Saturday 11-19-16 30% Done!

On November 19, 2016June 7, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, World's Largest Puzzle Progress3 Comments

12,096 pieces assembled – 28,224 pieces to go!

Didn’t think I’d be able to finish it today, but with help from mom (2 pieces) and hubby, we got it done! I’m shocked at how quickly this section got finished. Figuring out the pattern saved me soooooo much time. I didn’t spend more time during the days on it, I believe all the tricks I’ve learned with the first 2 sections (the pattern in particular) helped me use my time more wisely. Started on November 8, finished today November 19. 11 days!

So it was not easy, but it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. I had a great time, not as many frustrating moments as the Cinderella section, that’s for sure. Actually not really any frustrating moments at all. There were a few times when searching for pieces felt tedious, but when that I happened I just stopped and went to watch tv for a while 🙂

After we take Dumbo off the board, hubby is going to add some strips of wood to the back of the board to strengthen it where it overlaps the table on each side. Hopefully he wont ruin the fabric. But even if he does, I have more and can re-cover it. We’re learning as we go. So it’ll probably be Tuesday at least before I will be able to start the next section – Peter Pan.

I’m really looking forward to Peter Pan. There are more characters to assemble and it’s a corner so there is twice as much filmstrip as the inside sections. I enjoy assembling the filmstrips very much, it’s nice to look at the scenes from the movies and remember watching them – either with my kids or when I myself was a kid. It is one of the 3 sections I believe will be the most challenging, but I’m looking forward to using my experience and tricks I’ve learned to help with all the blue and darkness in the background. Doesn’t it look amazing though?

4005556178261-det-8-internet-typ-72-rgb-1200 — Neverland here I come!!

Buy A Ticket See 90 Movies

On November 17, 2016May 27, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

I love all the visual puns in this image, and it was fun to see how many movies we could name. We didn’t get them all, but we got a lot! To Kill A Mockingbird in the lower right corner was so literal it made me laugh!

The quality of this puzzle was adequate I would say. I’m not a fan of the super tight fit and having to really push the pieces together to assemble them. To me, it feels as if the pieces shouldn’t be together if I have to force them and I’m constantly double checking to see if I’ve chosen the proper one. I prefer a fit where they click together and you’ll know that it fits without having to work at it too much (Ravensburger, Jumbo, Schmidt, Pomegranate)

FYI if you plan on getting this puzzle and you’re looking for the guide to see the names of all the movies, the website listed on the box no longer has the key. If you email Sunsout they will send you the list.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (Buried Blueprints)

On November 15, 2016May 27, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Buried Blueprints Adventures of Robin Hood by Al Lorenz – Masterpieces – 1000 pieces

I did NOT enjoy this puzzle at all. If it weren’t for my husband working it with me and making me keep going I would have stopped halfway through. He seemed to enjoy it more than I did, and being the wonderful wife that I am I humored him and kept working on it even though it was frustrating me. 😉

The quality was good enough, but the artwork was fuzzy and indistinct which made it quite difficult to find pieces you’re looking for. I believe it was the nature of the artwork and not the image reproduction. The pieces were random cut which was a nice change from the grid cut puzzles I normally do, and I did enjoy the informational blurbs placed throughout the puzzle.

Not a very fun one in my opinion but it was a 99 cent thrift store purchase, and it occupied me for a while.

Vintage Love Letters

On November 13, 2016May 27, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

I saw a review of this puzzle on Jigsaw Junkies and fell in love with the image. It was the first puzzle I purchased with the intent of gluing and framing it; isn’t it a beautiful, romantic image for the bedroom? Aimee Stewart is one of my favorite jigsaw puzzle artists; her work is beautiful and her use of colors is gorgeous!

This was also my first puzzle from Schmidt, and I must say I was even more impressed with the quality than I expected to be. Thank goodness I found the Jigsaw Junkies blog, without her brand comparison I would never have felt confident enough to try new puzzle brands. I don’t want to guess whether or not the quality of certain brands is good or not, why spend money if you’re unsure whether or not it’ll be worth it? The brand comparison pages are detailed and helped me to discover some really awesome brands I had never even heard of. Schmidt is one of them.

Although I have discovered in my years of assembling puzzles that everything is subjective. Everyone has their own opinions of what a good quality puzzle is, and the only way to know for sure is to try it yourself. There are many brands that Jigsaw Junkies say are great quality that I don’t care for at all; you have to try them and see what you think of them. There are probably brands I say are excellent that you wouldn’t like at all, because we have different tastes and opinions. Anyway, back to the puzzle!

The finish on the pieces feels almost luxurious, the pieces fit together satisfyingly well without being so tight you had to push them into place. The image quality is amazingly bright and detailed without being too over the top. I would definitely buy many more Schmidt puzzles without hesitation. The quality of this company impressed me, and once my self-imposed puzzle buying ban is over I’m looking for more!

BTW, the puzzle is framed and looks amazing. 🙂

Wish You Were Here

On November 11, 2016May 27, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

This one I didn’t think I would enjoy, it’s not the typical puzzle image that I like. That said, I really had fun with this assembly.

The little puppy’s face is adorably cute, although my daughter says it looks judgmental. It makes me laugh because once she said that, I can see it! Still cute, but a little judge-y. Like he/she is disgusted to be at the beach, or can’t believe you spent so much time working on a puzzle!

The random piece cut was fun and interesting, and the image is almost seamless. My only problem was that there were about 9 places on the edge where the pieces just sat next to each other and didn’t connect. A pet peeve of mine – jigsaw pieces should click together, not sit together!