Category: Puzzle reviews

Review: What, No Chocolate!?

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews1 Comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
Fruit
What, No Chocolate!?- Ceaco – 500 pieces

I thought this puzzle would be pretty easy. Once again, I thought wrong. This puzzle, which I have named “What, No Chocolate!?” is another from the 8-in-1 multipack called Sweet & Salty. I was going to name it something mysterious and weird, but when it came time to think of something my mind went blank! It isn’t an enigmatic name, but it makes me smile, and it’s a little more creative than just “Fruit”. 😉

This particular puzzle looks so inviting and fun to assemble on the box, and it was! Although it was more of a challenge than I anticipated it was still great fun. The bright colors of the fruits helped in the sorting, but it wasn’t as quick and easy as I thought it would be. I was going to start with the blackberries, but once the puzzle was sorted I changed my mind and started with the cut orange. I had to just go with my gut and assemble it as it played out, not with a set strategy. It’s a great image, and looks amazing once complete!

Ceaco puzzles have a great selection of images to choose from, although sometimes I find the quality to be lacking. The quality of these puzzles has been better than I expected, especially from a multipack. The fit is excellent, the images are beautifully reproduced, and the pieces are a good thickness. Sometimes the chipboard is fanning on the backs of the pieces, and there are some that aren’t cut all the way through; overall though, the quality is good. Click the link above to see their puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse.

Puzzle Warehouse has so many puzzles to choose from, in so many different categories! If you’re a fan of food & drink puzzles, click the link to see the pages and pages of awesome choices. They have so many interesting collages of different foods that I’ve added several to my wishlist (which is getting way out of hand). There’s a gorgeous 2000 piece Springbok called Tin of Treats that looks like so much fun – with some of the same chocolates from a puzzle I completed last year called Chocolate Artistry. Gorgeous!

I’m having a great time with these food puzzles and have started assembling another from this box. It’s more difficult than all the others so far, and it may take me a while to get it done – but it’s going to look so cool when it’s finished! What, No Chocolate!? was a fun challenge and it’s definitely recommended. This Sweet & Salty box has been very entertaining so far!

Details:

  • Title:                  What, No Chocolate!?
  • Artist:                iStock
  • Brand:               Ceaco
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 14 x 18 in. (36 x 46 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Good
  • Cutting:             Good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average, 8 puzzles in 1 box
  • Fit:                     Excellent
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Good, 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.

Review: Chocolate Sensation

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
IMG_5132
Chocolate Sensation by Ali Mocabee – Springbok – 400 pieces

With my favorite candy holiday coming up in just a couple of weeks, what better time to assemble some candy puzzles? Chocolate Sensation is the first family puzzle from Springbok that I’ve put together – it was very entertaining, and quite unusual too!

I’ve put together family puzzles from several different manufacturers, and find them engaging and fun to assemble. If you’re not familiar with a family puzzle, they have small, medium, and large pieces in the same box so that the whole family can work together to assemble the puzzle. I enjoy them very much even though I’m working solo most of the time. Puzzle Warehouse has family puzzles from many different companies, with many images to choose from; Click here to see all the family puzzles currently in stock.

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For the most part, family puzzles are set up the same way; with all the large pieces on one side, medium pieces in the middle, and smallest on the other edge. I found it interesting that this puzzle was set up completely differently; the largest pieces were on the outside (the entire edge), with the pieces getting smaller towards the center. I don’t have a preference for how family puzzles are set up, I just found it curious that this is the first time I’ve seen this. Although if the family is supposed to work together on the assembly, perhaps this isn’t the best configuration. Most people assemble puzzles starting with the edge, so once the edge and the first inside row are completed the kids would be done; all that would be left is for the adults to continue working towards the center. Just my opinion, of course.

Springbok puzzles are good quality, with thick pieces that fit together very well (if at times too tightly for my taste), and beautiful image reproduction. The random cut keeps you on your toes, and the interesting shapes mean you never get bored. Their catalog is varied with everything from Americana to sweets and holidays; piece counts start at 36 pieces for their Alzheimer’s puzzles to 2000 pieces for the very brave! Check out all the Springbok puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse, you’re sure to find something interesting and beautiful.

