“This” and Other Spellings

On December 4, 2019December 4, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles5 Comments

I specifically bought this “word” because I would be able to spell something G-rated with it for the blog. My Jigsaw Journal is about jigsaw puzzles first and foremost, and in a smaller sense it’s about me too. This is the perfect puzzle to show both sides of the blog: the strictly jigsaw puzzle side is “This” and the part about me is the other, more R-rated word “S**t”. (Although I don’t consider it that bad of a swear word to be honest, but some people might and I don’t want to offend anyone.)

Since the naughtier word is the one actually shown on the box, I will show the letters arranged in the correct order. This is just a warning for those of you who might not want to see it, at the bottom of the post I will put a bit of empty space and then the picture. I wanted to give you a heads up, if you’re not interested, stop reading once you see the empty space. 😉

Usually when I get a puzzle from a company that makes many other products the puzzles are quite poor in quality. This Knock Knock puzzle though had wonderful quality; the pieces are a good thickness, the fit was very nice, and the image reproduction is excellent with beautiful colors and gold foil. It’s only the first puzzle from this brand that I’ve done, but I’m quite impressed with it and hope that the second puzzle I purchased is similar in quality. Their line of Four-letter puzzles isn’t all cuss words, they also have the words Sexy, Love, Yeah, and Crap. There are only two actual swear words. My second puzzle is Yeah, and I’m looking forward to it!

As my puzzle friend Penny described it when I sent her a picture – it looks like 70’s disco. I didn’t make that connection when I was assembling it, but she’s right, it absolutely looks like a disco puzzle…

This 1

I loved both the quality and the puzzle in general. Since all the letters had the same colors, it was quite difficult at the start. All these similar pieces, where to begin? I started with the S because I could see where the colors bent. Then I focused on the white stripe that runs through each letter, and I could see it curved in the S and where they met in the H and the T. Once I got going it became easier to see what I should be looking for, and it took a bit of sorting to see which bits went with which letter, it stayed difficult till the end. If you’re planning on assembling this, be prepared – it’s pretty challenging!

All in all I’m quite pleased with this purchase. I hadn’t bought any puzzles online since around April until this one. The quality is very good, the puzzle itself makes me smile, and I’m pretty darned proud of myself for getting it assembled. I’m very much looking forward to putting the next one together, I bought YEAH because I loved the colors and the way the letters looked. All the Four-letter puzzles they have are different in color and shape, and I’m hoping the next word is as entertaining as this one was. 🙂

Empty space coming up, don’t go any farther if you don’t want to see the swear word. For the rest of you guys, meet you at the bottom of the post!

This-Shit

It’s just funny to see this word spelled out with a puzzle. I love it! There was a naughtier word available, THE naughtiest word actually; but you can’t spell anything other words with it. I just adore this puzzle, it was very naughty fun! 😈

Animal Planet

On October 19, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

This is a “Family Puzzle”, it has 3 different sizes of pieces so that the entire family can help assemble it. To be honest I’ve never assembled one with the family, I’ve always done them either alone or with mom. I’m such a puzzle fanatic that I enjoy puzzles for all ages, and a family puzzle has all of them in one box – perfect!

Majestic Puzzles is a new brand for me, and I was impressed with the quality. The pieces were thick and fit together very well. It’s randomly cut so there are a nice variety of shapes and it made for an interesting and challenging assembly. The image reproduction is beautiful with clean lines and bright colors and no blurring or fuzziness. All in all it’s a great quality puzzle.

I sorted the pieces by shape and then assembled it the same way, starting with the largest pieces. Animal Planet 1

It’s odd to have all the kids pieces around the edge. Most of the family puzzles I’ve worked have them all on one side. If you truly want the family to work together it seems more ideal to have big pieces on the left (for example), medium pieces in the middle and smallest pieces on the right. If the whole family tried to work on this one it would be difficult for those working on the smaller pieces to connect them to anything until the kids had finished the outside.

Animal Planet 2

I sorted by size, but obviously I didn’t get all the pieces in their correct piles, there are a few holes. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between a smaller medium sized piece and a larger small piece. (I hope that made sense) 😉

I enjoyed this puzzle much more than I anticipated, the image was challenging and beautiful – a lovely combination. Jungle scenes aren’t usually images I would choose, but the different piece sizes made it more interesting and the beautiful reproduction and great fit made it quite fun. If you come across a family puzzle by Majestic I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

Hengest and Horsa

On May 15, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

This was the second of the Victory wooden puzzles that hubby bought for me, and it seems as though the ridiculously loose fit is just how they are. I’m not a fan.

I did enjoy the image much more than the previous one, the colors were much nicer to work with. It’s just a preference thing, many people prefer photographic images but I do not.

I didn’t really think anything about it until my mom mentioned it, but I agree with her that it’s a little annoying that the whimsy pieces have nothing whatsoever to do with the image. Having automobiles, a jet, a battleship, and a tank (I think) makes absolutely no sense for a puzzle with a historical image. Hengest and Horsa were legendary brothers who are said to have led the first Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain in the 5th century. I wasn’t there, but I’m pretty certain they didn’t invade with fighter jets and Ford Fairlanes!

