Elizabeth’s Garden

On August 17, 2023August 16, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

Elizabeth’s Garden by Charles Wysocki – Buffalo – 300 pieces

It’s been a while since I’ve assembled a puzzle with a Wysocki image. I love the symmetry in his paintings, and the Americana feel – and as usual this was a beautiful image and a very good quality puzzle.

It went together very quickly; I sorted the puzzle and assembled the border the night before and then it didn’t take long at all in the morning to put everything in it’s place. Sometimes it’s nice to do something not so challenging – at least it is for me.

Unfortunately my brain is mush today and I can’t think of a thing to say about this puzzle. There was nothing wrong with it, and I enjoyed the assembly; but I seem to be unable to form coherent sentences this morning.

My apologies.

Fun Fair Food

On August 7, 2023July 15, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Fun Fair Food by Lars Stewart – Buffalo – 300 pieces

What a great image for puzzling! It’s not too simple, but not too difficult, and at only 300 pieces it’s perfect for when you’re wanting a quick puzzle to complete. Of course I adored this – it’s a colorful collage of food – what’s not to enjoy?

A quick check of the blog tells me that this was my first puzzle with an image by Lars Stewart, Aimee’s husband. He obviously has learned some things from her about color choices, don’t you think? They’re bright and beautiful, and it made for an extremely entertaining assembly.

This was a great first puzzle back after our 10 day vacation; and I loved every piece. 💙

How fitting it’s also the first puzzle posted after our second 10 day trip to Michigan, I’m so glad to be home!

Kuala Lumpur

On July 20, 2023July 2, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Kuala Lumpur by Harimao Lee – Blanc Puzzles (Buffalo) – 300 pieces

There was something about this image that I couldn’t pass up, even though photographic puzzles aren’t usually my taste. Thankfully it was as much fun as I thought it would be and the assembly was truly entertaining.

Blanc Puzzles are very good quality, though this was a bit different than the previous puzzle by this brand that I assembled. The box was different (no clamshell lid or magnetic clasp) and the backing was different (no artist signature or brand name printed on the backing paper). Otherwise it seemed to be the same quality of chipboard, pieces, image reproduction, and fit.

There isn’t much that need focusing in on with this image, so I documented the assembly instead…

It wasn’t as challenging as I thought it would be, but in the end that was a good thing for me. Getting ready for our vacation was foremost in my mind, and it was nice to have an easy puzzle that didn’t require too much brain power.

I enjoyed this puzzle and it’s quality very much.💜

Harmony Harbor

On July 8, 2023July 7, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles9 Comments

Harmony Harbor – Spin Master – 300 pieces

This is a beautiful image, I’m not sure that it’s “calming” for me though. I wish there were more to say about this puzzle, but it was just…meh. Not bad, not great – it just was. Most certainly it is more about me than the puzzle itself or the image, but that’s how it seemed.

Spin Master has come out with these Calm puzzles; there is an app to download (comes with a free 30-day subscription) and you use the app to enhance your experience with mindful audio content from Calm, the #1 app for meditation, relaxation and sleep.

I’m not interested in an app to help me enjoy my puzzles; all I need is a beautiful image made by a quality jigsaw puzzle company and some great music to sing along with or just peace and quiet. Having the audio curated for me just isn’t what I’m looking for.

The quality was good; there were quite a few pieces with bent tabs, but the chipboard was a good thickness, the fit was very good, and the image reproduction was lovely with a matte finish.

I wish I had to more say about this puzzle, I’m just not feelin’ it at the moment. Sorry.

Night Owls Study Group

On July 2, 2023June 9, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Night Owls Study Group by Karen Burke – MasterPieces – 300 pieces

Is this not an adorable image? My son and I loved all the nerd/geek references – being a professed and proud professional puzzle geek myself I am part of that community. Nerds rock!

This puzzle had a rather odd fit that I’m having trouble finding the words to describe. It almost seemed loose when you connected some pieces together, but it is not a loose fit at all. The fit felt “off”, is the best way I can describe it. The pieces didn’t lay flat either, which is not a problem I can ever recall having with a MasterPieces puzzle.

It was like this all over the puzzle – almost like they were warped. Very odd indeed. And then, for a puzzle with and odd fit that feels loose but isn’t and whose pieces did not lay flat…check this out!