Tag: Jigsaw Puzzles

Hot Cocoa

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Hot Cocoa by Charlie Girard – White Mountain – 1000 pieces

This super quick and entertaining puzzle was part of a swap with my fellow puzzle junkie Penny. To be honest I wasn’t certain I’d enjoy it, but was quite glad to be wrong about how delightful it would be.

It was a very good quality White Mountain puzzle, perhaps the best fitting of this brand that I’ve ever done – and I’ve done a lot. It wasn’t the too tight fit that leaves your thumb feeling sore from pushing pieces together with lots of pressure; and it wasn’t too loose where two pieces fall apart when you pick them up to move them. I was happy with the all-around quality, which isn’t something you normally hear me say about this brand.

I’ve chosen three sections to show close up, they’re all much older advertisements. It’s funny how something is perceived when it’s new to the market; we would never characterize hot cocoa in these ways now.

The greatest invention of the age. That’s pretty dang funny to me, as is the name. Instantaneous Chocolate – not very appetizing is it?

Breakfast cocoa sounds pretty good to me! Of course you could say that all the froofy coffee drinks people consume these days might be more chocolate than coffee so I suppose it isn’t that big of a leap. As for myself, I’m a simple gal. I enjoy a cup of coffee-flavored coffee, or a cup of hot chocolate – “never shall the twain meet.”

This is the one that really caught me by surprise. “Drink hot chocolate before…during…and after the game!” I’m not sure professional basketball players would agree that it’s a good idea. Could you imagine a basketball player sitting on the bench with a cup of cocoa before he or she gets back into the game? 🤣

Let’s All Go To The Lobby!

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles13 Comments

Let’s All Go To The Lobby! – MicroPuzzles – 150 pieces

I put this one together by myself in the puzzle room the day after I received my subscription box. It was so colorful and reminded me of my younger days going to the drive-in with the whole family – plus it’s a 3D puzzle! I know it’s a little wonky looking without the 3D glasses, but it was still loads of fun to assemble.

Any of my fellow oldsters remember seeing this at the movies back in the day? I can still sing that song all these years later and remember the hot dog doing a backflip into the bun. We used to all pile into my parents van and go to the drive-in theater. My parents explained to us that it wasn’t a true drive-in experience if you didn’t sneak someone in – so my sisters and I laid flat on the floor in the back of the van trying not to giggle – and we usually failed. My parents being who they were I’m certain they actually paid for us all, but wanted us to have some extra fun trying to sneak in. Ah…..memories. 💗

Back to the actual puzzle! Like the puzzles in the New Year’s box, this one also had an image on the back….

Perfect for watching a 3D movie don’t you think? Love it!

I’ve been a member of the MicroPuzzles subscription program since late last year. I decided that I was worth it, and making myself happy with these puzzles every month was definitely beneficial to my mental health. (Plus, there’s my P.A.D.S. diagnosis to think about too). Every month I receive a themed box with two exclusive puzzles that are only available by subscription and a surprise gift.

This month was a movie theme – Lights, Camera…..Puzzle! There were two movie themed puzzles, including the 3D puzzle shown above, a pair of 3D glasses with which to enjoy the puzzle image, and a small box of buttered popcorn flavored Jelly Bellys. It also comes with a small booklet that talks about the month’s theme and shows the puzzle images; this month that also included a small quiz about 3D movies. This is my favorite month so far!

Since I’ve started receiving these boxes every month not only have I received beautiful and interesting puzzles to assemble; I’ve gotten a puzzle piece shaped Christmas ornament, a refrigerator magnet, a sticker for my car, a pair of puzzle socks, and now my favorite flavor of Jelly Bellys and some cool 3D glasses. I’m not subscribing for the gifts, but they are definitely a fun bonus. I can’t wait to see what shows up next month. 😎

Dogs with Jobs

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Dogs with Jobs by Eloise Narrigan – Galison – 500 pieces

Quite an adorable puzzle, which helped make up for the lack of variety in piece shapes and sharp white backing. This was a gift received quite some time ago, I’m not even sure when – and it seemed like it was time to get it assembled.

