Sunset Over a Busy Day

On May 24, 2018May 24, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles8 Comments

This puzzle was a pleasure to assemble, the gorgeous colors and exceptional fit made for a great time. Doesn’t this look like a great spot for a getaway?

The picture above doesn’t do this puzzle justice, the image is absolutely beautiful and the colors are stunning. I would have liked to have the artist’s name somewhere on the box; I searched every inch of it and nowhere is credit given to the artist. If I were an artist that licensed my work to be made into a puzzle I would definitely want credit for it! Thank goodness for the internet, with the name of the painting it was easy to find the name of the artist and I can at least give him credit here.

Most of the Milton Bradley puzzles I’ve assembled so far have been very good quality. Their pieces are a good thickness, they have a very good variety of piece shapes and the fit is excellent. The image reproduction is excellent as well and in general I’ve been thoroughly impressed with their puzzles.

I’m not always in the right frame of mind for an image like this one, but Sunset Over a Busy Day was just what I needed. The sky was easy to start with, and the dock and cabin offered enough of a challenge to keep it from being too easy. I find that my moods directly affect the type of puzzles I choose to assemble. I haven’t completely figured it out yet, which moods prefer which puzzles – all I know is some days I won’t even consider a certain puzzle and a few days later that same puzzle is exactly what I’m looking for.

Perhaps that means that it’s pretty important for me to have a very good variety of puzzles to choose from. So mom keep up that thrift store shopping, my ever-changing moods require a wide variety of interesting puzzles to choose from. ☺

Puzzles in Progress

On May 22, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling17 Comments

First Trip to the Beauty Shop by Norman Rockwell

I’ve got two puzzles in progress at the moment, I can’t seem to get my brain to settle on just one. This first one mom found unopened at the thrift store for 39 cents. The box is extremely small for a 500 piece puzzle which means the pieces are quite small as well. Once we opened the box, we saw that the quality was less than optimal – very thin pieces with an unbelievably loose fit. Ugh. I started assembling it at least 2 times before and put it away because I wasn’t in the right mood to deal with the poor quality.

I’m not sure why I’m in the mood for it now, but at the moment I really want to see this puzzle assembled; partly because nowhere on the box is a picture of the entire puzzle image – frustrating! And if I’ve got 2 puzzles going I can take a break from the horrible quality of this one and work on one that isn’t as annoying

The image on this puzzle is much brighter and easier to work with, and even though it’s a Ceaco puzzle the quality is many times better than the Norman Rockwell puzzle (which is made by Kappa Books Publisher). The fit is much nicer and the pieces aren’t nearly as thin.

So I’ve got 2 puzzles going, but for some reason neither of them is my newest wooden puzzle that was my anniversary present. I’m not sure when my weird old lady brain will be in the right mood for that one. I think it’s partly because I’m missing working on puzzles with mom; I haven’t been able to have any puzzle/visit days with her for the last 3 weeks. Every puzzle is much more fun when mom and I work together, and a new wooden puzzle is something we both love to assemble.

We won’t be able to have our visit day this week either, so perhaps I’m just too bummed about that to start on the new Liberty puzzle. We’ll have to wait and see I suppose.

Review: Cupcakes I

On May 20, 2018May 20, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

Cupcakes I – Lafayette Puzzle Factory – 500 pieces

Cupcakes I is one of a series of mini shaped puzzles that I found to be great fun. As soon as mom and each finished one of the cupcakes I knew I was in trouble – I want every single set of puzzles in this series!

My picture isn’t the best, I can usually do a better job, but the picture I took seems quite dark. I wanted to show the beautiful colors and shapes in greater detail….

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This would be a great way to start out with shaped puzzles if you’re intimidated or not sure about them. These are color coded on the back so that you can sort them easily, or if you’re looking for more of a challenge you can just ignore the colored backs and put them together without any assistance. I had the best time putting these together and can’t wait to try out all the other puzzles in the series. There are more cupcakes, fish, puppies, high heeled shoes, birds, butterflies, and teacups.

Lafayette Puzzle Factory has an extremely varied catalog and beautiful images to choose from. Their pieces are a good thickness and fit together well; and the image reproduction is bright and colorful. This is only the second adult puzzle by LPF that I’ve assembled, and I find their image reproduction to be stellar – absolutely gorgeous! The finish is slightly shiny and can cause glare under artificial lights although I didn’t find it too annoying. For me the image is a major factor in puzzle quality, and if the colors are bright and fun to work with I find it easier to overlook other minor quality issues. Click the link above to see the puzzles they have in stock now at Puzzle Warehouse.

I highly recommend these shaped mini puzzles, they are so much fun to assemble!

Details:

Title: Cupcakes I
Artist: Cra-Z-Art
Brand: Lafayette Puzzle Factory
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: N/A – 12 small shaped puzzles
Purchased: N/A, sent for review

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Very good
Image: Very good
Box: Average – must cut to open
Fit: Very good
Puzzle Dust: Very small amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Very good, highly 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.

Dragonfly

On May 17, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve assembled a Ravensburger, probably because most of their puzzles that I own are 1000 pieces or more. I got this one when I made a special trip to Tuesday Morning to get myself some more 300 and 500 piece puzzles. I didn’t know that store carried Ravensburger puzzles; I got this and two other 500 pieces that I have yet to assemble. I couldn’t pass up a 500 piece Ravensburger for only $5.99, even though none of the 3 puzzles I bought are my typical preferred images.

I’m finding 1000 piece puzzles overwhelming these days; when I open up a puzzle with that many pieces it’s just upsetting and too much for me. I don’t completely understand it, but I’m blaming chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and probably menopause too. Luckily there are plenty of smaller puzzles around for me to work on that allow me to decompress and just let my mind go blank – to think about nothing but the next piece. It’s one of the best things about puzzling for me, allowing me to turn off my brain and stop it from worrying and stressing and all the other crazy things it seems to do on it’s own.

This image was quite challenging, and took me a while to finish. I didn’t mind though, as long as it isn’t too difficult as to be frustrating the challenge makes it easier to tune out the world and focus only on the puzzle. The fit was slightly looser than the average Ravensburger, but it wasn’t overly annoying. The darker colors took a while to get used to, but eventually I was able to make out the smaller differences in shades that helped to put everything together properly. Fun puzzle, beautiful image, and an excellent stress reliever.

Fantasy Palace

On May 11, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles7 Comments

This puzzle made me think it would be difficult, but it wasn’t. Quite the opposite, it was entertaining and beautiful – and it makes me a little sad that I don’t have any more new bigger wooden puzzles to assemble. Eventually I’ll get myself some more though, no worries.

I’ve long admired the artwork of Ciro Marchetti, his use of color and whimsy is absolutely beautiful – it reminds me of Aimee Stewart’s art. This is the first puzzle of his that I’ve done and it was more fun than I’d hoped for. That it was a wooden puzzle added to my enjoyment, it’s the best time I’ve had puzzling in a while.

I’ve run out of adjectives to describe how fabulous working with wooden puzzles is. It’s a special treat, and I make no apologies for spending money on something that makes me happy. Every post with a wooden puzzle ends with me encouraging you to treat yourself to a wooden puzzle, and I will continue to do that. Wooden puzzles are a visual and tactile pleasure to work with; we’re completely worth it – no question.