A Christmas Story Leg Lamp

On August 9, 2017August 10, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

During one of my sleepless nights I was of course looking at puzzles online – you’re shocked aren’t you? Of course you are, I’m so level-headed I would never go on a late-night puzzle shopping extravaganza! 😇 I saw on Puzzle Warehouse that this puzzle was discontinued, they have a few left but I didn’t want to miss out so …. surprise! I ordered it!

I had so much fun assembling this puzzle, I smiled all day. We love A Christmas Story at our house, and especially love watching it on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day when the marathon is on tv. Pretty much the whole family says the dialog along with the movie and we all laugh and have a great time; it’s one of only a few movies that everyone in the family enjoys. Of course I had to get a leg lamp puzzle!

The assembly was quick and fun and I highly recommend this puzzle. The white border helped identify edge pieces so it was easy to start there and work inwards; that’s not always easy to do with a shaped puzzle. Not a lot of sorting necessary either – it was just a pleasure to assemble.

USAopoly has some great pop culture puzzles; and their quality isn’t bad either. There are a nice variety of piece shapes, the pieces are on the thin side but they are sturdy and fit together very well. The image reproduction is good, with a shiny finish, and they have some very fun images to choose from.

It’s pretty tall, 3 feet high (91cm) so make sure you’ve got a big enough work space. After I let mom assemble it I’m going to glue it and turn it into a Christmas decoration. Wouldn’t it be great to drive down the street during the holidays and see leg lamps or leg lamp puzzles in people’s windows? It’s putting a smile on my face right now. 😁

I know, I’m weird – but weird is awesome, and I embrace it!

If you would like to make an awesome window piece for your holiday decorations this year (or just think this would be a fun puzzle) you can find it at Puzzle Warehouse by clicking here. (I don’t get anything if you click or buy from them, they’re just my favorite puzzle store) They even have another leg lamp puzzle from a different company that’s double-sided, it has scenes from the movie on the back of it, 600 pieces. Too much fun – and it’s a major award! 😉

Battle Creek Balloons

On August 5, 2017August 5, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Very fun puzzle mom and I worked together, got it finished in one afternoon. 🙂 We did most of it together and she finished it after I went home. New puzzle company too!

The quality was good – the pieces were on the thinner side but sturdy, the image reproduction was good and they fit together well. There were a nice variety of piece shapes too. All in all, not too bad!

It was a quick assembly with two people working on it, and it was easy to each take pieces for a specific section and assemble them. It’s always fun working on a puzzle with mom, even if the puzzle isn’t as fun as we’d hoped we can still talk, laugh, joke and have a good time. 🙂

I’ve been avoiding balloon puzzles for a while, and now I’ve done 2 of them in just a couple of weeks. Apparently I have no clue what will be enjoyable for me or not. Actually, it seems I like about 99% of the puzzles I do; cause I’m just a puzzle gal at heart who loves to put pieces together to make pretty pictures. 💖

Review: Albuquerque Balloons

On August 3, 2017August 3, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

Albuquerque Balloons – Masterpieces (Masters of Photography) – 500 pieces

Albuquerque Balloons went together very quickly and was easier to do than I imagined. The last of the space saver puzzles for review. To my surprise it was a fun assembly and the image was excellent for puzzling, just enough challenge, but not too easy.

I can report after having done 3 space saver puzzles that the quality is quite good. The pieces are thick and feel good in your hand; they fit together well with a random cut that makes for an interesting assembly. They have a slightly shiny finish which can cause glare, but otherwise the image reproduction is beautiful. Two out of the three puzzles I assembled had obvious piece shapes showing in the finished puzzle; and while it isn’t ideal, it doesn’t really detract from enjoyment of the assembly. Click here to see all the space saver puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse.

I’ve been pretty impressed with the Masterpieces puzzles I’ve done lately, the quality is quite good. They have a nice catalog to choose from and their puzzles are extremely reasonably priced – which is good for a tightwad like me! Check out all their puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse by clicking the link above – all Masterpieces puzzles are on sale at Puzzle Warehouse now through August 15, 2017 – 25% off, no coupon required!

I have actively been avoiding all hot air balloon puzzles for quite some time; it just seems so overdone – every company seems to have one or more puzzles of hot air balloons. I hate following the crowd and doing a thing just because other people are doing it – I’m a bit of a rebel. Turns out, I’m a rebel without a cause – at least where balloon puzzles are concerned! I enjoyed the puzzle in spite of myself and found that it was a superb image for puzzling. Will I ever learn? Maybe, maybe not. 🙂

Albuquerque Balloons is no longer available at Puzzle Warehouse, but you can find space savers and Masterpieces puzzles by clicking the links above. Or you can check out the pages and pages of hot air balloon puzzles – there are so many beautiful puzzles to choose from – the wishlist is still growing!!

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Teddy Bear Christmas Tree

On July 31, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Our last Christmas in July puzzle – feeling that chilly winter air yet? Me neither. Oh well, at the very least there were some beautiful Christmas puzzles. I even reviewed a puzzle that had a Christmas tree in it, did you notice? Paris Opera House, in the center of the hall was a Christmas tree!

The day I started this puzzle I had the worst time trying to decide what puzzle to do next, I changed my mind at least 5 times before I settled on this one. Now that this one is done, I don’t know what to do next – again!

I’ve been impressed with Masterpieces puzzles lately, in my eyes their quality has gotten much better. This puzzle was very good quality and as an added bonus – glitter! You can see some of the glitter at the top of the puzzle; in the negative space is the silhouette of Santa and his team. That’s not all of it though, there’s glitter all throughout the puzzle; it just doesn’t photograph well. (Or I don’t do photographs well, who knows?)

The teddy bears are adorable and the image reproduction is excellent with bright, fun colors. The pieces fit together very well with what I guess I would call a semi-random cut. Fun assembly!

Here’s another question for you, did you notice that one of the pieces was chewed up? On the left border near the top. 😉

Love Letter

On July 25, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

I finally got to try an Anatolian (Perre Group) puzzle! I saw a puzzle at Puzzle Warehouse that I really wanted to try but it was discontinued and there was only 1 left. I didn’t want to take the chance that someone else would buy it, so I ordered it and added this puzzle to the purchase so I could get free shipping. I took the opportunity to order from a company I hadn’t tried before, and here we are!

The pieces were thick and feel good in your hand, and fit together quite well. I’d heard that Anatolian puzzles have a very loose fit, but that wasn’t the case, not with this puzzle at least. I’d say the fit is about average, not too loose and not too tight. The pieces were quite shiny, which was a bit difficult as there were a lot of dark areas in this puzzle. At one point I noticed that the paper I line my trays with was reflecting light and making it worse, so I took the pieces off the trays and put them on the board – big difference! It was much easier after that; I’ll have to remember that trick if it happens again. 🙂

The piece shape seems a bit obvious in this picture, but it didn’t seem as bad in person. I’m trying to get better at taking pictures for the blog, but obviously I’ve got a way to go. I do the best I can. Apologies. 😐

I enjoyed this puzzle very much and wouldn’t hesitate to order another from this manufacturer. I love that they include a stand for the box top, I always enjoy getting extras and this is one that comes in very handy! Also they have a missing piece service and will send you a replacement – most companies don’t have that. They’ve got quite a few puzzles that are gorgeous and look like fun to assemble. I’ve only done one puzzle, but what I’ve seen so far is very good. Can’t wait to try more. 😎