Eloise Narrigan is an artist I haven’t seen in puzzle images before, and she has such a wonderful imagination and aesthetic; each charming image of a dog and the job they hold was so entertaining. I’ve picked some of the silly or unique jobs that truly made me smile. Notice that the line drawings around each dog are connected to their professions – what a fun puzzle image!

Indie Yarn Dyer? This one made me laugh out loud, I wish I’d looked closer at this puzzle before I concocted the backstories for the dog selfies; it would have helped me come up with some truly bizarre and hilarious jobs for them!

Balloon artist – that must be difficult with paws and nails – I bet they have to get their nails cut or filed down quite often. And the thought of the long, thin Dachshund blowing up long, thin balloons to twist into shapes makes me giggle. Love the balloon dog line drawing as well. ❤

Of course whatever job the Boston Terrier had would be shown here – they’re our favorite breed here at My Jigsaw Journal. A DJ is a perfect job for that breed, they’re so fun and energetic.

This puzzle was more fun than I thought, and seeing all the great job titles and fun line drawings around each one made for an entertaining assembly. Many thanks to whomever gifted me this puzzle (Penny, I think). Please don’t take offense, more than a few people gift me puzzles and it’s just been so long and my memory is shot; I cannot recall for certain who gave this to me. 😥

Review: Frenchie

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews6 Comments

Frenchie – de.bored puzzles – 500 pieces

I ADORE this image – French Bulldogs are one of my favorite breeds – it’s my dream puppy. With that sweet little face and that bright, colorful background how could I not give this puzzle a try?

de.bored is a new company to me, and the quality was good. On the pro side there were a great variety of shapes, sturdy chipboard, a good fit, and excellent reproduction. For cons, it had a very shiny finish, and the white, slippery, “sharp” backing that I am not a fan of. It was made in China, but according to the box the company is in Ohio in the United States. Overall the quality reminds me of a Mudpuppy puzzle but with more varied shapes.

It says on the back of the box that they are a “new puzzle company bringing artist-inspired puzzles to you. These frame-worthy designs will help you unplug and destress, allowing you to de.bored your life!” Cute slogan, helping you to be de-stressed and de-bored. Although, if their puzzles are artist-inspired then it’s a bit disappointing that nowhere on the box is the artist who created this image given any credit at all. Just an observation.

I did enjoy this puzzle and the quality was better than I thought it would be. The image was a little challenging, with the colored background much easier to assemble than the dog itself. But then again, if it were too easy it wouldn’t have held my interest as much.

Many thanks and much love to my darling daughter who saw this while she was out shopping and decided that mom would like this puzzle. What a sweetie! 💗

Details:

  • Title:                  Frenchie
  • Artist:                Unknown
  • Brand:               de.bored puzzles
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 17 x 23 in. (43 x 58 cm)
  • Purchased:      New

Quality:

  • Board:               Good
  • Cutting:             Very Good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Minimal amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Very shiny finish w/sharp, white backing, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Good quality, recommended

Peanuts – Snoopy

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

Peanuts (Snoopy) by Charles Schulz – Vista Puzzles – 100 pieces

A miracle happened when I was assembling this puzzle – my youngest son came in and started helping me, and he stayed and was fully engaged until it was finished! It may not seem that miraculous to you, but to his momma it was an amazing blessing.

Both of my sons are autistic, but my youngest is more in his own world than my oldest. He does only the things he is interested in, and trying to get him to engage is quite difficult and sometimes upsets him greatly. For some reason this puzzle was different and he stood next to me and put pieces in until it was finished. AMAZING!

Anyway, this is another of the Peanuts puzzles that come in a metal tube, and they’re good quality. The color scheme is different than the previous puzzle, and obviously Snoopy is featured instead of Linus, but the comic strips in the background are the same.

We had a great time putting this puzzle together – myself and my newest puzzle posse member. 💖