian’s Worst Nightmare that I assembled a couple of years ago.

Unlike all the rest of the puzzles you get in your subscription box each month, this image is actually available on the MicroPuzzles website. Each subscription puzzle is an exclusive you can only get in your monthly box, but this one was a gift from Brian, so if you like it you can get your hands on this one.

Loved it!

Christmas Day (What If? #15)

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

Christmas Day by Geoff Tristram (What If? #15) – Ravensburger – 1000 pieces

Another wonderful What If? puzzle from Ravensburger; great quality, hilarious image, and fun all-around puzzling. Was there any doubt as to whether or not I’d enjoy this one? Nope.

This one’s been hanging around my house for about…..seven years or so. Oh my! It’s been constantly moved down on the list of puzzles to be done, because I have this irrational dislike of Christmas puzzles. Even though I know that images by Geoff Tristram are always entertaining and funny it still took me forever to get this one done.

As per my usual I do not show the finished puzzle, as it’s a mystery what the image is. You have to figure it out as you assemble. The box says “We all dream of the perfect Christmas, a day full of happy family memories, where gifts are gratefully received, everyone is full of festive cheer, and the catering goes without a hitch. But WHAT IF Christmas Day wasn’t perfect? And WHAT IF our family’s Christmas wasn’t that merry?” The image on the box top shows the type of Christmas we all dream about, but the puzzle inside shows the holiday many of us really experience.

Normally I never show anything other than the small hint on the box top, which is usually one of the characters – but this time there was a little joke that actually made me laugh out loud, so I wanted to share it with you too…

As I was assembling it I thought it would be Monopoly, but this is so much better! Actually, that’s how I feel about Monopoly, it takes so long and I find it mind-numbingly boring. Hours of misery for all the family! 😂

This was a great puzzle with a hilarious image, it is most definitely recommended. I’m giving it two snowflakes way up! ❄❄

Dainty Dissectology December

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling, Miscellaneous6 Comments

It looks as if you, dear readers, are going to be seeing a LOT of small puzzles this month; get ready, there are going to be quite a few of them. They aren’t all micro puzzles like the one above, but almost every puzzle this month is a mini puzzle with a small piece count. I don’t have many holiday puzzles because they’re just not my pile of pieces, for the most part. There are only a few 1000 piece Christmas puzzles here, and all the rest are little ones.

After hubby brought home the advent calendar of puzzles from Aldi, it prompted me to read through my posts of the previous advent calendar puzzles assembled in 2019. It reminded me how hectic (and maybe a little depressing) the holiday season can sometimes be and that most days the only puzzling I was able to do was that small advent calendar puzzle in the morning with my coffee. So I decided to do these puzzles the same way – one every day, and I’ll post about them the same day they’re assembled.

*Get ready for the ever-changing menopausal moods and attitudes of Stacey, it may be a roller coaster ride!😏🎢*

In addition to the twelve puzzles in the calendar, I have several other small holiday themed puzzles here to assemble. A 40 piece wooden micro puzzle from Mr. Bob Puzzles, a 100 piece gingerbread house puzzle from a company called Paladone, a 100 piece E & L puzzle of a wintery holiday scene (thrift store puzzle from a friend), and a set of three 100 piece puppy puzzles that are all decked out in holiday gear.

All in all that’s 18 holiday themed mini puzzles (plus two MicroPuzzles I’ve already assembled). Therefore I have dubbed this month Dainty Dissectology December.

Also, because of the number of holiday puzzles and the fact that I’m posting about each one separately, there will not be any in progress posts this month until after Christmas. I don’t know if they’re something you enjoy, or whether you’re looking forward to not hearing my banal ramblings about whatever puzzle I’m working on – but with all the dainty puzzles I’ve got here, there will be a new one every day until Santa comes! 🎅

I hope you enjoy seeing so many small puzzles – and I’m desperately hoping I enjoy assembling them too!

Please allow me to toot the horn of My Jigsaw Journal for just a moment, the site has been featured on the blog of Cloudberries Puzzles. If you get bored of all the dainty puzzles this month, maybe go and check out their post of Fun Jigsaw Puzzle Sites to Check Out When You’re Bored.

Burma Road

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles12 Comments

Burma Road by Charles Wysocki – Buffalo (Silver Select Edition) – 1000 pieces

While this was an entertaining image to assemble, I found the puzzle itself a bit of a disappointment. Still, they don’t all have to be perfect, and there is still fun to be had even though the quality may be lacking.

Normally I have no issues with Buffalo puzzles, but honestly the purpose of the Silver Select Edition puzzles eludes me. From what I can see the only difference is a “giftable box with silver foil accents” and a resealable plastic bag to store the pieces in; the price is the same as other 1000 piece Buffalo puzzles. I’ve only done this one puzzle, but it’s all I have to go on. The fit was quite loose, the cut seems a little different, and overall I was a bit disappointed.

If it had been your average Buffalo puzzle in the usual box I don’t think I would have been as let down, but the box has “Silver Select Edition” stamped on it, and truthfully I was looking forward to a puzzle with elevated quality. When that failed to appear it seemed more disheartening somehow.

This field of watermelons was no easy feat to assemble! I knew it would be difficult, and it made the finished section feel like quite an accomplishment.

There’s something about the buildings in a Wysocki image that makes me want to take a walk through them; they seem so inviting and quaint.

This building had me wondering what those pointed spokes are on the roof – does anyone out there know? What are they called and what is their purpose? Certainly I could do some online research, but I’d much rather talk to you.

The title of the image is Burma Road. Do any other oldsters out there remember the Burma Shave signs on the road? Their popularity was quite a bit before my time, but one town over from us there were a set of five or six Burma Shave signs on the road out of town. I always loved seeing them. The signs in this image say “Dewhiskered…kisses…defrost…the misses…Burma Shave” Very cute!