Country Store by Tom Antonishak – TCG – 100 pieces
I love this image, it would make a great larger piece puzzle – 500 or 1000 pieces. Another puzzle from our marathon and another one that isn’t a child’s image. Unfortunately, another one with less than stellar quality. 😦
TCG and Sure-Lox, for me, are just poor quality. The pieces are extremely thin, easily bent and have quite a bit of image lift, especially if you place a piece incorrectly. It’s a bummer for me when we have a poor quality puzzle. Mom and I have decided no more of this brand even if the image is amazing.
On the plus side, the pieces were all there and the image itself is a lovely one for a puzzle. It would be excellent in a larger piece count!
Albuquerque Balloons – Masterpieces (Masters of Photography) – 500 pieces
Albuquerque Balloons went together very quickly and was easier to do than I imagined. The last of the space saver puzzles for review. To my surprise it was a fun assembly and the image was excellent for puzzling, just enough challenge, but not too easy.
I can report after having done 3 space saver puzzles that the quality is quite good. The pieces are thick and feel good in your hand; they fit together well with a random cut that makes for an interesting assembly. They have a slightly shiny finish which can cause glare, but otherwise the image reproduction is beautiful. Two out of the three puzzles I assembled had obvious piece shapes showing in the finished puzzle; and while it isn’t ideal, it doesn’t really detract from enjoyment of the assembly. Click here to see all the space saver puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse.
I’ve been pretty impressed with the Masterpieces puzzles I’ve done lately, the quality is quite good. They have a nice catalog to choose from and their puzzles are extremely reasonably priced – which is good for a tightwad like me! Check out all their puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse by clicking the link above – all Masterpieces puzzles are on sale at Puzzle Warehouse now through August 15, 2017 – 25% off, no coupon required!
I have actively been avoiding all hot air balloon puzzles for quite some time; it just seems so overdone – every company seems to have one or more puzzles of hot air balloons. I hate following the crowd and doing a thing just because other people are doing it – I’m a bit of a rebel. Turns out, I’m a rebel without a cause – at least where balloon puzzles are concerned! I enjoyed the puzzle in spite of myself and found that it was a superb image for puzzling. Will I ever learn? Maybe, maybe not. 🙂
Albuquerque Balloons is no longer available at Puzzle Warehouse, but you can find space savers and Masterpieces puzzles by clicking the links above. Or you can check out the pages and pages of hot air balloon puzzles – there are so many beautiful puzzles to choose from – the wishlist is still growing!!
I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.
House Sitting by Louisa Jean – Karmin – 100 pieces
Really nice image, and not overly easy for a 100 piece puzzle – that’s good in my book! Another one from our small puzzle marathon; and another one that isn’t just for kids.
The quality on this one was lacking though, very thin pieces that were easily bent. The image reproduction is good and so is the fit, but the pieces themselves leave a lot to be desired. Still, if you’re not interested in collecting and would just like to assemble a puzzle, this brand wouldn’t be too bad. I’m not a fan, but what makes an ideal puzzle for me is different than what makes an ideal puzzle for you.
In my mind, kid’s puzzles should have the quality of a premium adult puzzle. Children are much rougher with toys and puzzles while they’re trying to develop their fine motor skills; a puzzle for a child should be extremely sturdy so it can withstand repeated assemblies and many attempts to place pieces. Again, just my opinion.
It’s a cute image, and maybe a good puzzle to donate to our local senior center. Puzzles are great for all ages – puzzle on, my friends! 🙂
Five Cent Piece by David Behrens – Sunsout – 1000 pieces
Five Cent Piece is a beautiful puzzle from Sunsout that I enjoyed very much! The fit was looser than normal for a Sunsout puzzle, but that’s in the positive category for me. The artwork is stunning and makes for an excellent puzzle.
Sunsout puzzles are of very good quality in my opinion. The pieces are thick and sturdy and feel good in your hands. They use a random cut, which gives a wide variety of piece shapes and makes for a more interesting assembly. I prefer a grid (or ribbon) cut, but I also enjoy the random cut every now and then; it’s nice to change things up and work a random cut puzzle just to keep your brain limber! Normally a rectangular Sunsout puzzle has quite a tight fit, this puzzle was a bit looser and I enjoyed that very much. The image reproduction was excellent with a slightly shiny finish which can cause glare under lights. Click the link above to see all the Sunsout puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse.
The finished puzzle is 23 x 28 inches (58 x 71 cm), a bit larger than the average 1000 piece puzzle, and would be beautiful framed. Sunsout boxes are large and square and have the name of the puzzle, artist, and manufacturer along with piece count on all four sides – easy to shelve either vertically or horizontally.
The artwork by David Behrens is beautiful, emotional, and moving and also makes for excellent puzzling; his art has been made into many jigsaw puzzles. Click the link above to see all puzzles available from this artist at Puzzle Warehouse. I especially like Flags of Our Fathers. Gorgeous!
Five Cent Piece was about medium difficulty, with just the right amount of challenge to make for a fun puzzling experience. The assembly was never tedious and it was fun to watch each piece turn into part of a beautiful piece of art. Thumbs up! 👍
I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review. All opinions are truthful and 100% my own.
Teddy Bear Christmas Tree by Dona Gelsinger – Masterpieces – 500 pieces
Our last Christmas in July puzzle – feeling that chilly winter air yet? Me neither. Oh well, at the very least there were some beautiful Christmas puzzles. I even reviewed a puzzle that had a Christmas tree in it, did you notice? Paris Opera House, in the center of the hall was a Christmas tree!
The day I started this puzzle I had the worst time trying to decide what puzzle to do next, I changed my mind at least 5 times before I settled on this one. Now that this one is done, I don’t know what to do next – again!
I’ve been impressed with Masterpieces puzzles lately, in my eyes their quality has gotten much better. This puzzle was very good quality and as an added bonus – glitter! You can see some of the glitter at the top of the puzzle; in the negative space is the silhouette of Santa and his team. That’s not all of it though, there’s glitter all throughout the puzzle; it just doesn’t photograph well. (Or I don’t do photographs well, who knows?)
The teddy bears are adorable and the image reproduction is excellent with bright, fun colors. The pieces fit together very well with what I guess I would call a semi-random cut. Fun assembly!
Here’s another question for you, did you notice that one of the pieces was chewed up? On the left border near the top. 😉
My Jigsaw Journal 