Review: Fall’s Bounty

On May 18, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

Fall's Bounty

Fall’s Bounty was an entertaining puzzle with beautiful artwork by Marjolein Bastin. And I have to say it was one of the best quality Ceaco puzzles I’ve done. Shocked? I was too!

I’ve done Ceaco puzzles with very good quality and some that were awful, it’s always a guess whether or not you’ll be getting a good one. That’s why it’s normally a brand we only purchase from thrift stores. This puzzle though, and another from this series that I’m currently working on, are very good quality and I was quite impressed. The pieces are a good thickness, with a wonderful fit and beautiful reproduction.

The assembly went quickly, but the image had enough challenge to make it interesting at well; I enjoyed placing every piece. Marjolein Bastin’s beautiful nature artwork makes for great puzzling and is definitely recommended. 👍

Details:

Title: Fall’s Bounty
Artist: Marjolein Bastin
Brand: Ceaco
Piece count: 300 pieces
Size: Approx. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 46 cm)
Purchased: Used – thrift store

Quality:

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

Overall Rating: Very good, recommended

The Messenger

On May 17, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles9 Comments

Mom and I assembled this gorgeous puzzle together, and had a great time with it! Many thanks to Penny, my email pen pal and fellow puzzle blogger who sent this in a puzzle swap. We loved that we just got a bag of pieces with no image – that meant more fun for us!

I didn’t take a picture of the whimsies beforehand, but I did turn the puzzle over to see the outline of pieces from the back. It has odd coloration on the back though, and it’s difficult to make out all the shapes.

The Messenger 2

There were a bunch of turtle shapes, a globe, an alarm clock, what looks like a person standing in front of a fire, and in the center a small tableau with 2 elephants in front of a mountain range. I love the Roman numerals around the border too – I was so proud when I figured out that they would be in order around the edge! Our favorite though was the large multipiece turtle…

The Messenger 1

The irregular edge is supposed to look like the edges of books stacked on each other. It took me a bit to realize that the edges weren’t going to be straight. I was so absorbed in looking at the pieces and colors that I didn’t see that there weren’t straight edges!

Awesome puzzle, great quality, beautiful image!

Hengest and Horsa

On May 15, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

This was the second of the Victory wooden puzzles that hubby bought for me, and it seems as though the ridiculously loose fit is just how they are. I’m not a fan.

I did enjoy the image much more than the previous one, the colors were much nicer to work with. It’s just a preference thing, many people prefer photographic images but I do not.

I didn’t really think anything about it until my mom mentioned it, but I agree with her that it’s a little annoying that the whimsy pieces have nothing whatsoever to do with the image. Having automobiles, a jet, a battleship, and a tank (I think) makes absolutely no sense for a puzzle with a historical image. Hengest and Horsa were legendary brothers who are said to have led the first Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain in the 5th century. I wasn’t there, but I’m pretty certain they didn’t invade with fighter jets and Ford Fairlanes!

Hengest and Horsa whimsies

All of the drawbacks aside, I enjoyed assembling this puzzle much more than Swiss Market Square. The image was the main factor for me, as the quality was pretty much exactly the same. The colors are gorgeous, and it was fun to figure out the picture as you went along. The two Victory puzzles I have don’t come with an image on the box, and has an explanation why…

“NO GUIDE PICTURE is provided with this Gold Box VICTORY Jig Saw Puzzle. To do so would destroy much of its absorbing interest. The greatest pleasure is derived from not knowing beforehand the subject which the Puzzle will make and then to see the picture gradually form as the pieces are assembled.”

My husband is a sweetheart, and we just celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary. I appreciate his getting these puzzles for me, it’s so sweet! But having assembled a world class puzzle earlier in the year I feel as though I’ve been ruined for any other vintage puzzle. The amazing quality of the Municipal Building puzzle doesn’t seem to have an equal and every other puzzle has fallen far short for me. It makes everything else seem disappointing. Perhaps I just need time.

The recent Artifact puzzle that mom and I assembled wasn’t disappointing, in fact it was great fun for us. Maybe it’s just vintage puzzles I need to stay away from for a while. 😉

Coffee and Donuts

On May 10, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Aimee Stewart puzzles are colorful, entertaining, and full of wonderful details – they’re the best! ❤

I’d love to work this same image in a larger piece count; I’ve done many donut puzzles in my time, and they’ve always been lots of fun. This one was as well, but it would be enjoyable in a 500 or 1000 piece too. 🙂

Hummingbird Garden

On May 8, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles6 Comments

This is a GORGEOUS image, although it was a little tough in certain sections it was quite fun to assemble. It was very odd to work a grid cut Sunsout, there aren’t many of them around that I’ve seen.

This is another secondhand puzzle that my daughter gave to me, and I’m happy to say it was much nicer to put together than the other one. Sunsout isn’t one of my favorite brands, but I’ve worked some really nice puzzles of theirs too. Most of their puzzles that I’ve done have been a random cut, and this was a refreshing change. The pieces were a good thickness, fit together quite well, and the image reproduction was stellar.

Hummingbird Garden 1

As I’m writing up today’s post it’s reminding me of why I love puzzles. Beautiful images cut into little pieces; and I get to bring order to the chaos. A jumbled bunch of pieces with many colors turns into a complete picture using only my brain and hands. And while I’m putting it together it almost a meditative state; all I think about is what shape fits here, and what color goes there. It’s calming, entertaining, and many other words my sleep-deprived brain can’t think of at the moment. Puzzling rocks! 🤘