Tag: Cra-Z-Art

Downtown Freemont…In Progress…

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling8 Comments

Downtown Freemont, Las Vegas, Nevada by Susanne Kremer – Cra-Z-Art (Kodak) – 350 pieces

I’ve had a pretty terrible week, puzzle-wise. It started quite well, with a collage of musicals from stage and screen, obviously I loved that one. It began going downhill after that into a series of three different puzzles from three different brands that were disappointing, frustrating, and upsetting. I told my bestest puzzle pal that apparently I’m not supposed to actually enjoy puzzling this week. That day was a bad day and I felt the depression creeping back in.

So, after a day spent almost entirely in bed I decided I was getting back on the horse and I was going to find a puzzle here to make me happy – no matter what! Not an easy task when you’re in a black sort of mood and nothing looks good…or like fun…or the right one for the right time. I hope you have some inkling of what I mean, otherwise I’m just rambling here.

After much searching through all my new purchases, my thrift store finds, and all the puzzles on my shelves I came across this one; I have hopes that the assembly will be both entertaining and a balm for my bruised and battered puzzle mojo.

  • smaller piece count – ✔
  • bright colors – ✔
  • easy to moderate difficulty – ✔
  • relatively good brand – eh, we’ll see, this one’s hit or miss

So far this is all I’ve done, but it’s been a bad week in the pain department as well so there wasn’t much time that I was able to actually sit in front of the puzzle board and work on it. I’m about halfway done, and I’m happy as a clam that it hasn’t disappointed me yet. 🤞

Main Street – Day 6

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

Main Street by Joseph Holodook – Cra-Z-Art – approx. 83/500 pieces

And now we’re at the end of this set of Main Street puzzles, the last two buildings. They were all entertaining to assemble, and the Americana theme made for twelve beautiful shaped mini puzzles. I loved them all!

The quality was quite good for one of these sets with a good fit, beautiful image reproduction, an excellent variety of shapes and chipboard of a nice thickness. The buildings were all different shapes and sizes so there wasn’t any repetition and each one was a nice little puzzle to be solved. There have been a couple of sets that were disappointing, but this wasn’t one of them.

I’m very much looking forward to getting the three other puzzles that I haven’t yet done. (One may be a bit boring as they’re all the same shape, but I’m certain they’ll still be fun to put together.)

According to the sign Doc Ritter can cure your critter – large or small, there’s care for all. I love the look of this one, it actually reminds me of images by Wysocki and Jane Wooster Scott; it has such a homey feel to it. 💖

This one is another one that looks like fall to me, both the pumpkins in the front and the colors too. Raven’s Perch Pies – that seems awfully specific doesn’t it? At first I thought that it was just a place that made fish pies, then it finally clicked with me that it’s just a pie shop called Raven’s Perch – not a place that makes Perch pies run by a person named Raven. Duh!

I’m not too proud to tell you that it took me WAY longer than it should have to figure that out. I used to be smart! LOL

I enjoyed this set more than other sets of buildings for some reason, but again I don’t seem to be able to put into words exactly why that is. Even though I can’t seem tell you why, all that really matters is that they were fun to do – at least that’s what matters to me.

Happy puzzling today my friends, I hope you enjoy whatever puzzle you’re working on as much as I enjoyed these!

Main Street – Day 5

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Main Street by Joseph Holodook – Cra-Z-Art – approx. 83/500 pieces

Sick of all the old-timey buildings yet? Well if you are, you only have to deal with these for one more day and then it’s back to regular puzzles. I love them all though, and putting together mini puzzles makes me pretty darned happy.

Sophia’s Pie Shop has the love baked right in! And, it’s connected to the Pumpkin Crest Inn, wake up in the morning and go have yourself a pie for breakfast – sounds like the perfect thing for me. Especially apple pie!

I love the fall colors of this little puzzle, autumn is my favorite season and the look of this one makes me very happy.

This one makes me smile, it seems as though a husband and wife have neighboring shops. Clem Clover sells cheese, and Clair Clover sells cool ice cream. It looks as though Clair is doing quite well compared to her husband; though I do love the look of the man in a top hat on a penny-farthing with a package of cheese on the back. 🧀

Main Street – Day 4

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles8 Comments

Main Street by Joseph Holodook – Cra-Z-Art – approx. 83/500 pieces

Two more buildings from days gone by, places that look as though they’d be lovely to visit. Perhaps it’s the messed up world we live in today, but these puzzles have made me wish for the simpler times depicted in these little puzzles.

No time in history was without it’s problems of course, and I’d be trading one set of issues for another; but that’s how I’m feeling today.

Know what I love about this little puzzle? No one is staring at a smart phone and ignoring everyone else around them; the kids are playing tic-tac-toe in the foreground and two women are having an actual conversation – what a novel idea! (Yes, I’m feeling a little salty and cranky this morning)

This is the last of the buildings that were also part of the previous set, check out Christmas Town Day 4 again. The season has changed from winter to spring or summer, I can’t really tell which. I wonder though, how much need would there really be for a florist? Is that just me overthinking it? Probably, but that’s what I do. 😉

Main Street – Day 2

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles3 Comments

Main Street by Joseph Holodook – Cra-Z-Art – approx. 83/500 pieces

I really enjoyed these little buildings, they were so much fun to put together. Have you tried any of these sets before? There are plenty to choose from, and even if you usually only work larger puzzles you may find that these are entertaining at assemble as well.

The artist, Joseph Holodook, has quite a few images out there on puzzles besides the ones I’ve done in these sets of mini puzzles. Most of the ones I’ve seen are on MasterPieces puzzles, but there are a few other brands as well. He mostly paints Americana and Christmas images, and the detail in his work is amazing.

Whether old or new I do love a bookstore! Everyone in the street has a book, is reading one, or is buying or selling a book – this is my kinda town. Even the dogs are looking at a book cover! The quaintness of this image was so sweet. 📚💚

This big barn wasn’t as easy to put together as you might imagine, at least not for me; but I got there in the end. I love the words on the side of this one “We build shack to chateau” and “Don’t be a woodchuck, use a professional Romanchuk”.