Desserts in Progress

On December 2, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

I started making desserts yesterday – though not the kind I can eat unfortunately. 😉 I was sent this colorful, gorgeous puzzle to review and spent some time on Saturday getting it started. The colors are so bright and fun, it’s going to be an entertaining assembly – I love it already!

It got started in bed, as is usual these days. I sorted and began assembling small sections on trays in bed. Everything you see that isn’t an edge was completed on trays, and when I was feeling a little more rested in the evening I was able to assemble the edge on the board in the puzzle room. Almost all of it connected to the edges.

It’s not much, but that’s what was completed yesterday. I’m still in bed recovering from another 8 hours in the car for a doctor’s visit this week, though this trip took almost 14 hours because we had car trouble. It was a horrible trip, with more upsetting news from the doctor, a significant chunk of time spent sitting and waiting for repairs, and way too much time in the car.

Thankfully we’re living in the age of cell phones, so neither of us little gray haired ladies had to walk anywhere or get into a stranger’s car to drive to a phone to call for help. There’s always something to be thankful for, right?

Summer Medley

On December 1, 2018November 30, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

This puzzle was unbelievably difficult, but so very entertaining! It’s from a new brand (to me) – I decided to try some smaller wooden puzzle companies, and I’m thrilled I found this one. From what I’ve seen so far, they make wonderful puzzles. 🙂

StumpCraft is a small company in Canada that crafts beautiful laser-cut puzzles that showcase the artwork of fellow Canadians. I was thoroughly impressed with the quality and cutting, and I can’t wait to try more of this brand. The color-line cutting made it much more challenging than it looks, and the difficulty level increased my enjoyment so much – I was able to turn off my brain and became completely engrossed in the assembly. Love, love, loved it!!!!

Summer Medley whimsies

The puzzle was beautifully cut, with fun whimsies (the beaver is my favorite), the fit was exceptional, and they were the thickest wooden pieces I’ve worked with so far. An excellent puzzle!

Happy Nautilus World

On November 29, 2018November 28, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

This is one of the Peapod puzzles from the children’s line at Zen Art & Design. I wanted to try some new wooden puzzle companies, ended up buying this one because it was on sale and I thought I’d compare it to an “adult” puzzle from Zen. I really love the silky feel of the pieces, but I do wish they were more interestingly shaped.

The pieces weren’t as large as I expected for a children’s puzzle, they’re about the same size (or smaller) than some Liberty pieces. Still, I think it’s great to have such lovely puzzles for kids. And the whimsies came in a small mesh bag – very cool; but why do the kids get more whimsies than the adults do? The 50 piece adult puzzle I assembled only had one whimsy. No fair.

Happy Nautilus World whimsies

It was a fun puzzle! 🙂

Found Love

On November 27, 2018November 27, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

I had the hardest time getting a good picture of this puzzle, it was constantly cockeyed and not level (there were at least 6 different tries to get a good one) – I think the meds and menopause are slowly braising my brain!

I love trying out new puzzles brands, no matter whether they’re cardboard or wooden (as long as they’re relatively affordable). I spent a bit of time in bed looking at/shopping for puzzles this month, and decided to give this brand a try, even though their pieces are more uniformly shaped than I like in a wooden puzzle. And while checking out all the pages on their site I found one of their Peapod (childrens) puzzles on sale, so of course I had to try one of those as well. I should absolutely NOT be left unsupervised with access to my debit card these days!

This adorable puzzle is by Zen Art & Design. They are beautifully made and I love the feel of their pieces – it’s almost silky – they feel lovely in your hand! They have quite a large catalog of images to choose from; composed mostly of nature, landscapes, and close-up photography. This might be the right company for you if you’re looking for a wooden puzzle but you’re not a fan of random or Victorian cut puzzles.

I love the dancing couple in the center!

Found Love back

It’s such a beautiful whimsy, but the rest of the pieces are so ho hum; I do wish they weren’t all so typical. I did know that going in, so there was no surprise, but I wanted to give this brand a try anyway. It was a fun little puzzle to assemble, and I’m glad I finally gave it a go. But I don’t think I’d buy any more puzzles than the two I purchased already. It’s only a personal preference, and not at all a reflection on their quality.

Found Love whimsy

This is a “teaser” puzzle, a small piece count and less expensive puzzle so you can try out the brand (or if you just enjoy small puzzles). The box is the size of a ring box, you could throw it in your purse or backpack and off you go!

It’s a lovely little puzzle, and I enjoyed putting it together.

Father Frost

On November 25, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

This gorgeous shaped micro puzzle is beautiful, and a little challenging too – the perfect combination! The interesting shapes made for a longer assembly time than I thought, but a wonderful one.

I had no idea when I assembled it that it was artwork by Rachel Arbuckle, I adore her artwork! I have the first 3 puzzles in her 12 days of Christmas series, and I’m looking forward to assembling them.

Father Frost pieces

The curlicue pieces and shaped edges made for quite the entertaining puzzle! This one comes in a Christmas cracker box too; they’re a little more expensive than the regular micro puzzles, but I love them anyway.