The assembly wasn’t as difficult as I was thinking it would be, and it went together pretty quickly. The M & M’s weren’t as much of a challenge as I thought they’d be, and the chocolate non-pareils were much more challenging than I assumed! It was an extremely tight fit (which I’m not a fan of), so much so that I was able to take my usual standing-on-it’s-edge picture…

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Overall, I enjoyed Chocolate Sensation and had fun working with the 3 different sizes of pieces. The image is bright and colorful, and has me looking forward to the day AFTER Halloween, when all the candy is 50% off! 🙂

Details:

  • Title:                  Chocolate Sensation
  • Artist:                Ali Mocabee
  • Brand:               Springbok
  • Piece count:     400 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 21 x 27 in. (53 x 69 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

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

Overall Rating:      Very good, 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.

Review: Cow Parade

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
Cow Parade
Cow Parade – Cobble Hill – 1000 pieces

Cow Parade was a wonderfully entertaining puzzle that made me happy with each piece that I put into it. The collage aspect made it so much fun for me, and the interesting artwork on the cows was beautiful (and sometimes very funny).

Cobble Hill Puzzles are very well made, and I find their quality to be very good. The pieces are a good thickness, with an excellent variety of shapes that fit together well. The image reproduction is excellent, with bright, beautiful colors and crisp lines. The finish is linen-covered, which has a great feel in your hands. Even their boxes are covered with linen and have a luxurious feel to them. Click the link above to see at the Cobble Hill Puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse, they have an excellent catalog of puzzles to choose from. (check out Red from their rainbow collection of collages in 7 different colors – I want them all!)

The fit can sometimes be loose, making it difficult to move smaller sections around, but I don’t find it to be too much so. The piece shapes can be very prominent in the finished image, which is not optimal if you wish to display it; but I find that it doesn’t make the assembly any less fun. Most times, applying glue to a puzzle can lessen the appearance of the piece shapes.

This puzzle is a collection of some of the cows designed and decorated by artists all over the globe for CowParade, the world’s largest and most successful public art event. Over $20 million dollars has been raised by charitable organizations all over the world by the auctioning of the cows. Wow!

It was such great fun, I enjoyed learning about the charity/art installation, and I loved assembling every single cow. They all were beautiful in their own way, but these are my favorites…

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Jacques Moosteau, he made me laugh out loud! The writing is so small that it’s difficult to see the information for each of the cows; the title, artist, and city of display was listed near each one.

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This gorgeous head of hair is worn by Woodstock, he’s got quite the outfit on, and I love the rose colored glasses!

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This interesting beauty is Homage to Picowso’s African Period, perfection!

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This one was so much fun to assemble, the bike made it larger and a bit more challenging than his other friends. He is Lait Triporteur, which I found means basically Milk Scooter (a triporteur is the name for the 3-wheeled cargo bike shown). I learned a new word in addition to having a great time!

I specifically chose this puzzle to review, because I’d had my eye on it for a while; it was on my wish list at Puzzle Warehouse for quite some time – it just looked like so much fun. I was hoping that it would be, and I was absolutely right! I love to find puzzles like this for review, ones I think will be entertaining and well made that give me the chance to let others know about them.

Cow Parade was a great quality puzzle that was extremely entertaining to assemble. I found it to be about medium difficulty, there aren’t as many plain white pieces as you’d think. I absolutely loved it – and it’s highly recommended. Moo! 🐄

Details:

  • Title:                  Cow Parade
  • Artist:                Cow Parade Holdings
  • Brand:               Cobble Hill
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 27 x 19 in. (68 x 49 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Good, sturdy
  • Fit:                     Good, slightly loose
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      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.

Review: Queen Anne’s Revenge

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Puzzle reviews5 Comments
This post is sponsored by CubicFun.
Queen Anne's Revenge
Queen Anne’s Revenge – CubicFun – 340 pieces

While not technically a jigsaw puzzle, Queen Anne’s Revenge (Blackbeard’s ship) is a 3D puzzle/model. It was unbelievably challenging for me (being new to this type of puzzling), but I’m super proud that hubby and I were able to complete it together, and my son is thrilled that he’s going to be able to keep it in his room. It was fun, sometimes frustrating, but completely worth it – it’s GORGEOUS!

CubicFun contacted me asking if I’d be interested in reviewing one of their 3D puzzles, and I was more than happy to give it a try. I love all things “puzzle”! I’ve completed puzzle balls, but this would be my first 3D puzzle that wasn’t an orb. I probably should have chosen one that was a little easier on the difficulty scale, like a building, skyline, or even one of their smaller ships; but the pirate ship just spoke to me when I saw it. It’s the one that looked like the most fun to me – good thing it was! They have many 3D puzzles in their catalog, from very easy to very complex. Click the link above to see their store at Amazon and all the puzzles they carry. (CubicFun is a Chinese company specializing in 3D puzzles)

Since this puzzle has only 340 pieces, I assumed it would be no problem at all to assemble it – I was very wrong. Apparently the puzzle I chose was an 8 on the complexity scale. Oh my. My frustrations with this puzzle had nothing to do with it’s quality, only with my brain and my ability to understand and process the instructions (new meds had me feeling fuzzy and unable to think until I got used to the side effects). The quality of the pieces is excellent, most especially the quality of the sails; they’re some sort paper, but softer and much sturdier. The pieces themselves are made of EPS foam board (no tools are required) , and are much stronger than I thought they would be. From my novice standpoint, the quality is excellent.

