Bearsville

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles5 Comments
IMG_4640
Bearsville by Roger Nannini – Ceaco – 300 pieces

This was a quick, fun puzzle that I put together one afternoon when I needed a puzzle fix in between larger piece count puzzles. It’s part of Ceaco’s Home Sweet Home series by artist Roger Nannini. I found I enjoyed the artwork very much!

Ceaco puzzles aren’t my favorite brand, but to be honest my opinion of them has gone up quite a bit after working with a brand that was much, much worse. Of the 25 puzzles I have assembled this month from 14 different brands, the Ceaco puzzles have been the best fitting of all of them. Shocked? Me too!

It’s interesting to me how a much lesser quality puzzle boosted my impression of Ceaco. Perhaps it just caused me to re-assess what I would and would not put up with in a puzzle. The fit is amazingly important to me – too loose is extremely annoying and frustrating. Too tight is the same way; if it takes upper body strength to smash the pieces together I always second guess if the pieces actually fit together (and it hurts my thumb!)

The pieces are on the thin side, with a good variety of piece shapes – made from multi-layered board that tends to split easily – but the fit is excellent. The image reproduction is good, with beautiful colors and crisp lines. This puzzle has been assembled many times, there is documentation on the side indicating each time it was put together. From what I’m reading it’s been put together at least 11 times before me. You can see in the picture above that many of the pieces were either split or bent and the finished puzzle didn’t lie flat. I don’t feel I can comment negatively on the quality of this specific puzzle if it’s been assembled so many times; I have no idea what it was like when it was new. That said, I actually think it’s held up well.

I enjoyed this puzzle very much, the artwork was interesting and made for a great afternoon of puzzling. I suppose I have more puzzles to choose from now that I’ve re-thought my stance on Ceaco. 😏

 

Current Puzzle in Progress

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling4 Comments

IMG_4665

I’m finally working on my Mother’s Day/Anniversary puzzle! It’s going very slowly, but I’m having a great time anyway.

The bird shown was the first part of the puzzle I assembled as it’s the lightest color and the pieces were the easiest to find. I love the cut of the pieces and the fantastic whimsies – there are so many birds! There are 2 bird and 3 human figures in this small section alone.

I’m finding it hard to concentrate so I am only able to work on this puzzle in little chunks of time, but however long it takes me will be time well spent. Do you have a puzzle in progress? How’s it coming along?

Review: Butterfly Kingdom

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews4 Comments
This post is sponsored by Bone Owl Puzzles.
IMG_4634
Butterfly Kingdom – Bone Owl Puzzles – 1000 pieces

Butterfly Kingdom is a beautiful image and makes for a wonderfully challenging puzzle. I enjoyed the random cut and oddly shaped pieces which added to the difficulty, but didn’t detract at all from the entertainment of the assembly.

Bone Owl Puzzles is a new company based in Canada offering a small selection of beautifully crafted “offbeat” jigsaw puzzles from artists all around the world. Their puzzles are manufactured in the US and I found them to be very good quality. The images are unique and interesting and I had a difficult time choosing which puzzle I wanted to review. They have 6 different puzzles in their catalog at the moment, and I was only able to narrow it down to 4. I had to enlist the help of my husband and sons to help me decide! The artwork is so beautiful and unique and each of the choices had something that really drew me in; that’s so important – having images that inspire and get you excited about assembling them.

The quality of the puzzles was very good, and I was quite impressed. The pieces are made from single-ply chipboard to prevent the splitting that sometimes happens with lesser quality multi-layered board. They are a good thickness and fit together well, and have a linen finish that gives a luxurious feel. The image reproduction is excellent, the lines are crisp and the colors are amazing.

My only problem with the quality was the large amount of puzzle dust. It can be annoying to deal with, but in the end doesn’t really interfere with my enjoyment of the assembly. I’ve learned that if you get a puzzle that’s near the end of the run when the die is getting duller you’ll have more dust. I’ve had many premium quality puzzles with a lot of dust, and I don’t consider it to be a flaw, it’s just one of those things that sometimes happens – there is no perfect manufacturing process. I’ve never assembled a cardboard puzzle that didn’t have at least some dust, for me it’s just part of the process of working with puzzles.

The pictures above show the unique cut of the pieces and the beautiful colors in the image, it was a fascinating puzzle that was a joy to assemble. I enjoy the random cut, it keeps me on my toes and makes me look at the pieces differently. The image is always the key though; if the image is boring or uninspiring I won’t be assembling the puzzle no matter how interesting the pieces are.

The trees on either side of the image were the most challenging part of the puzzle for me, but not too much so. There are shades of color and patterns in the tree trunks that help with the assembly, along with the unique shapes of the pieces. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be, and I was nearing the end of the assembly and very motivated to see the entire finished image. It was the perfect combination of fun and challenging for me and the completed puzzle is gorgeous!

Bone Owl Puzzles are definitely recommended. This puzzle was a treat to assemble and I look forward to working on more of their puzzles, the only problem is choosing which one I’d like to do next. 👍

Details:

  • Title:                  Butterfly Kingdom
  • Artist:                Dan May
  • Brand:               Bone Owl Puzzles
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 27 x 19 in. (68 x 49 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Large amount of dust
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

 

Jazz Dance

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments
IMG_4620
Jazz Dance by William Bolin – NY Puzzle Company – 750 pieces

There’s something about the look of magazine cover puzzles that I absolutely love. The vintage covers are interesting and beautiful and make for a nice change from landscapes and other “usual” puzzle images.

This is my first NY Puzzle Company puzzle, and I enjoyed it very much. There was a large amount of puzzle dust, but otherwise I found the quality to be quite good. The random cut made it challenging and fun, the pieces were thick and fit together well, and the matte finish helped make sure that the darker areas weren’t too difficult to assemble under lights.

The Vogue covers by William Bolin are striking and beautiful, and any of them would make some challenging and wonderful puzzles. Here are a few of my favorite Vogue covers of his from the 1920’s and 1930’s – they’re stunning!

I had a great time with this assembly; the blocks of color, musical score, and darker areas made for a great balance of ease and challenge. The cut was much more random than some brands, and made for some excellent gray cell exercise. Many times you think you’re looking for a certain shape, and it turns out that you’re actually looking for 2 smaller pieces that are not shaped how you thought at all. It keeps you on your toes!

I’m looking forward to working more puzzles from this brand, this one was good quality – and a good time. What else could I ask for?

Meadow Cottage

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment
IMG_4604
Meadow Cottage by Dominic Davison – Wentworth Wooden Puzzles – 40 pieces

Wentworth puzzles make me very happy; and since I bought wooden puzzles for both my mother and my daughter (and myself) this year for Mother’s Day I’ve been working with them quite a bit lately.

These micro puzzles are not as easy as they look, and are perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time or space but still want to get your puzzle on. They’re great for me when I’m feeling terrible and spending most of my time in bed; I can lay out and assemble the entire puzzle on a cookie sheet.

I love the artwork of Dominic Davison, his landscapes and cottages are absolutely gorgeous. Because he uses a mouse instead of a paintbrush to create his digital works of art I find them much easier to assemble than puzzles that use images of traditional paintings. His use of color and light in the composition makes for great puzzles that are appealing, charming, and fun to put together.

I’ve still got 16 of these micro puzzles left to assemble (and 3 that are done and waiting to be posted); I’m looking forward to each and every one of them. Even if the image or the cut is difficult I know that I’ll be able to get it done – they’re only about 40 pieces. Even I can do that!