A Ruff Life

On August 23, 2018August 23, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

This puzzle was from a 3 in 1 box set by Bits and Pieces, it was great fun! It’s another puzzle that I completed several years ago; it’s funny how I can specifically recall puzzles from more than 2 years ago, but can’t remember what I had for lunch 2 days ago. 😐

A Ruff Life was the main reason I purchased the set, the other two were nice enough, but this was the puzzle I wanted to assemble most. The bright colors, cute puppies and interesting patterns made for an entertaining but challenging assembly. Challenging is not always a bad thing, many times the complexity draws me in and I find myself completely absorbed in figuring out. Other times the challenge seems overwhelming and tedious, and I’m only interested in finishing it so that I can move on to a more “amusing” puzzle. Fortunately this puzzle was the absorbing type of challenge.

Bits and Pieces quality isn’t always consistent, but the quality of this particular puzzle was very good. The pieces were a good thickness, the random cut meant there were a very good variety of shapes, and the image reproduction was quite good as well. The end result is almost seamless – the fit was excellent.

The lighter browns and darker areas were the most challenging (although there doesn’t seem to be much darkness looking at the completed puzzle). I still remember how much I enjoyed this puzzle; the random cut kept it interesting, the dogs are extremely cute, and the overall image is perfect for puzzling.

A Ruff Life is no longer in print, but if you come across a copy it’s definitely recommended. 👍

Walk Me

On August 18, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

How cute is this little one? I definitely wouldn’t be able to deny him/her a walk. The rug, however – yikes! The background was the most difficult part of the assembly, but overall the entire puzzle was fun to do and highly entertaining.

Bits and Pieces puzzles don’t have the best reputation in my book, but I’ve also worked some great puzzles from them. The quality being hit or miss, we don’t buy this brand new – we only get them from thrift stores. This puzzle was good quality, but not great.

The pieces were a good thickness, with an excellent variety of shapes. The fit was good, if a bit on the loose side. The image reproduction was good as well, although the finish was quite shiny which made for added difficulty when working the darker areas under indoor lighting. There was a fair amount of puzzle dust, even being a thrift store puzzle and having been worked before.

My one major problem with this puzzle was the construction of the edge pieces – not all the pieces connect. You can see in the picture below that you can pull away a whole section because some of the pieces only sit next to each other instead of fitting together.

This is a pet peeve of mine, and a major annoyance; especially when they are edge pieces. Until you get specific pieces inserted into the inside of the puzzle the edges move and it becomes extremely irritating.

Although it doesn’t seem like it, I very much enjoyed this puzzle. Other than the edges, the quality was good and the image is adorable! I started with the leash, and although it didn’t go quickly it was fun to figure it out; the puppy was next and kept me completely enthralled. The rug, however, was quite challenging and was the part that took the most time. Still, the entire puzzle was highly entertaining and so damn cute!

Mountain Grazing

On May 3, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Mom and I worked this puzzle together, though it isn’t the usual image we prefer; brighter colors and sharper lines are what we usually go for. But since I’ve mostly been doing smaller piece count puzzles lately we decided to give it a go. It was a lot of fun to assemble. ☺

Bits and Pieces puzzles aren’t our favorites, the pieces are usually good but I can’t say the same thing about the fit. I’ve had puzzles where in multiple spots you could just pull the pieces away, but I’ve also had nice fitting ones that I enjoyed assembling. It’s so much more about the fit and the image for me, but I know others have different preferences – we all know what works for us.

This puzzle was pretty darn good quality though, and although the artwork isn’t what we’d typically choose we enjoyed ourselves anyway. (That may have more to do with the quality of my puzzle posse than the puzzle company though. 👵)

Backpack Kitty

On March 30, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This was a fun puzzle that’s perfect for working with a friend, but sadly it didn’t hold up well to multiple assemblies. Still, isn’t that a cute kitty? 😻

This is a Bits and Pieces puzzle purchased at the thrift store. For me, their puzzles are hit or miss in the quality category and this seemed like more of a miss. I can’t say for sure how many times it’s been assembled, but this puzzle had some problems. There was image lift on several pieces, and many other were bent. The pieces seemed a bit thinner than usual for this brand, but on the plus side the fit was quite good and we loved the random piece shapes. All in all the quality was disappointing, but we still enjoyed putting it together.

I love when a puzzle seems made for working with more than one person – you take the green backpack and I’ll take the red and we’ll meet in the middle. I think that’s also part of the reason I love collages so much, they’re perfect for working with others as well as on your own. It’s easy to pull pieces for a section and work it by yourself, but you’re still working together. Mom is my favorite person to puzzle with and we have a great time no matter the image, but it’s even more fun when it’s so bright and charming and gives us our own little sections. Neither of us are “cat people”, but you can’t deny the adorable factor of the kitten in the backpack – so cute!

Even if the quality was less than premium we can still enjoy the puzzle itself as well as the time spent together. Thrift store puzzle that’s cute and fun to assemble – 99 cents. Time well spent with someone you love – PRICELESS.

Review: Skates

On December 20, 2017December 20, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

IMG_E4027 — Skates by Amy Rosenberg – Bits and Pieces – 500 pieces

This was a fun puzzle that mom and I assembled together. I haven’t seen very many Bits and Pieces puzzles that are grid cut, in my experience they’re usually random cut; it was a nice change.

This was a good quality Bits and Pieces puzzle that was quite a joy to assemble. It was a bit more challenging then we’d assumed, but still fun. The pieces fit together very well and the image itself is cute, and perfect for more than one person to work at a time. Mom started on the left side with the white ice skates and I started on the right with the scarves. We met in the middle to work on the chair and dog. Lots of fun!

Bits and Pieces quality seems hit or miss. Sometimes the fit is way too loose and floppy, and other times it’s just right. I would prefer it if the quality were consistent; that’s why we only buy this brand second hand from the thrift stores. It’s too disappointing when you pay full price for a puzzle that has quality issues.

This is a nice wintry image that has me wishing for cooler weather. It’s supposed to be 82 degrees here today! 🌞

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