Category: Puzzle reviews

Review: Yoga Dogs

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Yoga Dogs – Eurographics – 1000 pieces

Yoga Dogs was so much fun to assemble, and the first 1000 piece puzzle I assembled this month. I’ve been having so much trouble sitting to puzzle that most of the puzzles I’ve put together have been 500 pieces or less. This one took a while, but was completely worth it.

One thing I’ve noticed with Eurographics puzzles is the obvious piece shapes in the finished image. It doesn’t really affect the enjoyment of assembly for me, but if you’re looking to frame a finished puzzle it’s something to consider. I have found though, that if you glue the puzzle before framing it reduces the appearance of the piece shapes. The glue fills in some of the space and the image doesn’t seem as chopped up.

Eurographics have an excellent catalog, including some fascinating educational puzzles along with landscapes, fine art, interesting collages, and much more. They are made from good quality chipboard and are randomly cut which gives a very good variety of piece shapes. The image reproduction is very good with a slightly shiny finish that can cause glare under artificial lights. Check out all the Eurographics puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse. There are plenty of great images to choose from, even a 300 piece Yoga Puppies puzzle that looks so precious!

The assembly was relatively easy, I separated out all the pieces with letters or words and also all the background colors. It was simple to assemble each colored background and place it in the frame, and once all the colors were put together finishing off all the dogs and fur was the most challenging part. All in all it was quite an entertaining puzzle and if you’re a fan of dogs or collages I definitely recommend it. 🐶

Details:

  • Title:                  Yoga Dogs
  • Artist:                Unknown
  • Brand:               Eurographics
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 19 x 27 in. (49 x 68 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Slightly loose
  • 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: Ladybugs

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Ladybugs by Michael Searle – MasterPieces – 100 pieces

Ladybugs is a bright, beautiful puzzle that’s fun to assemble but not too easy. It would be a great challenge for a young one in your life, or even for you if you’re so inclined. 🙂

MasterPieces puzzles can be hit or miss quality sometimes, but for the most part I find them to be quite good. They have a varied catalog of beautiful images and interesting series to choose from, and great prices too. The pieces are a good thickness and fit together very well. There are a nice variety of piece shapes, and the image reproduction is absolutely gorgeous! Click to see all the MasterPieces puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse.

I love a good glow in the dark image, but you have to deal with the somewhat grainy feel of the pieces that glow. Whatever they use to add the phosphors (luminescent material) feels like very, very find sand. If you have tactile issues, be warned – glow puzzles may not be for you.

I’m a big supporter of giving children puzzles, they’re excellent for helping develop essential skills every child needs. Problem solving, spatial awareness, fine motor skills, reasoning, sequencing and many other skills are developed when solving jigsaw puzzles – and as an added bonus they’re really fun and great for family bonding! I have wonderful memories of assembling jigsaw puzzles with my grandma, my mom, my husband, and my children. Even in this crazy world of 24/7 information and electronics, having time to sit and talk and work on a puzzle together is a must for me – it’s so much nicer than staring at your phone or the television!

Ladybugs was a fun assembly, but wasn’t as quick as the average 100 piece puzzle. The greenery in the background added to the challenge, and the sheer number of ladybugs kept me on my toes. Having different shapes helped in finding the right pieces, the bright colors helped as well. Even though it was a small piece count I found it to be the right amount of difficulty; it’s definitely recommended.

Check out all the kids puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse – they’ve got tray puzzles, block puzzles, floor puzzles, and many more to choose from. From 3 pieces all the way up to 1000 or more, there are tons of puzzles for kids or for the kid in you. 😎

Details:

  • Title:                  Ladybugs
  • Artist:                Michael Searle
  • Brand:               MasterPieces
  • Piece count:     100 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 15 x 12 in. (39 x 29 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, somewhat grainy feel, 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: Ah-Ha to Zig-Zag

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Ah-Ha to Zig-Zag by Maira Kalman – Mudpuppy – 300 pieces

Ah-Ha to Zig-Zag is a fantastic collage that I had the best time assembling! It’s quite a different image – it’s based on the illustrated book featuring 31 interesting objects from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. I couldn’t resist it, you know how much I love a collage!

This is my first puzzle from Mudpuppy, and I liked the quality very much. The pieces are a good thickness, and they are made from extremely sturdy board that does not bend or flake easily – no puzzle dust at all! The fit and image reproduction is very good as well, and overall I was impressed with the quality. I do wish that there was more variety in the piece shape, as all the pieces are what I call “ballerinas” (2 prong/2 hole standard puzzle shape). It’s not too much of a problem when you have a colorful interesting image like this one, but can be difficult when the image has large areas of color like the sky or water. Click the link above to see all of their puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse.

I’ve been doing a lot of 300 and 500 piece puzzles lately, and have come to enjoy them very much. They’re a great palate cleanser after a larger puzzle, or just fun on their own when you don’t have the time or space for a puzzle of 1000 pieces or more. If you normally only work 1000 piece or larger puzzles, I recommend giving a smaller one a try every once in a while. They’re great fun, and can give you a boost of confidence – I finished that puzzle so fast, I must be becoming a puzzle master! 😎

Collages are my favorite type of puzzle images, it’s like having many mini puzzles to assemble. Even if I only have a few minutes to puzzle I can still find and assemble a small section and feel as though I’ve accomplished something. Click here to see all the interesting collages from many different companies available at Puzzle Warehouse – there are so many to choose from that there’s something for everyone.

