Tag: Jigsaw Puzzles

American Girl – Josefina

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles7 Comments

American Girl – Josefina – Mattel – 150 pieces

This was quite a unique set of puzzles I haven’t seen before; they go along with the American Girl dolls and books. It comes with three puzzles that are 50 pieces each and a frame so that you can display whichever one you’re feeling like showing off at the moment. There’s only one frame to go with all 3 puzzles; you can assemble one puzzle at a time in the tray, place the clear cover over top of it and slide it into the frame.

They were pretty good quality, better than I expected. The pieces are on the thinner side, but are very sturdy, the finish is extremely shiny and hard to work with under artificial lights, but otherwise the reproduction is very nice and there are a good variety of shapes. Overall I was impressed because they were nicer than I thought they would be.

Love the blue dress, and that it looks like there are three generations of women here. 💗

I love the brightness of this one, and the beautiful colors. It was the easiest of the three to assemble.

I love her shawl, and the adorable little goat she’s cradling. So cute!

This is the frame that comes with this set of puzzles. If you had a child who enjoys the American Girl dolls/books/toys this might be a nice set of small puzzles for them. I found two sets of them at the thrift store, maybe you might get lucky and find some too!

Words of Wisdom

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles20 Comments

Words of Wisdom by Steve Cameron – White Mountain – 1000 pieces

This puzzle was a little too easy for my taste – the hardest part was laying out pieces. It was still fun though, and it was probably the perfect puzzle for me to attempt while dealing with hubby recovering from his very first surgery. My big tough Marine isn’t the easiest to deal with when he doesn’t feel well (if you know what I mean).

As far as White Mountain puzzles go this one was about the norm – quality was good/fair. The fit was slightly loose, which I have been noticing more often from this brand than I used to. It used to be that many of their puzzles had a fit so tight that I felt as if I were working on an exercise program for my arms and fingers; I haven’t run into that issue at all since the pandemic began.

Just an observation.

As far as the image goes, a lot of these words of wisdom are your average clichés, but some of them I’d never heard or read before. Regardless, it was entertaining and I enjoyed myself even if it was a little too quick to go together. (I think if it had been a little more challenging I would have been able to spend extra time and enjoy it even more). But honestly, finding the perfect puzzle image that is just the right amount of fun/difficulty is pretty rare; so I don’t hold it against anyone that this was a little too easy for me.

This was the first section I assembled; mostly because it’s bright color was extremely easy to pick out, and partly because that’s how I feel most days – like my brain is running Windows 95 and there are 17 tabs open. Yep. That about covers it.

This is a good reminder. Whatever style you like, take some time out to listen to music when you can; it’s helped me tremendously during the past couple of years and I highly recommend it.

As I’m typing this up I’m enjoying an eclectic mix of music from the 1940s to present. Most of it is from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but I like many different genres and delight in putting it all on shuffle and having fun with whatever song pops up next. Could be Mama Cass, could be an 80s hair band, could be Elvis or The Beatles, could be some classic rock or my favorite a capella group – you just never know. 🎼

Gone Fishing

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles7 Comments

Gone Fishing by Jen Cameron – MicroPuzzles – 150 pieces

This little cutie was harder than we thought it would be, but truly so much fun. Hubby enjoyed the challenge of it this time instead of leaving all the hard work to me; he told our daughter when she came to visit that “it is a hard one, but we’re both having fun”. Great puzzle!

It looks to me like Jen Cameron is the go-to artist at MicroPuzzles, so many of their images that I’ve assembled so far are her work. According to their website she is their “chief doodler and crayon evangelist” – what a fantastic title! Her work is always so colorful and interesting, I’ve completely enjoyed taking all the little pieces of her works of art and putting them back together again.

Whether we’re putting these micro puzzles together a few pieces at a time in our powder room or all in one sitting on my puzzle board, my love for these minis hasn’t dwindled at all. I’m a member of their subscription program and get two new puzzles every month – and I don’t see myself ending that any time soon. I’m still smitten with these little guys!💜

The Golden Girls

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles14 Comments

The Golden Girls – Cardinal – 300 pieces

I love the cartoon style of this image, and found this at the thrift store just a few days before the death of the last surviving Golden Girl – Betty White; she was a comedic force to be reckoned with, and a classy lady all around.

This puzzle was unopened, and I was hoping that it would be good quality, but I was sadly disappointed. The pieces were on the thin side and slightly bent out of shape, but it was the extremely loose fit that made it so terrible to work with. Cardinal Puzzles can be hit or miss with their quality, and this was a big miss.

I wish I’d been able to enjoy this puzzle as much as I enjoyed Betty White’s hilarious performance in the silly horror movie Lake Placid – that movie makes me laugh every time I see it, and her potty-mouthed character was awesome!

Sadly, this puzzle didn’t measure up.

Dog Selfies – Day 4

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles16 Comments

Dog Selfies by Howard Robinson – Cra-Z-Art – approx. 125/500 pieces

Sadly we have come to the final day of Dog Selfies; but never fear, there are four more sets of Cra-Z-Art puzzles here that need to be assembled – including main street buildings, butterflies, and two different sets of “selfies”. Those will be a treat to post about!

Have you tried any of these puzzles yet, or are you just having fun reading about them and have no interest in assembling them yourself? Just wondering. I highly recommend them, and am always on the lookout for new sets or old ones that I may have missed. My hope is that Cra-Z-Art continues to make them and come up with new ideas for new sets; they make me very happy indeed.

And now, the final three mini biographies…

Wesley. Dear, sweet Wesley. He is one of the kindest and most patient pups out there, and he needs to be. Wesley works as a sober companion living with and assisting recovering addicts. His current client is a recovering leather addict and has refrained from chewing any shoes or furniture for almost 17 weeks. When he isn’t working with clients Wesley enjoys teaching himself new skills and is at the moment learning cross-stitching and all forms of needlework and embroidery.

Rhonda works from home as a medical transcriptionist, which leaves her plenty of time for her other passion – pretending to work in the yard so she can keep tabs on her neighbors. She’s a busybody who is always minding everyone else’s business and you DO NOT want to get on her bad side; she tries to watch and see all, and is the worst gossip there is. Don’t be fooled by that face – Rhonda is a know-it-all backstabbing b*tch.

This is Bubbles, and she is a professional cheerleader for the Burbank Badgers. Her expressive face and killer dance moves have seen her rise to the rank of captain of the squad, and she loves to help choreograph their dance routines as well. When she’s not cheering on her team Bubbles enjoys spending her time searching flea markets and antique stores for hidden treasures, and is hoping to find a that one rare item that could finance her retirement. Good luck with your treasure hunting Bubbles!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey through my weird and warped mind with these posts of dog selfies. Creating names and backstories for these little puzzles is, at times, an entertaining break from real life. They may not be as engrossing for you as they are for me, but I do the best I can. 😎