Review: Lip Smackin’ Sweets

On August 28, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments

Lip Smackin’ Sweets was difficult, but in a good way. Even though the quality was less than optimal it was still entertaining and completely absorbing.

Lafayette Puzzle Factory has good/fair quality; though I have noticed that the smaller piece count puzzles seem to be better quality. This 1000 piece had thinner pieces, a loose fit, lots of puzzle dust, and didn’t lay completely flat. On the good side there were a nice variety of shapes and the image reproduction is crisp, which is many times not true of photographic collages.

Lip Smackin' 1

The plate above was my favorite part; the bright yellow was easy to find as were the Nerds. I’m not sure I know exactly why this part was my favorite, but it was. Perhaps I just liked the look of it.

Lip Smackin' 2

The little blue “Satellite Wafers” were one of the first things I assembled. The pale blue was easy to find, and there were quite a few of them. I had a good time figuring out which satellite went where – I enjoyed the challenge. I never did like these candies though, it felt like eating tasteless styrofoam. Blech!

Some puzzlers don’t mind a less than premium puzzle, and for those people I’m recommending Lip Smackin’ Sweets. Even though the pieces were thin and the fit was loose I still enjoyed this puzzle. It doesn’t have to be perfection for me (or anyone really) to be entertained – and in the end, it’s a beautiful finished puzzle. This is a pretty image, with bright, fun colors and it kept me absorbed and wanting to be at my board for several days. That’s truly what it’s about.

Details:

Title: Lip Smackin’ Sweets
Artist: Karen Romanko
Brand: Lafayette Puzzle Factory
Piece count: 1000 pieces
Size: Approx. 27 x 20 in. (69 x 51 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Good, but thin
Cutting: Good
Image: Very good
Box: Average
Fit: Fair, quite loose
Puzzle Dust: Moderate amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Very good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, does not lay flat

Overall Rating: Good, recommended

No Peeking

On August 27, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

These Avanti images are so adorable and fun, I just can’t resist them. Add in the fact that there’s only 100 pieces and that it’s just a “one coffee puzzle” and I love them even more.

This image was a little more difficult than Studio Kitty-Four, because as much as I enjoy puzzles with dogs, the fur requires a little more mental effort. This one is about 3/4 dog and took a few extra minutes to complete. It’s darling though, and completely worth the effort.

It’s about average Ceaco quality, the pieces are on the thinner side, but the fit is quite good. There’s a good variety of shapes and the image reproduction is lovely. I’m glad I bought these four puzzles, I’ve enjoyed the first two immensely.

I’ve got two more of these to assemble, fun images and only 100 pieces. My love for mini puzzles is still intact. 💗

Live for Today

On August 25, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles8 Comments

Loved this one, but it wasn’t easy. And as an added bummer, I lost one of the edge pieces. I’m not one of those people who find that there’s a missing piece and immediately decide that it must be the puzzle company’s fault – I’m certain it was me and that I just wasn’t able to find it. It’s a bit disappointing, but not the end of the world by any means. I still enjoyed putting it together, and that’s what matters – at least it is for me.

This Ceaco had a great fit, so much so that I was able to take one of my favorite kinds of pictures. I stood it up on it’s edge to take a picture…

Live for Today 1

I don’t know exactly why, but I really like doing this when the fit is good. It makes me happy.😁 Most puzzles, even those with a good fit, aren’t tight enough to stand on the edge, and when I find one tight enough it’s fun to stand it up for a picture.

This was more challenging than it looked, but the challenge was both absorbing and entertaining. I started with the word “Live”, but that was a lot of pieces and it took longer than I thought to put it together. The same went for the word “Today”, lots of pieces to work through. I loved it though, and the end result is a very nice puzzle.

There are 3 images in this series, each with it’s own quote. They’re all colorful and fun like this one, and I’m pretty sure I’d have a good time assembling the other two as well. Unfortunately I never found the missing piece for this one, so I can’t pass it on for anyone else to assemble.

Horses

On August 24, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles6 Comments

I’m loving these 24 piece puzzles; both the cute picture side and the informational side. They’re great when I want to complete something quickly, which is usually right after I finish a larger sized adult puzzle. These puzzles are excellent quality too; that’s not always the case with children’s puzzles and I appreciate it when we find great quality.

Horses 1.JPG

I learned about the differences between an English and Western saddle, and the different types of bits – I didn’t know any of that before – obviously I’m not a horse person. I have nothing against them, they’re beautiful animals, I just haven’t been around them all that much.

I still have about 5 or 6 puzzles from this box to assemble, and I’m looking forward to finishing them all. I’m trying to space them out because a bunch of kids puzzles in a row would probably be boring to read about, but I also want to get them finished and send them off to school with my daughter. The kids love puzzles, and my daughter tells me they’re needing some new ones.

Romance Collage

On August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

Another puzzle my darling daughter insisted that I purchase. It was much more difficult than I thought it would be, but I think I needed something difficult at the time. It gave me a little of my confidence back, and the look of it makes me very happy.

Romance 1

This is one my of favorite vignettes in this collage, so sweet! It reminds me of when my kids were little. Sigh. I’m feeling old these days.

Romance 2

I’m not sure why, but this is another favorite. I think it would make a great puzzle all by itself.

It’s such a nice image, it’s too bad the piece shapes are so prominent. Gluing it might help with that, but otherwise it wouldn’t make a good wall hanging.

The random cut was nice, I haven’t put together a randomly cut puzzle in a while. It took a while for my brain to get back in the right space, but once it did the assembly was quite entertaining.