Tag: Holiday Puzzles

Vintage St. Nicholas

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments
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Vintage St. Nicholas by Alison Lee – Wentworth Wooden Puzzles – 500 pieces

Challenging puzzle, but gorgeous and fun with excellent whimsies! Take a look….

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My last Christmas puzzle of the year, I did quite a few for someone who doesn’t really like most Christmas puzzles. I’m posting this before any presents are unwrapped, so we’ll see if any of my family, or even Santa, gifted me puzzles this year. 🎄

My mother decided she absolutely had to take advantage of the black Friday sale at Wentworth and got this puzzle and one other for 35% off! (The other is an art nouveau collage, 750 pieces – SO BEAUTIFUL!) We started this one together at her house, but it was quite the challenge so it wasn’t finished by the time I left; she finished it on her own late into the night.

First thing for us to do when assembling a wooden puzzle is to pull all the whimsy pieces we can find and get a picture of those separately. We are still amazed and delighted at every new shape we find – we’re like little kids on Christmas morning! Next we try to assemble the edge, but they’re so sneaky about the cutting that we have never found all the edge pieces on the first try. Still, it’s fun to give it a shot.

The assembly was quite time consuming, much more so than we’d expected. The piece shapes are mostly like the random cut of a cardboard puzzle, but they are cut in a way that makes the assembly more difficult and more fun. The shapes aren’t fantastical and wild, but it doesn’t matter as much because the working of the puzzle itself is such a pleasure.

I love the look of all the vintage Santa characters, they are all so different, but similar too. So sweet and lovely to look at. I think we’ll assemble this one next year at my house so I get to be the one staying up late into the night! ⏰

Merry Christmas everyone!

Review: Christmas Ornaments

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Christmas Ornaments – Cobble Hill Puzzles – 1000 pieces

Christmas Ornaments was quite the challenge, but still fun – and gorgeous! A perfect holiday decoration if you’re someone who likes to glue and frame puzzles. If you’re not, it would be a great puzzle for the family to work on during a Christmas get together, it’s a wonderful challenge! 🎄

I’ve always enjoyed Cobble Hill Puzzles, their puzzles are very well made and they have a wonderful catalog to choose from – excellent collages too! The fit on this puzzle was quite loose, but otherwise it was good quality. The image reproduction is lovely, and the pieces themselves are a good thickness and very sturdy. The cut is random and has an good variety of piece shapes. Overall a very good quality puzzle, I only wish the fit was a little more snug.

This assembly took me several days, a bit longer than usual. Once the edge was completed I pulled what I could find of the Santa ornament and assembled that. The rest of that first day was basically me sitting down to try and fit a few pieces together and staring at the puzzle and the pieces trying to figure out where to go from there. I’m not usually so indecisive, but this one had me stumped for a while. There are so many strings of beads and many similar ornaments that I wasn’t sure what the best way to attack it would be. Luckily the second day I had come up with a plan and things started moving a bit more quickly. It wasn’t easy, but it was a fun challenge. All you need is patience, and a good plan for sorting!

I chose this puzzle to review (a bit of a shocker, because I’m not really of a fan of Christmas puzzles). It’s not your typical Christmas image and it’s also a collage of sorts; both of these are a plus in my book. There are pages and pages of Christmas puzzles to choose from at Puzzle Warehouse, there’s sure to be something to please just about everyone. They’ve got everything from collages to nativities, and all manner of interesting puzzles in between. If I could find a Christmas puzzle I really liked, they MUST have an excellent variety to choose from. 😉

Details:

  • Title:                  Christmas Ornaments
  • Artist:                Cobble Hill Puzzles
  • Brand:               Cobble Hill Puzzles
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 27 x 19 in. (68 x 49 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     A bit loose
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very 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.

Review: Homage

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse. 
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Homage by Danny Hahlbohm – Sunsout – 500 pieces

As soon as I saw this puzzle, I knew it was the one I wanted to review first. It’s visually stunning, and just makes me smile. Homage is a beautiful reminder that Christmas isn’t only about getting presents and acquiring things to make us happy.

Sunsout puzzles are of good quality in my opinion. They have thick, sturdy pieces that feel good in your hands and usually fit together well. The fit on this puzzle would make Goldilocks proud, I think it was just right! Their catalog is varied and interesting, and there are always plenty of Sunsout puzzles I would love to assemble (I especially love their Nene Thomas and Lori Schory collections). Click the link above to see all the Sunsout puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.

