Some people say 300 piece puzzles aren’t worth their time – too few pieces and they just aren’t challenging enough. To those people I say, try this little succulent out, it’ll give you a run for your money!
Many times a 300 piece puzzle can be assembled in one sitting, but this one took me quite a bit longer. I enjoyed the challenge of it though, and had a great sense of accomplishment when that last piece finally went in. If I could have given myself a pat on the back I would have. Well done, Stacey!Â
This puzzle was 300 pieces of completely absorbing entertainment. I couldn’t help but get sucked in every time I sat down in front of it; it doesn’t look terribly difficult, I should be able to get it done in no time. Then you’re looking for the right piece – why can’t I see it, where does this fit in? Why does every succulent look like all the other succulents? What kind of word is succulents anyway?! Who shot JR?
*(Sometimes my train of thought goes off the rails, my apologies. Everyone knows that Kristin shot JR.)
Big World by Ciro Marchetti – Milton Bradley – 750 pieces
If I’m being honest I’d tell you I was a little bit scared to start this puzzle. Look at the image, it’s gorgeous – but I didn’t know where I would begin. Once I started sorting the pieces though, I found a few sections to pull out and start with; when they were assembled it didn’t seem so daunting to keep going and filling in from there. Sometimes I have to just jump in and get myself going, most of the time it’s never as difficult as I think. 🙂
Milton Bradley puzzles seem to have improved their quality quite a bit, I was thoroughly impressed with this puzzle and it’s quality. The pieces are on the smaller side, but not too much so. They had a good hand feel, fit together quite well, and had a very good variety of shapes. The image reproduction is excellent and did the artwork justice in my opinion, the colors are beautiful with no blurriness or fuzzy areas. Overall a very good quality puzzle.
There’s just something about peacocks, they make for wonderful puzzle images. This one is beautiful, and I wish the picture did it justice. It was one of the first things I assembled after the edges and even though there weren’t many pieces to it, it gave me a great sense of accomplishment.
This flying fish balloon and the ship below it – great fun to put together! The use of colors by Ciro Marchetti brings to mind images by Aimee Stewart – both artists produce absolutely gorgeous artwork. This one especially has a dreamy quality, a fantasy image that makes no sense but definitely looks like a world you’d want to visit (or at least I would).
I’ve been a little obsessed with assembling panoramic puzzles lately. It’s much easier on your back to not have to reach so far to put pieces in at the top; having the entirety of the puzzle very close to you is somehow comforting and I am completely enjoying working with them. I only have one more panoramic here in my stash, I guess that means I might have to arrange a shopping trip – these puzzles are good for my mental health.
Big World was more fun than I expected and had much better quality than I anticipated. If you’ve got a long enough workspace to assemble a panoramic puzzle this one is absolutely recommended – two peacock tails way up! 🦚🦚
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Big World
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ciro Marchetti
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Milton Bradley
Piece count:Â Â Â 750 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Approx. 11 x 34 in. (27 x 86 cm)
Purchased:Â Â Â New
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Average, sturdy
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â Small amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Grid cut
Piece shapes:Â Â Very good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Slightly shiny finish, lays flat
This is a “Family Puzzle”, it has 3 different sizes of pieces so that the entire family can help assemble it. To be honest I’ve never assembled one with the family, I’ve always done them either alone or with mom. I’m such a puzzle fanatic that I enjoy puzzles for all ages, and a family puzzle has all of them in one box – perfect!
Majestic Puzzles is a new brand for me, and I was impressed with the quality. The pieces were thick and fit together very well. It’s randomly cut so there are a nice variety of shapes and it made for an interesting and challenging assembly. The image reproduction is beautiful with clean lines and bright colors and no blurring or fuzziness. All in all it’s a great quality puzzle.
I sorted the pieces by shape and then assembled it the same way, starting with the largest pieces.
It’s odd to have all the kids pieces around the edge. Most of the family puzzles I’ve worked have them all on one side. If you truly want the family to work together it seems more ideal to have big pieces on the left (for example), medium pieces in the middle and smallest pieces on the right. If the whole family tried to work on this one it would be difficult for those working on the smaller pieces to connect them to anything until the kids had finished the outside.
I sorted by size, but obviously I didn’t get all the pieces in their correct piles, there are a few holes. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between a smaller medium sized piece and a larger small piece. (I hope that made sense) 😉
I enjoyed this puzzle much more than I anticipated, the image was challenging and beautiful – a lovely combination. Jungle scenes aren’t usually images I would choose, but the different piece sizes made it more interesting and the beautiful reproduction and great fit made it quite fun. If you come across a family puzzle by Majestic I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
This is one of the last few kids puzzles from the box of 20, and one of the last complete ones too. I found this box at one of our local thrift stores while mom and I were shopping many, many months ago and I’ve been parsing them out here and there.
I find the educational side more entertaining than the picturesque side, I love the facts and lists they have. On the back of this puzzle were all the species pictured above and a map of Africa showing where they are found
I’m a bit sad these puzzles are coming to an end; I’ve enjoyed assembling them all, and learning and re-learning all sorts of things. I may have to get myself back to the thrift stores and find out what other fun puzzles I can get my hands on!
The Summer Thatchers by Steve Crisp – Wentworth – 40 pieces
The Summer Thatchers is an unbelievably beautiful image that was perfect for a 40 piece micro puzzle. There was no enhancing of the photo needed, it’s truly that bright and gorgeous. I’m certain it would be quite difficult as a larger piece count, but my goodness it would be lovely!
If it’s been a while since assembling a wooden puzzle I seem to forget how much I enjoy the tactile experience; the thickness of the pieces, the feel of the image adhered to the wood, the way the pieces fall into place. There’s nothing like it!
Pretty whimsies, especially the flowers, and the surrounding pieces make for an easier assembly – they’re oddly shaped and easy to find. You couldn’t make whimsies like this out of cardboard, the edges would bend and break way too easily.
Wentworth’s micro puzzles are a joy to assemble, and they allow me to work many images that I wouldn’t otherwise in a larger piece count. Starry Night definitely wouldn’t have been assembled other than in this format, that’s for sure. There are still quite a few I have here to assemble, including several winter/Christmas themed images – look for them when the holiday season is upon us, it’ll be here sooner than you think!
My Jigsaw Journal 