Country Boy

On July 8, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

This cute little guy was a bit of a challenge, but I really enjoyed it! The artwork and brush strokes, along with the super random cut of the pieces made for a more difficult assembly than I bargained for; but it was quite fun to put together.

Sunsout puzzles are good quality, although I find that the fit can be hit or miss in my opinion. I’ve had some of their puzzles with an extremely tight fit (like Springbok), and some with a good fit that doesn’t require a workout. Fortunately the fit here was wonderfully average – not too loose and not too tight. The pieces are a good thickness, with an excellent variety of shapes; and the image reproduction is very nice too.

You can see in all the images that the cut is definitely very random – it kept me on my toes! When you can’t rely on the grid cut to help you identify what shape you’re looking for, you have to pay closer attention to the shades of color, patterns, and shapes. I find that my brain has to work a little differently when assembling a random cut puzzle, and it takes me a few minutes to make the switch. It keeps the grey cells limber. 😉

There’s something about this image that I find absolutely adorable; perhaps it’s that you don’t actually see the little guy’s face – just his cowboy hat. I’m not certain. Whatever it is, I like the artwork and had a great time putting it together.

That’s all I really need in a puzzle; an image that’s pleasing and good enough quality that the assembly is entertaining. Check on both counts!

American Angel

On July 4, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

Happy Independence Day! Luckily mom found this beauty at a thrift store in time for the holiday. It was a bit of a challenge, but an enjoyable one – and it’s a gorgeous puzzle!

The quality was good, with thick pieces that fit together well and beautiful colors. The random cut kept me on my toes and made for an interesting assembly. The finished puzzle didn’t lay completely flat, with some tabs and edges sticking up; but with a used puzzle I don’t blame that on the manufacturer. The missing piece was disappointing, but again that’s something that happens with a thrift store puzzle.

The flag was harder to put together than I thought it would be, you’d think the bright red and blue colors wouldn’t be too much of a challenge, but they definitely were. The red sections especially took more time than I thought. The clouds at the bottom were the most challenging part, but the random cut made it interesting and difficult to walk away from. The entire assembly was great fun!

I always enjoy puzzles like this though, taking a color or section (like the red and blue flag sections) and figuring out how it all fits together is extremely satisfying. That’s the fun of a puzzle for most people; but there’s something about taking the pieces for a smaller section and putting it all together without the help of adjoining pieces. Perhaps that’s the reason I enjoy collage puzzles so much. With a collage, the whole assembly is putting together small sections. I love it!

Review: Well Head

On June 6, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

Well Head by Richard Welker – Ceaco – 550 pieces

This puzzle is the second in a series of three that I’ve assembled. The artwork by Richard Welker makes for a fun and challenging assembly, and surprisingly the Ceaco quality with this series is very good. I enjoyed this puzzle very much!

As with the first puzzle in this series, the quality was very good. The pieces were thick enough with a good variety of shapes and the fit was excellent. You can barely see the piece shapes in the finished image, and you could pick up the entire completed puzzle and nothing came apart! The image reproduction is excellent, with beautiful colors and sharp lines; overall I was impressed with the good quality of this puzzle.

I almost never buy Ceaco puzzles new, but I saw Humility when I was shopping for some smaller piece count puzzles to keep me entertained while I was in bed. Even though it’s not a brand that makes my “awesome” list, I couldn’t resist the image. Mom and I enjoyed it so much that I went back looking for the others in the series and found this one. There’s one more left to find called Interconnection, and I’m on the lookout for it locally – it’s gorgeous!

If you like the look of this puzzle, I definitely recommend it. The colors and patterns are interesting and entertaining to assemble; I had a great time putting it together!

Details:

Title: Well Head
Artist: Richard Welker
Brand: Ceaco
Piece count: 550 pieces
Size: Approx. 20 x 20 in. (51 x 51 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Good
Cutting: Very good
Image: Excellent
Box: Good
Fit: Excellent
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Very good, recommended

Review: Pasture’s Edge (Moo)

On May 31, 2018May 31, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

Pasture’s Edge (Moo) by Linda Elliott – Ceaco – 550 pieces

This image grabbed me right away when I saw it, and it makes me laugh to look at it. The beautiful flowers everywhere and the angry looking cows are quite opposite and I find it hilarious.

The quality was good with very nice image reproduction and a great fit. The pieces are on the thin side, but sturdy enough with a good variety of shapes. Ceaco isn’t a brand I normally buy new, but I really loved this image and couldn’t pass it up.

It was more difficult than I bargained for, but not too much so. I started with the black and white of the cows, and then assembled each of the different colors of flowers. Once all the flowers were complete all that was left was the grass, and it was relatively easy to fill in. The different textures of the grass in the foreground and background helped, as did the different piece shapes.

This was a fun puzzle, I love the image and it was challenging in a good way. If the image is something you like, I would definitely recommend it. It isn’t a premium quality puzzle, but I found it worth my time, and it still makes me smile to look at the picture. Moo! 🐮

Details:

Title: Pasture’s Edge (Moo)
Artist: Linda Elliott
Brand: Ceaco
Piece count: 550 pieces
Size: Approx. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 46 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

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

Overall Rating: Good, recommended

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.