Counting Sheep by Brooke Faulder – Bits and Pieces – 1000 pieces
I had a terrible time assembling this puzzle, and didn’t enjoy it much at all. It had nothing to do with the subject matter, it was all about the fit of the pieces and quality of the cut. 😐
This was the last puzzle from the 3-in-1 box of dog puzzles from Bits and Pieces, and I’m glad that I didn’t assemble this one first. The other two puzzles in this box were good quality and I had a great time putting them together; if I had completed this one first I don’t know if I would have done the others. I think part of the reason the picture is so haphazard is that I didn’t enjoy assembling it, and I just wanted to get a quick picture to send to mom to show it was finished.
The fit was extremely loose, and accidentally bumping any part of the puzzle with an arm or anything else would upset several pieces or even an entire section. I don’t know if the pieces and tabs being so square in shape had anything to do with the looseness of the fit or if it was the cutting itself. Whichever it was, it made for a terrible assembly.
It’s been fun going down memory lane with these older puzzles I’ve done, but it has also shown me how much my injury and the chronic pain that it has brought has slowed my puzzling down. I used to be able to assemble a 1000 piece puzzle in two days, maybe three; and I used to do several of them each week. Nowadays opening the box of a 1000 piece puzzle causes me anxiety and stress.
On the brighter side, I recently completed a 1000 piece puzzle for review, so here’s hoping I’m able to attempt another one soon, purely for recreational purposes. ☺
Chevy Gold by Laura Hatcher- Gearheads Puzzles – 1000 pieces
Chevy Gold was a challenging image, but once I got myself under some good lighting it didn’t seem as difficult as I first thought. It’s definitely a puzzle I recommend, but please be sure you have adequate lighting, and be forewarned that it’s trickier than it looks!
Gearheads Puzzles is a new puzzle company that is woman/veteran owned – yay for us ladies and an even bigger YAY for a veteran owned business! (also, please accept a heartfelt thank you for your service 💖) They currently only have this one image, but a new 500 piece puzzle is in the works and should be available in about a month – it will be grid cut for those of you who aren’t random cut fans. They also offer custom photo puzzles and have recently added custom photo t-shirts as well. Click the link above to check them out.
I was impressed with the quality of the pieces; they were a good thickness with an excellent variety of shapes and have a good feel in your hands. The image reproduction is excellent with wonderful detail; though the finish is slightly shiny, which can cause glare under artificial lights. The fit did seem a little loose, but not too much so and you can see above that the finished image is almost seamless.
There were several pieces that weren’t completely separated, but I attribute both that and the loose fit to the puzzle being near the end of a run when the die is starting to dull. I’ve found this with every puzzle manufacturer and I don’t consider it a flaw in quality unless I’ve worked several different puzzles and they all have this problem. With this being the only Gearheads puzzle I’ve assembled I like to err on the side of positivity and say it was most likely the end of the run.
The first two sections (after the edge) that I assembled are shown above. This puzzle certainly gave me a run for my money, it was more difficult than I bargained for! There’s a lot of gray, brown, and black in the image and you have to sit with the pieces for a bit to familiarize yourself with the colors and shades before you start seeing where they belong. It’s not a puzzle for beginners, but it’s completely worth the effort. It would look AMAZING glued and framed for a lover of classic cars!
The random cut had me convinced several times that I had definitely, absolutely, without question lost a piece – I hadn’t. With a random cut you may think you know what piece shape you’re looking for, but many times it’s something completely different! It keeps my gray cells limber (hopefully) and makes me focus more on colors, shades, and textures to find the piece I’m looking for. Completely engrossing!
Chevy Gold is a challenging puzzle, and not for the faint-at-heart. Both the random cut and the color scheme add to the difficulty; so be sure you’ve got lots of good lighting and make sure your brain cells are ready for the random cut. Bottom line – if this image revs your engine it’s definitely recommended. 👍
Details:
Title: Chevy Gold
Artist: Laura Hatcher
Brand: Gearheads Puzzles
Piece count: 1000 pieces
Size: Approx. 19 x 27 in. (48 x 69 cm)
Purchased: N/A, sent for review
Quality:
Board: Very good
Cutting: Good
Image: Excellent
Box: Average, quite compact for 1000 pieces
Fit: Very good, though somewhat loose
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Random cut
Piece shapes: Very good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny 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.
Wacky Packages by Charlie Girard – White Mountain Puzzles – 1000 pieces
I enjoyed Wacky Packages so much I can’t believe I never posted about it! (This was completed several years ago) The fit was amazingly tight, but it didn’t bother me that much because the image was so engaging and entertaining. My daughter started to assemble it herself and gave up because the fit was so snug, but I absolutely loved it. When the fit is this tight I like to stand them up on the bottom edge and take a picture that way – it just makes me smile. 😁
The quality of this White Mountain puzzle was good; the artwork seemed a bit fuzzy and the fit was EXTREMELY tight, but otherwise it was very nice. The pieces were thick with a very good variety of shapes. The image reproduction was very good; I think the fuzziness was the artwork itself rather than the reproduction – the colors were excellent! My picture is a bit fuzzy, here’s a better image…
Collages are my favorite type of puzzle image, I love being able to complete one section at a time and finding where it fits into the overall picture. Charlie Girard is one of the best collage artists around (in my very humble opinion), and I always enjoy his work. This one was not only fun to assemble, it was amusing to read – Neveready batteries and Weakies cereal! 😂
I’m surprised how fondly I remember this puzzle, because the fit was so snug. Normally that’s something that I don’t care for at all, but when the image sucks me in and I’m having such a good time I seem to be completely unconcerned with any quality issues. This was definitely one of those times. The image overcame all, and despite my disdain for a super tight fit I had a wonderful time putting this puzzle together.
A Ruff Life by Brooke Faulder, Bits and Pieces – 1000 pieces
This puzzle was from a 3 in 1 box set by Bits and Pieces, it was great fun! It’s another puzzle that I completed several years ago; it’s funny how I can specifically recall puzzles from more than 2 years ago, but can’t remember what I had for lunch 2 days ago. 😐
A Ruff Life was the main reason I purchased the set, the other two were nice enough, but this was the puzzle I wanted to assemble most. The bright colors, cute puppies and interesting patterns made for an entertaining but challenging assembly. Challenging is not always a bad thing, many times the complexity draws me in and I find myself completely absorbed in figuring out. Other times the challenge seems overwhelming and tedious, and I’m only interested in finishing it so that I can move on to a more “amusing” puzzle. Fortunately this puzzle was the absorbing type of challenge.
Bits and Pieces quality isn’t always consistent, but the quality of this particular puzzle was very good. The pieces were a good thickness, the random cut meant there were a very good variety of shapes, and the image reproduction was quite good as well. The end result is almost seamless – the fit was excellent.
The lighter browns and darker areas were the most challenging (although there doesn’t seem to be much darkness looking at the completed puzzle). I still remember how much I enjoyed this puzzle; the random cut kept it interesting, the dogs are extremely cute, and the overall image is perfect for puzzling.
A Ruff Life is no longer in print, but if you come across a copy it’s definitely recommended. 👍
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.
