Category: Puzzle reviews

Review: The Typewriter

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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The Typewriter by William Doree – Clementoni – 500 pieces

The Typewriter is a gorgeous puzzle that took my breath away when I saw it, and although it seems very dark and difficult to assemble, it was a joy!

I don’t have a ton of experience working Clementoni puzzles, but the ones I’ve done have been impressive; the pieces are a good thickness, have a nice variety of piece shapes, and have a linen finish that feels good in your hands. The fit of this puzzle was a bit loose but still workable, though I did have to take care when moving small sections around the board. The image reproduction is crisp and clear with no fuzziness, and although it’s not an overly colorful picture it’s a fun image that I really enjoyed assembling. Clementoni has an excellent catalog of landscapes, illustrations, photography and fine art to choose from, click here to see all their puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.

I enjoyed this assembly very much, and though it looks dark there were not many pieces that were all black (not nearly as many as in Ruby Red!) The pieces were relatively easy to sort and assemble and the more I worked the more fun I had. It’s a little more difficult when you first begin sorting to know what everything is, but the more you assemble the more familiar you become with the pieces. I love old typewriters, and I’m so glad I got to assemble this puzzle – it was great fun! 👍

Details:

  • Title:                  The Typewriter
  • Artist:                William Doree
  • Brand:               Clementoni
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 19 x 14 in. (49 x 36 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Excellent
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Somewhat loose
  • Puzzle Dust:     Almost none
  • Piece cut:          Grid 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: Playing Cards

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Playing Cards by Charlie Girard – White Mountain – 1000 pieces

Playing Cards was a challenging collage that took a little more time than normal, but was really fun! The finished image is very pretty and would look great framed in a game room. I chose this puzzle to review, it just struck me when I saw it and looked like so much fun – and it was. 🃏

White Mountain puzzles are very good quality that can sometimes be hit or miss, but I had no issues with the quality of this puzzle except for the box image. There are 3 different places on the box image that were covered up, I really can’t stand that! If there’s one slightly covered up section it’s not so bad, but 3? Why?

In one corner was the “made in the USA” logo covering almost half of one card, the bottom center had the words “1000 piece puzzle” covering the bottom third of several cards. The top left corner had a sticker with White Mountain’s “happiness guarantee” that covered almost the entire corner card. I can’t speak for all puzzlers, but if the entire image were an inch smaller all the way around there would be plenty of room for all the extras and we could still see the entire image. Having the picture blocked in several places was extremely frustrating, especially for such a fun collage.

In my opinion, White Mountain has the best catalog of collages around; they are colorful and interesting, with subjects ranging from neon signs to fine wines and everything in between. (Collages are my favorite!) They also have fine art, historical, landscapes, educational maps, and much more. The quality is very good with thick pieces that fit together well, and good image reproduction. Click the link above to see all their beautiful puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.

There was a LOT of red in this image, which made it a bit of a challenge, but once I worked the other colors I had enough to work off of. There were so many interesting old cards to see and assemble, and lots of fun newer ones too. I love a collage – thank goodness there are so many great ones to choose from. 😎 This puzzle is definitely recommended.

Details:

  • Title:                  Playing Cards
  • Artist:                Charlie Girard
  • Brand:               White Mountain
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 24 x 30 in. (61 x 76 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Fair, image blocked in several places
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid 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: Root Beer Break at the Butterfields

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Root Beer Break at the Butterfields by Charles Wysocki – Buffalo Games – 300 pieces

This was such an interesting experiment for me – I was sent this puzzle to review, but I had previously assembled it. I purposely didn’t look at my post from last year until after I completed the puzzle; I didn’t want to know what I thought before, I wanted to assemble it fresh. So how did this puzzle do the second time around?

Root Beer Break at the Butterfields was an excellent, entertaining puzzle that I loved both times I assembled it. The image is different than the usual Wysocki, with a single building at the beach, and it’s a 300 large piece puzzle which I absolutely adore.

Buffalo puzzles are very good quality, and their 300 and 500 piece puzzles are my favorite sizes. The larger pieces are easier to handle, and fit together a little more snugly than their 1000 piece puzzles. They don’t have the signature Buffalo zig zag pieces, but the variety of shapes is still very good and the fit and image reproduction is great. Click the link above to see all the Buffalo puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse, they have some gorgeous puzzles ranging from 300 to 2000 pieces!

