Best of British

On November 21, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

This was a fantastic thrift store find, with bright colors and fun subject matter. Even better – mom came over to help finish it, and all the pieces were present and accounted for!

I put this puzzle away for quite a while, I was a bit hesitant to get going on the assembly. It was all that red! I love a collage, but all that red everywhere had me thinking it was going to be difficult to assemble. It wasn’t though, I enjoyed it very much. 🙂

The quality was excellent! The pieces had a different finish on them than the previous Falcon puzzles I’ve assembled. The finish was clean feeling and smooth; the previous ones I’d worked had an almost waxy feel to them. Interesting. Differences in finish aside, they were thick pieces with a good fit, fair variety in piece shapes, and excellent image reproduction. I enjoyed working with these pieces, and they made a beautiful puzzle.

I’m sure you remember this guy from yesterday’s post. I love his face! Every time I look at this puzzle I’m drawn to this adorable dog. I don’t know why I think of it as a male though, other than the face seems masculine to me; which means it’s probably a she. LOL

This is basically what many people think of when they think about Britain – double-decker buses, the queen’s guards, and fish & chips. I was intrigued about why there were daffodils though, because the national flower of Britain is the rose. A little research tells me that they’re associated with Lent because they bloom in the early spring and the blooms usually drop before Easter – which is why in Britain they’re known as the Lent Lily. I love it when I learn something from a puzzle!

I had a great time putting this puzzle together, it is a lovely, interesting collage that had wonderful quality. I’m looking forward to finding more fantastic puzzles in the thrift stores this holiday season!

Mother and Daughter (2)

On January 31, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

It’s finally finished! It was on my board for more than 2 weeks, most of the time it sat untouched while I was hospitalized, but I finally completed it and it’s off my board. Hooray!!

I absolutely love this image and it’s companion that I previously assembled; both images remind me very much of my mother, who is just as beautiful as the woman pictured and also loves knitting and crafts. As soon as I saw these puzzles I had to get them, and I’m glad I did. They were both challenging assemblies, but it doesn’t take away from how much I love the images themselves. Love, love, love them! ❤

I’m not sure how I feel about this brand, Falcon de luxe. They are a good thickness and sturdy and the image reproduction is gorgeous. Most of the pieces are ballerinas, although there are a few other shapes to work with. The pieces can seem to fit where they do not belong, and that I am not a fan of – especially with an image that looks vintage. I find these images a challenge because although the finished puzzle doesn’t look difficult the pieces themselves seem almost blurry and indistinct; it’s the “vintage” look (just my opinion here). When you have “fuzzy” pieces to work with it’s even more difficult if pieces seem to fit in multiple places. I will have to assemble an easier image or two in order to compare; I don’t like passing judgement until I’ve given a brand a few tries.

Until I allow myself more puzzle shopping I’m holding back judgement on this brand. For the most part it’s good, they’re not a cheaply made puzzle. Although I do wish there were more variety in the piece shapes. This puzzle in particular though, made me very happy. I absolutely love it, and the beautiful lady it reminds me of. ❤❤

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Mother and Daughter (1)

On January 2, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

This puzzle reminds me of my mother, which is why I bought it. This is the first of two 500 piece puzzles in the same box. The second puzzle is the same mother and daughter, a bit older, and mom is teaching her daughter how to knit. Both images are beautiful, the mother reminds me of my mom. ❤

This was my first Falcon puzzle and I was impressed. The pieces are thick and sturdy and fit together well, although there was a tendency for the image to lift sometimes when removing a piece placed incorrectly. The image reproduction is very good, with a matte finish to avoid glare. The majority of the pieces were ballerinas, but there were a few other shapes as well. Excellent quality all around, but I wouldn’t mind a better variety of piece shapes.

The vintage nature of the image makes the pieces themselves seem fuzzy and indistinct, but once you’ve got it assembled it’s clear as a bell, and quite lovely. It makes the assembly more challenging for me, but I really love the image and didn’t mind having to work a little harder to assemble it. I’m getting ready to assemble the second image. I have hopes that it might be a little easier, but I’m probably wrong. Doesn’t matter, I’m sure I’ll enjoy that challenge too! 😉