Review: Alice in Wonderland

On July 9, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles8 Comments

Alice in Wonderland by Royce B. McClure – Wentworth Wooden Puzzles – 250 pieces

This was an extremely entertaining puzzle to assemble, I love the image! I’ve seen many of Royce McClure’s images on puzzles, but I believe this is the first one I’ve assembled. The artwork is so detailed and beautiful, and the subject matter is so fun and funny – it really was a great puzzle to put together. I highly recommend it!

This was one of the 5 puzzles I ordered for myself last month. It was the only one that wasn’t on sale (although I did use a code to get 10% off), I’d had my eye on it for quite some time. The image is exactly my cup of tea – served by the Mad Hatter, no doubt – and I couldn’t resist finally getting it when I ordered the others on sale. I’m so glad I did.

As with all laser-cut wooden puzzles, the fit is quite loose. I’ve never worked a hand-cut wooden puzzle so I can’t speak to that fit (if anyone would like to send me one to try out, I wouldn’t say no. 😉 )

Besides the loose fit, the quality is exceptional. The wooden pieces are thick and have a satisfying “plunk” when they fall into place. I don’t know the process of how the image is attached to the wood, but it’s beautifully done from my perspective.

The quality of the image is exceptional, the characters and faces are gorgeous! I always enjoy having words to assemble, and each of the small sections of the scene was so much fun. It definitely makes me want to find more puzzles by Royce McClure – I absolutely adored his work, it’s so appealing and detailed.

If you have the chance, I definitely recommend Wentworth puzzles; it’s a whole different experience than working a cardboard puzzle, so much fun!

Details:

Title: Alice in Wonderland
Artist: Royce B. McClure
Brand: Wentworth Wooden Puzzles
Piece count: 250 pieces
Size: Approx. 14 x 10 in. (36 x 25 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Excellent
Cutting: Excellent
Image: Excellent
Box: Nice, pieces come in a cloth bag
Fit: Loose
Puzzle Dust: None
Piece cut: Random cut with whimsies
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Excellent, highly recommended

Wild Babies, Baby Orangutan

On February 4, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles4 Comments

This is a cute puzzle, sort of. I guess it depends on if you think orangutans are cute. LOL It was only 250 pieces, so I thought it would be a quick one to work on. It wasn’t, because I wasn’t feeling well, and I didn’t get it finished until mom came back from her overseas trip. Once she was there to work with me it got done much faster! (We cheer each other on, and help out when one of us is having a tough time with a puzzle)

The pieces were pretty thin and the finish was a bit shiny, but all in all it wasn’t too bad. The fit was nice and there were a good variety of shapes to work with. I don’t know that I’d purchase this brand again unless it was an image that I really wanted.

This was an unopened thrift store purchase, so for 69 cents you can’t beat it, even if it wasn’t a premium quality puzzle. It was all there, and provided some much need relaxation and stress relief; not to mention some puzzle time with mom! ☺

Pavo Bengala

On January 26, 2018January 26, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

IMG_E4148 — Pavo Bengala by Catalina Estrada – Wentworth Wooden Puzzles – 250 pieces

Look at this gorgeous puzzle; it is absolutely, unbelievably magnificent! How can you look at this image and not want to assemble it? Mom and I fell in love with the image the moment we saw it and we had to purchase it – in fact we tried to also get it in a micro puzzle, but they were out of stock. 😦

This puzzle is only 250 pieces, but by no means was it easy in any way. It’s a mirrored image, so that increases the difficulty; and it’s full of detail and color which makes it beautiful, but challenging. I loved working this puzzle, and it was so wonderful to assemble. The whimsies are so special as well – peacocks, flowers, birdhouses, etc., so pretty!

I think a 250 piece Wentworth puzzle is just about the perfect size. It’s a challenge, but not too much so; and it is small enough that you don’t feel overwhelmed by that challenge. And even better, the 250 piece puzzles that we purchased were absolutely the best size for working on my small bedside table when I was stuck in bed for a week. Perfection! We have a 500 piece and 750 piece from Wentworth that we have yet to do, but I’m not quite feeling up to working on those yet. Hopefully soon!

I tried to look up what Pavo Bengala means, and I think it basically means peacock. Pavo means “turkey” in several languages, and bengala means “sparkler” or “flare” – so perhaps pavo bengala means peacock – a turkey with sparklers on it’s butt. I love it! 🎆 🦃🎆

I started to feel bad when writing this up that I’ve been doing so many posts about wooden puzzles lately. I know that most puzzlers only do cardboard puzzles, and it occurred to me that they might not want to keep reading posts about puzzles they’re not going to ever buy or assemble. But then I had to tell myself that this probably was only a problem in my own head.

