Hurricane Irma

On September 8, 2017September 8, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlingLeave a comment

https3a2f2fblueprint-api-production-s3-amazonaws-com2fuploads2fcard2fimage2f5843602f0f332264-9ecd-45fc-9e38-dd3ade7e996f — Satellite image of Hurricane Irma

My first thought looking at this picture is that the colors are beautiful and it would make a fun and challenging jigsaw puzzle. That’s only for a second or two though, then I think of how terrifying this hurricane is and that it’s on a collision course with several island countries, all of Florida, and much of the southeastern United States. Millions of lives are being threatened, and I’m praying that no more lives are lost to Irma’s rampage.

We are not under an evacuation order where I live in Florida, at least not yet. And I’m hoping it stays that way; from what I’ve seen on the news the traffic on most roads is a nightmare and I don’t know how in the world we’d be able to get anywhere if we needed to. My family is spending today “battening down the hatches” and preparing to hunker down to ride out the storm together. 8 adults (3 generations of my family) and 4 dogs together in my very small home – there are air mattresses, plenty of jigsaw puzzles to keep us busy, stacks of water bottles, plenty of canned goods and easy to prepare foods, coolers full of ice, and lots and lots of hope.

First and foremost we are hoping that everyone is able to weather this storm without loss of life. We can rebuild homes and get new things, but family and loved ones are irreplaceable. If I have my family with me, home is wherever we are – as long as we’re together.

Although we know that people are the most important thing, we are nonetheless also all hoping that our homes and possessions will not be destroyed by wind, water, or both. There’s plenty of anxiety and tension to go around as we worry about losing the “things” we own or losing a place to live. Worry won’t change a thing, but knowing that doesn’t stop us from worrying.

So my family will gather here to wait out the storm; we will watch the news while we wait, worry, and hope. Some of us here will work on jigsaw puzzles to pass the time, but the puzzles and puzzling isn’t that important. It’s just a way to pass the time and keep our minds from focusing only on the fear, anxiety or dread. I’m praying for all of us in her path, for those who have loved ones in harm’s way, and for everyone affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

I love jigsaw puzzles – I love assembling them, talking about them, shopping for them, blogging about them, even reading about them. But right now, they’re just a way for me to try and keep my mind off of Irma – she is unwanted and unwelcome but she’s on her way. I hope to be back posting about puzzles again very soon.

Cat’s Got Mail

On September 7, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

The large piece Ravensburger puzzles are so good! This is a 300 piece puzzle and the finished image is VERY big – 27 x 20 inches! (70 x 50 cm) That’s the average size of a 1000 piece puzzle. 😮 It’s quite impressive looking and feels like a big accomplishment!

I enjoyed the difficulty level of this puzzle, it was a bit of a challenge and took me longer than a 300 piece would normally take. Not too easy, not too hard – it was just right! I typically don’t do cat puzzles, but I enjoyed this one very much. Mom’s been finding some awesome images at the thrift stores lately and they’ve been so fun to work.

I am having a great time with the smaller piece puzzles. Maybe it’s because I spent the better part of 6 months working on one enormous puzzle, I’m not sure. But I really do enjoy the smaller piece counts as well as the puzzles 1000 pieces and above. Perhaps I just love to do puzzles, no matter the size! 🙂

Cracking Castle

On September 6, 2017September 6, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Horrible Histories are a series of books published in the UK that are designed to engage kids in history by presenting the gory, unpleasant, or unusual aspects in an amusing way. I hadn’t heard of them before, but actually they sound like a wonderful read! I’d be interested in checking them out. 😉

This puzzle reveals some of the truths about living in a castle long ago, and it’s a pretty fun assembly. The pieces are very thick and sturdy and the image reproduction is very sharp and colorful. The only problem I have with it is that the finish is extremely shiny and you can have glare on any of the pieces. Other than that minor detail, this was quite a fun puzzle that went together rather quickly. It comes with a “loathsome leaflet” filled with “foul facts” that will make you want to read the books to learn more horrible things!

Galt Toy jigsaw puzzles are mostly large floor puzzles for younger children, they do have a few 100 piece puzzles and they carry 4 puzzles from the Horrible History series. They are a UK based toy manufacturer, so it may not be easy to find more of them here in the US. I’m hoping to find more though, the quality was excellent and I love the concept. I’d love to find the Rotten Romans puzzle. 🙂

Gormiti

On September 5, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Absolutely gorgeous colors and excellent pieces! I think this is my first 200 piece Ravensburger; quite a bummer that a piece was missing. 😒

I have found, through my extensive thrift store puzzle “research” that children’s puzzles seem much more likely to have missing pieces than adult puzzles. Children are usually a little more careless with their things – I know I certainly was as a child; it’s not really surprising when there’s a missing piece. Sometimes when the puzzle is such excellent quality it’s a bit of a downer, but those are the chances we take buying used.

I’m not familiar with the toy or tv series, but my children don’t usually watch cartoons anymore. Regardless, I loved this puzzle. Here’s hoping our next 200 piece Ravensburger has all of it’s parts. 🙂

Review: I Remember Those!

On September 4, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

I Remember Those! by Charlie Girard – White Mountain – 300 EZ Hold pieces

I know I sound like a broken record, but when you give me collages to review, 99 times out of 100 I’m going to love it. I Remember Those! was great fun, and had me feeling a little old. 👵 I had many of those toys as a child, and what I wouldn’t give to have them back now. Although it’s probably a good idea that I didn’t have the “Atomic Energy Lab” with over 150 experiments you can perform. I was a tomboy and a teeny bit destructive, what mayhem I could have caused with that!

White Mountain has the best selection of collages in the industry (according to me) and they’re always great fun to assemble. It’s like having a bunch of smaller puzzles in one, and it’s hard for me to walk away from them. Click the link above to see some awesome collages and all the puzzles available from White Mountain at Puzzle Warehouse.

The finished image is 18 x 24 inches (approx. 46 x 61 cm). There was a small amount of puzzle dust in the bag, but all the pieces were separated with no damage. The pieces are a good thickness with a good variety of piece shapes and fit together very well. The image reproduction is bright and colorful with a matte finish to prevent glare. The box is large, about the same size as one for a 1000 piece puzzle. The name of the puzzle, manufacturer, piece count and a portion of the image is on all 4 sides.

This was an easy assembly, but completely entertaining. I started with the words, which gave me approximate position for most of the toys and then started filling in from there. It was interesting to see all the toys that were before my time – Mr. Potato Head was for use on a real potato! It also says you can use it on any fruit or vegetable to make a funny face. Wow! It’s fun to see all the older packaging and the language they used. Just an all around excellent image and assembly.

Charlie Girard has done many a wonderful puzzle for White Mountain, his collages always make me smile. The vintage and nostalgic collages always have me remembering the good old days, and wanting to buy more of his puzzles! Click the link above to see all the puzzles currently available from this artist at Puzzle Warehouse.

I Remember Those! is definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys collages, toys, or board games – or just enjoys putting together a great puzzle image. Two thumbs up! 👍👍