Almond Blossom

On May 18, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

I purchased all of these micro puzzles more than 7 months ago, I thought it was about time I got to assembling them all. It doesn’t hurt that they’re so small and easy to work with while in bed. They also give me a chance to work on images that I wouldn’t normally do in a larger piece count. Although Almond Blossom is a beautiful piece of artwork there is NO WAY I’d assemble this image in 500 or 1000 pieces – it would be way too frustrating for me.

I have 7 more everyday image micro puzzles left to assemble, and 8 more Christmas or winter themed ones – not including the 3 I’ve already assembled that are in the queue ready to post. I’m saving the winter ones for Christmas in July on the blog, and have started peppering in the others here and there.

It’s been almost a month since I’ve been able to sit at my puzzle board to work, so almost everything I’ve assembled has been done in my room or in bed. These micro puzzles are perfect for that, I can “get my puzzle on” without causing too much pain or frustration.

I ordered myself a Mother’s Day/Wedding Anniversary present that will be arriving today – a beautiful, colorful, intricate wooden puzzle from Liberty Puzzles. It has enough pieces to offer a challenge (so it won’t be over with too quickly), but it will fit perfectly on the white board so that I can work on it in bed. I can’t wait to open the box and look at all the pieces! It also gives me plenty of motivation to finish the lovely puzzle I’m currently working on so I can start on the gorgeous present I bought myself. 😍

Dragonfly

On May 17, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve assembled a Ravensburger, probably because most of their puzzles that I own are 1000 pieces or more. I got this one when I made a special trip to Tuesday Morning to get myself some more 300 and 500 piece puzzles. I didn’t know that store carried Ravensburger puzzles; I got this and two other 500 pieces that I have yet to assemble. I couldn’t pass up a 500 piece Ravensburger for only $5.99, even though none of the 3 puzzles I bought are my typical preferred images.

I’m finding 1000 piece puzzles overwhelming these days; when I open up a puzzle with that many pieces it’s just upsetting and too much for me. I don’t completely understand it, but I’m blaming chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and probably menopause too. Luckily there are plenty of smaller puzzles around for me to work on that allow me to decompress and just let my mind go blank – to think about nothing but the next piece. It’s one of the best things about puzzling for me, allowing me to turn off my brain and stop it from worrying and stressing and all the other crazy things it seems to do on it’s own.

This image was quite challenging, and took me a while to finish. I didn’t mind though, as long as it isn’t too difficult as to be frustrating the challenge makes it easier to tune out the world and focus only on the puzzle. The fit was slightly looser than the average Ravensburger, but it wasn’t overly annoying. The darker colors took a while to get used to, but eventually I was able to make out the smaller differences in shades that helped to put everything together properly. Fun puzzle, beautiful image, and an excellent stress reliever.

Moose Crossing

On May 16, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

This puzzle was great fun, with beautiful colors and the right amount of challenge. I really am enjoying all of these smaller piece count puzzles – they’re perfect when a 1000 piece puzzle is just too overwhelming for me.

I’m finding that many brands with large or EZ grip pieces use excellent quality chipboard; it’s very thick and the pieces fit together extremely well. I’ve had 500 and 1000 piece Milton Bradley puzzles with thinner pieces that were easily bent, but all of their large piece puzzles have had wonderful quality.

I searched the entire box for the name of the artist, but it was nowhere to be found. I could only make out the first name Brooke, but I’ve done several of Brooke Faulder’s puzzles before and was able to confirm that this image was hers as well. She illustrates dogs in such an accurate and adorable way – they have personalities. 🐾

This puzzle was lovely to assemble and it was difficult to walk away from. I would love to find more puzzles from this artist to put together, I’m liking dogs more than people these days. 😕

Mixed Flowers in an Earthenware Pot

On May 15, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

I spent about 4 days in bed last week; I wanted to work on puzzles so I got out a few of my micro puzzles from Wentworth so that I could assemble them on a cookie sheet while lying down. This was my first Renoir!

I don’t always enjoy working fine art puzzles, the brush strokes and indistinct shapes make assembly more difficult. Sometimes the challenge is just what I need, and sometimes I just don’t want to have to think so hard. Although when there are only 40 pieces my brain doesn’t have to work too strenuously for too long – thank goodness! 😉

I think there are probably still 10 or more of these Wentworth micro puzzles I have yet to assemble. They’re perfect for when I want to puzzle and don’t have much time, space, or energy to assemble a larger one. I’m so glad we found the micro puzzles, and am looking forward to putting together more of them.

I love working with wooden puzzles; even though the fit is loose and sometimes the piece shape is very evident I don’t really care. I just bought myself a present of a new Liberty puzzle and can’t wait for it to arrive. It doesn’t matter that it’s expensive, I don’t apologize for treating myself to something that makes me happy.

Review: Yoga Dogs

On May 14, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

Yoga Dogs was so much fun to assemble, and the first 1000 piece puzzle I assembled this month. I’ve been having so much trouble sitting to puzzle that most of the puzzles I’ve put together have been 500 pieces or less. This one took a while, but was completely worth it.

One thing I’ve noticed with Eurographics puzzles is the obvious piece shapes in the finished image. It doesn’t really affect the enjoyment of assembly for me, but if you’re looking to frame a finished puzzle it’s something to consider. I have found though, that if you glue the puzzle before framing it reduces the appearance of the piece shapes. The glue fills in some of the space and the image doesn’t seem as chopped up.

Eurographics have an excellent catalog, including some fascinating educational puzzles along with landscapes, fine art, interesting collages, and much more. They are made from good quality chipboard and are randomly cut which gives a very good variety of piece shapes. The image reproduction is very good with a slightly shiny finish that can cause glare under artificial lights. Check out all the Eurographics puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse. There are plenty of great images to choose from, even a 300 piece Yoga Puppies puzzle that looks so precious!

The assembly was relatively easy, I separated out all the pieces with letters or words and also all the background colors. It was simple to assemble each colored background and place it in the frame, and once all the colors were put together finishing off all the dogs and fur was the most challenging part. All in all it was quite an entertaining puzzle and if you’re a fan of dogs or collages I definitely recommend it. 🐶

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