I love reading about puzzles, pretty much any puzzles. I don’t have Facebook, but I read all the posts from the Facebook group my mother is a part of because I just love jigsaw puzzles and everything about them. Even if a puzzle isn’t one I particularly like the look of, I still enjoy reading about it; even if it doesn’t look like fun to assemble, I still want to hear about it. So although there have been a lot of wooden puzzles in a row and there are still more to come, I hope you enjoy reading about them almost as much as I enjoyed assembling them.

Spectacular Peacock

On January 21, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles3 Comments

This puzzle fit very nicely on the beside table in my hospital room, I need my puzzles! This stunningly beautiful puzzle was 240 pieces of boredom therapy; I loved taking my mind off of everything else going on, and being able to do something other than stare at the television. Is it too much to ask for the hospitals to have Netflix? LOL

I know now the reason that I went a little insane last year and purchased 30-some micro puzzles from Wentworth, along with a few of their “midsize” puzzles. I was going to need them in January for my hospital stay! Mom brought me a bunch of micro puzzles and 2 of the larger ones to keep my puzzle brain happy and engaged while I was laid up. Thanks Wentworth – I love them so much❣

This puzzle and the next 8 posts coming up are all from my week in the hospital. Two of them are larger (over 200 pieces), one is a 100 piece, and the remaining five are micro puzzles from 40-60 pieces. My apologies for having so many very small puzzles in a row, but I’ve almost completely used up my “bank” of puzzle posts, and will have to work to build it back up once I’ve completely recovered and am able to sit and puzzle again.

This Aimee Stewart puzzle is absolutely gorgeous, everyone who saw it exclaimed over it and how beautiful and unusual it was. Of course it’s beautiful, it’s an Aimee Stewart! The irregular edge and amazingly detailed image made this a bit of a challenge, but that was exactly what was needed to stave off the boredom that comes with being bed-ridden. Luckily puzzles can be done almost anywhere you can find a flat surface. 🙂

The whimsies included in this puzzle are as wonderfully detailed and beautiful as the puzzle itself. There are several peacocks, flowers, butterflies, and more. Gorgeous! Assembling the edge took a bit of time, but I loved every moment. Holding a wooden puzzle piece while contemplating it’s placement is almost as satisfying as the plunk when it falls into place. The entire assembly was a joy, and exactly what I needed. Aimee Stewart and Wentworth Puzzles to the rescue!

I know wooden puzzles aren’t for everyone, and the added price is a bit much for some. But I encourage every puzzler to treat themselves at least once to a wooden puzzle. There are some reasonably priced companies out there (check out my post on wooden puzzle companies and their products here), and maybe you could request a smaller, reasonably priced wooden puzzle for your birthday this year. Artifact has the best prices and a wonderful catalog to choose from starting at only $18, Liberty’s extra small puzzles are intricate and amazing (around 100 pieces) and start at $39, and Wentworth micro puzzles are deceptively simple looking but a fun challenge and start at only $12. They are puzzles you will want to do again and again, and end up being absolutely worth the additional price. You’re worth it – treat yourself! I’m planning on requesting some small Liberty puzzles for Mother’s Day this year. 😎

It’s a Hoot!

On January 4, 2018January 4, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

IMG_E4085 — It’s a Hoot – Wentworth Wooden Puzzles – 259 pieces

This is a striking image that was a lot of fun to work, and not really difficult at all. Mom and I assembled this one together, and we had a great time doing it. It didn’t take as much time as we thought it would with the repetitive cut, I think it actually makes assembly a little bit easier. You can see in the picture below the repetitive shapes, they’re like little owls!

I love working with these wonderful wooden puzzles. I like the feel of them as they fall into place, I love looking at the interesting shapes, I love the smell of the wood, and the care they take in packaging the pieces. They’re just excellent in every way.

I highly recommend the “extra difficult cut” you can get with some of the Wentworth puzzles. This is the second challenging cut that I’ve done, and I actually found it easy to work with. I’m not sure if I’ll be trying the winter scenes though, lots of snow and trees is too close to winter aspen for me.

It’s so wonderfully bright and colorful, I’d love to hang it on the wall for a while, but there’s no bleeping way I would glue any of these wooden puzzles! They’re too much fun to only assemble one time; mom and I loved this puzzle and will definitely be doing it over and over again.