Crafty

On March 4, 2019March 4, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles4 Comments

This was an extremely entertaining thrift store find! There were 2 missing pieces, but it didn’t detract much from the assembly. With all the bright colors and interesting patterns it kept me happy for a couple of days. 🙂

The quality was good, with an excellent fit. The pieces are a little thinner than your premium brands, but not nearly as thin and flexible as the cheapest ones. I never hesitate buying Re-marks puzzles, in my opinion they’re a good middle-of-the-road quality puzzle and they have some beautiful images to work. Everyone has their own preferences though, and the only real way to know is to try them yourself.

I loved assembling the basket of yarn, and made myself wait for that part until almost the very end.

Crafty 1

Many times I try to hold off on what I think will be the most entertaining section until the end of the puzzle. I don’t want to get the best part done too early and then peter out with filling in the rest. I needn’t have worried with this one though, I had a great time with the whole thing!

The Wedding Shop

On March 3, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles4 Comments

This is the second time I have assembled this image. The first time it was named Rue L’Amour , was made by Cobble Hill, and was 500 pieces. The assembly was lovely both times, but I think I preferred the Cobble Hill only because it had more pieces and was a little more of a challenge.

They were both excellent quality puzzles. FX Schmid has (mostly) Ravensburger quality with a wonderful fit and beautiful image reproduction. I think this is the first 300 piece from this brand that I’ve worked, and it was quite nice. There was the slightest bit of warping on the pieces, but I live in the land of humidity so it’s difficult to say whether or not that played any part in it.

The Wedding Shop 1

John O’Brien really captures the dreamy quality of wedding gowns in a bridal shop in this image, it’s just beautiful.

Afternoon at the Park

On February 28, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles8 Comments

Such an adorable puzzle! It’s also an image with hidden animals, some you can see in the image as it is, and some you can only see when you look at the glow in the dark image. Most of the glow was no longer visible, even after sitting it outside in the sun for about 20 minutes there was almost no glow at all. It doesn’t really matter though, it was still a cute puzzle that was entertaining to assemble.

The quality was quite good, it had an offset grid cut and pieces that were a good thickness and fit together very well. It was a bit shiny, but the image reproduction was otherwise very good. I had a great time with the assembly. 🙂

Afternoon at the Park 1

I started with the easiest pieces to find, and the gorgeous puppy.

Afternoon at the Park 2

I’m getting close to the end here, and it was a bit more difficult than I’d assumed. Difficult doesn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable though, I like having to concentrate and focus all my attention; it’s part of what’s great about puzzling for me. It turns off my brain to almost all other thoughts and I’m only thinking about shapes and colors and what goes where. It’s almost like meditation.

Afternoon at the Park 3

The pug’s face was almost the last thing I assembled, but look how cute it is! Can you see the hidden kitty in his fur?

Mini Golf

On February 26, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

Not the best quality, but I still enjoyed myself; blocks of color make me happy (or perhaps I should say circles of color 😉 ).

I’ve done other cra-z-art puzzles with very good quality, just depends on the puzzle and place of manufacture I guess. These were quite thin and slightly warped, but being a second-hand purchase I can’t blame the warping on the quality because I don’t know exactly how it’s been used or cared for.

It’s a cute little puzzle that was fun to assemble, even if there was only one piece shape. 😎

The House Party

On February 25, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles4 Comments

I’m having such a good time with these puzzles I got from the marketplace, I’m so happy we went out of our way to get them! This one was complete even though it isn’t in this picture; I found the missing piece after I had already put it away – of course. I’ve always loved Geoff Tristam’s comic style and humor, add that to the wonderful Ravensburger quality and you’ve got a great puzzle that was a joy to assemble.

The House Party 1

This joke makes me smile, it reminds me of my dad saying he couldn’t wait till the “horse’s ovaries” were served. When I was young it made no sense because I had no idea how the words were spelled, I thought dad was just trying to gross us out again. 😉

The House Party 2

Another ridiculous joke that makes me smile. American pies are way different than British ones – obviously. We normally have pies for dessert, their pies are usually the main course, made from meats, vegetables, etc. But when they say “game pie” in this puzzle they obviously didn’t mean venison – it was backgammon!

There’s something about the smaller piece count Ravensburger puzzles, they seem to be even better quality than the larger piece counts – even though they’re made from the same stuff. Perhaps it’s that the pieces are bigger and there is more area to feel the quality of the chipboard and the finish. They’re just fantastic puzzles in my book, and I’m always happy to find a Ravensburger to assemble.