This puzzle is adorable and was quite fun to do even though the quality wasn’t stellar. I’ve found that sometimes if the puzzle image is something that you really like or connect with that even a poorer quality puzzle is a fun assembly. The pieces of this puzzle were very thin and they were easily upset if you accidentally bumped up against them.
Although the quality left something to be desired, mom and I still had lots of fun working on this puzzle together. It was well worth the 69 cents we paid for it at the thrift store!
Eastern Bluebird II – Buffalo Games (Audubon) – 500 pieces
Another thrift store puzzle, it was only 500 pieces so I thought mom and I should work on it one day while we were visiting. We got it done in no time, but alas, 2 missing pieces. 😦 I can’t get too upset though, we’ve been quite lucky lately with our thrift store puzzles. So if every once in a while we get one with missing pieces, it’s just par for the course AND we just saved someone else from buying a puzzle with missing pieces. 🙂
We still had a good time with this puzzle, excellent Buffalo quality and the colors were absolutely gorgeous. The pieces fit together really well, even more than usual for a Buffalo puzzle.
It’s so nice to be able to sit and talk and work on a puzzle with someone. I forget sometimes as I’ve been mostly working alone on the giant Disney puzzle. I told mom that she has to come over at least once a week and sit and work on puzzles with me, I need a little chit chat sometimes!
An Afternoon Remembered by John O’Brien – Ceaco (Parlor Puzzles)- 500 pieces
Another very interesting thrift store find. This puzzle has velvet on the back of the pieces!
This image seems lovely and bright but the pieces all looked extremely dark and it was difficult to find the right piece at times.  Once we got the lower area assembled we looked at it and were shocked at how light it looks. I like the image, but boy was this a challenge! Full disclosure – I attempted to assemble this puzzle last year, but it was too difficult for me at the time. I think it’s better to do the more challenging puzzles with someone. Mom and I worked this puzzle together and it was still tough, but it’s not so bad when there’s someone with you to talk to and laugh with. Also, the sense of accomplishment when you’re done is even bigger with a more difficult puzzle. You did it! Way to go! 😉
Ceaco has some very interesting puzzles. I’m not a big fan of their regular puzzles, the pieces are too thin for my taste – but they also have some special puzzles that are much better quality in my opinion. We found a puzzle backed with cork (click here for my post about the cork backed puzzle – so much fun!) and now this puzzle backed with velvet – very chic!
The pieces are thicker than normal for a Ceaco puzzle, and then the velvet adds even more thickness. The fit was tight and there was no problem lifting up a completed section to move it. I wish Ceaco would put the extra effort into quality for all their puzzles, because the ones I’ve found that are outside the norm are really exceptional quality. Wouldn’t that be great all the time?
If you can find a Ceaco puzzle that is a special edition, definitely go for it. The special puzzles we’ve done are really unique and fun! If you’re in my area check out the thrift stores, this puzzle is going back – it might be your next fun afternoon! (Bring a friend though, it makes it way more fun!)
Sequoia National Park by Eric Dowdle – Dowdle Puzzles – 500 pieces
I really love the art of Eric Dowdle, but I must also say that they make for some difficult puzzles – this one was a challenge!
Part of the challenge was that at the factory a mistake was made, the puzzle inside the box was not what was shown on the box. We thought we were purchasing Redwood National Park. The box says we did, the poster inside was for Redwood, but the bag of pieces was what you see here. Still a cool puzzle, I wasn’t really that upset. But it did make for a more challenging assembly, no picture to go by! Of course I sometimes do this to myself purposely, I put the box away and do a puzzle with no helps just to give myself a challenge (and because I’m weird) 😉
Also, I don’t usually comment on the boxes the puzzles come in but Dowdle boxes are pretty cool in my book. Extremely sturdy one piece box that has a lid that folds over and is closed with velcro. There is a slipcover that goes over the box with the info about the puzzle, and on the inside you get a poster of the puzzle to work with, and a zip closure plastic bag to store the pieces in once you’ve finished the puzzle. A++ for the box!
This puzzle was quite a challenge for me, there is so much green and trees in the background it took way longer than is normal for me to complete a 500 piece puzzle. But I love the scene and I had no problem taking on the challenge. There are so many little animals all over the puzzle, it was fun to figure out where every one went. And at the very end I found the big eyes and one paw of an animal you can’t really see and don’t notice in the image unless you’re looking for it (or putting in the pieces there). If you look on the left edge of the puzzle about midway up you can see the paw, the eyes are darker and in the background – not easy to see, but they are there. Great puzzle 🙂
The quality of the puzzle was quite good. The pieces were about average thickness and very sturdy and they fit together quite well. The pieces were predominantly the 2 prong 2 hole variety, but within that they were all different shapes and sizes so it didn’t seem monotonous to me at all. The finish was glossy was caused a lot of glare, which is difficult sometimes with a Dowdle puzzle because there are a lot of darker areas and it’s difficult at night under lights. And a lot of the Dowdle puzzles have quite a bit of symmetry and sameness in the backgrounds which can add an extra challenge. Nothing wrong with a challenge though, it’s fun to do and you feel like you’ve accomplished something when you’re done! Â I love the artwork, there isn’t one Dowdle puzzle that I wouldn’t love to own or do, so even if there is glare I don’t mind that much. Awesome images make for fun puzzles in my book!
Star Spangled by George Kovach – Ravensburger – 500 (large) pieces
New thrift store puzzle! Ravensburger – my favorite – and this was a large piece puzzle. Still the awesome Ravensburger quality and the finished puzzle was 20 by 27 inches, the same size as an average 1000 piece puzzle – it makes it seem like an even bigger accomplishment!
I had a good time with this puzzle, I did the entire puzzle in bed while I wasn’t feeling well. There’s something about the larger pieces that makes it seem to go so much more quickly. This was not an image I would have chosen if I were buying a puzzle new, but it was quite fun to assemble. It was dark, most of the pieces seemed very dark and when I look at the finished picture I’m surprised at how light sections of the puzzle seem. But it’s a beautiful puzzle and I enjoyed the large pieces more than I expected. Maybe I’ve been working only 1000 piece or larger puzzles for too long, the big pieces are fun too!
Completely worth the $1.99 spent on the puzzle 🙂  Excellent quality, all the pieces were there, nice image and a fun evening assembling it.
My Jigsaw Journal 