Prehistoric Cave

On September 11, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

**This is a guest review – Stacey’s daughter here**

Hurricane Irma has us holed up in the house, waiting impatiently for her to pass through. While the men have spent the time watching movies, the ladies have been working on different puzzles. While my mother and grandmother are working on a 2000 piece puzzle, I asked for a smaller one to complete. Out of the two 100 pieces that she currently had, I chose this one for the colors and subject. Who doesn’t like dinosaurs?

This puzzle was enjoyable and only took around 30 minutes to complete. The pieces were sturdy, well constructed and fit together well. With it being a circular puzzle, there are random cuts throughout which kept me guessing whether I needed one or two pieces in certain areas. The only downside I could see was that they were very glossy, which required you to assemble the puzzle at a slight angle to be able to really see the images on the pieces. The colors were both bright and muted; the dinosaurs themselves were very vivid, while the scenery was calm and cooling. I would most definitely purchase this brand again!

Country Store

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

I love this image, it would make a great larger piece puzzle – 500 or 1000 pieces. Another puzzle from our marathon and another one that isn’t a child’s image. Unfortunately, another one with less than stellar quality. 😦

TCG and Sure-Lox, for me, are just poor quality. The pieces are extremely thin, easily bent and have quite a bit of image lift, especially if you place a piece incorrectly. It’s a bummer for me when we have a poor quality puzzle. Mom and I have decided no more of this brand even if the image is amazing.

On the plus side, the pieces were all there and the image itself is a lovely one for a puzzle. It would be excellent in a larger piece count!

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.