Tag: 500 pieces

Butterflies III – Day 1

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles8 Comments

Butterflies III – Cra-Z-Art – 500 pieces

This gorgeous set had 18 puzzles instead of the usual 12. So instead of many days of butterflies with no commentary other than “look how pretty they are”, I’ll just split this up into two days of posts. Each separate puzzle won’t be getting it’s own picture, but they’ll be in groups of three.

They were all quite good quality, and there were far fewer pieces connected than there usually are. Perhaps Cra-Z-Art is getting better at cutting all the way through the colored backing, or perhaps this is one of the rare times that I ended up with a puzzle that was cut when the die was new and sharp. You’re always hearing me say that a puzzle may have been cut at the end of the run when the die was dull, what a novel thing to have the opposite – finally!

I enjoyed all the different shapes of the puzzles. And that pink one on the right is gorgeous!

You can tell that there are big differences in the sizes as well. Some puzzles were only around 15 pieces, and some were closer to 60. It’s nice that they’re all not just the same shape and size with only the colors separating each species.

Dogs with Jobs

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Dogs with Jobs by Eloise Narrigan – Galison – 500 pieces

Quite an adorable puzzle, which helped make up for the lack of variety in piece shapes and sharp white backing. This was a gift received quite some time ago, I’m not even sure when – and it seemed like it was time to get it assembled.

Eloise Narrigan is an artist I haven’t seen in puzzle images before, and she has such a wonderful imagination and aesthetic; each charming image of a dog and the job they hold was so entertaining. I’ve picked some of the silly or unique jobs that truly made me smile. Notice that the line drawings around each dog are connected to their professions – what a fun puzzle image!

Indie Yarn Dyer? This one made me laugh out loud, I wish I’d looked closer at this puzzle before I concocted the backstories for the dog selfies; it would have helped me come up with some truly bizarre and hilarious jobs for them!

Balloon artist – that must be difficult with paws and nails – I bet they have to get their nails cut or filed down quite often. And the thought of the long, thin Dachshund blowing up long, thin balloons to twist into shapes makes me giggle. Love the balloon dog line drawing as well. ❤

Of course whatever job the Boston Terrier had would be shown here – they’re our favorite breed here at My Jigsaw Journal. A DJ is a perfect job for that breed, they’re so fun and energetic.

This puzzle was more fun than I thought, and seeing all the great job titles and fun line drawings around each one made for an entertaining assembly. Many thanks to whomever gifted me this puzzle (Penny, I think). Please don’t take offense, more than a few people gift me puzzles and it’s just been so long and my memory is shot; I cannot recall for certain who gave this to me. 😥

Review: Frenchie

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews6 Comments

Frenchie – de.bored puzzles – 500 pieces

I ADORE this image – French Bulldogs are one of my favorite breeds – it’s my dream puppy. With that sweet little face and that bright, colorful background how could I not give this puzzle a try?

de.bored is a new company to me, and the quality was good. On the pro side there were a great variety of shapes, sturdy chipboard, a good fit, and excellent reproduction. For cons, it had a very shiny finish, and the white, slippery, “sharp” backing that I am not a fan of. It was made in China, but according to the box the company is in Ohio in the United States. Overall the quality reminds me of a Mudpuppy puzzle but with more varied shapes.

It says on the back of the box that they are a “new puzzle company bringing artist-inspired puzzles to you. These frame-worthy designs will help you unplug and destress, allowing you to de.bored your life!” Cute slogan, helping you to be de-stressed and de-bored. Although, if their puzzles are artist-inspired then it’s a bit disappointing that nowhere on the box is the artist who created this image given any credit at all. Just an observation.

I did enjoy this puzzle and the quality was better than I thought it would be. The image was a little challenging, with the colored background much easier to assemble than the dog itself. But then again, if it were too easy it wouldn’t have held my interest as much.

