Harry Potter Book 1

On January 5, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

If you didn’t already figure me for a puzzle nerd, guess what? I’m a book nerd too! I love reading ❤ Some of my favorites are great book series – all the Little House books, the Clan of the Cave Bear series, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, and definitely Harry Potter!

In fact, I’ve read all the books in all of those series several times – but there’s something magical about the Harry Potter books (no pun intended) – they’re comforting, exciting, funny, sad, sweet, scary, and just about everything you need for a great read. And with this FABULOUS gift my daughter gave me for Christmas I’ve got both of my nerdy passions together!

Harry Potter set

I’ve only put together two of these so far, but the quality is even better than the last NYPC puzzle I assembled; thick pieces with a nice fit, and first rate image reproduction. They’re all 100 pieces and they’re all going to be great fun!

Now I’m wondering what other book covers would be great puzzle art, hmmmm. All the Little House covers would be so entertaining for me – I adore every one of those books. Any other ideas?

100 Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix

On January 4, 2019January 4, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

100 Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix – Hartmaze – 253 pieces

My son gave this puzzle to my mom as a Christmas present, and the three of us assembled it on Christmas Day. We found out that it is so much more difficult assembling an intricately cut puzzle with no whimsy pieces, but we had a great time working together to assemble it anyway. It is really lovely quality for only a $25 wooden puzzle, and I was thoroughly impressed!

100 Birds back

I’ve only ever found Hartmaze puzzles on Amazon, and they only seem to carry a few different images to choose from. But I found the quality to be excellent, and I would definitely love to assemble more.

There’s a self-imposed puzzle buying ban at My Jigsaw Journal for the moment, but eventually I’m sure I’ll be buying one of my own. 🙂

Review: Feeling a Little Blue

On January 2, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews9 Comments

This puzzle was quite a challenge, but the image is so adorable that I knew it would be completely worth it – thankfully I was right!

StandOut Puzzles are a new brand to me, and I enjoyed this one very much. The quality is very much like Cobble Hill puzzles; linen finished randomly cut pieces that are pleasantly thick and fit together well, if somewhat loosely. They only produce 750 piece puzzles, and showcase “standout artwork from standout artists”. Their catalog is lovely, with images that you haven’t seen before – they stand out! And just for kicks and giggles they add a packet of “standouts” in every puzzle….

Feeling Blue 4

In case you were wondering, I wasn’t feeling particularly daring. Ralphie wasn’t around to triple-dog-dare me. 😋

I think the two little birds on the left are trying their best to cheer up the bear who’s feeling a little blue. The two on the right, though, are having their own discussion – I think the male bird was out too late eating fermented berries the night before; he seems to be getting quite a talking to!

Feeling Blue 3

What is it about a grumpy face that’s so cute? Or is it just me? It makes me smile every time I look at him!

Although much of the image was quite dark, I found the assembly to be entertaining and the overall puzzle to be of excellent quality. They’re on the pricey side, but I believe in supporting smaller companies with great products; their production and shipping costs are different for smaller batches and result in higher prices. (You can find them through retailers at a lesser cost than from the StandOut website, that’s where I purchased mine)

Great puzzle with great quality and an adorably beautiful image!

Details:

Title: Feeling a Little Blue
Artist: Denyse Klette
Brand: StandOut Puzzles
Piece count: 750 pieces
Size: Approx. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 46 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Very good
Image: Excellent
Box: Sturdy cardboard tube
Fit: Good, somewhat loose
Puzzle Dust: Moderate amount
Piece cut: Random cut
Piece shapes: Very good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Very good, recommended

Sea Anemones

On December 31, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

This is another new wooden puzzle company that I found and gave a go. They’re beautifully thick pieces with a stunning image reproduction. I was worried that the dark background would make the puzzle more challenging, but it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I’d thought.

Such a great puzzle image! Ernst Haeckel’s book Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms in Nature) has provided puzzlers the world over with stunning illustrations that make for entertaining and beautiful puzzles. Every time I see a puzzle image by Haeckel there’s great temptation – they’re so detailed and realistic and look like they’d be so fun to put together – and they are!

So many whimsies! All sorts of sea creatures – turtles, seahorses, lobsters, starfish, dolphins, etc. – plus a few things from the land like palm trees and a lighthouse. The blue “N” is the logo for NookPuzzles. Computer technology and lasers are awesome! Can you imagine trying to cut out these shapes with an actual jig saw?

Sea Anemones whimsies

I love the 2 fish swimming together here (the whimsies on the left), is it possibly Nemo and his dad? And the purple anemone was my favorite, the color is so lovely but the picture really doesn’t do it justice at all.

I was extremely surprised by and grateful for the free gift sent with the puzzle – a beautiful wooden Christmas tree ornament! 🎄

Sea Anemones gift

Free gift aside, I’m still not sure how I feel about this brand after only working one puzzle; am I the only who has certain feelings about something with no explanation whatsoever? I’m on the fence about this brand at this point, but I can’t even tell myself why! The fit was the tightest I’ve found in a wooden puzzle (very nice!), the image is beautiful, the piece shapes are interesting and intricate, but there was something about it that I can’t really put my finger on. Sigh.

Seriously people, my brain is slowly being poached in the sweat from my hot flashes.

It’s Christmas Time

On December 30, 2018December 30, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! This puzzle is a great Christmas holiday treat with a cup of hot cocoa and a cookie. Fun, fun, fun puzzle with unique pieces that added an interesting twist to our afternoon entertainment. Not too difficult, pieces fit nicely together. Awesome quality pieces, colors vivid, and so smooth to the touch!

………………….

Ok, I know I said no more holiday puzzles this year, but today’s post was composed by a guest writer – my favorite sister-in-law, Lena. 💗

This is the puzzle I sent her family for Christmas; they completed it yesterday and she sent me the picture and told me she was sending a “blog post” about it. I think she may have been joking at first, but I told her to write it up and I’d post it here today. Don’t judge my writing too harshly compared to hers – she has a background in communications, and I’m just a wife and mother who loves puzzles. 😉