Birds

On August 13, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

Are you getting tired of these small shaped puzzles? I’m not! They’re so much fun to put together that I wish I had more of them. There are still a few left that I don’t have, and I’m super tempted to have myself a little online shopping spree and get the rest of these babies on their way to my house!

The only drawback to these puzzles is that they’re not completely separated when they arrive, and some pieces from each one have to be taken apart. I believe it’s due to the colored backing that allows you to separate them before assembly. The pieces are on the thin side, but they are sturdy and the fit is very good.

Bits and Pieces also has a couple sets of small separate puzzles, but to me they are way too much money – $18.99 for a 700 piece cardboard puzzle is way too much for my taste. I’ve worked a couple of this brand’s shaped puzzles before, and the quality was horrible on one, and good on the other. With hit or miss quality I’m not willing to spend that much. Bits and Pieces is a brand whose quality leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion, so their puzzles are ones we only buy secondhand.

Like the last few sets of these puzzles, my oldest son helped me assemble them while we spent time together watching M*A*S*H. I’m enjoying both the puzzles and the bonding. (Not many 29 year old men want to spend time with their mom watching tv and assembling puzzles!) The two birds above were our favorites; the colors are beautiful and although they look a little boring in the pictures they are quite stunning in person. Gorgeous!

There’s more to come, because I find them so entertaining; not to mention it’s easy for me to work these when I’m not feeling well. For the most part each one is small enough to assemble on a tray lined cookie sheet while I’m lying down. Perfection!

Sky Roads

On August 12, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles1 Comment

I needed a quick puzzle fix on a day where I couldn’t get out of bed or even really sit up to work on a puzzle. On these days the puzzles I can assemble entirely on a cookie sheet are a godsend! Thank goodness I still have more micro puzzles to assemble. 💗

At between 30 and 60 pieces, Wentworth’s micro puzzles are easy to do lying down; I can put all the pieces on a small, paper-lined cookie sheet and assemble them without even having to sit up!

This image is full of beautiful colors and made for an excellent immediate dose of puzzle happiness. I’m not sure I understand the theme of the whimsies; this image is primarily about balloons and not really about nature other than as background to the hot air balloons.

Even with interesting choice of whimsy pieces the difference in themes didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the puzzle. It was still entertaining and took my mind off of other things if only for a little while. That’s one of the reasons why puzzling is so very important to me.

No matter what reason makes puzzling important to you, keep on puzzling my friends!

Review: Stress Test

On August 11, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

Stress Test by Evgenia Loli – Ravensburger – 500 pieces

Stress Test was quite entertaining to assemble, and since it’s been a while since I’ve done a Ravensburger puzzle it was so nice to get back to such great quality.

Ravensburger is a premium brand with excellent quality, and the brand I usually compare all others to. Their pieces are very thick, with a very good variety of shapes and the fit is very good, though sometimes the fit can be a bit loose – although that isn’t the case with this puzzle. The image reproduction is stellar, with a slightly shiny finish that can cause some glare under artificial lights. All in all, the quality of this puzzle was excellent!

I started with the sky, which was a joy to put together. The water went together next, and then the bridge and little girl. The buildings were the most challenging part, and I saved them for last. Challenging buildings and all, it was a very enjoyable assembly, and it’s one I highly recommend. 👍

Details:

Title: Stress Test
Artist: Evgenia Loli
Brand: Ravensburger
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 14 x 19 in. (36 x 48 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

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

Overall Rating: Excellent, highly recommended

Farmyard Cabbage

On August 10, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

Farmyard Cabbage was an excellent quality puzzle that was great fun to assemble. I adore the image – it’s so different from your average jigsaw puzzle – and it’s so cute!

Wentworth puzzles have excellent quality, with thick wooden pieces that have a great feel in your hands. There are a good variety of shapes; and while their pieces aren’t Victorian cut they do have intricate whimsies that compliment the image. The image reproduction is excellent with beautiful colors and is expertly adhered to the wood.

The whimsies for this puzzle are shapes I haven’t seen before from Wentworth and were perfect for this farmyard image….

I especially love the detail on both the tractor and the cow. They’re all so fun to pick out when you first open the box – searching through the pieces to find the whimsies is almost as entertaining as putting the puzzle together!

The beautiful colors and interesting image made this assembly so much fun, and I loved every piece! I don’t use the box image when putting together wooden puzzles (unless I’m REALLY stuck), and this one tested me – but in the best way possible. I started with the dirt on the bottom of the image and worked my way up from there. The cabbage itself was the most challenging part, especially finding where each of the animals fit in.

I usually end my posts about wooden puzzles by telling you that you should treat yourself to a wooden puzzle if you can – this post is no different. Perhaps you could ask for a small one for your birthday or for Christmas. You can find small wooden puzzles starting at $12 for Wentworth, $18 for Artifact, and $39 for Liberty. They are definitely worth it – and so are you! ❤

Colorful Glass

On August 9, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

This puzzle was much more fun than I anticipated, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought; and finding all the different colors kept my mind engaged. I definitely recommend it!

It was great quality, which makes me very happy. I’ve worked some Milton Bradley puzzles lately with questionable quality, but this one was great. The pieces were a good thickness with a very nice feel. There were an excellent variety of shapes and the fit was great as well. Excellent all around quality. 👍

Mom has a White Mountain puzzle with a marble image, and I’ve never had the urge to assemble it at all. Usually they’re ones I stay away from. Having only 300 pieces, this marble puzzle seemed achievable – and it was! I can’t really say what my process was assembling this puzzle, because it’s one of those images where you don’t get to put together large sections at a time. It was great fun though.

Interestingly, I’m working on another marble image puzzle today and YIKES – it’s really difficult! I love the image itself, but the fact that it only has one piece shape makes it much harder than it would be otherwise. (I’m reviewing it, so don’t look for a favorable review – it won’t be getting one)