Review: Donut

On September 14, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews1 Comment

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

Technically this puzzle doesn’t have a name, according to the box – I have named it Donut. It came in a multipack called Sweet & Salty. I think this is without a doubt the most challenging 300 piece puzzle I have ever assembled. It looks amazing though, doesn’t it? I’m not one for sprinkles, but a chocolate frosted donut sounds so good right now! 🍩

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this puzzle, especially since it was in a multipack. My experience with many puzzles in one box has been that the quality was quite poor. This is the first one from this box that I’ve assembled, but the quality of this particular puzzle was better than expected.

The pieces were thicker than I remember from other Ceaco puzzles I’ve assembled, and the fit was excellent. There was a good variety of piece shapes, and the image reproduction was very good as well. The cutting leaves a bit to be desired, as all the pieces weren’t cut completely through; and although the thickness was better than I remember there was still some fanning of the chipboard on some pieces. Still, overall, I found the quality to be good. Click the link above to see all the Ceaco puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse.

The obvious place to start was with the edges and the center, and they went together pretty quickly. I don’t normally work this way, but I separated the pieces by shape and worked from center to edge all the way around. The image is pretty challenging, but I enjoyed it anyway and the finished product is very cool looking!

Although Ceaco isn’t a premium brand, getting 8 puzzles for $16.99 is a pretty good bargain in my opinion. And even though the chipboard isn’t the thickest around, they have beautiful images and an excellent fit. I enjoyed this first puzzle very much – keep an eye out for the remaining 7 puzzles, I hope they’re as much fun as this one was.

Details:

Title: Donut
Artist: iStock
Brand: Ceaco
Piece count: 300 pieces
Size: Approx. 14 in. (36 cm)
Purchased: N/A, sent for review

Quality:

Board: Good
Cutting: Good
Image: Very good
Box: Average, 8 puzzles in 1 box
Fit: Excellent
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: 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.

Vintage Candy Shop

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

I see a recurring theme, I didn’t post these puzzles because the pictures are so awful. On a positive note, we’re about halfway through the old puzzles so it shouldn’t be too much longer. I must have been having balance issues when I was taking these pictures; it looks like I was falling and on my way to the floor when I snapped this picture!

I think I should start including an image of what the puzzle looks like straight on for my readers, you should know what it’s supposed to look like…

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I love an Aimee Stewart image, and this one was pretty darn fun to put together even though the quality was less than optimal. There was some splitting of the chipboard, and a few pieces with image lift. The pieces were a bit thinner than I’d like, but they weren’t too bad and the fit was excellent. Ceaco puzzles seem to fit together very well no matter the quality of the board, and a good fit is something many puzzlers appreciate, myself included.

The cash register was my favorite part to assemble, the number keys and the wording on the front of the drawer were fun to put together. The drawer itself was a little more challenging, but still completely entertaining. The different candies were so bright and interesting – Aimee Stewart’s use of colors and the way she puts them together makes for added difficulty, and added pleasure. I’ve done many of her puzzles and they’re always a challenge, but always beautiful and a good time.

Fun puzzle, with fair/good quality, if you like the image and you find a copy of this one I definitely recommend it. 👍

Swing Your Partner

On September 1, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

I really have gotten tons better at photographing my puzzles – these pictures from several years ago are terrible. The angle is absolutely awful! This is what the image looks like straight on…

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This one was lots of fun, and the image was great for puzzling. I’ve done several puzzles by Jane Wooster Scott and have enjoyed them all, her pictures make for entertaining puzzles. 🙂 It’s a great image; the bright colors, straight lines, and symmetry of trees, etc., made for a wonderful assembly. Her artwork reminds me of Charles Wysocki in some ways, and for me they’re both artists whose work makes for excellent puzzling.

The quality of this Ceaco puzzle was good/tolerable. Sometimes the chipboard used is quite thin, but this one wasn’t too bad. There wasn’t much splitting of the board or image lift, and the fit was excellent. The image reproduction is very nice as well; the finish is a bit shiny, but thankfully not too much. Overall, a good quality puzzle that was entertaining to put together. That’s all I’m looking for!

TV Legends: The Honeymooners

On August 20, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This puzzle was completed more than two years ago, but I’m going back through the ones I’ve done and that are posted on my completed puzzles pages to find new ones to post here. I’ve done complete posts on most of them, but there are some left that I’ve never written about. My lineup of puzzles in the queue to be posted has been almost completely depleted! 😱

As you can see, my photography leaves a lot to be desired. At the time I was taking pictures just to send to mom to show her the finished puzzle; I had no idea that I’d start a puzzle blog and be posting the pictures online! As a result, the picture is cockeyed, and you also get a small view of my bedspread – not my best camera work.

This was a thrift store puzzle, and was pretty fun to assemble. As usual for me I started with the words and the Honeymooners emblem. Ralph Kramden’s outfit was easy enough to find and pull out to assemble, as was the tablecloth and all the flesh. The rest of the assembly was just picking what color or texture to do next and going for it. The floor was the most challenging part to put together – that I definitely remember! This puzzle was entertaining and challenging in a good way, and the quality was pretty good for a Ceaco.

I was planning on posting this yesterday, but was feeling terrible and out of sorts; it just completely slipped my mind. I make it a point to post a puzzle every day, but with the medication I had to take I spent most of the day either sleeping or just resting in bed; there was almost no time spent on the computer at all. My apologies for my tardiness. 😦

Review: Peace Love (POP Art)

On August 16, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

Peace Love (Pop Art) by Howie Green – Ceaco – 550 pieces

This is a wonderfully colorful image that was extremely challenging to assemble. I love the look of this puzzle, but it was much more difficult to assemble than I bargained for.

Ceaco puzzles do not always get a recommendation from me, but this one does. The pieces were on the thinner side, but they were sturdy and fit together very well. The image reproduction was very good, with bright colors and clear lines. Altogether the puzzle had very nice quality for a Ceaco, and I even commented on it while we were assembling it.

I assembled this together with my mom and son. It wasn’t a puzzle that went together quickly, but it was still entertaining – although mom wasn’t as entertained as I was (she commented when we were finished that she did not find it much fun). We started with the blue coat and the long, flowing hair. After that, there were so many colors and lines that we had to let the pieces guide us on where to go. It took a bit longer than a 550 piece puzzle would normally take, but the end result is a beautiful finished image.

The psychedelic color scheme is fun to look at, but not as much fun to assemble. The colors and lines everywhere make it hard to know what part of the puzzle you’re assembling, or where the piece you have in your hand may go. That said, if this image is one that you like, the quality was quite good and it’s definitely recommended. It would make a great wall hanging, perhaps for an old hippie in your life. Flower power! 🌻🌻

Details: