Noah’s Gathering

On April 8, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This is a Cobble Hill family puzzle which contains pieces of three different sizes. From small kids to adults, everyone of every skill level can work together to assemble it. It’s an excellent idea and I think it makes for great fun even if you’re putting the puzzle together by yourself. 🙂

This brand is excellent quality in my opinion, though sometimes the fit can be a little loose. The pieces are thick, linen-coated, and the fit on this puzzle was very good. I will say for a puzzle aimed at the whole family this image was a bit dark in color which made it a bit of a challenge at times, especially when working on the middle. Challenge isn’t a bad thing though, it keeps us interested and on our toes!

Noah’s Ark is a very popular puzzle subject, I think I’ve done at least 7 or 8 Noah’s Ark themed puzzles in the last year or so, maybe more – from 300 pieces all the way up to 2000! They’re all so different and it’s interesting to see the artist’s take on the subject. My favorite was a 300 piece Pomegranate by Jenny Tylden-Wright, it’s so interesting and different and I adore the image; click here to see her beautiful Noah’s Ark.

Have you tried a family puzzle? Many different puzzle manufacturers have made or are making them now. I think they’re great fun, and if you have younger children it’s a wonderful way to spend time together and hopefully get them interested in puzzling.

4th of July Market

On April 7, 2018April 7, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

IMG_E4406 — 4th of July Market by Geraldine Aikman – Karmin – 500 pieces

There’s something about this image that just draws me in; so much so that even knowing it was a Karmin puzzle and wouldn’t be stellar quality, I still wanted to assemble it.

Karmin puzzles have pretty thin pieces, but on the positive side there are a good variety of shapes, the image reproduction is good, and they fit together quite well. It’s all about the image when it comes to brands I don’t normally assemble; if I really like the image I’ll put up with what I consider quality shortcomings. This was one of those images that I very much wanted to assemble, and it was fun and entertaining just like I thought it would be!

I can be pretty snobby about puzzles and what brands are best – we all have our own opinions and all of us are absolutely right. Some people prefer a premium puzzle with very thick pieces and some have no problem working puzzles from the dollar store with very thin pieces. For some a good brand has to have a variety of piece shapes, and others don’t mind working with just one shape. Find what makes you happy and go for it, regardless of anyone else’s opinion.

Puzzling is good for you no matter the brand, if you’re having fun and relaxing you’re doing it right.

Teddy Bears with Flags

On April 6, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

What an uninspired name for this puzzle! How about Patriotic Bears or something cute like Fuzzy Americans? When I saw the name of this puzzle I just laughed at how silly and bland it seems. I suppose if you can start off the puzzle with laughter you’re doing well, right?

I was actually intimidated by all that fur and put off doing this puzzle for quite a while; it was a bit challenging, but working with mom makes it much more entertaining and less like work. Thank goodness we get together every Friday no matter how I’m feeling to talk and puzzle and just hang out – she kind of insists on it. Otherwise I spend all my time at home only going out when I absolutely have to; she doesn’t think that’s healthy and she’s pretty persuasive for a little old lady. 👵

Despite being intimidated by all that teddy bear fur, this was quite a fun puzzle to assemble. The fit was a bit loose, but it wasn’t too bad. And other than the fit the quality was excellent and my assembly partner made it even more enjoyable.

I’ve been having such a difficult time lately being able to sit and puzzle for any length of time without pain. The 1000 piece puzzles that used to take me 2 days are now stretching out for a week or more, and it’s depressing. It’s to the point where I open the box to look at the pieces of a puzzle, and the 1000 piece ones are just overwhelming me. Trust me, I know how ridiculous that sounds; I completed a puzzle with 40,000 pieces, but one that only has 1000 pieces is just too much. I never claimed to be rational!

So for now I’m mostly working on puzzles with 300 or 500 pieces, I’m trying to keep my mood positive. I’m hopeful that I’ll be feeling a little better soon with some physical therapy and that I’ll be back to working puzzles of all sizes very soon. Fingers crossed! 🤞

Disney Classics

On April 5, 2018April 5, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This was a fun puzzle, but more challenging than it looks! Either that or I’m slowly losing my puzzle mojo – oh dear. 😐

This was the second Kohl’s puzzle we’ve found at the thrift stores, and I have to say I’m quite impressed with the quality. The pieces are thick, the colors are bright with crisp lines, and the fit is excellent. I was pretty bummed that 3 pieces were missing, the kids at my daughter’s school would have really loved this one.

I love a puzzle that’s easy to sort and this was definitely one of them. We started with the thick blue lines separating each section and the nameplate in the middle. I sometimes find putting together outlines first to be a bit difficult, luckily these were thick lines with words and they went together pretty fast. This is a “look and find” puzzle, so the words on the lines give you things to look for in each of the sections. Lots of fun for the little ones!

Jungle Book and Lion King weren’t as easy to sort, so I just put those pieces all on one tray and worked both of those sections at the same time. 101 Dalmatians and Dumbo were relatively easy to sort and put together and I had much more fun with this assembly than I thought I would. I’m just a big old kid at heart. 😁

Potato Chips

On April 4, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

I have to confess that mom did this puzzle by herself. Since I don’t post puzzles I haven’t done or at least helped with she then took apart the entire lower right corner and had me put it back together so I could post this. She’s the best!

It’s a beautiful finished puzzle, but the image reproduction seemed quite blurry/fuzzy. I find that a little more often with collages like this for some reason. Perhaps it’s how the picture is taken, I don’t know for sure; but this image seemed particularly fuzzy. It looks great once it’s finished though, doesn’t it?

I’m not really a potato chip enthusiast or anything, but I’ve not even heard of most of these brands – have you? Yo Ho, Red Dot, Zapps, Green Mountain? Perhaps they’re regional brands and I just haven’t traveled enough. I’m ok with that though, I’m definitely a homebody. I’d rather stay home and relax and puzzle; I’ll keep the home fires burning for everyone else who loves to travel – someone’s gotta do it. 🙂