Hengest and Horsa whimsies

All of the drawbacks aside, I enjoyed assembling this puzzle much more than Swiss Market Square. The image was the main factor for me, as the quality was pretty much exactly the same. The colors are gorgeous, and it was fun to figure out the picture as you went along. The two Victory puzzles I have don’t come with an image on the box, and has an explanation why…

“NO GUIDE PICTURE is provided with this Gold Box VICTORY Jig Saw Puzzle. To do so would destroy much of its absorbing interest. The greatest pleasure is derived from not knowing beforehand the subject which the Puzzle will make and then to see the picture gradually form as the pieces are assembled.”

My husband is a sweetheart, and we just celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary. I appreciate his getting these puzzles for me, it’s so sweet! But having assembled a world class puzzle earlier in the year I feel as though I’ve been ruined for any other vintage puzzle. The amazing quality of the Municipal Building puzzle doesn’t seem to have an equal and every other puzzle has fallen far short for me. It makes everything else seem disappointing. Perhaps I just need time.

The recent Artifact puzzle that mom and I assembled wasn’t disappointing, in fact it was great fun for us. Maybe it’s just vintage puzzles I need to stay away from for a while. 😉

Review: Chocolate Sensation

On October 16, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

Chocolate Sensation by Ali Mocabee – Springbok – 400 pieces

With my favorite candy holiday coming up in just a couple of weeks, what better time to assemble some candy puzzles? Chocolate Sensation is the first family puzzle from Springbok that I’ve put together – it was very entertaining, and quite unusual too!

I’ve put together family puzzles from several different manufacturers, and find them engaging and fun to assemble. If you’re not familiar with a family puzzle, they have small, medium, and large pieces in the same box so that the whole family can work together to assemble the puzzle. I enjoy them very much even though I’m working solo most of the time. Puzzle Warehouse has family puzzles from many different companies, with many images to choose from; Click here to see all the family puzzles currently in stock.

For the most part, family puzzles are set up the same way; with all the large pieces on one side, medium pieces in the middle, and smallest on the other edge. I found it interesting that this puzzle was set up completely differently; the largest pieces were on the outside (the entire edge), with the pieces getting smaller towards the center. I don’t have a preference for how family puzzles are set up, I just found it curious that this is the first time I’ve seen this. Although if the family is supposed to work together on the assembly, perhaps this isn’t the best configuration. Most people assemble puzzles starting with the edge, so once the edge and the first inside row are completed the kids would be done; all that would be left is for the adults to continue working towards the center. Just my opinion, of course.

Springbok puzzles are good quality, with thick pieces that fit together very well (if at times too tightly for my taste), and beautiful image reproduction. The random cut keeps you on your toes, and the interesting shapes mean you never get bored. Their catalog is varied with everything from Americana to sweets and holidays; piece counts start at 36 pieces for their Alzheimer’s puzzles to 2000 pieces for the very brave! Check out all the Springbok puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse, you’re sure to find something interesting and beautiful.

The assembly wasn’t as difficult as I was thinking it would be, and it went together pretty quickly. The M & M’s weren’t as much of a challenge as I thought they’d be, and the chocolate non-pareils were much more challenging than I assumed! It was an extremely tight fit (which I’m not a fan of), so much so that I was able to take my usual standing-on-it’s-edge picture…

Overall, I enjoyed Chocolate Sensation and had fun working with the 3 different sizes of pieces. The image is bright and colorful, and has me looking forward to the day AFTER Halloween, when all the candy is 50% off! 🙂

Details:

Title: Chocolate Sensation
Artist: Ali Mocabee
Brand: Springbok
Piece count: 400 pieces
Size: Approx. 21 x 27 in. (53 x 69 cm)
Purchased: N/A, sent for review

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Very good
Image: Very good
Box: Average
Fit: Good, extremely tight
Puzzle Dust: Moderate 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.

Noah’s Gathering

On April 8, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This is a Cobble Hill family puzzle which contains pieces of three different sizes. From small kids to adults, everyone of every skill level can work together to assemble it. It’s an excellent idea and I think it makes for great fun even if you’re putting the puzzle together by yourself. 🙂

This brand is excellent quality in my opinion, though sometimes the fit can be a little loose. The pieces are thick, linen-coated, and the fit on this puzzle was very good. I will say for a puzzle aimed at the whole family this image was a bit dark in color which made it a bit of a challenge at times, especially when working on the middle. Challenge isn’t a bad thing though, it keeps us interested and on our toes!

Noah’s Ark is a very popular puzzle subject, I think I’ve done at least 7 or 8 Noah’s Ark themed puzzles in the last year or so, maybe more – from 300 pieces all the way up to 2000! They’re all so different and it’s interesting to see the artist’s take on the subject. My favorite was a 300 piece Pomegranate by Jenny Tylden-Wright, it’s so interesting and different and I adore the image; click here to see her beautiful Noah’s Ark.

Have you tried a family puzzle? Many different puzzle manufacturers have made or are making them now. I think they’re great fun, and if you have younger children it’s a wonderful way to spend time together and hopefully get them interested in puzzling.