Vintage Candy Shop

On September 3, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

I see a recurring theme, I didn’t post these puzzles because the pictures are so awful. On a positive note, we’re about halfway through the old puzzles so it shouldn’t be too much longer. I must have been having balance issues when I was taking these pictures; it looks like I was falling and on my way to the floor when I snapped this picture!

I think I should start including an image of what the puzzle looks like straight on for my readers, you should know what it’s supposed to look like…

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I love an Aimee Stewart image, and this one was pretty darn fun to put together even though the quality was less than optimal. There was some splitting of the chipboard, and a few pieces with image lift. The pieces were a bit thinner than I’d like, but they weren’t too bad and the fit was excellent. Ceaco puzzles seem to fit together very well no matter the quality of the board, and a good fit is something many puzzlers appreciate, myself included.

The cash register was my favorite part to assemble, the number keys and the wording on the front of the drawer were fun to put together. The drawer itself was a little more challenging, but still completely entertaining. The different candies were so bright and interesting – Aimee Stewart’s use of colors and the way she puts them together makes for added difficulty, and added pleasure. I’ve done many of her puzzles and they’re always a challenge, but always beautiful and a good time.

Fun puzzle, with fair/good quality, if you like the image and you find a copy of this one I definitely recommend it. 👍

Swing Your Partner

On September 1, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

I really have gotten tons better at photographing my puzzles – these pictures from several years ago are terrible. The angle is absolutely awful! This is what the image looks like straight on…

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This one was lots of fun, and the image was great for puzzling. I’ve done several puzzles by Jane Wooster Scott and have enjoyed them all, her pictures make for entertaining puzzles. 🙂 It’s a great image; the bright colors, straight lines, and symmetry of trees, etc., made for a wonderful assembly. Her artwork reminds me of Charles Wysocki in some ways, and for me they’re both artists whose work makes for excellent puzzling.

The quality of this Ceaco puzzle was good/tolerable. Sometimes the chipboard used is quite thin, but this one wasn’t too bad. There wasn’t much splitting of the board or image lift, and the fit was excellent. The image reproduction is very nice as well; the finish is a bit shiny, but thankfully not too much. Overall, a good quality puzzle that was entertaining to put together. That’s all I’m looking for!

Georgetown Floral

On August 30, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles1 Comment

I figured this 300 piece puzzle would go together pretty quickly, I figured wrong! Luckily the quality was so good, and the image was so pretty that even though it was difficult I didn’t find it too tedious.

Hasbro’s EZ grip pieces are EXTREMELY thick, and fit together very well. The image reproduction was excellent, with beautiful colors; although the finish was shiny and prone to glare under artificial lights. There were a very good variety of piece shapes as well, and they made for for an interesting assembly. All in all, the quality was wonderful.

This was my first image by Jan Ford, and I enjoyed it very much; the color palette was beautiful. Flower puzzles aren’t always my first choice, but usually once I get going I find that I enjoy them very much.

Although it took longer than I thought it was an entertaining puzzle to assemble, and at the end hubby helped with the last little bit. I always enjoy having him help me with my puzzles, and he very much likes to swoop in at the end and help with the last few pieces. If I’m feeling generous I even let him put in the very last piece. 🙂

Wacky Packages

On August 24, 2018August 24, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

I enjoyed Wacky Packages so much I can’t believe I never posted about it! (This was completed several years ago) The fit was amazingly tight, but it didn’t bother me that much because the image was so engaging and entertaining. My daughter started to assemble it herself and gave up because the fit was so snug, but I absolutely loved it. When the fit is this tight I like to stand them up on the bottom edge and take a picture that way – it just makes me smile. 😁

The quality of this White Mountain puzzle was good; the artwork seemed a bit fuzzy and the fit was EXTREMELY tight, but otherwise it was very nice. The pieces were thick with a very good variety of shapes. The image reproduction was very good; I think the fuzziness was the artwork itself rather than the reproduction – the colors were excellent! My picture is a bit fuzzy, here’s a better image…

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Collages are my favorite type of puzzle image, I love being able to complete one section at a time and finding where it fits into the overall picture. Charlie Girard is one of the best collage artists around (in my very humble opinion), and I always enjoy his work. This one was not only fun to assemble, it was amusing to read – Neveready batteries and Weakies cereal! 😂

I’m surprised how fondly I remember this puzzle, because the fit was so snug. Normally that’s something that I don’t care for at all, but when the image sucks me in and I’m having such a good time I seem to be completely unconcerned with any quality issues. This was definitely one of those times. The image overcame all, and despite my disdain for a super tight fit I had a wonderful time putting this puzzle together.

Review: More Ice Cream Please

On August 22, 2018August 22, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

More Ice Cream Please – Cobble Hill – 500 pieces

This was quite fun, but very challenging. It’s got a few missing pieces, but them’s the chances you take when you purchase used. It didn’t detract much from my enjoyment of the assembly, and the puzzle was such good quality that I didn’t mind that much. Fun puzzle!

For being a used thrift store puzzle, the quality held up quite well. The pieces still had a great feel and fit together very well. Sometimes you buy a pre-loved puzzle and it’s been beat up by it’s previous owner; this one seems to have been taken care of (if you don’t count the missing pieces). I do love a Cobble Hill puzzle, especially the smaller piece counts – the quality is excellent!

Once the edge was assembled it seemed that there may be a few missing pieces, but you can never be sure with a random cut – sometimes the edges don’t look like edges. Blue ice cream was the first to be assembled, and when those were finished I knew for sure that there were some pieces that seem to have melted away 😉

Mom came over and helped me finish this one up, with her help the pieces seem to fly into place! For me it’s so nice working a puzzle with someone else; there’s the fun of working together on a common goal, good conversation, and just spending time together. In the words of one of my favorite puzzle companies – Sit long. Talk much. Turn off that screen.

It’s more challenging than it looks, but absolutely worth it! Definitely recommended, two sundaes way up! 🍨🍨

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