Fall on the Farm

On April 14, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles4 Comments

This is a cute Americana image from Bits and Pieces. I think this may have been the first 300 piece puzzle of theirs that I’ve done. I was surprised by the very blocky shaped pieces, and that it was more difficult to assemble than it looks.

I’m not always happy with the quality of this brand, it seems to be hit or miss in the quality department for them. The last two Bits and Pieces puzzles that I purchased new were so awful to assemble that I only buy them second hand now. (Horribly loose fit and pieces shapes that were so obvious it almost obscured the image itself) Taking chances on iffy quality isn’t a good idea in my book, but I don’t mind so much if I’m only paying a dollar or two for a puzzle.

This one was pretty good quality though, and although more difficult than I thought it would be, it was an enjoyable assembly.

Kittens in the Kitchen

On October 22, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles7 Comments

To be honest, I didn’t even notice there were cats in this puzzle until I started assembling it! I only saw the kitchen as a whole when I looked at the box, the kittens didn’t even register – of course I didn’t see the name of the puzzle either – Kittens in the Kitchen. I guess I don’t get the Captain Observation award for the day, huh?

I love the sign, I only wish I had a dining room to put it in. The view out the window is very pretty and was lots of fun to put together. 🙂 Unfortunately there were 2 missing pieces, but that didn’t make it any less fun to put together – at least not for me.

This was a thrift store puzzle, and seems to have been well loved before it was donated. Some of the pieces were bent and the finished puzzle didn’t lay completely flat. It’s difficult to say whether this is because it was pre-owned, or whether it’s a manufacturing defect; nevertheless it was an entertaining puzzle that made for a lovely afternoon.

Who Left the Cage Door Open

On August 31, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

I’m surprised how many Bits and Pieces puzzles I haven’t posted – it’s been over 2 years since I assembled these! It could be that it’s just because the pictures were so terrible; I don’t recall making a conscious decision to omit this brand. Again, in my defense, at the time I was taking these pictures it was only to send them by text to family members to show that I had finished a puzzle – I didn’t know I’d be starting a puzzle blog. 🙂

The image itself is excellent for puzzling, especially when working on the puzzle with someone else. There are plenty of items to assemble separately, so it was easy to pick out a section for each person to work on.

I’ve found Bits and Pieces puzzles to have fluctuating quality – some puzzles are excellent, and some are extremely lacking. The pieces are a good thickness, but the fit has sometimes been very poor. The image reproduction has always been stellar in my opinion, though with a slightly shiny finish. The random cut makes for a somewhat more challenging assembly, which I enjoy (but not everyone cares for). This is a brand that we only purchase second-hand now, we try not to pay retail for a puzzle that may or may not have good quality.

I remember being disappointed by this puzzle in particular, the piece shape is very obvious in the finished image, and the fit was quite loose. That said, the image was still entertaining to assemble – mom and I enjoyed the time we spent putting it together!

Lucy’s Shop

On August 28, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

How I wish I’d taken a better picture of this puzzle, it’s absolutely beautiful! The colors were lovely and it was just about a perfect image for puzzling.

This Bits and Pieces puzzle had a very good fit, and I very much enjoyed finding and assembling each small section. If you can believe it, after assembling the edge I started with the grass! I figured it was going to be the most difficult part, so why not get it out of the way first? It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be, and for me it made the rest of the puzzle seem easier.

The shop itself was the easiest part to put together, and each person in front of it was so entertaining to find and assemble; I really had a great time with this puzzle!

How is it that I can remember so much about a puzzle I put together over two years ago, but can’t remember things that happened yesterday? I have no idea, but I do know this – getting older ain’t for sissies!

Counting Sheep

On August 27, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles9 Comments

I had a terrible time assembling this puzzle, and didn’t enjoy it much at all. It had nothing to do with the subject matter, it was all about the fit of the pieces and quality of the cut. 😐

This was the last puzzle from the 3-in-1 box of dog puzzles from Bits and Pieces, and I’m glad that I didn’t assemble this one first. The other two puzzles in this box were good quality and I had a great time putting them together; if I had completed this one first I don’t know if I would have done the others. I think part of the reason the picture is so haphazard is that I didn’t enjoy assembling it, and I just wanted to get a quick picture to send to mom to show it was finished.

The fit was extremely loose, and accidentally bumping any part of the puzzle with an arm or anything else would upset several pieces or even an entire section. I don’t know if the pieces and tabs being so square in shape had anything to do with the looseness of the fit or if it was the cutting itself. Whichever it was, it made for a terrible assembly.

It’s been fun going down memory lane with these older puzzles I’ve done, but it has also shown me how much my injury and the chronic pain that it has brought has slowed my puzzling down. I used to be able to assemble a 1000 piece puzzle in two days, maybe three; and I used to do several of them each week. Nowadays opening the box of a 1000 piece puzzle causes me anxiety and stress.

On the brighter side, I recently completed a 1000 piece puzzle for review, so here’s hoping I’m able to attempt another one soon, purely for recreational purposes. ☺