Vintage Candy Shop

On September 3, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

I see a recurring theme, I didn’t post these puzzles because the pictures are so awful. On a positive note, we’re about halfway through the old puzzles so it shouldn’t be too much longer. I must have been having balance issues when I was taking these pictures; it looks like I was falling and on my way to the floor when I snapped this picture!

I think I should start including an image of what the puzzle looks like straight on for my readers, you should know what it’s supposed to look like…

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I love an Aimee Stewart image, and this one was pretty darn fun to put together even though the quality was less than optimal. There was some splitting of the chipboard, and a few pieces with image lift. The pieces were a bit thinner than I’d like, but they weren’t too bad and the fit was excellent. Ceaco puzzles seem to fit together very well no matter the quality of the board, and a good fit is something many puzzlers appreciate, myself included.

The cash register was my favorite part to assemble, the number keys and the wording on the front of the drawer were fun to put together. The drawer itself was a little more challenging, but still completely entertaining. The different candies were so bright and interesting – Aimee Stewart’s use of colors and the way she puts them together makes for added difficulty, and added pleasure. I’ve done many of her puzzles and they’re always a challenge, but always beautiful and a good time.

Fun puzzle, with fair/good quality, if you like the image and you find a copy of this one I definitely recommend it. 👍

Ice Cream Truck

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

As summer is technically coming to an end, I figured a bit of ice cream is just what we need. Actually, according to this puzzle (and Charles Schulz) all we really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt!

This is an adorably cute image, almost too sweet. 😉 Mom and I put it together when she arrived one day to help me assemble a puzzle that I was struggling with but had already finished. I had no idea she was coming over to help me, and I completed the puzzle while she was on her way. Since the difficult one was done, we decided to put together a 300 piece puzzle and this was the one we chose.

Re-marks usually has good quality, and although this puzzle was ok there were a few very bent pieces that prevented the completed puzzle from laying flat. Other than that one area, I had no other problems with the quality of this particular puzzle. The pieces were thick and fit together well, and there were an excellent variety of shapes. The reproduction was very good, with sharp lines and colors; there was no blurriness or fading.

The image itself reminds me of the Richard Scarry books I used to read with my kids when they were young. The characters look somewhat like those he illustrated, especially their eyes. They’re very cute, and made for a fun puzzle to put together.

I love that everything is made of sweets; doughnut tires, an ice cream sandwich for a counter, mints for headlights, etc. So very cute!

So as summer is ending and we get together with friends and family, enjoy an ice cream sundae – or even better, enjoy an ice cream sundae or some chocolate and sweets with loved ones and then work on a puzzle together. I can’t think of a better way to spend a holiday weekend! 🍨

Swing Your Partner

On September 1, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

I really have gotten tons better at photographing my puzzles – these pictures from several years ago are terrible. The angle is absolutely awful! This is what the image looks like straight on…

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This one was lots of fun, and the image was great for puzzling. I’ve done several puzzles by Jane Wooster Scott and have enjoyed them all, her pictures make for entertaining puzzles. 🙂 It’s a great image; the bright colors, straight lines, and symmetry of trees, etc., made for a wonderful assembly. Her artwork reminds me of Charles Wysocki in some ways, and for me they’re both artists whose work makes for excellent puzzling.

The quality of this Ceaco puzzle was good/tolerable. Sometimes the chipboard used is quite thin, but this one wasn’t too bad. There wasn’t much splitting of the board or image lift, and the fit was excellent. The image reproduction is very nice as well; the finish is a bit shiny, but thankfully not too much. Overall, a good quality puzzle that was entertaining to put together. That’s all I’m looking for!

Who Left the Cage Door Open

On August 31, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

I’m surprised how many Bits and Pieces puzzles I haven’t posted – it’s been over 2 years since I assembled these! It could be that it’s just because the pictures were so terrible; I don’t recall making a conscious decision to omit this brand. Again, in my defense, at the time I was taking these pictures it was only to send them by text to family members to show that I had finished a puzzle – I didn’t know I’d be starting a puzzle blog. 🙂

The image itself is excellent for puzzling, especially when working on the puzzle with someone else. There are plenty of items to assemble separately, so it was easy to pick out a section for each person to work on.

I’ve found Bits and Pieces puzzles to have fluctuating quality – some puzzles are excellent, and some are extremely lacking. The pieces are a good thickness, but the fit has sometimes been very poor. The image reproduction has always been stellar in my opinion, though with a slightly shiny finish. The random cut makes for a somewhat more challenging assembly, which I enjoy (but not everyone cares for). This is a brand that we only purchase second-hand now, we try not to pay retail for a puzzle that may or may not have good quality.

I remember being disappointed by this puzzle in particular, the piece shape is very obvious in the finished image, and the fit was quite loose. That said, the image was still entertaining to assemble – mom and I enjoyed the time we spent putting it together!

Georgetown Floral

On August 30, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles1 Comment

I figured this 300 piece puzzle would go together pretty quickly, I figured wrong! Luckily the quality was so good, and the image was so pretty that even though it was difficult I didn’t find it too tedious.

Hasbro’s EZ grip pieces are EXTREMELY thick, and fit together very well. The image reproduction was excellent, with beautiful colors; although the finish was shiny and prone to glare under artificial lights. There were a very good variety of piece shapes as well, and they made for for an interesting assembly. All in all, the quality was wonderful.

This was my first image by Jan Ford, and I enjoyed it very much; the color palette was beautiful. Flower puzzles aren’t always my first choice, but usually once I get going I find that I enjoy them very much.

Although it took longer than I thought it was an entertaining puzzle to assemble, and at the end hubby helped with the last little bit. I always enjoy having him help me with my puzzles, and he very much likes to swoop in at the end and help with the last few pieces. If I’m feeling generous I even let him put in the very last piece. 🙂