Fishing with Friends

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Fishing with Friends – Jumbo (Deco Puzzle) – 1000 pieces

Beautiful puzzle that I don’t believe Jumbo is manufacturing anymore, I got the last one at Puzzle Warehouse. It’s really lovely, but I wouldn’t want to do another one.

Jumbo is right up there with Ravensburger in my opinion, excellent quality puzzles and a great catalog. Their fit is exceptional and I love the way the pieces feel in my hands. In my mind these two companies are tied for first place.

This puzzle, however, was a bit tedious. Not counting the border, 99% of the pieces were ballerinas (2 prong/2 hole) and many pieces could be placed where they didn’t belong. With so much sameness in the sky and water it was pretty difficult and time consuming working those areas.

On the positive side, the puzzle comes with a chart of the pieces because you’re supposed to assemble the entire puzzle and then remove the pieces indicated on the chart to give you the decorative edge you see above. It was extremely helpful in finding the correct pieces to assemble the border. You’re supposed to start with the large piece in the center of the puzzle and work outward from there. I don’t always do as I’m told, so I assembled the edge and the chart was very helpful. 😎

Glue was also included. A packet of powder that you mix with water and then apply. I followed the directions and the glue was very thick, almost a gel-like consistency. I tried to apply it the way I normally do, but it didn’t work very well. I think perhaps it would have been easier to apply with a brush. I’ll have to try it with a paintbrush if there’s a next time with powdered glue.

The puzzle is gorgeous, and I’m glad I did it. But I also was a little let down by the assembly and probably wouldn’t order another one unless the image was amazing. But since they’re no longer being produced I doubt I’ll come across another any time soon. Still, the deco border makes the puzzle stand out, and it’s really quite beautiful!

Holiday Treats

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Holiday Treats – Remarks – 1000 pieces

A nice collage from the thrift store, it was a bit of a challenge but we powered through only to find there were 3 missing pieces. Sigh. Oh well, those are the chances we take with thrift store puzzles – if we get a $20 puzzle for 69 cents then we have to expect that sometimes it won’t always be complete. It was still fun to do! 🙂

Another chilly puzzle for Christmas in July. It took us a while, but mom and I finally got this one finished last week. It was moderately difficult, but quite fun to assemble with a friend.

The cut was random which mom doesn’t really care for, I don’t mind it so much but I do prefer a grid cut most of the time. With the randomness sometimes you think you know what shape piece you’re looking for and it turns out you weren’t even close! It’s nice to change things up once in a while though, I think it makes my brain work differently – it takes me a bit to make the change in how I’m perceiving the pieces and how they fit together. It’s excellent exercise for the brain cells!

The pieces felt thick and sturdy and fit together well, the image reproduction was lovely and made me hungry for Christmas cookies! The finish was quite shiny, but the puzzle wasn’t dark so it didn’t present a problem.

All things considered a good quality puzzle that mom and I had fun assembling together, even with the 3 missing pieces. Merry Christmas in July!

 

 

Review: Paris Opera House

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews1 Comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Paris Opera House – Masterpieces (Masters of Photography) – 500 pieces

An absolutely beautiful puzzle that I was scared of, to be honest. It looked like it was going to be too difficult to be fun – of course I was wrong. As usual. 🙂

This gorgeous puzzle is part of the Masterpieces Space Savers collection – 500 piece puzzles in smaller boxes for a smaller price. I had it in my mind that because the box is smaller and has a flip up top that the puzzle wouldn’t be very good quality, I mean how good can a puzzle that costs $5.99 be? As it turns out, pretty darn good. 🙂 Click the link above to see all the Space Savers available at Puzzle Warehouse.

The pieces were a good thickness and fit together very well; I never thought a piece went where it didn’t belong. The image reproduction as you can see is excellent and the finished image is flat and seamless. The piece shape isn’t obvious partially because the image itself is quite busy and also because of the fit. The only issue I had with this puzzle is that the finish is a bit shiny which can cause glare, and you may have to be careful when working under lights.

This is the second Space Saver that I’ve done and I’m very impressed with the quality. I definitely recommend them – they’re the perfect size to throw in your suitcase when you’re off for a weekend away. Don’t want the kids to sit and stare at their phones or the television? Pack a puzzle! It’s pretty hard to walk past a partially assembled puzzle, you can see exactly where that piece should go and you’ll just sit for a few minutes and work on it too. It’s a great activity for one person or the whole family.

Photography puzzles aren’t usually what I like to assemble, or at least I used to think so. Looking at all of the photography puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse there are so many I would love to do! They have puzzles of just about everything – pets, food, landmarks, nature, architecture, people, landscapes and so much more. My poor wallet, this wishlist is getting out of hand!

I’m really enjoying these reviews because I’m assembling puzzles I normally wouldn’t have chosen for myself and enjoying them immensely! I know what I like as far as puzzles go, but just because the picture isn’t something that jumps out at me doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy it. Because honestly, so far, there hasn’t been one puzzle that I haven’t enjoyed. 🙂

I enjoyed this one even though I was scared of it! Unfortunately this puzzle is no longer available at Puzzle Warehouse but there are plenty of puzzles from Masterpieces to choose from; or click the links above to look at the Space Savers collection and the photography puzzles available. Masterpieces space saver puzzles are definitely recommended. 👍

 

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review, all opinions are truthful and 100% my own.

 

Chocolate Memorabilia

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Chocolate Memorabilia – Great American Puzzle Factory – 550 pieces

This puzzle was as nice to assemble as chocolate is to eat! Great thrift store find from the Great American Puzzle Factory, all pieces present and accounted for. 🙂

Another new-to-us company and we were impressed! The pieces are on the thin side, but are sturdy and feel good in your hand. The fit was very nice with random cut pieces, and the image reproduction was good with a shiny finish that can cause glare. Very nice puzzle that has found a new home with us. Hopefully we find more puzzles from this company at the thrift stores so we can compare the quality and see if it holds up.

Mom and I started the puzzle together and got about 50-60% done before I had to go home. We worked primarily on the words, there are so many! By the time all the words were complete the puzzle itself was about 50% complete. She finished it on her own the same evening, it was too much fun to leave it alone! I love puzzles like that. ❤

I enjoy trying out new companies, and seeing all the cool puzzles mom finds at the thrift stores. Perhaps there will come a day when we stop finding new companies to try out, but with so many countries in the world and so many manufacturers, I doubt it! 😁

 

 

 

Amazing African Wildlife

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Amazing African Wildlife – Dalmatian Press – 101 pieces

A very nice kid’s puzzle from another new-to-me company, Dalmatian Press. I liked it very much, it’s nice to have a shaped kid’s puzzle now and then. Seems like we’ve found quite a few of them lately. 🙂

Dalmatian Press – pretty good quality. The pieces are on the thin side, but relatively sturdy and they fit together very well. The image reproduction was sharp with beautiful colors – nice quality for a kid’s puzzle.

It doesn’t look like it, but this puzzle was more difficult than it looks. Either that or these bleeping hot flashes are continuing to boil my brain cells. 😐 It took a little longer than normal for me to assemble this one, but in the end I finally got there – even though I felt like an idiot having a hard time with a 101 piece puzzle!