Review: The Nutcracker

On December 9, 2018December 9, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments

The Nutcracker is a beautiful image and puzzle, and although there was a slight quality issue I enjoyed it’s assembly very much. It’s the first puzzle of this brand that I’ve tried, and I was impressed.

JaCaRou Puzzles are a relatively new brand to the market, but I have to say for someone like myself who enjoys bright, interesting artwork they have an amazing catalog! All the artwork is done by Anie Maltais, who also the owner of the company. I surprised myself by choosing this Christmas image with all the other gorgeous, colorful puzzles they have, but something about this one spoke to me that day.

The pieces are a good thickness and quite sturdy with a very good variety of shapes that fit together well. I had some damaged pieces along with an image reproduction problem (the filigree along the edges was very blurry in contrast to the rest of the puzzle). I admit I was disappointed, but my email to the company prompted an unbelievably fast reply from Anie herself; and the excellent customer service I received leads me to believe that my damaged puzzle was an anomaly. I won’t hesitate to try another JaCaRou.

The puzzle comes in a special edition book box of very nice quality, with what seems to be a switch to turn on a small “music box” that I’m assuming plays The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. It didn’t work (dead batteries), but I’m not holding that against them – it’s a great idea!

I started out assembling this puzzle in bed, on my trays. It went together pretty darn quickly.

Trayed puzzling

Now that it’s been moved to the board and filled in some it’s looking fantastic.

The Nutcracker 1

The top edge was easy to distinguish from the rest of the edges, and went together quite easily. The cord down the center was a little more of a challenge, but not too much so.

The Nutcracker 2

The filigree pattern around the edges was the most difficult part for me, but I love the look of the puzzle as a whole – all that’s left now are the edges!

The Nutcracker 3

Close-up of the presents under the tree…

The Nutcracker 4

The beautiful colors and patterns on these presents make me want to try one of the other JaCaRou puzzles with the bright artwork, the only problem is which one to choose. 😉 I’m leaning towards either Hearts of Glass or Home Sweet Home. I can’t decide!

Details:

Title: The Nutcracker
Artist: Anie Maltais
Brand: JaCaRou
Piece count: 1000 pieces
Size: Approx. 27 x 20 in. (70 x 50 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Very good
Image: Good, blurry filigree
Box: Excellent, book box
Fit: Very good
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Very good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish

Overall Rating: Very good, recommended

**I don’t normally contact companies about small quality problems, things happen. It’s been my experience though that puzzles with specialty packaging have their own unique problems and are sometimes manufactured at different facilities. I thought that JaCaRou should be made aware of the quality issues I had, especially because of the packaging; I believe the damaged pieces were most likely the result of how they were placed in the box. Anie was apologetic, and graciously offered to replace either the damaged pieces or the entire puzzle (I declined both). She was also appreciative that I mentioned the fuzzy border, so that she can address the issue. I love that she cares so much about making sure the puzzles she produces are the best quality they can be, and that she took so much of her time to correspond with me about resolving any problems.

Review: Oh My, What a Pie!

On November 9, 2018November 9, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews4 Comments

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

This was the most difficult puzzle so far from the Sweet & Salty multipack. It took me at least 10 times longer than a 300 piece normally does. Wow. And I have to say it looks amazingly real – if it were also a scented puzzle I wouldn’t be able to keep my son away from it!

Again, I’m naming these myself as they aren’t named on the box or in the foldout poster enclosed. I started the first few with just plain, boring, descriptive names like Donut and Macaroons. Yawn. Then I decided to punch it up a bit with What, No Chocolate?! and today’s Oh My, What a Pie! I’m hoping to keep finding more fun and interesting names, and perhaps I’ll come up with some enigmatic, bizarre sounding name that has absolutely nothing to do with the picture. 😁

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.

This image was quite difficult, and had me working it completely differently than I normally would. I started off by separating all the pieces by shape, which is something I usually only do near the end of the puzzle or when there are large areas of one color. It doesn’t look as though it would be so challenging, but it really was! So much so that it overwhelmed me and I set it aside for several days and only worked on it a few pieces at a time.

As usual though, the closer you get to the end, the more you get excited to finish and see the entire puzzle completed. It’s not an easy one, but I was so proud when it was done! If you enjoy a challenge, consider the Sweet & Salty multipack by Ceaco, I’m enjoying it very much! 4 down, 4 to go. 👍

Details:

Title: Oh My, What a Pie!
Artist: iStock
Brand: Ceaco
Piece count: 300 pieces
Size: Approx. 14 in. (36 cm)
Purchased: N/A, sent for review

Quality:

Board: Good
Cutting: Good
Image: Very good
Box: Average, 8 puzzles in 1 box
Fit: Very good
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: Hot Air Balloons

On November 6, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews3 Comments

This picture just doesn’t do this puzzle justice, the colors are so bright and beautiful! You know how I love a collage, so imagine my happiness at finding such a colorful, interesting image. 😍

This was my first Hennessy puzzle, I was impressed and enjoyed it very much! The quality was very good, with thick pieces that fit together well, a random cut that kept things interesting, and lovely image reproduction. The colors really are something! In general the quality is very similar to Cobble Hill puzzles; the chipboard used, the cut of the pieces, and the fit are all very much alike.

There were some pieces not completely separated from each other, and the piece shape is quite evident in the finished image – which isn’t great if you want to display the puzzle after assembly. Having only assembled one Hennessy puzzle, I cannot say whether this is typical of this brand or is just because my puzzle was cut with a die that was becoming dull. I always try to err on the side of positivity, so until I work more puzzles from this brand I will say it was most likely a puzzle from the end of a run.

