White Duck Inn by Art Poulin – MasterPieces – 300 pieces
Another small piece count puzzle to get me back into the groove after being stuck at the hospital doing small puzzles to fit on my bedside table. This one was fun and fast and the image makes me smile, doesn’t that look like a lovely place to spend the weekend?
I love the extremely random cut of MasterPieces puzzles, it makes for a fun and interesting assembly. Their EZ Grip 300 piece puzzles have large, easy to handle pieces that are great for hands with dexterity problems, or just someone who enjoys large pieces from time to time. Like me!
The finish was a little bit shiny, but not too terrible to work with under artificial lights. I was able to assemble it resting in bed on my white board without too much difficulty from the overhead lights; and it was easy, which was what I was looking for. I’d love to able to get back to 500 and 1000 piece puzzles soon. Hopefully by the time I get this posted I’ll have a larger piece count on my board and be back to puzzling sitting up. Fingers crossed! 🤞
The Seabuglers by Charles Wysocki – Hasbro – 300 pieces
This was the first puzzle I did when I got home from “vacation”. There was a partially assembled 500 piece puzzle that had been on my board the whole time, but I wasn’t feeling as though I could sit at the board for any length of time and work on it. So I got out my white board and grabbed the easiest looking 300 piece puzzle I could find, here it is!
For some reason in my head it seems that a puzzle by Hasbro wouldn’t be good quality. They’re the company that made games when I was young (many, many moons ago) and I don’t remember them being overly sturdy or well-made. Luckily, all that nonsense is just in my head because the Hasbro puzzles I’ve done have all been exceptionally well made; they’re sturdy, wonderfully thick, and fit together amazingly well. I’ve only ever done 300 piece Hasbro puzzles so I have no frame of reference for any other piece count, but the their EZ Grip puzzles are wonderful!
As I’ve said before, I very much enjoy the Wysocki puzzles that aren’t the norm, like this one. Most of his puzzles are lovely Americana/folk art images of towns with many buildings; while they are all beautiful images, for me they can seem too similar. I’m a bit of a rebel and enjoy things that are different from the usual, so my favorite Wysockis are the ones that really stand out. Although this image itself isn’t really odd, it’s different from most of his other works which makes it more special to me.
Although it took longer than usual for me to assemble this puzzle, I was pretty darn proud when I got it finished. It was mostly assembled while I was in bed, but I was able to take it in the puzzle room and put the white board on my puzzle table and work on it there for little bits of time. I guess I have to get my butt back into puzzling shape! 😉
This was not an easy 100 piece puzzle – excellent timing, difficult is good when you’ve got lots of time to kill. New company that I’ve never heard of before, and it was in an interesting box as well with a handle and a flip up top. Very cool. 🙂
Mom went to the thrift store specifically to find smaller puzzles that would work for me on the small bedside table and she found a couple of really good ones. We always love trying out new companies, and there are so many out there!
I assembled this puzzle with mom’s help while she was visiting and we had to focus a little more than normal. The wood grain both made it difficult and also helped in the assembly. It’s really a pretty puzzle, and would look good framed even though it’s small. I’m not someone who frames many puzzles, sometimes I purchase them specifically for framing but normally they get taken apart. Some get sent to mom’s for her to assemble, some are donated to the school my daughter works for, and the others are donated to the local senior center.
The quality of this puzzle was good. They were a good thickness, perhaps only slightly thinner than normal and they fit together very well. The image reproduction was very nice, and the interesting box was an added bonus. A quick search online didn’t come up with many Red Farm Studio puzzles, perhaps they’re not still being produced – I’m not sure, and I’m not sure how to find out either. (My caffeine intake has been limited, so my poor gray cells are struggling to keep up!)
It’s always fun to try new brands and find puzzles with interesting images. Luckily, living in what seems like the thrift store capital of the world makes it relatively easy to find puzzles of all shapes and sizes. We still haven’t started the brand new, unopened 6000 piece Schmidt puzzle she found – for $1.99!
We Are All in this Together by Sandy Miller – Springbok (Thingies) – 60 pieces
I really loved this little puzzle, it was challenging enough to not be boring, small enough to fit the small bedside table I’ve been working with, and very nice quality.
Mom brought me a few puzzles that I can do here in the hospital so I won’t be bored out of my mind staring at the tv, this one was so interesting we assembled it right away, together. I know, a person doesn’t need assistance with a puzzle this small, but we like doing puzzles together and she came to help keep me entertained. It worked!
I’ve never heard of these Springbok Thingies, what a neat concept! Small, round puzzles in small, round boxes that you can take and assemble anywhere. From what I could find online the Thingies were produced in the late 60’s, all with the designs of Sandy Miller, and were quite popular for several years. The one we purchased has a copyright date of 2013, so it seems they have been reissued, I would love to find more of these! They’re rather like the micro puzzles from Wentworth – excellent quality, small piece count puzzles that you can take with you and assemble almost anywhere.
I love that although they are only 60 pieces and they aren’t childish images, they’re actually a bit more challenging and take a little bit of focus. Mom and I had a great time assembling this one. The finish on the pieces didn’t feel the same as larger piece count Springbok puzzles we’ve assembled, it was almost soft and feels really nice in your hand.
I’m hoping mom finds many more of these, we enjoyed this one very much! 🙂
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â We Are All in this Together
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Sandy Miller
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Springbok
Piece count:Â Â Â 60 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Approx. 7′” in diameter (18 cm)
Purchased:Â Â Â Used, thrift store
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Small, round, heavy cardboard, very portable
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â Very small amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Random
Piece shapes:Â Â Very good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Matte finish, lays flat
Overall Rating:Â Â Â Very good to excellent, highly recommended
Vegetable Garden by Cheryl Bartley – MasterPieces – 300 pieces
I really love the artwork in this puzzle, and as a bonus there are quilts – nice! I’ve been doing 300 piece puzzles a lot these past few weeks, and enjoying them greatly. 🙂
MasterPieces large piece puzzles are excellent quality with extra-thick pieces that fit together very well. I appreciate the quality of these EZ Grip pieces, and love that it makes it easier for both the older and the younger to puzzle. While I’m recovering from my illness I’m finding it quite difficult to sit and puzzle for even a few minutes. 300 piece puzzles can be done on my white board while in bed, and are giving me that injection in the puzzle vein so I don’t go through withdrawal. 💉
A friend of my mother has given us about 10-12 300 piece puzzles to do and then donate – the timing could not have been more perfect! They’re all I seem to be able to do at the moment, and if I didn’t have any puzzles to do I would be even crankier than I already am (I’m kinda whiny and bitchy when I don’t feel well, if you add not being able to puzzle – YIKES). That’s just the truth of it. I make no excuses, I am who I am; those who love me have accepted it already. 🙂
If you’re one of those people who say “I only do 1000 piece puzzles, or more” I get it. I used to say the exact same thing. But in my humble opinion there is enjoyment to be had in puzzles of many sizes. I even enjoy kids puzzles down to 24 pieces; a puzzle is a puzzle. They may go quickly and be over too soon, but if you think about it you may realize that it’s the assembly that makes you happy, and you can enjoy assembling the little ones too. Well, I do anyway.
Maybe if you’re thrift store shopping and find a really interesting looking 300 piece puzzle – give it a try. They’re great when you don’t have a lot of time, when you’re having someone younger or older help you, or just when you want to relax a little more and finish your puzzle more quickly. Give it a shot, you may surprise yourself! 😉
My Jigsaw Journal 