Butterflies III – Day 2

On March 24, 2022March 23, 2022 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Butterflies III – Cra-Z-Art – 500 pieces

Have you ever noticed how much orange coloring there is on butterflies? I’m not sure I ever have until now. It’s not a color one might normally say looks particularly pretty, but here it looks amazing. Just my weird observation.

When assembling these mini puzzle sets I almost never look at the box or poster, it’s more fun to just figure it out on my own. If I was looking for help it would take much less time and I enjoy getting to complete each one at my own pace.

The color of the purple one was my favorite out of all 18, just absolutely stunning! The blue one took me longer than it should have, I was expecting the shape to go upwards and it just kept getting wider and wider.

I’m not certain what the difference is between moth and butterfly, but some of these with their furry bodies seemed more moth-like. It doesn’t make them any less lovely, they just didn’t seem like butterflies to my untrained eye.

Aren’t the pastel colors on the one at the far right just amazing? Love the look of that one. 💗

Butterflies III – Day 1

On March 23, 2022March 22, 2022 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles8 Comments

Butterflies III – Cra-Z-Art – 500 pieces

This gorgeous set had 18 puzzles instead of the usual 12. So instead of many days of butterflies with no commentary other than “look how pretty they are”, I’ll just split this up into two days of posts. Each separate puzzle won’t be getting it’s own picture, but they’ll be in groups of three.

They were all quite good quality, and there were far fewer pieces connected than there usually are. Perhaps Cra-Z-Art is getting better at cutting all the way through the colored backing, or perhaps this is one of the rare times that I ended up with a puzzle that was cut when the die was new and sharp. You’re always hearing me say that a puzzle may have been cut at the end of the run when the die was dull, what a novel thing to have the opposite – finally!

I enjoyed all the different shapes of the puzzles. And that pink one on the right is gorgeous!

You can tell that there are big differences in the sizes as well. Some puzzles were only around 15 pieces, and some were closer to 60. It’s nice that they’re all not just the same shape and size with only the colors separating each species.

Butterflies In Progress

On March 2, 2022March 2, 2022 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling2 Comments

Butterflies III – Cra-Z-Art – 500 pieces

I spent A LOT of time yesterday trying to decide on the next puzzle; for some reason my brain was being extremely fickle and I just couldn’t stick with one choice. Several times the decision was made, and several times I changed my mind. At one point I thought the best way to come up with the next puzzle was to go shopping and find something new – my brain is so weird sometimes.

Eventually everything finally came to rest on this set of 18 butterflies and I was able to get them sorted while I was in bed watching tv. I’ve only gotten a few of them finished this morning; either they’re more difficult than usual or I haven’t had enough coffee yet. Or it could be both.

There are some large butterflies in this set and some beautiful (but difficult) patterns. I’ve found myself staring at the pieces, completely engrossed in the assembly; I forget there’s coffee next to me, I forget everything until that mini puzzle is done. Then I come out of my stupor to find that much time has passed and my coffee is cold!

Some of the sets are quite easy to assemble, and some are more challenging. So far I’d put this one in the more challenging category. Last night was a terrible night for sleep and I’m dragging and feeling stupid this morning – that could be a part of the problem. Perhaps I should go watch a couple episodes of the current show I’m binge-watching; I can have a few cups of coffee and make sure I’m more awake and aware before I attempt to put together any more pretty butterflies.

It’ll probably be about a month before you start seeing the assembled flutter-bys being posted, but please don’t expect names and bios; although they’re beautiful creatures they just don’t have personality to speak of.

If I can’t see faces I can’t see individuality, identity, charisma, or emotion. Without those I’ve got nuthin’!

Dog Selfies – Day 4

On February 26, 2022February 25, 2022 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles16 Comments

Dog Selfies by Howard Robinson – Cra-Z-Art – approx. 125/500 pieces

Sadly we have come to the final day of Dog Selfies; but never fear, there are four more sets of Cra-Z-Art puzzles here that need to be assembled – including main street buildings, butterflies, and two different sets of “selfies”. Those will be a treat to post about!

Have you tried any of these puzzles yet, or are you just having fun reading about them and have no interest in assembling them yourself? Just wondering. I highly recommend them, and am always on the lookout for new sets or old ones that I may have missed. My hope is that Cra-Z-Art continues to make them and come up with new ideas for new sets; they make me very happy indeed.

And now, the final three mini biographies…

Wesley. Dear, sweet Wesley. He is one of the kindest and most patient pups out there, and he needs to be. Wesley works as a sober companion living with and assisting recovering addicts. His current client is a recovering leather addict and has refrained from chewing any shoes or furniture for almost 17 weeks. When he isn’t working with clients Wesley enjoys teaching himself new skills and is at the moment learning cross-stitching and all forms of needlework and embroidery.

Rhonda works from home as a medical transcriptionist, which leaves her plenty of time for her other passion – pretending to work in the yard so she can keep tabs on her neighbors. She’s a busybody who is always minding everyone else’s business and you DO NOT want to get on her bad side; she tries to watch and see all, and is the worst gossip there is. Don’t be fooled by that face – Rhonda is a know-it-all backstabbing b*tch.

This is Bubbles, and she is a professional cheerleader for the Burbank Badgers. Her expressive face and killer dance moves have seen her rise to the rank of captain of the squad, and she loves to help choreograph their dance routines as well. When she’s not cheering on her team Bubbles enjoys spending her time searching flea markets and antique stores for hidden treasures, and is hoping to find a that one rare item that could finance her retirement. Good luck with your treasure hunting Bubbles!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey through my weird and warped mind with these posts of dog selfies. Creating names and backstories for these little puzzles is, at times, an entertaining break from real life. They may not be as engrossing for you as they are for me, but I do the best I can. 😎

Dog Selfies – Day 3

On February 25, 2022February 25, 2022 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Dog Selfies by Howard Robinson – Cra-Z-Art – approx. 125/500 pieces

These three were the funniest in my opinion, and with every name I gave them it made me laugh even more. I absolutely adored these puzzles, especially these three faces!

I mean, how can you look at these three silly puppy faces and not laugh? They’re hysterical, and they lent themselves to names that just immediately popped into my head when I looked at them. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth and I can’t settle on the right name for the right face; but these three let me know who they were with no hesitation at all.

This is my friend Mingus. Mingus is a freelance photographer who doesn’t sell many of his pictures, but he tries his best. He always seems to catch his subjects at exactly the wrong moment, but sometimes those make for more “interesting” images. Mingus is looking for love on many dating sites/apps, but has so far failed to find a heart-mate (I fear it’s because he took his own picture to put on his profile – the one above). He is a homebody who enjoys making and stuffing his own sausage, and creating elaborate dollhouses. Sweet, silly, simple Mingus.

Henrietta here is the best loved third grade teacher at Precocious Pups Primary School. She loves to encourage her students to study what they love best and are most interested in, and is always ready for a field trip to someplace fun. Her class is the most requested, and every third grader under her tutelage loves going to school. Henrietta loves watching trashy tv in her spare time – dating shows are her favorite, and she enjoys taking ski trips with her partner whenever she can.

Everyone, meet Greg. He is the MOST enthusiastic canine officer you’ll ever find, and loves nothing more than chasing down a suspect and keeping him busy until backup arrives. He’s hoping to be promoted to the drug enforcement unit soon, but he’s having trouble with sinus issues – it’s hard for him to smell anything at the moment – therefore drug detection may be a problem for him. Greg and his wife Millie have 13 pups, and coming home to play with them all is his great joy. Perhaps there’s a budding canine officer or two in the litter – you never know. 🚔🚓