Hubby suggested that the tabs be a bit longer (in places where it wouldn’t affect the aesthetics), and my suggestion is to be a little more clear about the order of the assembly. Of course, I am new to models and their instructions and chose one of much higher difficulty; perhaps if I’d assembled more of them and was more up to the task it wouldn’t have been so frustrating for me.

This ship is one of their LED enhanced puzzles; it’s beautiful in the light and breathtaking in the dark! I kept turning the lights on and off once I finished to take in the effect – I’m so in love with this ship and so proud that I got it done! (with a little help from the hubby) It’s harder to capture the effect well in a picture, but I did my best…

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The little details are amazing, with even the smallest pieces being accurate; the decorative accents make for a lovely finished image. Check out the front and back of the ship…

It also comes with a stand and nameplate that you build for it, they both make it seem even more beautiful and authentic in my opinion…

And what self-respecting pirate ship would be complete without a Jolly Roger? It’s one of my favorite parts of this puzzle/model. There are also lighted stairs, cannons in each of the gun ports on the sides, and even a tiny little bench near the helm for weary pirates to rest their tired feet when they’re steering the ship!

The puzzle also came with a gift of a small 3D puzzle of the Empire State Building. Look for that post in the next couple of weeks!

This puzzle was complex, interesting, frustrating, and engaging; and I couldn’t be happier with the results. If you’re a fan of models or 3D puzzles, and you’re a little more experienced with them than I am and think you’re up to the challenge – Queen Anne’s Revenge is definitely recommended.

Are ye brave enough? Arrr! ☠💀☠

Details:

  • Title:                  Queen Anne’s Revenge (Blackbeard’s Ship)
  • Artist:                N/A
  • Brand:               CubicFun
  • Piece count:     340 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 27 x 25 in. (68 x 64 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Excellent
  • Cutting:             Excellent, easy to detach without breaking or bending
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Very good, quite sturdy
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     N/A
  • Piece cut:          N/A
  • Piece shapes:   N/A
  • Finish:               N/A

Overall Rating:      Excellent, 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.

Review: Macaroons

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews1 Comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
Macaroons
Macaroons – Ceaco – 500 pieces

All the puzzles in this 8-in-1 box of Sweet & Salty foods are nameless, so I’ve been naming them as I finish each review. Obviously, this one is named Macaroons – I know, I’m being less than creative. Perhaps I’ll name the next one something enigmatic and weird; something that has nothing to do with the food shown on the puzzle. That’ll be fun to come up with!

This puzzle was one of the reasons I chose this 8-in-1 box to review. I love the look of it and hoped it would be great fun, thankfully I was right. I love the pastels (even though I usually prefer bright colors), and I finished the puzzle in one day. Usually I have to break it up over several days; but I was enjoying myself so much and was so absorbed in the puzzle that the pain that normally interferes seemed almost muted. It’s an amazing gift when puzzling can do that for me. 🎁

Ceaco puzzles have a great selection of images to choose from, although sometimes I find the quality to be lacking. The quality of these puzzles has been better than I expected, especially from a multipack. The fit is excellent, the images are beautifully reproduced, and the pieces are a good thickness. Sometimes the chipboard is fanning on the backs of the pieces, and there are some that aren’t cut all the way through; overall though, the quality is good. Click the link above to see their puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse.

I’ve assembled 3 of the puzzles from this box so far, and I feel confident in recommending them; the quality is better than expected, and for $16.99 for 8 puzzles you just can’t go wrong. The box contains 2 300-piece, 4 500-piece, and 1 each 750 and 1000 piece puzzles – it’s quite a good value and I’m having a wonderful time assembling them!

Macaroons gets 2 cookies way up, and a glass of milk too!🍪🍪🥛

Details:

  • Title:                  “Macaroons”
  • Artist:                iStock
  • Brand:               Ceaco
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 14 x 18 in. (36 x 46 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Good
  • Cutting:             Good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average, 8 puzzles in 1 box
  • Fit:                     Excellent
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Good, 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.