Review: First Trip to the Beauty Shop

On June 3, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews5 Comments

First Trip to the Beauty Shop by Norman Rockwell – Kappa Books Publishers – 500 pieces

I did it! I actually finished the worst quality puzzle I’ve ever worked with. Sometimes for some reason I can’t explain I just have to finish a puzzle even if it’s horrible to work with and frustrating as hell. This was one of the those puzzles – I have no explanation for my stubbornness, I just had to finish it!

Kappa Books Publishers mainly deal with books, and I would encourage them to stick to publishing. This puzzle was terrible quality; the pieces were the thinnest I’ve ever worked with, and the fit was absolutely horrible with pieces seeming to fit everywhere. When the pieces were “connected” properly you could just pull everything apart with very little effort – even when the entire puzzle was complete I could pull gently on both sides and it would separate. Even the box was terrible quality; you had to cut it to open it, and once you did the bottom section just fell apart. It was made of extremely thin cardboard and the corners weren’t taped or held together in any way – once I lifted the lid it all just fell open.

The only good thing about this puzzle was the image reproduction. It seemed very true to the original and was adhered well to the chipboard. I’m sorry to say those are all my positives.

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This was my favorite section of the puzzle to assemble, there’s just something innocent and adorable about it. I think the image itself is part of the reason I stubbornly refused to abandon this puzzle; I just wanted to see it complete.

I wasn’t planning on completing the dark blue sections at the top and the bottom, but by the time I was finished with the image itself it seemed a shame to give up. And I knew if I separated the pieces by shape it wouldn’t be too difficult. I was right, it wasn’t that bad; and I surprised myself by not needing hubby’s help to do it. I am pretty proud of myself for finishing it!

Please, if you love jigsaw puzzles, do not buy any manufactured by Kappa Books Publishers. The quality is terrible, and you deserve better.

Details:

Title: First Trip to the Beauty Shop
Artist: Norman Rockwell
Brand: Kappa Books Publishers
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 18 x 11 in. (46 x 28 cm)
Purchased: Thrift store, unopened

Quality:

Board: Poor
Cutting: Fair
Image: Good
Box: Thin, flimsy, very small
Fit: Poor; extremely loose, pieces seem to fit everywhere
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Some variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays mostly flat

Overall Rating: Poor quality, not recommended

Pining for Pieces

On June 2, 2018June 2, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling4 Comments

I finished my last puzzle on Tuesday morning and haven’t worked on a puzzle since. I came down with a virus or something and have just felt too awful to even work on a puzzle in bed. I’ve been missing it very much. 🙁

Usually I can work through whatever’s going on and at least put a few pieces into a puzzle every day. Even if it’s only a couple of pieces it makes me feel a little better. I can’t remember the last time I went this many days without puzzling at all.

There are MANY puzzles here that I am looking forward to assembling, so it’s definitely not a lack of puzzles to choose from. I’m hoping to at least start a new puzzle today. I found a couple of 100 piece puzzles at mom’s house that I hadn’t seen before and brought them home; I figure maybe such a small puzzle won’t be too overwhelming and might help get me back in the groove. Hopefully today’s the day – fingers crossed! 🤞

Doc’s Pond

On June 1, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

This is another puzzle where the picture isn’t my usual, but as free is my favorite price it isn’t one that I would pass up. It was given to us by a friend of my mother’s who only does 300 piece puzzles. Usually they keep them for years and keep track on the box of each time it’s assembled. I don’t think they cared much for this one, it seems to have only been put together once and then given to us.

Most of the EZ grip 300 piece puzzles have very thick pieces, these did not. They were sturdy, but not overly thick. They’re actually the nicest Sure-Lox pieces I’ve worked with before. They fit together well and the image reproduction was good. There was only one piece shape, which I am not fond of – especially with an image like this one where there is so much greenery.

Sure-Lox puzzles are on my list of puzzles we don’t buy, not even from the thrift stores. All the pieces are what I call ballerinas, and when you add that to the thinness of the pieces and how easily they are bent – I just don’t find them worth my time. I assembled this one because I wanted to work with one of their large piece puzzles to see how they compared. The pieces were sturdier, which is a plus in my book. But still the thin pieces with just one piece shape – I wasn’t overly impressed.

It’s a pretty puzzle that fit together well, but that’s about all the praise I have for it. It was a quick assembly, and not too difficult. A fun afternoon of puzzling.

Review: Pasture’s Edge (Moo)

On May 31, 2018May 31, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

Pasture’s Edge (Moo) by Linda Elliott – Ceaco – 550 pieces

This image grabbed me right away when I saw it, and it makes me laugh to look at it. The beautiful flowers everywhere and the angry looking cows are quite opposite and I find it hilarious.

The quality was good with very nice image reproduction and a great fit. The pieces are on the thin side, but sturdy enough with a good variety of shapes. Ceaco isn’t a brand I normally buy new, but I really loved this image and couldn’t pass it up.

It was more difficult than I bargained for, but not too much so. I started with the black and white of the cows, and then assembled each of the different colors of flowers. Once all the flowers were complete all that was left was the grass, and it was relatively easy to fill in. The different textures of the grass in the foreground and background helped, as did the different piece shapes.

This was a fun puzzle, I love the image and it was challenging in a good way. If the image is something you like, I would definitely recommend it. It isn’t a premium quality puzzle, but I found it worth my time, and it still makes me smile to look at the picture. Moo! 🐮

Details:

Title: Pasture’s Edge (Moo)
Artist: Linda Elliott
Brand: Ceaco
Piece count: 550 pieces
Size: Approx. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 46 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Good
Cutting: Good
Image: Very good
Box: Average
Fit: Very good
Puzzle Dust: Moderate amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Good, recommended

London, The Thames….

On May 30, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

London, The Thames with View of the City and St. Paul’s Cathedral – a giant name for such a small puzzle! This is another in my collection of Wentworth micro puzzles, perfect for when I’m stuck in bed but still want to work on a puzzle.

This is absolutely NOT the type of image that I prefer to assemble, but when there are so few pieces I’ll take on just about any challenge. I appreciate the workmanship of these puzzles, and that they’re easy to take and assemble anywhere – especially when you don’t have much time or space.

I’m always amazed at how difficult a puzzle with so few pieces can be. You would think with only 30-40 pieces it would go together quickly, but they usually don’t. The cut is such that it takes a bit of brain power to complete, but I love that. They’re fun and challenging, the best qualities of a great puzzle!