This puzzle was a joy from start to finish. The border of the image made the edge pieces easy to find, but it wasn’t too thick which can sometimes make it very challenging to assemble. The blocks of color helped with the sorting as well, and even though it was a relatively easy assembly I was never bored. Mudpuppy puzzles are a little on the pricey side, but the quality is very good and they have many unique images that you won’t find with other companies. And aren’t we worth it? I think we are! 😉

Details:

  • Title:                  Ah-Ha to Zig-Zag
  • Artist:                Maira Kalman
  • Brand:               Mudpuppy
  • Piece count:     300 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 14 x 18 in. (35 x 45 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Excellent, hinged metal tin
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     None
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   All one shape, 2 prong/2 hole
  • 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: Heart of the Garden

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Heart of the Garden by Nancy Wernersbach – Sunsout – 200 pieces

Heart of the Garden is a beautiful shaped puzzle that was just the right amount of challenging – I enjoyed the assembly very much.

Shaped puzzles are quite fun in my opinion; I enjoy the added difficulty of not having straight edges, but it’s still a jigsaw puzzle and I know how to do those! I can’t seem to break myself from trying to find and assemble the edges first even though it’s not the quickest way to work a shaped puzzle. It doesn’t really matter though, as long as I’m having fun I’m doing it right. Have you tried a shaped puzzle? There are so many interesting shapes and images to choose from. You can start small with less than 100 pieces, or go big with 1000 – it’s all up to you. Click to check out all the shaped puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.

Sunsout puzzles are very good quality, and they have the largest catalog of shaped puzzles that I’ve found. The pieces are a good thickness with a nice variety of shapes, and they fit together very well. Sometimes the fit of their puzzles is very tight but I found the fit of this puzzle to be just about perfect. I found a piece or two that was slightly bent, but these things happen with shipping and storage; it took no effort to put them right and the image looks perfect to me. Click the link above to see all of their puzzles in stock now at Puzzle Warehouse, both shaped and straight-edged.

The beautiful colors in this image are what drew me in, it’s really quite striking and made for an interesting and entertaining assembly. As usual I tried to start with the edges, because I’m stubborn as a mule and that’s how I have to do things. It’s more difficult with a shaped puzzle – not only because the edges are shaped, but because the actual shape can be moved and manipulated and you never get it just right until the interior pieces are put in. It keeps my brain cells working and keeps me completely absorbed in the assembly till the last piece – puzzle meditation. It’s a gorgeous image and the assembly was great, I definitely recommend this puzzle!

Details:

  • Title:                  Heart of the Garden
  • Artist:                Nancy Wernersbach
  • Brand:               Sunsout
  • Piece count:     200 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 11 x 18 in. (28 x 46 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Good
  • Cutting:             Good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average, quite large for a 200 piece puzzle
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • 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: Preamble

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Preamble by Mike Wilkins – Pomegranate – 1000 pieces

Preamble is a beautiful, interesting puzzle that I can’t recommend enough – I had the best time assembling it! It’s a little more challenging than I thought, but it never became tiresome or frustrating; it was fun for me to the very last piece.

I first bought this puzzle last year as a gift for my favorite sister-in-law; she had many family members coming to stay at her house for several days (including my husband and myself) and I sent ahead a hostess gift of a couple of jigsaw puzzles. When there’s a puzzle in progress it’s difficult not to stop and look, and you end up adding pieces if you can – before long people are working together, talking, laughing and really enjoying themselves. I was hoping the puzzles would help take the pressure off feeling as though her guests needed to be entertained all the time, and they absolutely did – we entertained ourselves and enjoyed the time spent together. ❤

Although we weren’t able to assemble this puzzle on our visit, I loved the look of it so much that I wanted one for myself. When it came time to pick a few puzzles for review I jumped at the chance to take this one off of my wishlist. I was not disappointed; it was tougher than I thought (especially when it was only white license plates left) but always entertaining.

Pomegranate puzzles are the cream of the crop in my book, the quality is superb. The pieces are wonderfully thick, fit together exceptionally well, and there are a very good variety of piece shapes. The image reproduction is lovely, with a matte finish that reduces glare; and even the boxes are sturdy and gorgeous. As an added bonus, the puzzles come in a resealable plastic bag for storage and the image of the puzzle on the front of the box is complete and unobstructed – we puzzlers love the extra details like these that make things easier! Click the link above to see all their puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse, they’ve got a gorgeous catalog of images to choose from.

If you haven’t looked closely, the 51 license plates in this puzzle from the 50 states and Washington, DC phonetically spell out the preamble to the US constitution in abbreviated “license speak”. They wouldn’t make sense on their own, but together in alphabetical order they re-create the beginning of one of America’s most famous documents. What an interesting and well-executed idea!

If you’re a fan of collages, or just interesting images that make for entertaining puzzles I highly recommend Preamble. It’s a bit challenging, but only in a fun way if you ask me – too easy can be so boring!

Details:

  • Title:                  Preamble
  • Artist:                Mike Wilkins
  • Brand:               Pomegranate
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 25 x 25 in. (64 x 64 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Excellent
  • Cutting:             Excellent
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Excellent
  • Fit:                     Excellent
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Matte finish, lays flat

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.