More Mystery Puzzles!

On March 12, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling10 Comments

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I bought a few more “mystery” puzzles on eBay in the past week. They’re all vintage wooden puzzles, and all a mystery as we have no idea what the images will be. 😎

The first one to arrive (some of the pieces are shown above) is amazingly cut; and although it isn’t as sturdy as our municipal building puzzle, the intricate almost coral-like cuts are definitely fun to work with and the fit is even tighter than the big puzzle! Mom and I finished it yesterday – 3 missing pieces and a few broken tabs – but I truly wasn’t disappointed, we enjoyed it very much! I’ll be posting about it when it comes up in the rotation.

2 more are on their way. One is complete (according to the seller), and the other looks to be cut by the same person as the municipal building puzzle. We’re not sure if the second one is complete, but we are very excited about working with pieces like that again and seeing what both images turn out to be!

I know, I’m a crazy person. But I’m adorable and fun too, so it all works out. 😇

Norcross Love Affair

On March 11, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

There’s something about the simplicity of this image, it made for an excellent puzzle experience!

Luckily this was one of those Sunsout puzzles with a regular fit (not one where you get a blister from having to smash pieces together because the fit is too tight). The image reproduction is excellent, but there was quite a bit of shine on the finish. Overall a very nice quality puzzle – extremely pleasant to put together.

The large amount of sky seemed a little daunting at first, but it wasn’t too bad at all; the clouds, varying shades of blue, and the variety of piece shapes helped to keep it from being monotonous. And I loved the young and old couples….

Perhaps Norcross Love Affair shows the joy and wonder of young love, and also that even when you’re older you can still be madly, romantically in love with each other. The older couple is so adorable! If my husband had hair we might look like them someday – although we’d both probably be wearing something much more comfortable. 😉

As usual, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed assembling this image. Normally when it’s time for a new puzzle I look at the image and open the box to take a look at the pieces. If when I seem them I’m “not feeling it”, the lid goes back on and the search continues until I find one I’m ready to assemble.

Lately though, I’ve been giving myself a pep talk when I open the box. If the image on the box made me open it to see the pieces then I should do it. Most of the time I enjoy them more than I thought I would, so why not just give up the search for the perfect puzzle at the perfect time and just grab one that looks good and go? That’s what I’ve been trying to do anyways – and most of the time, like with this puzzle, they are great fun and I’m happy having assembled it. 😎

Berenstain Bears

On March 10, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

This puzzle reminds me of when my kids were little – they loved the Berenstain Bears and the books were usually found all over the house. Although the books have been around for more than 50 years, I don’t really remember reading them myself when I was young – although I must have. For me these books make me think of my children and how much all three of them loved reading. ❤

This was a very nice quality puzzle, with an excellent fit and interestingly shaped pieces…

Berenstain Bears 1

Most of the time with a puzzle aimed toward children the pieces are very standard, but these made for a more interesting assembly – and it was a refreshing change. Sadly there was a missing piece so I wasn’t able to send it along to the school I normally donate to, but it was still fun for me to put together.

Even though I’m technically an adult I love puzzles of all shapes and sizes and have no problem whatsoever putting together small puzzles made for kids; puzzles are always entertaining for me. It makes me think of that wonderful line from Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss – changed a bit for us dissectologists of course – “A puzzle’s a puzzle, no matter how small.”

Review: Farmer’s Market

On March 9, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store Puzzles3 Comments

This is an adorable image that I’ve seen before but had never come across. I finally acquired two of the three in the series, and am so looking forward to finding the third – I had as much fun assembling it as I thought I would!

Ceaco puzzles seem to be hit or miss in the quality department. I’ve worked some really nice puzzles of theirs and some absolutely terrible ones. It’s not a brand I will normally buy retail, we usually get them second hand. This particular puzzle was one of those I bought in a lot of 26 from Facebook Marketplace and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. The quality of this one was good, with an excellent fit and wonderful image.

This was assembled in one sitting, at night when the sandman skipped over my house and I couldn’t sleep at all. I stole off quietly to the puzzle room and before I knew it – bam! – it was done. This was one of those rare puzzles where my expectations of how entertaining the assembly would be was spot on. It was thoroughly enjoyable!

Ceaco puzzles aren’t always up to snuff for me, but this one absolutely was. From the first piece to the last it was a great time. Images that make you happy usually make for wonderful puzzling! 🙂

Details:

Title: Farmer’s Market
Artist: Tracy Flickinger
Brand: Ceaco
Piece count: 300 pieces
Size: Approx. 19 x 19 in. (48 x 48 cm)
Purchased: Used

Quality:

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

Overall Rating: Good, recommended

Happy International Women’s Day!

On March 8, 2019March 8, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling2 Comments

Whether she gave you life, friendship, love, support, or encouragement – there’s a woman, or probably many women in your life to whom you owe a debt of gratitude. Celebrate International Women’s Day by letting the women in your life know how much you appreciate them for being who they are, and for helping you become the person you are today. 💗

Women’s Day made me think of a fun puzzle I assembled last year, Women March! I loved the puzzle and it’s message of supporting women; and it’s manufactured by eeBoo, a company run by women. What could be better? They’ve got some new releases this year, and this one seems perfect for today, it’s on my wish list (once I assemble and donate a few of the puzzles in my enormous “to-do pile”) 😁

Goddesses and Warriors…

This puzzle illustrated by Ross MacDonald depicts goddesses, warriors, heroines, and deities from around the world and even comes with an informational poster. Those ladies look like they could take on anyone or anything – and it looks like great fun!

Happy Women’s Day!