Trolls (1)

trolls (1)
Trolls (1) – Cardinal – 100 pieces

This was a fun little puzzle with beautiful colors, and it’s a bit more difficult than it looks. The quality was very nice, and the fit was excellent – not bad for a dollar store puzzle!

Mom was going to the dollar store to look for something specific, and I asked her to look at the puzzles to see if there might be a small puzzle or two there that I might be able to use for a mash-up. She bought some kids puzzles to try out, but none of them really worked for that purpose, so I just puzzled them. My brain is far too muddled these days for combining two puzzles into one anyway. 😉

Such funny and interesting creatures! I love the glitter guy on the far left, I haven’t seen the movie so I have no idea what his name is; but they are all very cute in my opinion.

There was no name on the puzzle at all, so I’ve named this one Trolls (1) because she bought two of these puzzles and the other one is unnamed as well. This was the prettier of the two, so this one gets top billing.

This was the first puzzle we’ve gotten at the dollar store, and I was impressed with it. I’m sure others aren’t as good quality, but if we take a chance on missing pieces at the thrift store, then I guess we might (if we love the picture) take a chance on a cheap puzzle. 🙂

*probably not very often, I truly can be quite the puzzle snob sometimes*

Harry Potter Book 5

Harry Potter Book 5
Harry Potter Book 5 by Mary GrandPre – NY Puzzle Co. – 100 pieces

This was the hardest one of the 7 puzzles, but it was still entertaining and I enjoyed the challenge. I finished the last 3 puzzles on the same day, and had a great time with every single one of them.

Assembling these puzzles has made clear to me that I didn’t pay much attention to the actual book covers when I read them. I guess I was too excited to get to reading. 🙂 But putting these together I’ve seen things in the background that went unnoticed before – and now I’ve got a hankering to read them all over again.

I wonder if there are any more fun series of puzzles that NY Puzzle Company has, I’ve enjoyed this one so much!

The Cake Off (What If #12)

the cake off
The Cake Off by Geoff Tristam – Ravensburger – 1000 pieces

Just what I was looking for in a puzzle, though it took longer because I’ve been sick. I wanted something a little easier to assemble and this was perfect. They aren’t easy, because you don’t know what the final image will be, but the cartoony aspect makes it simpler than, say, a landscape.

It’s sort of a take of on The Great British Baking Show, there is talk of soggy bottoms on cakes, etc.  Although I’m pretty sure what happened in this image would never happen on the actual show! The contestant’s names were hilarious; Ben Offie, Sue Flaye, Victoria Spunge, etc. The box shows a one of the contestant’s dreams collapsing, but “What If” she responded by rising to the occasion? That’s what you have to puzzle, and it’s quite an image. 😉

As is my custom, I don’t show the whole image so as not to spoil anyone else’s fun. I find it’s more entertaining to figure it out all by myself and want you to have the same fun too.  I only take a picture of the part of the solution that’s shown on the front of the box, so I’m really not spoiling anything at all. This was an excellent quality Ravensburger puzzle, with wonderful artwork by Geoff Tristam. I’m looking forward to finishing up the other 6 What If puzzles I have here. It’s been so long I’d forgotten how much enjoy putting them together. The next one is What If #13, The Safari Park; looks like another good one!

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It might be a week or so before I get to this one, as I’m still working on my 2000 piece collage; but the Safari Park looks like fun, doesn’t it?

Introducing Frenchy!

introducing frenchy!
Introducing Frenchy! by Robin Preiss Glasser – Briarpatch – 100 pieces

A cute little kids puzzle, with the added fun of glitter! I love the Fancy Nancy images, they’re adorable, and remind me of myself. I’m all about being who you are, especially if you don’t fit in – who wants to be just like everyone else? Not me!  🙂

This is the fourth Briarpatch puzzle that I’ve assembled, and they’ve all had differing levels of quality; it makes me wonder why that is. This puzzle had thick enough pieces, but the chipboard used wasn’t very sturdy at all, and the way the pieces fit together was……odd. It wasn’t too tight, it wasn’t spongy, it simply felt very weird. I’m not sure I can properly explain it; you could plainly see that the piece was in the correct place, but it didn’t feel as though it was. Not a good fit, bent and flimsy pieces, and the puzzle didn’t lay flat.

Questionable quality aside though, Fancy Nancy is adorable!

Review: Pennant Race

penannt race
Pennant Race by David Spindel – TDC Puzzles – 1000 pieces

This was quite the interesting puzzle, it’s a TDC Puzzle series called “The Edge”. The box says it’s a jigsaw puzzle with only edge pieces. Every single piece has a straight (or nearly straight) edge, so starting in the normal way isn’t really an option.

Surprisingly I didn’t find it all that difficult to assemble. The bright colors and many different designs made for an entertaining, but not too challenging puzzle. The pieces were a good thickness and fit together really well; I found the quality to be quite good. I was surprised by the fact that the when complete the entire puzzle could be lifted without any of the pieces coming apart. Usually when there are pieces with straight edges that just butt up against each other if you lift or try to move the puzzle it will fall apart. This was designed so that everything connects beautifully – I was impressed!

There were so many words in this puzzle, I had the best time with it! Baseball isn’t really my thing, but collages, bright colors, and having lots of words is definitely right up my alley, or should I say “right up my baseline”?

Only two little buttons for my Detroit Tigers? SHAME! We may not have won the World Series as many times as some other teams, but come on! We couldn’t even have one little pennant shown? 😕 (I don’t really care that much, it’s baseball LOL) The image reproduction was very crisp and clear – some of the pennants had rosters on them, and you can read every name.

If you come across one of these “The Edge” puzzles, consider giving it a try. I enjoyed it very much, and honestly didn’t find it that much more difficult than the average jigsaw – and it was great fun. Batter up! âš¾

Details:

  • Title:                  Pennant Race
  • Artist:                David Spindel
  • Brand:               TDC Puzzles
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 19 x 26 in. (48 x 66 cm)
  • Purchased:      Used, thrift store

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Square and sturdy
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended