Tag: Collage

Review: Remember When

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews4 Comments
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Remember When by Charlie Girard – White Mountain – 1000 pieces

Remember When is another fun collage from White Mountain. How many of these things do you remember? I remember many of them, and most of the rest I have some knowledge of. I was a little old when Cabbage Patch dolls were all the rage, but I do remember signing the birth certificate for my friend’s younger sister. Is that a hideous green AMC Gremlin? Oh my!

White Mountain Puzzles really do have the best catalog of collages around, there’s something for just about everyone. Beer, wine, cereal, neon signs, stamps, etc.; there’s a bunch of entertaining collages to choose from. They don’t just have collages though, they have fine art, educational maps, historical works, and much more. White Mountain puzzles are good quality. The pieces are a good thickness with a nice variety of piece shapes, and they fit together well. Sometimes there can be an issue with image lift if a piece is placed wrong and has to be removed, but it isn’t too much of a problem in my opinion – a touch of super glue and the piece is fine. The image reproduction is very good, with excellent colors. Click the link above to see all the White Mountain puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse.

There was a moderate amount of puzzle dust in the bag, with a few slightly bent pieces. The pieces were a good thickness and fit together very well. The image reproduction was bright and colorful with no fuzziness. The finished image is larger than the average 1000 piece puzzle at 24 x 30 inches (61 x 76 cm), be sure you have enough work space before you begin. The box is about the average size for a 1000 piece puzzle with the name of the title, artist, manufacturer, and piece count on all 4 sides. 2 sides have a smaller complete image of the puzzle, and 2 sides have a small partial image, making it suitable for shelving either vertically or horizontally.

Part of the reason collages are so much fun for me is that you can pick out the pieces for a small section and assemble it easily, usually without having to look at the box much. One section leads to another and another and it goes quickly and is very entertaining. This puzzle was even more fun because I remembered many of the people and things. There are plenty of words too, which I always enjoy – after the edges I usually begin with the words. For this puzzle, once you’ve assembled all the words you’re already at least 30% done and it’s easy to build off of them to start filling in.

Charlie Girard has become one of my favorite puzzle artists; his collages make me happy and there are so many to choose from. If you’re a fan of collages click here to check out all of Charlie’s puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse. The first page alone has 4 or 5 puzzles I would love to do!

Remember When brings back memories for me, although I don’t recall seeing any signs instructing hippies to use the back door. 😉 The image is colorful and fun and makes for a great puzzle. It’s no surprise that I’m giving two thumbs up to this collage – definitely recommended! 👍👍

 

I received this product at no cost to facilitate this review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

 

 

Vintage Travel Guides

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Vintage Travel Guides by Aimee Stewart – Ravensburger – 500 pieces

What’s not to love about this puzzle? It’s a collage with plenty of words to put together, it’s a Ravensburger, and the artist is Aimee Stewart – that’s like the trifecta of awesome!

Mom and I assembled this together on an afternoon visit and we absolutely loved it! The colors are beautiful and work together amazingly well, it’s just an all around excellent image for puzzling. I have yet to find an Aimee Stewart puzzle that I haven’t liked, and there are still many more I’d love to own and assemble. There’s a puzzle of hers that is very similar to this one called The Christmas Library; it shows shelves of vintage Christmas books, is 1000 pieces and is absolutely stunning! It’s in my pile of puzzles to be done and I’m planning on assembling it a little closer to the holidays, if I’m able to hold out that long. 😉

Ravensburger is my favorite puzzle manufacturer, and the quality was excellent as usual. The pieces feel wonderful and fit together satisfyingly, and the image reproduction is crisp and extremely detailed. Aimee Stewart and Ravensburger are a heavenly combination in my opinion, and I always look forward to and enjoy working her puzzles.💖

Review: Sugar Skull Cookies

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Sugar Skull Cookies – Cobble Hill – 1000 pieces

I REALLY like sugar skulls! Though sugar skulls are used to decorate gravestones for The Day of the Dead in Mexico, they’ve become a popular image in western culture, especially for Halloween decorations. I love them because they’re beautiful and interesting, and represent a holiday that celebrates the lives of friends and loved ones instead of mourning them.  So – did I want to review this puzzle? Absolutely!

Sugar Skull Cookies was extremely enjoyable to assemble; I loved that it wasn’t too easy and had a great time working color by color and seeing all the cookies take shape. Surprisingly it didn’t make me hungry for cookies!

Cobble Hill puzzles are excellent quality and I never hesitate when buying one. The pieces are thick and linen covered which provides a great feel in your hand, and they fit together well with a random cut that makes for an interesting assembly. Their image reproduction is beautiful, and they have a great catalog of puzzles to choose from. Click the link above to see all the Cobble Hill puzzles in stock now at Puzzle Warehouse.

There was a bit of puzzle dust in the bag, and a few pieces still connected or with bits of paper hanging off the back. It wasn’t too bad, but can be annoying when you’re trying to sort, etc. The box says that the puzzle is random cut, but it seemed more grid cut to me – there were some odd shapes – perhaps it’s semi-random? Anyway, a good variety of piece shapes and they fit together very well. The image reproduction is detailed and beautiful with a gorgeous matte linen finish that feels good in your hand. The box is about average size for a 1000 piece puzzle with the name of the puzzle, manufacturer, piece count on all 4 sides; 2 sides have a small complete image and 2 sides have a small partial image making it easy to shelve either way for collectors.

This was about a medium difficulty puzzle. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for anything too simple or too challenging, this puzzle falls right about in the middle. I started with the pink, red, green, and blue cookies, working them one color at a time. I hadn’t worked a Cobble Hill puzzle in a while and it was nice to work with such lovely pieces on such a fun image.