This puzzle went together quite fast for me, it was hard to walk away! The pieces fit together quite well, and the more I assembled the more fun it became. The trees in the upper left corner were the most challenging, but with the semi-random cut it was pretty easy to pick out the shapes I was looking for. A truly enjoyable puzzling experience that had me wishing for more pieces – it was over almost too quickly!

I absolutely recommend this puzzle; Christmas puzzles aren’t usually my thing but I really enjoyed this one. This is the time of year when people start buying puzzles for the family to work on together during holiday visits, or as gifts. If this puzzle isn’t quite your taste, click the link above to see the other Christmas puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse. There are definitely plenty to choose from! 🙂

Details:

  • Title:                  Homage
  • Artist:                Danny Hahlbohm
  • Brand:               Sunsout
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Excellent
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Semi-random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

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

Santa & Rudolph

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments
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(What If #9) Santa & Rudolph by Geoff Tristam – Ravensburger – 1000 pieces

Not counting my “Christmas in July” on the blog, this was my first Christmas puzzle of the season! As usual, I’m only showing the character shown on the box – no spoilers. You’d miss out on the fun of discovering for yourself why it’s better if Santa keeps his job instead of handing it over to Rudolph. 😉

I adore Geoff Tristam’s sense of humor – even the gift tags on the presents were funny! His partnership with Ravensburger for these What If puzzles is a great pairing in my opinion; I hope it continues for a very long time!

I really appreciate the quality of a Ravensburger puzzle, especially after I’ve worked on another brand that isn’t as “premium”. It even makes me happy to lay all the pieces out, because I just know it’s going to fit well and that there will be enough variety in the piece shape so that the assembly isn’t overly tedious. (I’m working a puzzle with not much variety in the shape of the pieces and I’m feeling frazzled 😳 )

If you haven’t tried a What If or Wasgij puzzle yet, I highly recommend it! You’re not really working completely from scratch, most of the time you can tell from the picture on the box what the background, flooring, or scenery will be, as well as the clothes people are wearing. You can get a general idea of what might go where, you may just have figure out where the scene might end up. For me, it focuses the attention. If I’m looking at the image on the box I don’t have to pay super close attention to background items or colors to tell me where a section will end up. Without an image you’re guided by only the colors and shapes – and the hints on the box of course. It’s a pilates class for your brain cells, it makes them use their “muscles” in a different way. 😀

Santa looks pretty cute with his antler hat, but I think it would be better for everyone if he drives the sleigh!

Review: Castle of Horror

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
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Castle of Horror by Jean-Jacques Loup – Heye – 2000 pieces

This puzzle has been calling me for some time, so I decided I might as well get on it since Halloween is here! 🎃

I’ve been having difficulty puzzling lately and am not able to spend as much time as I’d like enjoying my puzzles. In addition, this gorgeous puzzle was very large and I had to assemble it sideways on my smaller board. I wasn’t feeling well enough to get out the larger board by myself, so I worked with the smaller one. It was difficult for me working a puzzle sideways, even more difficult than I anticipated. I guess my little old lady brain couldn’t get accustomed to the odd vantage point. Because of these things it took me an entire week to complete this puzzle!

The artwork of Jean-Jacques Loup makes me smile, he had an irreverent sense of humor and for me that is part of what makes his puzzles so much fun to assemble. The naughty bits put a little smirk on my face, and I’m always wanting to show them to my hubby to make him smile as well. There were plenty of naughty bits in this puzzle, so I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone underage, or anyone who has children that like to assist. 😈

This puzzle had the usual great Heye quality, with one exception – the fit was looser than I’ve had with any of their other puzzles. It wasn’t horribly loose, but you could easily upset a large section with your arm or sleeve if you weren’t careful. A bit disappointing, but otherwise the quality was very good.

There are so many fun things to discover in this image, it was a treat to put together. It’s full of Halloween spookiness – including witches, ghosts, bats, vampires, demons, and much more. It’s a great puzzle for the holiday – Happy Halloween! 🎃🎃

Details:

  • Title:                  Castle of Horror
  • Artist:                Jean-Jacques Loup
  • Brand:               Heye
  • Piece count:     2000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 27 x 38 in. (69 x 97 cm)
  • Purchased:      New

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good, some hanging bits of paper
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Excellent, triangular box
  • Fit:                     Somewhat loose, upset if bumped
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good,  recommended