An Afternoon Remembered

On March 12, 2017May 19, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles1 Comment

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

On February 22, 2017December 28, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

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! 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

On February 19, 2017December 28, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

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.

Rue L’Amour

On January 31, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles7 Comments

This was another thrift store purchase, and I really loved this one! It’s just a gorgeous street in Paris with a bridal store and it reminds me of a friend who got married just over a year ago. The whole time I was assembling it I was thinking about her wedding preparations (the fun AND the stress) and it just reminded me of her.

This was the I think only the 2nd Cobble Hill puzzle I had assembled at the time, and I liked it more than the 1st one. Some of the pieces seem quite dark, but honestly it wasn’t difficult to assemble at all, and the pieces didn’t seem dark when I was working the puzzle. I love the feel of the Cobble Hill puzzles with the linen finish, and even the boxes have a linen finish on them and feel luxurious! The pieces fit together quite well, and the piece shape isn’t overly visible in the completed image.

I love it when a thrift store purchase ends up being fun and challenging, and all the pieces are there too! This is a beautiful image and a great puzzle.

Offering of the Coral Plants to the Emperor

On January 30, 2017February 25, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

Whew! What a title! This was another amazing thrift store find, and here’s the best part – it’s a vintage puzzle from 1965 in the original and amazingly non-beat up box with no missing pieces!

I have to say I had an AWESOME time assembling this puzzle and it tested my brain power! I’ve mainly been working grid-cut puzzles for several months and having to rethink and use your brain differently on a random cut like this was a challenge and super fun! And since I assembled almost the entire thing on January 29th (National Puzzle Day), I wanted some family help – so one of my sons, my husband and my mom helped me with this one. 🙂

I’m honestly amazed at how well taken care of this puzzle was. The box is almost pristine, the puzzle has no image lift, seemingly no wear at all – and it was produced in 1965, the year my parents got married! Holy guacamole! They made some quality stuff that was built to last in the 60’s! I was made in the 60’s. 😉

Springbok is not a puzzle company I usually assemble, it’s one of those that seems hit or miss for me so I would rather see and feel the pieces before I buy. But these pieces were gorgeous, cut well and didn’t require upper body strength to fit them together. Excellent quality on this puzzle!

The image is an adaptation of a Chinese porcelain plate decoration from the early 1700’s. The finish on the puzzle looks almost porcelain as well! It’s a beautiful image, an excellent quality puzzle, and my family and I had a great time assembling it. If you’re lucky enough to find a good copy of this one, go for it!