The pieces were very easy to sort and easy to assemble. The sky was the most challenging section, but there were plenty of clouds and color changes to help in finding the correct piece. The bright colors of the kites on the fence were fun to find and assemble and helped break up the fence and the sand. All around this was a quick, entertaining puzzle that was just as much fun the second time around!

*If you want to see what I thought the first time, click here.

Details:

  • Title:                  Root Beer Break at the Butterfields
  • Artist:                Charles Wysocki
  • Brand:               Buffalo
  • Piece count:     300 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 21 x 15 in. (54 x 38 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

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

 

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: Apple Pie Kitchen

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Cobble Hill Puzzles.
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Apple Pie Kitchen by Kip Richmond – Cobble Hill – 500 pieces

Apple Pie Kitchen is a gorgeous image, and was a fun puzzle to assemble. I love an old country kitchen, I think I may have been born too late to enjoy them though; I was raised in the age of hideous avocado colored refrigerators and enormous microwave ovens.

Cobble Hill Puzzles are excellent quality, and this puzzle was no exception. The pieces are a good thickness with a linen finish, the image reproduction is very good with beautiful colors and crisp lines. The cut is random, which I find makes for a fun and interesting assembly although some puzzlers find working with them more difficult; and the fit was excellent. Their catalog is varied, with plenty of different styles to choose from, and their new puzzles come with a poster to help with assembly. Click the link above to see all the Cobble Hill puzzles currently available at one of their preferred online retailers, Puzzle Warehouse.

This puzzle was a joy to assemble; I love the warm, homey feeling of the image. The random cut of the pieces kept me on my toes and completing each small section gave me a great sense of satisfaction. This puzzle is definitely recommended!

Details:

  • Title:                  Apple Pie Kitchen
  • Artist:                Kip Richmond
  • Brand:               Cobble Hill Puzzles
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 26 x 19 in. (69 x 48 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Very good, poster included
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Minimal amount
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Matte 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: Easter Eggs

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews1 Comment
This post is sponsored by Cobble Hill Puzzles.
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Easter Eggs – Cobble Hill Puzzles – 1000 pieces

I love collages, bright colors, cookies, and puzzles – it’s no wonder I loved Easter Eggs! It pushed all the right buttons for me and was one I had a hard time walking away from. For me, these are the most entertaining puzzles, and I loved figuring everything out piece by piece.

Cobble Hill Puzzles are excellent quality, with the only issue I’ve found being that the fit of their 1000 piece puzzles can be somewhat loose. It isn’t so much as to be overly annoying (not for me, anyway), but it is worth mentioning if you’re someone who prefers a tight fit. I puzzle on a fabric covered board, so the loose fit isn’t as much a problem for me. All other areas of quality I find to be excellent, and I never hesitate to purchase a Cobble Hill puzzle. Click the link above to see all of their puzzles currently available from one of their preferred online retailers, Puzzle Warehouse.

I think this was my first Easter puzzle, though I can’t be sure; my memory isn’t what it used to be. I assembled Cobble Hill’s Sugar Skull Cookies last year and had a great time with it, and was looking forward to assembling Easter Eggs – I wasn’t disappointed. The pieces are easy to sort and the random cut was interesting to assemble. I enjoy taking a bunch of similarly colored pieces and figuring out how they fit together. I don’t need the box to tell me anything, I’m figuring it out on my own. This is basically the thing that all puzzlers enjoy, putting the image back together. Collages like this are the most fun for me because it’s like assembling many mini puzzles all connected together.

I highly recommend this puzzle, it was great fun to assemble and has me looking forward to working on the rest of their cookie series – Halloween Cookies, Ugly Christmas Sweaters, and there’s another Easter puzzle called Easter Cookies (mostly the same cookies in a different pattern – looks like fun!) They also have one called Christmas Bake Sale, but it looks like a little bit too much of a challenge for me!

Details:

  • Title:                   Easter Eggs
  • Artist:                 Photography by Jo-Ann Richards
  • Brand:                Cobble Hill Puzzles
  • Piece Count:      1000 pieces
  • Size:                    Approx. 27 x 19 in. (69 x 48 cm)
  • Purchased:        N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:                   Very good
  • Cutting:                 Very good
  • Image:                   Excellent
  • Box:                       Very good, poster included
  • Fit:                          Somewhat loose
  • Puzzle dust:          Minimal amount
  • Piece cut:              Random cut
  • Piece shapes:       Very good variety
  • Finish:                   Matte finish, lays flat

Overall rating:              Very good quality, 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.