House Sitting

On August 2, 2017September 28, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Really nice image, and not overly easy for a 100 piece puzzle – that’s good in my book! Another one from our small puzzle marathon; and another one that isn’t just for kids.

The quality on this one was lacking though, very thin pieces that were easily bent. The image reproduction is good and so is the fit, but the pieces themselves leave a lot to be desired. Still, if you’re not interested in collecting and would just like to assemble a puzzle, this brand wouldn’t be too bad. I’m not a fan, but what makes an ideal puzzle for me is different than what makes an ideal puzzle for you.

In my mind, kid’s puzzles should have the quality of a premium adult puzzle. Children are much rougher with toys and puzzles while they’re trying to develop their fine motor skills; a puzzle for a child should be extremely sturdy so it can withstand repeated assemblies and many attempts to place pieces. Again, just my opinion.

It’s a cute image, and maybe a good puzzle to donate to our local senior center. Puzzles are great for all ages – puzzle on, my friends! 🙂

Merry Christmas Everyone!

On July 28, 2017July 28, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Adorable kid’s puzzle from the thrift store. Puzzles for my Christmas in July here on the blog seem to be falling in my lap. There are plenty of Christmas puzzles in the thrift stores lately, though I’m definitely not complaining.

This is a Springbok puzzle which has good quality with very thick pieces and nice image reproduction, the fit is what I’m not a fan of. Springbok puzzles usually have an extremely tight fit, so much so that you have to really press down to connect the pieces. This puzzle was so tightly fit that the finished puzzle curled up at the edges! I prefer a fit that doesn’t require upper body strength; to me, if I have to work that hard to connect two pieces it makes me question if they actually fit together. But that is my personal opinion, it’s really just a matter of taste. A lot of people prefer the tighter fit, isn’t it great that we’re all so different and there’s a puzzle out there for everyone? 🙂

This was a quick assembly that mom and I did after she finished showing me her latest finds from the thrift stores. We both enjoy putting together the kid’s puzzles – first we have to make sure all the pieces are there before I pass them along to my grandson. And second, we have both refused to grow up – so even though she’s in her 70’s and I’m in my late 40’s we are still little kids at heart who can still have a good time putting together a kid’s puzzle. 😎

Peppermint Patty was always my favorite of the Peanuts gang, because she had freckles and was a tomboy, just like me! I prefer hanging out indoors these days and there isn’t any running around since I was injured, but I’ve still got my freckles. 😉

Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs

On July 4, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Cute puzzle – thrift store purchase – and all of the pieces were there. That’s always a plus. 🙂

I haven’t really given any “bad” reviews on kids puzzles before that I can remember, but this one wasn’t great. As you can see the completed puzzle doesn’t lie flat and the pieces were extremely thin. I haven’t really gotten any Mega Puzzles that have been this lacking before, and I’m hoping this was a fluke. I haven’t done any adult puzzles from this company so I don’t have much to compare it to.

Puzzles don’t always have to be cream of the crop quality-wise (I’d love it if they were though 😉 ). I was having a bad day and resting in bed – and even though the quality is less than optimal it was an enjoyable distraction for a few minutes. The image is cute and any kid who is a fan of the Ice Age movies will enjoy this puzzle.

Day at the Zoo

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

This kid’s puzzle from Dowdle was excellent quality. I enjoy Dowdle’s artwork and this was the first kid’s puzzle of his that I’ve done.

The pieces were thick and sturdy, which is super important in a kid’s puzzle, they’re not always gentle. There were a nice variety of piece shapes and the pieces fit together very well. I love it when a company puts effort and quality in a puzzle for kids, and from this puzzle I would say Dowdle definitely does!

There’s lots of discover when you’re assembling this puzzle, the monkeys are up to their usual monkey business, the penguins are roaming around with the patrons, and the bears are trying to feed cotton candy to the big cats. 😮 This is a great puzzle for kids and thankfully all the pieces were here so I can give this one to my grandson for him to enjoy.

Mom’s gone a bit crazy with the kid’s puzzles lately since she was helping my grandson with puzzles on “puzzle assembly day”. She saw how good he was at assembling puzzles and now she’s determined to find him as many as she can. There will probably be a few more kid’s puzzles than usual on the blog, there’s so many more to assemble every time she comes home from the thrift store! 😁

Birthday Owls

On May 26, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Another adorable kids puzzle. It’s really very cute with bright colors and backgrounds that help with the assembly. The pieces fit together fairly well, but tended to come apart if you tried to move them or accidentally bumped them.

Overall the quality wasn’t too bad, the pieces were sturdy and the image reproduction is lovely. The fit was a bit too floppy for my taste, but again this is a children’s puzzle. I’m not always a fan of Mega Puzzles but this puzzle wasn’t bad.

I fear my “grandson” is going to run out of room for all his puzzles! I think we’ve given him around 30 or so by now, and I’ve got a few in my car that still have to be delivered! Mom just can’t stop herself from buying any interesting kids puzzles that she sees at the thrift store, and so we are stocking that boy up until he jumps up to 300 piece puzzles. 😎