Many thanks and much love to my darling daughter who saw this while she was out shopping and decided that mom would like this puzzle. What a sweetie! 💗

Details:

  • Title:                  Frenchie
  • Artist:                Unknown
  • Brand:               de.bored puzzles
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 17 x 23 in. (43 x 58 cm)
  • Purchased:      New

Quality:

  • Board:               Good
  • Cutting:             Very Good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Minimal amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Very shiny finish w/sharp, white backing, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Good quality, recommended

Butterflies In Progress

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling2 Comments

Butterflies III – Cra-Z-Art – 500 pieces

I spent A LOT of time yesterday trying to decide on the next puzzle; for some reason my brain was being extremely fickle and I just couldn’t stick with one choice. Several times the decision was made, and several times I changed my mind. At one point I thought the best way to come up with the next puzzle was to go shopping and find something new – my brain is so weird sometimes.

Eventually everything finally came to rest on this set of 18 butterflies and I was able to get them sorted while I was in bed watching tv. I’ve only gotten a few of them finished this morning; either they’re more difficult than usual or I haven’t had enough coffee yet. Or it could be both.

There are some large butterflies in this set and some beautiful (but difficult) patterns. I’ve found myself staring at the pieces, completely engrossed in the assembly; I forget there’s coffee next to me, I forget everything until that mini puzzle is done. Then I come out of my stupor to find that much time has passed and my coffee is cold!

Some of the sets are quite easy to assemble, and some are more challenging. So far I’d put this one in the more challenging category. Last night was a terrible night for sleep and I’m dragging and feeling stupid this morning – that could be a part of the problem. Perhaps I should go watch a couple episodes of the current show I’m binge-watching; I can have a few cups of coffee and make sure I’m more awake and aware before I attempt to put together any more pretty butterflies.

It’ll probably be about a month before you start seeing the assembled flutter-bys being posted, but please don’t expect names and bios; although they’re beautiful creatures they just don’t have personality to speak of.

If I can’t see faces I can’t see individuality, identity, charisma, or emotion. Without those I’ve got nuthin’!

Dog Selfies – Day 4

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles16 Comments

Dog Selfies by Howard Robinson – Cra-Z-Art – approx. 125/500 pieces

Sadly we have come to the final day of Dog Selfies; but never fear, there are four more sets of Cra-Z-Art puzzles here that need to be assembled – including main street buildings, butterflies, and two different sets of “selfies”. Those will be a treat to post about!

Have you tried any of these puzzles yet, or are you just having fun reading about them and have no interest in assembling them yourself? Just wondering. I highly recommend them, and am always on the lookout for new sets or old ones that I may have missed. My hope is that Cra-Z-Art continues to make them and come up with new ideas for new sets; they make me very happy indeed.

And now, the final three mini biographies…

Wesley. Dear, sweet Wesley. He is one of the kindest and most patient pups out there, and he needs to be. Wesley works as a sober companion living with and assisting recovering addicts. His current client is a recovering leather addict and has refrained from chewing any shoes or furniture for almost 17 weeks. When he isn’t working with clients Wesley enjoys teaching himself new skills and is at the moment learning cross-stitching and all forms of needlework and embroidery.

Rhonda works from home as a medical transcriptionist, which leaves her plenty of time for her other passion – pretending to work in the yard so she can keep tabs on her neighbors. She’s a busybody who is always minding everyone else’s business and you DO NOT want to get on her bad side; she tries to watch and see all, and is the worst gossip there is. Don’t be fooled by that face – Rhonda is a know-it-all backstabbing b*tch.

This is Bubbles, and she is a professional cheerleader for the Burbank Badgers. Her expressive face and killer dance moves have seen her rise to the rank of captain of the squad, and she loves to help choreograph their dance routines as well. When she’s not cheering on her team Bubbles enjoys spending her time searching flea markets and antique stores for hidden treasures, and is hoping to find a that one rare item that could finance her retirement. Good luck with your treasure hunting Bubbles!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey through my weird and warped mind with these posts of dog selfies. Creating names and backstories for these little puzzles is, at times, an entertaining break from real life. They may not be as engrossing for you as they are for me, but I do the best I can. 😎