Star Wars

On August 22, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

This giant puzzle was a monster! 42 inches tall, so I had to work it sideways on my 3×4 foot board. My boys both love Star Wars, so this puzzle was for them. My oldest says he wants to hang it on his bedroom wall. I think rather than framing it, it would be more striking the way it is, so I’m going to have to learn how to attach it to foam board to make a wall hanging out of it. 🙂

Honestly I’m glad he wants to keep it, because it was a quite a challenge for me and I don’t know if I would want it taken apart – it gave me a run for my money! The darkness of the mask and around the edges is actually in shades of blue, purple, and black and it was sometimes very challenging to see which piece was the right color. I only have artificial lighting in my puzzle area so there was a glare issue. That being said, what a gorgeous puzzle! It’s beautiful and I’m proud of myself for sticking with it. The force was with me. 🙂

As usual, the Ravensburger quality was excellent – thick pieces, quality finish, nice variety of piece shapes. The fit for most of the puzzle was very good, but there were a lot of pieces just sitting next to each other (pet peeve! 😦 ), I am not a fan of that. Having whimsies makes it so that you’ve got to create a space around them, and that means not every piece connects. I know it’s part of the package when assembling with a puzzle with whimsies – so I deal with it. The edge pieces that just sit next to each other though, that is so frustrating!! I don’t know the difficulties of manufacturing and cutting a shaped puzzle, so perhaps there’s a reason for not all the edges connecting. But wouldn’t it be lovely if they could all click into one another? Just my opinion.

Aside from the connecting pieces issue, this puzzle was a challenge – but worth it. It’s a stunning puzzle that my sons love, and one of them gets to keep it in his room. And apparently I’m going to learn something new, how to mount it on foam board! 🙂

Review: Country Kitchen

On August 21, 2017August 21, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

Country Kitchen by Janet Kruskamp – White Mountain – 1000 pieces

Country Kitchen was a moderately challenging but beautiful puzzle that made me wish I still lived in the country! The stove looks just like one my great grandmother used to use, and the canning pot on the stove looks exactly like one my mother used to have when she canned tomatoes, peaches, and many other tasty treats for the family. I didn’t always appreciate the work that went into feeding us, and the taste of home grown and preserved foods, but I sure do miss them now! Obviously, this puzzle is making me feel a bit nostalgic. 🙂

White Mountain doesn’t just have an excellent catalog of collages, they also have beautiful artwork, photography, landscapes, maps and educational puzzles as well as a new line of children and family puzzles. Their quality is very good with larger, thick pieces that fit together well and excellent image reproduction. Click the link above to see all the puzzles from White Mountain currently available from Puzzle Warehouse.

White Mountain 1000 piece puzzles are larger than most at 24 x 30 inches (61 x 76 cm), so be sure you have a large enough work space before you begin. There was some puzzle dust in the bag but not too much, and the pieces were all separated. There were a few slightly bent pieces but they weren’t so damaged that you couldn’t use them; a quick little bend in the other direction and they were fine. The pieces were thick and sturdy and fit together well. The image reproduction seemed a little muted and fuzzy at first but that was just the artwork style (and my aging eyes). The box is about the average size for a 1000 piece puzzle with the name of the title, artist, manufacturer, and piece count on all 4 sides. 2 sides have a smaller complete image of the puzzle, and 2 sides have a small partial image, making it suitable for shelving either vertically or horizontally.

This assembly was moderately challenging for me because of the art style. The image of the puzzle looks as if it would be easier, but the brush strokes and soft lines made it a bit more difficult for me. That’s a good thing in my mind though, I like a bit of a challenge – it exercises the brain cells. The curtains were the easiest to pick out, along with the stove, sky, and flowers. After those were complete it seemed to get a little easier and went together more quickly for me. It was an extremely enjoyable assembly, and I look forward to working more puzzles by Janet Kruskamp – I like her style! Check out the other puzzles from this artist by clicking the link above, The Blossom Shoppe is gorgeous!

The new puzzles from White Mountain have sold extremely quickly, so if Country Kitchen is sold out at the moment you can always leave your email and sign up to be notified when it’s back in stock. If this image speaks to you I would definitely recommend it. It’s beautiful, nostalgic, and a little challenging – an excellent combination! 👍👍

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Roadside Attractions

On August 20, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

Gorgeous puzzle from Cobble Hill, excellent quality too – this one is getting glued and framed for my hubby, who loves old pinup girls. What an awesome wife I am! 😉

Cobble Hill makes excellent puzzles, their quality is very good. The linen on the pieces gives you a nice feel, and even the boxes feel luxurious. The fit is good, about average I’d say – neither too loose or too tight. The random cut makes for an interesting assembly, and they have a wonderfully varied catalog. I love their collages, and the new color series they’ve put out looks fun – but challenging!

The little ladies on the sides went together quite quickly, and were fun to put together. The lovely lady in the middle and her car took a bit more time, but still an entertaining assembly. There’s another pinup collage by the same artist called Seaside Attractions from Cobble Hill, looks like just as much fun as this one! I don’t know that I’ll get it for my husband, I seem to be running out of wall space. 😮

Apple Calendar

On August 19, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

It was a New Perspectives puzzle that got us started back up puzzling a couple of years ago. Thanksgiving Day my boys were sitting on the front porch of my parent’s house waiting for dinner to be ready and they both started helping us assemble a puzzle. This was a minor miracle in itself because they are both autistic and don’t have much to do with each other, so having them work together on something was amazing! We all had a great time assembling that puzzle together and from that point on mom and I have been back into puzzles, and we’re still going strong. 🙂

This was a quick assembly with mom and I working together, we managed to get 3 puzzles assembled in one day!

Ceaco isn’t a favorite brand, the pieces are too thin for my liking and sometimes the fit is odd. But they do have an excellent catalog and very reasonable prices. If you’re not a collector and just someone who likes to put together puzzles that don’t always have to be premium quality then Ceaco could be a good way to go.

If the image is something we really love, we sometimes purchase a Ceaco at the thrift stores. We do not, however, purchase them new. That’s just how we roll, but if Ceaco is a brand you like, you should definitely go for it – they really do have some excellent images! 😎

Pirate’s Landing

On August 18, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This is one of three puzzles mom and I finished in one day. 🙂 This was another thrift store find that had never been opened. I keep wondering how that happens!

It’s a Ceaco puzzle, so it had thin pieces and a lot of puzzle dust; but the image reproduction is very nice and the pieces fit together well. This would be a nice puzzle to donate to a senior center – the very bright colors and large pieces would make for a nice activity. Perhaps that is where this puzzle will find a new home. 🙂

This is from a puzzle series by Ceaco and photographer Ulrike Schneiders called Bear Necessities. They feature toy bears; the pictures are cute and fun, and make for excellent puzzling.

It’s a charming image, and the assembly was a nice distraction from a very stressful day. Even when it’s not a premium quality puzzle I can still turn off my brain and dive headfirst into a puzzle where all I have to do is find the next piece. Thank goodness for the thrift store puzzles that keep our costs down – there’s a lot more stress than cash these days! 😐