Tag: Jigsaw Puzzles

Review: Canned Veggies

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews1 Comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Canned Veggies – Springbok – 500 pieces

Canned Veggies makes me think of fall up north, canning fruits and vegetables with mom. There was a lot of peeling, cutting, and whining going on. (I didn’t always have a great time, especially when we were canning foods I don’t like) 🙂

This is another tight fitting Springbok puzzle. I’m not much of a fan of the super tight fit, but this wasn’t too bad, at least the sides aren’t curling up! Springbok puzzles are very good quality, and my preference for a slightly looser fit doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate that quality. The pieces are very thick, and fit together very snugly. The image reproduction on this puzzle was bright and crisp, and would be quite suitable for framing – it would be perfect in the kitchen! With the tighter fit, you most likely wouldn’t have to glue the puzzle, just frame it as is. Click to see all Springbok puzzles currently in stock at Puzzle Warehouse. They have some beautiful images, including Off the Vine – a gorgeous collage of wine labels – beautiful! (And I don’t even like wine 😐 )

I enjoyed this assembly, although I wasn’t prepared for the challenge of it. It looks pretty straightforward, but the darker areas made me slow down and I had to concentrate more. That’s probably a good thing though! I think this puzzle may end up framed and in my mother’s kitchen, she loves the look of it; and it reminds me of her. ❤

Details:

  • Title:                  Canned Veggies
  • Artist:                Allied Products
  • Brand:               Springbok
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 60 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Good, very tight
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Escape from Alcatraz

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Escape From Alcatraz by Albert Lorenz – MasterPieces (Mythic Mazes) – 1000 pieces

I’d never heard of these Mythic Mazes puzzles, but it was a lot of fun! There are apparently more, including Escape from Merlin’s Dungeon and Escape from the Haunted House. It looks like they’re definitely out of print, so we’ll just have to hope that we are able to find more in the local thrift stores.

MasterPieces quality can sometimes be hit or miss, this one was very interesting. The thickness of the pieces, the fit, and the image reproduction were excellent but there was no variety in the piece shapes. They were all ballerinas. Sigh. It doesn’t make much sense to me, but then again I have no actual knowledge of what goes into manufacturing a jigsaw puzzle. Still, it’s a bit disappointing; the quality was very good otherwise.

You can’t see it well in the picture, but there are plenty of words to assemble, which I love. And even though there’s no variety in the piece shapes the good news was that there were almost no pieces that were just one color. There was plenty of shading and writing so that there weren’t large areas of one color. It made working with just the one piece shape a little more palatable for me.

The bright colors, interesting maps, and the actual information regarding the real life escape from Alcatraz made this puzzle even more fun. I enjoyed it very much, and would love to do the others in the series if we’re able to find them. Thumbs up for the Mythic Mazes! 👍

Review: Dream Cottage Retreat

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse. 
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Dream Cottage Retreat by Cra-Z-Art – Kodak (Lafayette Puzzle Factory) – 1000 pieces

Dream Cottage Retreat is a gorgeous puzzle! Several family members commented on it while I was assembling it, that isn’t something that usually happens around here. They all said how colorful and pretty it was and I agree. 🙂

This was my first experience with Kodak, according to Puzzle Warehouse they are manufactured by Lafayette Puzzle Factory. I was impressed with the overall quality although I did have some minor issues. There were several sets of pieces that weren’t fully separated; this is not a major issue as it’s easy enough to separate them without damage to the pieces. There were, however, 3 sets of pieces that weren’t cut completely through and couldn’t be separated without damage. Both of these issues are most likely the result of the puzzle being the end of the run when the die isn’t as sharp. This didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the puzzle, and the overall quality of this puzzle was very good. The pieces are a good thickness and fit together well, if somewhat loosely. The image reproduction especially is excellent and looking at the other puzzles in the series, the images they’ve chosen look to be amazing as well. Click on the link to see all the Kodak Premium Puzzles in stock now at Puzzle Warehouse.

This was a random cut puzzle, which I find is a nice change every once in a while. It takes my brain a few minutes to make the switch, I solve these puzzles differently than grid cut. It’s good exercise for my brain, keeps me on my toes! Being random cut, some of the pieces of this puzzle seemed quite small, so if fine motor skills or eyesight is an issue it’s something to consider.

