Couples

On February 15, 2017December 28, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Another collage – of course. (And another cockeyed picture where you get to see my bedspread 🙂 ) I really enjoy collages, and White Mountain always does them so well. Couples and Valentine’s Day, how sweet! Almost as sweet as the day after when all the candy is 50% off!!!

This was really fun artwork, there weren’t only human couples there were plenty of fun things that make a great pair – chips and dip, cookies and milk, ebony and ivory piano keys, apple pie and ice cream, etc. Also there were a lot of non-human couples like Bert and Ernie, Buzz and Woody, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Yogi and Boo Boo and so many more.

This is another one that is fun to do with others with lots of laughing and talking about the couples and figuring out who or what things are. And as always, if you’re not sure who or what things are you can check it on the White Mountain website where they have an answer key.

So many great finds at thrift stores! 2 or 3 days worth of puzzle for 99 cents, you just can’t beat that! For mom and I it also leads to buying puzzles online. She finds a cool puzzle at the thrift store, we assemble it and love the quality or artwork and then we end up looking up other puzzles by that manufacturer or artist and buying a bunch online. Yes, we have gone slightly insane, but on the other hand we are adorable and puzzles isn’t too terrible an obsession/addiction, right?

Yarn Party

On February 12, 2017December 28, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Another thrift store puzzle, this one hadn’t even been opened yet! This was my first puzzle from Karmin. Although I’ve seen the name before, hadn’t worked a puzzle from them.

I enjoyed this puzzle, even though I was unimpressed with the quality of the pieces. They were quite thin and easily bent, there was a large amount of puzzle dust both in the bag and in the box itself, and there was quite a bit of glare from the coating on the pieces. Luckily the puzzle wasn’t overly large and I was able to carry it on the board to a place in the room where I could take a picture of it without all the glare bouncing off of it.

That being said, still enjoyed myself. The image was cute, the piece shapes were interesting and not everything has to be perfect all the time. Even though the pieces were thin I still had fun putting the puzzle together and found that I enjoyed the assembly in spite of the quality! Sometimes I’m too in my head and I should just relax and have fun, right?

Sanctuary

On February 1, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This was one of those puzzles that came in a “10 puzzles in 1 box” deal. I really liked this image, and one of the others which I did and took pictures of, but we didn’t keep the box or any of the puzzles. They went back to Goodwill. Not great quality. 😐 But even when we are not happy with a thrift store puzzle, we didn’t pay that much for it – $1.99 is the most we ever pay, so we’re not upset.

That being said, I still love the image in this puzzle. The colors are muted but pretty, the clothing on the fairy is fun and interesting, I just liked everything about it. It took me quite a while to find the artist and title of this image online, I had nothing to go on other than it was in a 10 in 1 box, that’s all I knew! I’m glad I could find it though to give credit to the artist for her beautiful artwork, Sheila Wolk this is a gorgeous image!

The pieces were very thin, there was no diversity in the piece shapes as they were all 2 hole 2 prong types. Boring. The pieces fit together well, which was a plus, but otherwise it was all about the picture for me. I liked the image so much I did it anyway! I’m glad I have the picture, because I still enjoy looking at it. It’s so pretty!

Rue L’Amour

On January 31, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles7 Comments

This was another thrift store purchase, and I really loved this one! It’s just a gorgeous street in Paris with a bridal store and it reminds me of a friend who got married just over a year ago. The whole time I was assembling it I was thinking about her wedding preparations (the fun AND the stress) and it just reminded me of her.

This was the I think only the 2nd Cobble Hill puzzle I had assembled at the time, and I liked it more than the 1st one. Some of the pieces seem quite dark, but honestly it wasn’t difficult to assemble at all, and the pieces didn’t seem dark when I was working the puzzle. I love the feel of the Cobble Hill puzzles with the linen finish, and even the boxes have a linen finish on them and feel luxurious! The pieces fit together quite well, and the piece shape isn’t overly visible in the completed image.

I love it when a thrift store purchase ends up being fun and challenging, and all the pieces are there too! This is a beautiful image and a great puzzle.

Offering of the Coral Plants to the Emperor

On January 30, 2017February 25, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

Whew! What a title! This was another amazing thrift store find, and here’s the best part – it’s a vintage puzzle from 1965 in the original and amazingly non-beat up box with no missing pieces!

I have to say I had an AWESOME time assembling this puzzle and it tested my brain power! I’ve mainly been working grid-cut puzzles for several months and having to rethink and use your brain differently on a random cut like this was a challenge and super fun! And since I assembled almost the entire thing on January 29th (National Puzzle Day), I wanted some family help – so one of my sons, my husband and my mom helped me with this one. 🙂

I’m honestly amazed at how well taken care of this puzzle was. The box is almost pristine, the puzzle has no image lift, seemingly no wear at all – and it was produced in 1965, the year my parents got married! Holy guacamole! They made some quality stuff that was built to last in the 60’s! I was made in the 60’s. 😉

Springbok is not a puzzle company I usually assemble, it’s one of those that seems hit or miss for me so I would rather see and feel the pieces before I buy. But these pieces were gorgeous, cut well and didn’t require upper body strength to fit them together. Excellent quality on this puzzle!

The image is an adaptation of a Chinese porcelain plate decoration from the early 1700’s. The finish on the puzzle looks almost porcelain as well! It’s a beautiful image, an excellent quality puzzle, and my family and I had a great time assembling it. If you’re lucky enough to find a good copy of this one, go for it!