Yesterday’s post got so many comments about this puzzle in particular that I thought I would update it this morning – I made some excellent headway on it. 😎
This is hands down the absolute worst quality puzzle that I’ve ever worked on, but I am stubbornly determined to assemble the image itself at the very least. I will most likely not finish the top and bottom edges or fill in the blue, it will be too frustrating. Hubby wants to work on those, so I will absolutely leave that to him – he’s just as stubborn as I am. If the top and bottom sections don’t get done though, I don’t really care.
The only full image of the puzzle on the box is about 1 x 1.5 inches – way too small to give any assistance. Whoever designed this box obviously doesn’t assemble jigsaw puzzles, how in the world is such a tiny image supposed to help you? I had my laptop sitting next to the board yesterday and brought up the image on the screen – that was a huge help!
I’ll try and do a little more work on it today, but it’s obviously going to take several more days to put the whole thing together. Whenever it gets done is fine with me – I’m in no hurry at all.
I’ve got two puzzles in progress at the moment, I can’t seem to get my brain to settle on just one. This first one mom found unopened at the thrift store for 39 cents. The box is extremely small for a 500 piece puzzle which means the pieces are quite small as well. Once we opened the box, we saw that the quality was less than optimal – very thin pieces with an unbelievably loose fit. Ugh. I started assembling it at least 2 times before and put it away because I wasn’t in the right mood to deal with the poor quality.
I’m not sure why I’m in the mood for it now, but at the moment I really want to see this puzzle assembled; partly because nowhere on the box is a picture of the entire puzzle image – frustrating! And if I’ve got 2 puzzles going I can take a break from the horrible quality of this one and work on one that isn’t as annoying
Well Head by Richard Welker
The image on this puzzle is much brighter and easier to work with, and even though it’s a Ceaco puzzle the quality is many times better than the Norman Rockwell puzzle (which is made by Kappa Books Publisher). The fit is much nicer and the pieces aren’t nearly as thin.
So I’ve got 2 puzzles going, but for some reason neither of them is my newest wooden puzzle that was my anniversary present. I’m not sure when my weird old lady brain will be in the right mood for that one. I think it’s partly because I’m missing working on puzzles with mom; I haven’t been able to have any puzzle/visit days with her for the last 3 weeks. Every puzzle is much more fun when mom and I work together, and a new wooden puzzle is something we both love to assemble.
We won’t be able to have our visit day this week either, so perhaps I’m just too bummed about that to start on the new Liberty puzzle. We’ll have to wait and see I suppose.
Daisy Field Farm by Art Poulin – MasterPieces – 300 pieces
Here’s the last of the 3 “bathroom puzzles” – hubby enjoyed this one the best. Assembling the fence was his favorite part. He loves structure and linear images so the fence was what he wanted to work on the most. I even left the last 10 pieces of this puzzle for him to put in – what a sweet wife he has! 😉
This puzzle was as much fun to assemble as the other two, and I was sad for us when it was finished. I didn’t see any more at the store the last time I was there except for Starry Night, and I don’t think I’m brave enough for that.
I have to go out twice tomorrow for appointments, so if I’m feeling ok I just might make a stop at the same store and see what else there is for me. These aren’t premium quality, but they’ve got me and my husband working together on puzzles again, that’s what makes me happiest about them.
Cupcakes I – Lafayette Puzzle Factory – 500 pieces
Cupcakes I is one of a series of mini shaped puzzles that I found to be great fun. As soon as mom and each finished one of the cupcakes I knew I was in trouble – I want every single set of puzzles in this series!
My picture isn’t the best, I can usually do a better job, but the picture I took seems quite dark. I wanted to show the beautiful colors and shapes in greater detail….
This would be a great way to start out with shaped puzzles if you’re intimidated or not sure about them. These are color coded on the back so that you can sort them easily, or if you’re looking for more of a challenge you can just ignore the colored backs and put them together without any assistance. I had the best time putting these together and can’t wait to try out all the other puzzles in the series. There are more cupcakes, fish, puppies, high heeled shoes, birds, butterflies, and teacups.
Lafayette Puzzle Factory has an extremely varied catalog and beautiful images to choose from. Their pieces are a good thickness and fit together well; and the image reproduction is bright and colorful. This is only the second adult puzzle by LPF that I’ve assembled, and I find their image reproduction to be stellar – absolutely gorgeous! The finish is slightly shiny and can cause glare under artificial lights although I didn’t find it too annoying. For me the image is a major factor in puzzle quality, and if the colors are bright and fun to work with I find it easier to overlook other minor quality issues. Click the link above to see the puzzles they have in stock now at Puzzle Warehouse.
I highly recommend these shaped mini puzzles, they are so much fun to assemble!
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cupcakes I
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cra-Z-Art
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Lafayette Puzzle Factory
Piece count:Â Â Â 500 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â N/A – 12 small shaped puzzles
Purchased:Â Â Â N/A, sent for review
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Average – must cut to open
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â Very small amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Grid cut
Piece shapes:Â Â Good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Slightly shiny finish, lays flat
Overall Rating:Â Â Â Very good, highly recommended
I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.
Provence Market by Sam Park – Milton Bradley – 300 pieces
This was quite a difficult puzzle for only 300 pieces, but I was looking to keep my mind engaged and this image certainly did the trick! It’s a beautiful picture, but the style of the artwork makes it a bit of a challenge to assemble.
The quality of this Milton Bradley puzzle was exceptional, with very thick pieces that fit together beautifully. The image reproduction is lovely, and it never ceases to boggle the mind how the mottled looking colors on the pieces turn in to such a charming image. I love how almost all of the brands of 300 piece puzzles are such excellent quality. I’m enjoying all of these smaller piece count puzzles and their wonderful quality.
It’s interesting how my image choice depends so much on the piece count. I highly doubt that I would choose to assemble this image in anything larger than 500 pieces. The art style makes it quite a challenge and I think it would just be too frustrating for me. This was a fun assembly though, and the right amount of difficulty.
There are so many beautiful 300 or 500 piece puzzles out there, and I find that most of them with larger pieces are wonderful quality. I’m looking forward to finding more interesting and challenging puzzles!
