Tag: 750 pieces

Review: MOMA Frank Stella (Firuzabad)

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews6 Comments
Firuzabad
MOMA Frank Stella (Firuzabad) by Frank Stella – Galison – 750 pieces

MOMA Frank Stella is a gorgeous geometric puzzle that caught my eye immediately, and I was so happy to be able to assemble it for review. The image is fantastic for puzzling, and I enjoyed the assembly very much!

I was happy to see that on the Galison website most puzzles have a picture of the actual assembled jigsaw so that you can see the shapes of the pieces. You can clearly see that this puzzle doesn’t only have one piece shape; in fact, it’s a random cut. Even better!

This puzzle had very good quality; the pieces are a good thickness and fit together well with an excellent variety of shapes. My one issue was that many of the edge pieces didn’t connect together, they merely sat next to one another until interior pieces made connections. I saw when initially sorting the puzzle that this would be the case, and didn’t try to start with the edges as I normally would to avoid unnecessary frustration.

Blocks of color in a puzzle make me very happy, so you can imagine how much I enjoyed this assembly! It was a Goldilocks assembly; not too hard, not too easy – just right! This was after one day of work…

Firuzabad 1

Color by color is how this one was put together, and it made for extremely fun puzzling! The colors are bright and beautiful, the shaped aspect made it more interesting, and the overall assembly was highly entertaining.

Firuzabad 2

I loved this puzzle, and if the image looks like one you’d enjoy it’s highly recommended!

Details:

  • Title:                  MOMA Frank Stella (Firuzabad)
  • Artist:                Frank Stella
  • Brand:               Galison
  • Piece count:     750 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 24 x 16 in. (61 x 41 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Excellent
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Random 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.

Courtyard Wash

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles5 Comments
Courtyard Wash
Courtyard Wash by Tuula Burger – Ceaco – 750 pieces

Meh. Wasn’t bad, wasn’t great, the flowers atop the wall were the most difficult part. It’s a Ceaco puzzle, so you can never be certain of the quality. It was fair, but perhaps this image is just not my pile of pieces.

I like bright colors, patterns, etc., but this one….just…..nope.

Courtyard Wash 1

Is it just me or are these creepy dolls? They look like they know things they shouldn’t. 😕

 

Rock Around the Dock

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles4 Comments
Rock Around the Dock
Rock Around the Dock – Great American Puzzle Factory – 750 pieces

Love the bright colors and fun atmosphere of the artwork. I wish they’d given the artists name somewhere on the box. It had a great fit, and was very entertaining and more challenging than it looks.

Great American Puzzle Factory usually has very good quality, although I have found a few puzzles of theirs that were less than optimal. This was a great one though, with a fun random cut, very nice fit, and stunning colors.

All of these parrots were having a great time! Good thing too, cause I had a great time assembling it. It’s a very different image than your usual jigsaw puzzle, and that was part of the fun. 🙂

Review: Feeling a Little Blue

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews9 Comments
Feeling a Little Blue
Feeling a Little Blue by Denyse Klette – StandOut Puzzles – 750 pieces

This puzzle was quite a challenge, but the image is so adorable that I knew it would be completely worth it – thankfully I was right!

StandOut Puzzles are a new brand to me, and I enjoyed this one very much. The quality is very much like Cobble Hill puzzles; linen finished randomly cut pieces that are pleasantly thick and fit together well, if somewhat loosely. They only produce 750 piece puzzles, and showcase “standout artwork from standout artists”. Their catalog is lovely, with images that you haven’t seen before – they stand out! And just for kicks and giggles they add a packet of “standouts” in every puzzle….

Feeling Blue 4

In case you were wondering, I wasn’t feeling particularly daring. Ralphie wasn’t around to triple-dog-dare me. 😋

I think the two little birds on the left are trying their best to cheer up the bear who’s feeling a little blue. The two on the right, though, are having their own discussion – I think the male bird was out too late eating fermented berries the night before; he seems to be getting quite a talking to!

Feeling Blue 3

What is it about a grumpy face that’s so cute? Or is it just me? It makes me smile every time I look at him!

Although much of the image was quite dark, I found the assembly to be entertaining and the overall puzzle to be of excellent quality. They’re on the pricey side, but I believe in supporting smaller companies with great products; their production and shipping costs are different for smaller batches and result in higher prices. (You can find them through retailers at a lesser cost than from the StandOut website, that’s where I purchased mine)

Great puzzle with great quality and an adorably beautiful image!

Details:

  • Title:                  Feeling a Little Blue
  • Artist:                Denyse Klette
  • Brand:               StandOut Puzzles
  • Piece count:     750 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 46 cm)
  • Purchased:      New

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Sturdy cardboard tube
  • Fit:                     Good, somewhat loose
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

Jazz Dance

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments
IMG_4620
Jazz Dance by William Bolin – NY Puzzle Company – 750 pieces

There’s something about the look of magazine cover puzzles that I absolutely love. The vintage covers are interesting and beautiful and make for a nice change from landscapes and other “usual” puzzle images.

This is my first NY Puzzle Company puzzle, and I enjoyed it very much. There was a large amount of puzzle dust, but otherwise I found the quality to be quite good. The random cut made it challenging and fun, the pieces were thick and fit together well, and the matte finish helped make sure that the darker areas weren’t too difficult to assemble under lights.

The Vogue covers by William Bolin are striking and beautiful, and any of them would make some challenging and wonderful puzzles. Here are a few of my favorite Vogue covers of his from the 1920’s and 1930’s – they’re stunning!

I had a great time with this assembly; the blocks of color, musical score, and darker areas made for a great balance of ease and challenge. The cut was much more random than some brands, and made for some excellent gray cell exercise. Many times you think you’re looking for a certain shape, and it turns out that you’re actually looking for 2 smaller pieces that are not shaped how you thought at all. It keeps you on your toes!

I’m looking forward to working more puzzles from this brand, this one was good quality – and a good time. What else could I ask for?