Shoes

On July 23, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

I am absolutely in love with these small, separate, shaped puzzles from Lafayette Puzzle Factory. Assembling them is so much fun! I bought 8 of the series, and there are still more that I’d like to get my hands on.

The quality is about medium-level in my opinion. The chipboard has different colored backing for each mini puzzle, and sometimes the die doesn’t cut all the way through this backing. I enjoy these puzzles so much that it doesn’t really bother me that some pieces need to be separated. They are another example of how I’m willing to overlook certain quality issues if the image or assembly is particularly entertaining.

The pieces are a good thickness, there are an excellent variety of shapes, and the fit is very good. The image reproduction is excellent with bright, beautiful colors. They are truly stunning!

The shoes are beautiful as artwork, but there is NO WAY that I would be able to wear them. Perhaps I could sit down first and then put them on, I would look pretty but wouldn’t have to actually walk anywhere. These are my two favorites; I have nowhere to wear them, and nothing to wear them with, but I just love the look of them….

The whole time I was putting these together I kept thinking they would be a great idea for decorating a teenage girl’s room. Most young girls can’t wait to be older and high heels are definitely part of that – at least they were for me. I would have loved to have had these puzzles on my walls when I was younger.

If you’re interested in these gorgeous shaped shoe puzzles I highly recommend them. I had the best time assembling them – two heels kicked way up! 👠👠

Maple Sugar Time

On July 15, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

While this image isn’t one I would choose most other times of the year, I saw this one and decided to get it done for Christmas in July. It was good quality, and pretty fun to assemble.

As usual, these Milton Bradley puzzles are good quality; although the fit of this one was quite loose. This happens sometimes at the end of a run when the dies are getting dull. I don’t consider it a flaw, it’s just one of those things that happens in manufacturing.

All the little scenes were fun to put together; carrying the sap to the big kettle to be sugared off, getting more wood for the fire, etc.

Although I’m not a fan of Christmas/winter puzzles, this one wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed it, but to be honest I’d rather working on a puzzle with bright colors, or maybe one that had a bunch of little shaped puzzles. ☺

Hot Air Balloon Sunset

On July 11, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles12 Comments

My daughter took me puzzle shopping last week, and while I don’t normally care for hot air balloon puzzles this one was only 500 pieces and the colors were so pretty that I couldn’t resist it.

I’ve been finding a lot of these Milton Bradley puzzles lately, they’re pretty good quality and they have some really nice images to choose from. I especially appreciate the nice fit and variety of piece shapes. The feel of the pieces is smooth and pleasant, and I enjoy working with them. Good thing too, since almost all the smaller piece count puzzles I’ve been finding have been this brand.

The colors are quite striking and they all work together to make a beautiful puzzle; although there’s no mention of the artist anywhere on the box. This seems to be a theme lately, why are puzzle companies not crediting the artist? It isn’t just Milton Bradley, it’s been the case with several puzzles from different manufacturers. Not cool if you ask me.

How many hot air balloon puzzles have you seen or done?

Sunset Glory

On June 29, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

This is a beautiful puzzle, but not one I would normally choose. I don’t usually gravitate towards sea life puzzles, I’m not sure why, they’re just not images I normally go for. Luckily I disregarded my prejudice and assembled this puzzle anyway; it was almost a meditative experience for me and I enjoyed it very much.

It’s a Ravensburger, and the quality was top notch. The pieces fit together beautifully, and the image reproduction was stellar. I think it was the colors that attracted to me to this puzzle, especially the colors in the sky. They’re just gorgeous!

Other than the sky, the fish were the most fun for me to assemble. They aren’t very big, but the bright colors and the number of small fish made them very entertaining. I zoned out when I was assembling this puzzle, I just let my brain do all the work. It was almost like meditating (or what I think meditating must be like). I enjoyed this puzzle even more than I thought I would – I love it when that happens. 🙂

You’d think I’d learn after putting together so many different puzzles that you never really know how entertaining an image will be until you actually assemble it. I still have my preferences, but I’m trying to do better about giving certain puzzles and images a chance. I’m usually wrong about how much fun a puzzle will or will not be – so I should give all of them a chance, right? Of course right!

Aphrodite’s Vista

On June 24, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

This image scared me a little bit, I was sure it was going to be very difficult, tedious, and time consuming. Luckily – as usual – I was wrong! It went together much more easily than I thought, and I enjoyed myself very much. 🙂

I purchased this puzzle more than a month ago, I absolutely couldn’t pass up a brand new Ravensburger 500 piece puzzle for only $5.99. It’s interesting how price affects your thinking, isn’t it? If I were shopping online for puzzles I would pass by this image quickly with little to no thought about it. There’s nothing wrong with it – actually it’s quite beautiful – I just normally prefer brighter colors and more distinct lines. But put it in front of me for an extremely discounted price and I won’t be able to leave it behind. I’m a cheapskate and proud of it!

I enjoy the larger piece Ravensburgers very much; for some reason a 500 piece puzzle with the large pieces seems to go together more quickly for me than one with pieces that are the “average” size. I’m not sure why this is. Perhaps because assembling a small section nets a larger finished area, giving one the sense of a bigger accomplishment. The more a puzzle is complete, the more I am encouraged to keep working on it to see the finished image.

As usual, the quality of this Ravensburger puzzle was outstanding – thick pieces, wonderful fit, and lovely image reproduction. This is a beautiful puzzle with excellent quality. Definitely recommended!