This is one of the last few kids puzzles from the box of 20, and one of the last complete ones too. I found this box at one of our local thrift stores while mom and I were shopping many, many months ago and I’ve been parsing them out here and there.
I find the educational side more entertaining than the picturesque side, I love the facts and lists they have. On the back of this puzzle were all the species pictured above and a map of Africa showing where they are found
I’m a bit sad these puzzles are coming to an end; I’ve enjoyed assembling them all, and learning and re-learning all sorts of things. I may have to get myself back to the thrift stores and find out what other fun puzzles I can get my hands on!
The Summer Thatchers by Steve Crisp – Wentworth – 40 pieces
The Summer Thatchers is an unbelievably beautiful image that was perfect for a 40 piece micro puzzle. There was no enhancing of the photo needed, it’s truly that bright and gorgeous. I’m certain it would be quite difficult as a larger piece count, but my goodness it would be lovely!
If it’s been a while since assembling a wooden puzzle I seem to forget how much I enjoy the tactile experience; the thickness of the pieces, the feel of the image adhered to the wood, the way the pieces fall into place. There’s nothing like it!
Pretty whimsies, especially the flowers, and the surrounding pieces make for an easier assembly – they’re oddly shaped and easy to find. You couldn’t make whimsies like this out of cardboard, the edges would bend and break way too easily.
Wentworth’s micro puzzles are a joy to assemble, and they allow me to work many images that I wouldn’t otherwise in a larger piece count. Starry Night definitely wouldn’t have been assembled other than in this format, that’s for sure. There are still quite a few I have here to assemble, including several winter/Christmas themed images – look for them when the holiday season is upon us, it’ll be here sooner than you think!
I’ve had an odd relationship with this puzzle, it’s been in my home for well over 2 years I think and I’ve started to assemble it several times and ended up putting it away. I’m not sure why this time was a go, but I’m glad I finally got to it – it was very entertaining!
The worst part for me is the very beginning when you see all the pieces you have to sort through. Since my method is to lay the pieces out on trays, I try to decide on several areas to pull pieces for while I’m sorting and traying. I pull the pieces for quite a few different sections for a couple of reasons; 1) to reduce the number of pieces I have to lay out, and 2) to be able to start assembling something right away. Once I have the edge assembled it makes me happy to be able to grab a container of sorted pieces and start to work.
In the case of this puzzle the sections I pulled out were the 4 game boards in the corners, the pieces with words on them, the chinese checkerboard, and the dominoes. The game boards were the MOST fun to put together, the colors are bright and the patterns are interesting. There were many words strewn all around the inside of the puzzle image, and many were hard to complete because they weren’t always easy to find.
I was intrigued by the playing cards with the cats. They all had different phrases on them; The Future, The Past, Love Matters, The Present – what game was this? Does anyone have a clue? Almost all of the vintage games were slightly self explanatory, board games, cards, word games, bingo, etc. The cards with the cats confused me though, were they some kind of kitty cat tarot cards? 🤨
Scrabble tiles, they make me smile. I love playing Scrabble, though no one will play with me around here. I’m pretty good at it and it gets frustrating, apparently, for my family to constantly lose to me. I understand the feeling though, I won’t play strategy games with my husband because he consistently kicks my a** at them. We each have our strengths I suppose. 😉
I’m glad I finally took the plunge and assembled this puzzle. It was fun, the right amount of challenging, and had beautiful colors. I enjoyed it very much, and it is definitely recommended. The quality was excellent, although the fit was a little looser than normal for a Ravensburger; though the image was so compelling and fun that I didn’t mind too much about the fit.
Pets Rock is actually the second puzzle in this series of three that I’ve done, and they all have the same name. They’re highly entertaining (at least they are for me), and go together quite quickly. I very much enjoyed this assembly, and it was the perfect puzzle to help get my puzzle mojo back after more than a week of no puzzling.
Ceaco isn’t a favorite brand; I find that sometimes the quality is quite lacking and sometimes it’s very good – there’s no consistency. The pieces of this puzzle were on the thin side, and had a tendency to bend. They fit together well though, there were a variety of shapes, and the image reproduction was very good. There was a lot of puzzle dust, so much so that I had to vacuum the puzzle board when I was done. A bit annoying, but for the most part didn’t detract from the assembly. Ceaco has a large and interesting catalog of images though, and some are too cute or gorgeous for me to pass up.
I didn’t enjoy the image as much as the first Pets Rock that I assembled; most likely because I’m now a little old lady, and I prefer the personalities that I know and relate to. Elvis, David Bowie, and Michael Jackson are more my style than Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry. Personalities aside, having six sections that are easily sorted and assembled is easy and entertaining. I started with kitty Katy Perry – that blue hair stood out and was fun to put together.
Even though the pieces weren’t the thickest and tended to bend a little, the assembly was quick, fun, and extremely entertaining. If the image is to your liking, it’s definitely recommended. I don’t think a puzzle has to be premium quality in order for you to enjoy it – and I absolutely had a great time putting this one together. 🙂
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Pets Rock
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Takkoda
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ceaco
Piece count:Â Â Â 550 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Approx. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 46 cm)
Purchased:Â Â Â New
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Fair, thin and easily bent
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Good
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Average
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â Large amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Grid cut
Piece shapes:Â Â Very good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Slightly shiny finish, lays flat
General Store by Michael Matherly – FX Schmid – 300 pieces
I found this at mom’s house while going through her things. I liked the artwork very much, and at 300 pieces knew it wouldn’t take long to assemble. How bummed was I when I figured out there were missing pieces? Not terribly, but still it was disappointing.
FX Schmid has excellent quality; thick pieces, nice fit, and gorgeous image reproduction. We only find this brand at the thrift stores, so I’m not sure if they’re even still being produced. This particular puzzle seemed quite old, though the box was still in pretty good shape.
I enjoyed this assembly very much, but I was a little upset that the adorable dog on the front porch was missing! 😥
My Jigsaw Journal 