Song of the Unicorn

On November 19, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles4 Comments

I had this one in my puzzle room for at least a month before I finally decided to do it. When it was time to decide on the next puzzle to be assembled I would sometimes pass it over immediately, and sometimes I would open the box, stare at the pieces, and promptly put it away. Many times I have to be in the right mood to attempt a certain puzzle, and that was definitely true with this one – I think the border kept scaring me off. 😉

Unfortunately this was one of those Springbok puzzles that is EXTREMELY tight fitting. You can see in the picture above that the fit is so tight that the edges of the puzzle are curling upwards. Ugh. I really dislike puzzles that fit this way, it makes me question if I’m placing a piece correctly if I have to shove it into place. We’ve had plenty of Springbok puzzles that don’t fit this way, I wonder what the reason is for the fluctuations in the way they fit together.

I really like the artwork, but unfortunately the name of the artist was nowhere to be found on the box. I tried looking it up online, without success. I usually like to credit the artist, but my sleuthing skills seem to be lacking at the moment. If you know the artist, feel free to let me know in the comments. Thanks!

This is a “vintage” puzzle from approximately 1982. That makes me feel pretty old! I was just starting high school in the early 80’s – am I vintage? Classic? Antique?

Yoshi

On November 18, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Look at this adorable guy – what a bummer that he seems to have had a nose job, and they took a bit too much off the top! I was really looking forward to assembling this puzzle, it’s so cute and it reminds me of when my kids were little.

Their pieces are a bit thin, but relatively sturdy, and their catalog has some excellent and unique puzzles! They’ve got tv show puzzles from Game of Thrones, Supernatural, Rick and Morty, and the Golden Girls to video games like Super Mario Bros, Fallout, Pokemon, Space Invaders, and The Legend of Zelda. They’ve also got some comic book art from The Walking Dead and Court of the Dead, they’ve got puzzles you won’t see anywhere else.

I enjoyed this assembly and wish Yoshi were all there, he would have looked great on my son’s bedroom door.

Dolphin Cove

On November 16, 2017November 16, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

I’m not normally one for ocean or jungle animals puzzles, although I’m not sure I could articulate why; they just aren’t my favorite. Still, it was a relaxing and wonderful quality puzzle – which I suppose is the point. Relaxing entertainment, right? I think I chose this one to assemble because I wasn’t feeling like my brain was working well enough to work a 1000 piece puzzle. Some days I just don’t feel like all the gray cells are firing properly. 😐

This image is bright and full of movement and color, an excellent image for puzzling. It took longer than I expected, but it wasn’t because of the image, it was my fault. Either I didn’t feel much like puzzling at the time, or I just wasn’t feeling well. Whichever was the culprit, it took me a couple of days to get this one done.

The fit was looser than normal for a Ravensburger, but it wasn’t too terrible. Although I usually take things like that with a grain of salt if it’s a thrift store purchase and I’m familiar with the brand. Good find though, and all pieces present and accounted for!

The Bug Collection

On November 14, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Very nice pieces on this 100 piece kid’s puzzle, and the fit was exceptional! Nice snug fit without being too tight. This is a perfect puzzle for a little one who loves bugs and creepy crawlies. My daughter was the one of my three children who loved bugs, worms, and everything that crawled, slithered, and flew. She would have enjoyed this puzzle when she was younger. 🙂

I enjoyed the puzzle itself, but the glow was a bit of a disappointment. With all the bugs it should make an excellent glow in the dark puzzle, but even after letting it sit in the sun for a few minutes to “charge it up” there was barely any glow. Perhaps it dims with age? I’ve done so many children’s puzzles that glow in the dark, but never one that didn’t really seem to have any glow left. Bummer!

Still, a nice puzzle with enough challenge that it won’t be boring for the younger puzzlers out there. And here’s hoping if you find this puzzle that it’s still got it’s glow mojo! 😉

Tudor Portraits

On November 11, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

Portrait of an Unknown Lady (French School) – Past Times – 500 pieces

Isn’t this a lovely puzzle image? I think so, and there’s another image on the back; although he’s not as pretty as she is. Mom and I don’t usually do fine art puzzles, but this beauty spoke to me and I just had to assemble it on our puzzle/visit day. It seems as if there have been more double-sided puzzles in my orbit lately, and I’m really enjoying them. Plus, there’s the added bonus of being able to flip it over and use the opposite image for help with assembly. (When we got down to only black background on the Unknown Lady, we were able to flip it and use the wording along the edge of The Earl to help us finish! 😉 )

Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester by Nicholas Hilliard

I loved assembling this puzzle with mom, we had a great time. The images are so different from what we normally puzzle, it made it a little more interesting for us. I still love my cartoon and collage puzzles, but there’s nothing wrong with switching things up every now and then to keep it fresh. I’ve learned from reviewing puzzles that I can’t always tell whether or not a puzzle will be an entertaining assembly. Many times I’m surprised by how much I enjoy puzzling an image that I would not normally choose for myself.

It was a bit of a challenge with all the darkness on both sides, but we got there in the end. The pieces were of a good thickness and fit together well. (It wasn’t difficult to lift and flip over) I’ve found it’s nice to have a friend to help when you’re working on a more challenging image, I’m less likely to give up or become frustrated if there’s someone sitting next to me working on it too. Plus, every piece they put in is one less you have to look through, right? And there’s no one better for me to assemble puzzles with than my mom – she’s the best!

My puzzle “dealer” always find the most interesting and different puzzles to feed our addiction. We’re very lucky to have so many thrift stores in our area, and even when there are slim pickings they usually have at least a puzzle or two that looks like fun. I try not to take it for granted, I know many places don’t have thrift stores/charity shops; we’re certainly fortunate to have so many close by!