Tag: 300 pieces

Story of the Lion

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Story of the Lion by Amanda Michele – Sure Lox – 300 pieces

This puzzle is absolutely beautiful, but was not fun to assemble at all. It’s such a disappointment though, I really wanted to enjoy this one!

Sure Lox is much better than it used to be, with thicker pieces and a better fit: not these special editions though, it was NOT fun to work with. Adding whimsy pieces to cardboard puzzles never works the way people would hope – when things don’t connect they are constantly shifting all around and you are perpetually moving them back to where they go. It can be unbelievably frustrating – and it was.

In addition, this puzzle doesn’t lay flat – the whimsy pieces especially. As they don’t connect to anything they stick up out of the puzzle in places. Extremely annoying.

There are 75 whimsies out of 300 pieces, that’s a lot. And in this instance it isn’t a compliment. Some were huge, some small as the average puzzle piece. I found it a bit too much. Theater, if you will. Look at us, we can make fun shapes out of cardboard! Did it make for an entertaining puzzle? Nope.

Some of the pieces you can see come in different sizes, those I stacked up to be able to take the picture without using my entire board. The only one that’s image-side up is the shape of Africa; if it were turned around it would look like a bizzarro-world African continent.

Unfortunately this puzzle was not enjoyable, and I wouldn’t recommend it. Even at only 300 pieces it was difficult and cumbersome – and for me it was just annoying.

Butterflies

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Butterflies by Anne Geddes – TCG – 300 pieces

The image is what drew me to this one, who could resist adorable sleeping babies? It was lots of fun, and didn’t take long at all.

TCG isn’t a brand I normally purchase; but the fact that it was only 300 pieces, an image that I liked, and was on sale were probably the deciding factors. The quality was fair; chipboard was nice and thick, and the image reproduction was excellent (other than the shiny finish). The fit wasn’t great, however, and it doesn’t lay flat.

Although this puzzle had a great image it reinforced why this isn’t a brand that I normally buy. Fit is paramount, and when a puzzle has a bad fit and doesn’t lay flat there aren’t many factors that can make up for it – at least for me, that is.

Look at that face! Sleeping babies are just too adorable for words, I think that’s why I couldn’t resist this puzzle.

Tiny Toy Tops

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Tiny Toy Tops by Alyssa Hemsath Mooney – Milton Bradley – 300 pieces

This puzzle was SO much more difficult than it looks; I definitely misjudged the challenge level. From the box image it looked so bright and happy, but the pieces themselves seemed so dark and painterly. It took me quite a bit longer than a 300 piece puzzle usually does.

That isn’t to say it wasn’t enjoyable, because it was. Figuring things out, deciphering the colors and shapes and eventually putting everything back together again gave me such a sense of accomplishment – I did it!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Milton Bradley puzzle. This one was good quality; with somewhat thin pieces and a good fit. They aren’t a go-to brand, but they’re not too bad either.

If you’re looking for a 300 piece puzzle that’s a little more challenging than most, give this one a try. It definitely gave me a run for my money. 💵🏃‍♀️

Harbor City

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

Harbor City by Shanghee Shin – Re-marks – 300 pieces

This puzzle was just what I needed – I had much more fun putting this together than I’d predicted – that’s always a big bonus for me!

Excellent quality Re-marks puzzle; thick pieces, excellent fit, beautiful reproduction. All in all a great puzzle with a fun image to assemble.

This gondola and it’s occupants really made me smile. I love the hat of the gondolier, and it looks as though the frightened cat is holding a ring box – perhaps there’s a proposal in the works?

For some reason the kitty doing a handstand in the window struck me as truly funny. Perhaps while mom is downstairs watering the flowers the kids are upstairs messing around. Whatever the reason I found it amusing.

Tour the States

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Tour the States by Craighton Berman – Buffalo – 300 pieces

This puzzle was very quick for someone who knows the geography of the US, if you know where the state is you know where the piece goes. I’m certain if there was a map of another continent I don’t know as well as North America it wouldn’t have been as quick to go together. I loved the bright colors and excellent quality.

The northeast was the hardest to memorize when we were learning all the states in school, at least it was for me. All those little states up there took the most time to commit to memory.

Ok, I understand the gator and Louisiana, it’s swampy and perfect for alligators. But why in the world is it eating a banana? Am I missing something?

I’d never heard of the “hit” YouTube video until I put this puzzle together. Honestly, I haven’t looked it up to watch it either but it must have been quite popular to turn into an online store and have a puzzle made up from this image. Have any of you heard of this before?