I love cottage/cabin puzzles, they are what the British would call “chocolate box” puzzles. I had to look it up, but it means an image or picture that is pretty in a idealized or conventional way. They seem pretty ideal to me; places that I would love to go, or a cottage that would be my dream getaway. Wouldn’t it be lovely to sit in the gazebo with a puzzle on a beautiful summer day?

I enjoyed this assembly, and it went quicker than most 1000 piece puzzles for me. It was hard to stop working on it to do all those annoying life things like eating, walking, etc. As always, I come back to my puzzling – it keeps me sane. ☺

Details:

  • Title:                  Dream Cottage Retreat
  • Artist:                Cra-Z-Art
  • Brand:               Kodak (Lafayette Puzzle Factory)
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 19 x 27 in. (50 x 68 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Fair
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Very good, small and square
  • Fit:                     Good, somewhat loose
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Fairgrounds

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles3 Comments
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Fairgrounds by Eric Joyner – Andrews + Blaine – 126 pieces

After attempting Winter Aspen, I consciously stayed away from very small piece puzzles. It took a while for my bruised ego to recover from my defeat, but eventually I decided to give them another try. I’m not sure where they came from, but mom had two 126 piece puzzles in clear plastic boxes. The completed puzzle measures approximately 3.9 x 11.8 inches (10 x 30 cm) They’re so cute and tiny, you could take them anywhere!

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The image of this one looked fun (and decidedly easier than the other – Van Gogh’s Irises), so Fairground was it. The assembly was pretty quick and straightforward; it was a bit more challenging than the average 100 piece children’s puzzle, but it was very enjoyable. The pieces were very nice, thicker than other small puzzles that I’ve worked. They were sturdy and fit together quite well. The image reproduction is clear and bright; I was impressed with the quality of the entire puzzle.

To be honest, I didn’t even realize until I was finished that the two “towers” on either side of the image were made of doughnuts! 🍩 Once I saw the doughnut towers I realized it was artwork by Eric Joyner. I’d seen a few puzzles with his artwork from Artifact Puzzles when I was trying to decide on the image for my first wooden puzzle. I love the whimsy of the works, and the silliness – not to mention the bright, fun colors. There are even a few of his puzzles on my wish list of Artifact Puzzles.

I think I’ve gotten over my inability to complete Winter Aspen, and if there’s a world’s smallest puzzle that looks like fun I’ll probably attempt it. I still have Van Gogh’s Irises, same clear plastic box, same piece count – but it’s going to be a tad more of a challenge. Perhaps I’ll attempt it on a day when it feels like all the brain cells are firing at maximum capacity. Today – it ain’t that day. 🤨

Review: Fall: Joy of Puzzles with Bob Ross

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews4 Comments
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Fall: The Joy of Puzzles with Bob Ross – Wellspring – 500 pieces

I’m not usually one for landscape puzzles, but this one looks serene and calming, Fall: (The Joy of Puzzles with Bob Ross), it’s quite a lovely image. And the fact that it’s Bob Ross is an added bonus – just thinking about his show makes me smile. “We don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents” 🙂

This was a fun assembly that I took on immediately after a more challenging puzzle, it was the perfect palate cleanser. I needed something fun and a little bit simpler – this was absolutely the right puzzle at the right time.

I was glad to be able to try out the new Bob Ross puzzles from Wellspring. I’m not sure if they’re an offshoot of Sunsout, or if they’re just manufactured at the same place; the box is the same size and shape of a Sunsout with the number stamped on the bottom and the slip of paper inside from Sunsout Customer Service. The quality seems about the same as a Sunsout puzzle, but the puzzle is grid cut instead of random. The chipboard is nice and thick and the fit seems the same as well – good quality overall. If you’re a fan of his artwork there are 4 puzzles in this series, one for each season; click the link above to see the ones currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.

I definitely recommend this puzzle. It went together quickly but wasn’t too easy, and was a nice change of subject matter for me. Landscape puzzles aren’t normally what I would choose, but I see the draw. As usual when I review a puzzle I try to look through other puzzles of that genre, and as usual I’ve added more puzzles to the wishlist. Check out a beautiful and VERY interesting Pomegranate puzzle called Enassamishhinjijweian. No, I did not fall asleep face first onto my keyboard – that’s really the name! I provided a link so no one else has to struggle to spell that. 😉

I guess I have to rethink my preferences, apparently I do like landscapes.

Details:

  • Title:                  Fall: The Joy of Puzzles with Bob Ross
  • Artist:                Bob Ross
  • Brand:               Wellspring
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good, a bit tight
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

I received this product at no cost to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.