These cookies are so beautifully decorated that I don’t know if I’d be able to eat them. Looking at all the sweets/candy puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse, there are so many puzzles that look both deliciously fun and just plain delicious! Every time I review a puzzle I look at similar puzzles and end up adding several of them to my wishlist – the total cost of my wishlist right now is over $600! 😮 I’ve added several sweets puzzles today, including another cookie collage from Cobble Hill called Ugly Xmas Sweaters that looks like so much fun!

Sugar Skull Cookies was an excellent quality puzzle with an image that made for an extremely fun assembly. It wasn’t too easy or too difficult; it was Goldilocks – just right! If this image is one you like, it’s definitely recommended. 👍

 

I received this puzzle at no cost to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Review: Great Americans

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Great Americans by James Mellett – White Mountain – 1000 pieces

It’s a complete coincidence that this was the puzzle that ended up being the one for review today – but a good thing. After the weekend we’ve had dealing with Hurricane Irma, and then the anniversary of 9-11 it seems like we need something uplifting. So it’s a good day to remember some of the great Americans that have helped to make this country a better place to live. ❤

Great Americans was an entertaining puzzle to assemble, and to be honest it led me to an internet search for the meanings and differences between collage and montage. Long story, and to be honest I don’t know that I fully grasp the difference. So whether you call this a montage or a collage I have no idea. Whichever it is though, I had a good time assembling it. 🙂

White Mountain Puzzles have some of the best collages in the industry in my opinion and I always enjoy assembling them. They’re hard for me to walk away from because one section or person always leads to assembling the adjoining one. They have an excellent catalog with collages for many tastes, along with fine art, educational puzzles and much more. Check out all of their puzzles available now at Puzzle Warehouse by clicking the link above.

They have larger pieces than most companies and their 1000 piece puzzles are quite large at 24 x 30 inches (61 x 76 cm) so be sure your work space is roomy enough before you start. There was a medium amount of puzzle dust in the bag, but all the pieces were separated with no damage. The pieces are a good thickness with a good variety of piece shapes and fit together very well. The image reproduction is bright and colorful with a matte finish to prevent glare. The name of the puzzle, manufacturer, piece count and a portion of the image is on all 4 sides.

This isn’t the typical collage that I like to assemble. I prefer the actual pictures or products rather than drawings. Although it’s not my taste it was still fun to assemble. It was an interesting puzzle and the assembly sucked me in; I found it hard to stop working at times. There are so many people to assemble and identify, it’s an extra little workout for your brain! You’ll find politicians, athletes, entertainers, authors, captains of industry, and many more. How many will you recognize?

The artwork is by James Mellett, whose collection of puzzles are amazingly detailed, informative, and very interesting. The amount of work that must go into each image he creates is impressive! His subjects include pop culture, sports, maps, and celebrities. And if you have any trouble recognizing anyone or anything in his puzzles, they have a page on the White Mountain website with the keys to his puzzles. Although they haven’t yet put up a key for this puzzle. 😐 Click to see all the James Mellett puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse right now.

Great Americans was an entertaining assembly that had me guessing on a few people I wasn’t sure of. It was fun to work the puzzle while trying to identify everyone shown – I knew most of them but not all. (I’m hoping they put up the puzzle key soon!) It’s a great puzzle if you enjoy pop culture, history, collages, America, or even just a great image. Recommended 👍

 

I received this product at no cost to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Review: I Remember Those!

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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I Remember Those! by Charlie Girard – White Mountain – 300 EZ Hold pieces

I know I sound like a broken record, but when you give me collages to review, 99 times out of 100 I’m going to love it. I Remember Those! was great fun, and had me feeling a little old. 👵 I had many of those toys as a child, and what I wouldn’t give to have them back now. Although it’s probably a good idea that I didn’t have the “Atomic Energy Lab” with over 150 experiments you can perform. I was a tomboy and a teeny bit destructive, what mayhem I could have caused with that!

White Mountain has the best selection of collages in the industry (according to me) and they’re always great fun to assemble. It’s like having a bunch of smaller puzzles in one, and it’s hard for me to walk away from them. Click the link above to see some awesome collages and all the puzzles available from White Mountain at Puzzle Warehouse.

The finished image is 18 x 24 inches (approx. 46 x 61 cm). There was a small amount of puzzle dust in the bag, but all the pieces were separated with no damage. The pieces are a good thickness with a good variety of piece shapes and fit together very well. The image reproduction is bright and colorful with a matte finish to prevent glare. The box is large, about the same size as one for a 1000 piece puzzle. The name of the puzzle, manufacturer, piece count and a portion of the image is on all 4 sides.

This was an easy assembly, but completely entertaining. I started with the words, which gave me approximate position for most of the toys and then started filling in from there. It was interesting to see all the toys that were before my time – Mr. Potato Head was for use on a real potato! It also says you can use it on any fruit or vegetable to make a funny face. Wow! It’s fun to see all the older packaging and the language they used. Just an all around excellent image and assembly.

Charlie Girard has done many a wonderful puzzle for White Mountain, his collages always make me smile. The vintage and nostalgic collages always have me remembering the good old days, and wanting to buy more of his puzzles! Click the link above to see all the puzzles currently available from this artist at Puzzle Warehouse.

I Remember Those! is definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys collages, toys, or board games – or just enjoys putting together a great puzzle image. Two thumbs up! 👍👍

 

I received this product at no charge in return for a honest review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.