Summer Flowers

On April 1, 2018April 1, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles1 Comment

This gorgeous puzzle was much more difficult than I assumed it would be, but luckily I was able to share the load with mom and my daughter – that always makes it more fun.

The pieces had a great feel to them, were a good thickness, and as you can see the image reproduction is stunning; it even came with a poster of the puzzle because the box was an upright square tube and you couldn’t see the entire image. The fit was quite loose though, and a bit of a pain to work with. When we finally got this one finished we swore off flower puzzles for a while, it was a struggle!

I can’t always tell from the picture how difficult a puzzle will be, I’m usually surprised in some way even though I assemble puzzles a lot. I love trying out new companies or even different types of puzzles from the same company and finding out what’s good and what needs work. Sometimes I’m enthralled by the image and go into it knowing it’ll be a bit difficult, sometimes I think it’ll be a breeze and it turns into a windstorm. Other times I think it’s going to be very challenging and it turns out to be the perfect amount of challenge and it’s incredibly fun and entertaining.

I’m usually not correct in my assumptions about the difficulty level of a puzzle, but it sure is fun to keep trying and to keep being surprised. 😎

Review: The Typewriter

On March 27, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

The Typewriter by William Doree – Clementoni – 500 pieces

The Typewriter is a gorgeous puzzle that took my breath away when I saw it, and although it seems very dark and difficult to assemble, it was a joy!

I don’t have a ton of experience working Clementoni puzzles, but the ones I’ve done have been impressive; the pieces are a good thickness, have a nice variety of piece shapes, and have a linen finish that feels good in your hands. The fit of this puzzle was a bit loose but still workable, though I did have to take care when moving small sections around the board. The image reproduction is crisp and clear with no fuzziness, and although it’s not an overly colorful picture it’s a fun image that I really enjoyed assembling. Clementoni has an excellent catalog of landscapes, illustrations, photography and fine art to choose from, click here to see all their puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.

I enjoyed this assembly very much, and though it looks dark there were not many pieces that were all black (not nearly as many as in Ruby Red!) The pieces were relatively easy to sort and assemble and the more I worked the more fun I had. It’s a little more difficult when you first begin sorting to know what everything is, but the more you assemble the more familiar you become with the pieces. I love old typewriters, and I’m so glad I got to assemble this puzzle – it was great fun! 👍

Details:

Title: The Typewriter
Artist: William Doree
Brand: Clementoni
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 19 x 14 in. (49 x 36 cm)
Purchased: N/A, sent for review

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Excellent
Image: Excellent
Box: Average
Fit: Somewhat loose
Puzzle Dust: Almost none
Piece cut: Grid 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.

The Sewing Box

On March 24, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles1 Comment

This was a super fun Springbok puzzle that mom and I assembled together. We love a collage and putting together each little compartment of the box made for a great afternoon. It was a little bit of a bummer that it was missing a piece, but c’est la vie – that’s life.

Springbok quality is sometimes hit or miss, thankfully this one was a hit. The pieces fit together well and didn’t require having to force connections; sometimes I find their fit is much too tight, but this one was just about perfect. The image reproduction was crisp and beautiful, and the image itself made for such a great puzzle!

I love our Fridays when mom and I spend the day together. We assemble puzzles, talk, laugh, and generally just enjoy each other’s company. When the hormones are raging and I can’t stand anyone, mom is the only one I want to be around; no matter how I’m feeling, spending time with mom is always good for me. Lately we’ve been doing smaller piece count puzzles, we are having more fun being able to do more than one puzzle per day.

I love a thrift store puzzle, there’s always a chance that it may be missing a piece but you can find such interesting, fun puzzles at deeply discounted prices. Yes, this puzzle had a piece missing – but it only cost us 99 cents. For less than a dollar we got to spend the afternoon together putting together a really entertaining puzzle – what a bargain!

Gentlemen

On March 18, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

This is the companion to yesterday’s puzzle, Ladies. I don’t know exactly what it is about these images that draws me in, but whatever it is they were both excellent quality puzzles that were great fun. I’m so glad I was able to get these before they were discontinued because they didn’t disappoint and are more beautiful than I expected.

Once I finished Ladies I couldn’t wait to get going on this one! The image is relatively easy one to assemble, but not so easy that it’s boring. I loved the embossed accents on some of the items, but am pretty bummed that I wasn’t able to capture the accents in a photo.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of these puzzles, the pieces were thick and fit together very well. I’d love to get the rest of the Home Collection, these were such great quality and so much fun and the images are beautiful! Both of these puzzles are already glued and waiting for me to find a some gorgeous matching frames.

I loved this puzzle❣

Ladies

On March 17, 2018March 17, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

I absolutely adore this image, and I bought it specifically to glue and frame. The first time I saw it I thought that it, along with it’s companion Gentlemen, would be perfect framed and hanging in the master bath. As an added bonus, it was excellent quality and wonderfully fun to assemble!

I usually have a LOT of puzzles hanging out on my wishlist at several stores so I can look at the list, go back and look at the puzzles, and keep an eye out for price reductions, etc. I’ve had both Ladies and Gentlemen on my list for quite a while and when I went over the list one day I found that they had both been discontinued – oh no! Even though I wasn’t really planning on placing an order that day I knew I didn’t want to let these get away from me. I’m so glad I got them!

This was the first Clementoni I’ve gotten new. I’ve assembled one other, but it was a thrift store purchase; I was excited to see what the quality was right out of the box and I wasn’t disappointed. The pieces were thick, had a variety of shapes, fit together very well, and the image reproduction is fantastic! These puzzles are part of the Home Collection, and have an added feature of enhanced images with glossy detail that really make them stand out. Unfortunately it isn’t something I was able to capture in the picture, but it’s beautiful and gives the puzzle a little added pizzazz.

This puzzle was so much fun to assemble that I couldn’t walk away from it, and once it was done I couldn’t wait to get going on it’s companion. It’s too bad that they’ve been discontinued because I’d love to get the rest of the collection. If you come across one of them I highly recommend you give it a try, I absolutely loved it!