Hot Air Balloons was so entertaining to put together! It’s a bit surprising because I normally stay clear of hot air balloon puzzles. There are so many balloon puzzles, and the images for the most part seem so similar – they’re just not my thing. I’ve done a few, and they were fun to assemble; but when looking at puzzles to purchase I usually skip right over the hot air balloons. This image, however, is very different. And a collage! 💖

These are 3 of my favorites, but honestly, I loved them all! Each background was so different, each balloon was so fun – for me this is a perfect image for puzzling, and it made me very, very happy. Every time I look at it I start singing a song in my head from The 5th Dimension (from the late 1960’s) ….. 🎶Up, up and away in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon🎶

Hot Air Balloons is definitely recommended, I absolutely adored it!

Details:

Title: Hot Air Balloons
Artist: Vida Random
Brand: Hennessy Puzzles
Piece count: 1000 pieces
Size: Approx. 19 x 27 in. (49 x 68 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Very good
Image: Excellent
Box: Good
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

Review: Viva le Vinyl

On October 27, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

Viva Le Vinyl by Aimee Stewart – Ravensburger – 500 pieces

This bright, entertaining image was great fun to assemble and went together even more quickly than I thought it would. Aimee Stewart’s use of colors makes putting together her puzzles, for me, an absolute joy!

It doesn’t look like it from the picture, but there are a lot of words to assemble. All the background, everything all the records and paraphernalia are sitting on are concert tickets, record covers, notebook pages, etc. Words, words, and more words! You know how much I love that. 🙂

To be honest, this image scared me a little bit, and I put off assembling it for quite a while. I love the artwork of Aimee Stewart so much, but all the black of the vinyl records had me thinking this might not be as fun to assemble as her other images have been for me. As dumb as it sounds, I didn’t want to have a less than awesome experience with one of her puzzles! I shouldn’t have worried, it was great fun and went together so quickly because I couldn’t seem to keep myself from adding just one more piece or finishing just one more section. I loved it!

Details:

Title: Viva le Vinyl
Artist: Aimee Stewart
Brand: Ravensburger
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 20 x 14 in. (49 x 36 cm)
Purchased: Used, thrift store

Quality:

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

Overall Rating: Very good, recommended

Review: Rainbow Marbles

On October 23, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Rainbow Marbles by Julie Seabrook – Galison – 500 pieces

I am a fan of color blend puzzles like this image; unfortunately, this one was a bit disappointing for me. When mom brought her recent thrift store purchases for me to look at and I saw this one I was so excited to start assembling it. I love the image! Galison puzzles, sadly, have just the one piece shape – what I call ballerinas (2 prongs, 2 holes). The lack of variety made this puzzle more difficult and less entertaining for me. And I wanted so much to like it! 😕

Many people are only concerned with the image itself, and the puzzle doesn’t need to have premium quality to entertain. I am sometimes the same way; if the image is fun for me I can overlook quality issues that might drive me crazy with an image that, for me, is less entertaining. Rainbow Marbles is perhaps the exception that proves the rule – although I love the artwork on this puzzle, it was still a disappointing assembly for me because of the piece shape. That said, I am still recommending it for others who might only be looking for a great image.

Galison puzzles have good quality board that is thick, and the pieces fit together well. The image reproduction is excellent, with sharp focus and no blurring or fuzziness and a slightly shiny finish. I don’t normally comment on boxes unless they are exceptional in my opinion, but the box with this puzzle was extremely sturdy and well made. The lack of variety in piece shape may be problem for some, but if the image is one that you like it may not be a concern for you.

All reviews are just opinions. I try to at least be as objective as I can, and even though a puzzle image or quality may not be my taste, I try to give a detailed accounting of those things that I feel other puzzlers may want to know. We can’t all love the same puzzles for the same reasons. If variety in piece shape isn’t as big a deal for you and you love this image, I’m confident in recommending this puzzle. It’s got good quality, and it really is a beautiful picture!

Details:

Title: Rainbow Marbles
Artist: Julie Seabrook
Brand: Galison
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 20 x 20 in. (51 x 51 cm)
Purchased: Used, thrift store

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Good
Image: Excellent
Box: Sturdy
Fit: Very good
Puzzle Dust: Moderate amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Poor, no variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Good, recommended

Rainbow Marbles was assembled in August, but got lost temporarily due to my old lady brain or medication fog. Usually once I finish a puzzle and take pictures I do three things; 1) the image is put onto the completed puzzles page for that month, 2) I start a new blog post page and put all pictures there also with a few notes about the assembly (and puzzle info if I’m writing a review), and 3) I add the pieces and puzzle to the running total for the year.

I’ve usually got 2 weeks worth of puzzles already completed and waiting to be written up and posted, so I didn’t really notice that I messed up one of those steps. When I thought I was starting a new blog post page, I clicked the wrong button and started a whole new page for the site (like one of the monthly completed puzzles pages). Since puzzles normally don’t get published right away it was saved as a draft, but not with all the other post drafts of other puzzles.

It wasn’t until last week when I was starting to write up new site pages for brand reviews that I noticed this little guy hanging out in the site pages drafts where he wasn’t supposed to be! How could I have missed this for 2 months? And if I hadn’t decided to start writing reviews of puzzle brands how long would it have been before I found this little guy? Heaven only knows!