Romance Collage

On August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

Another puzzle my darling daughter insisted that I purchase. It was much more difficult than I thought it would be, but I think I needed something difficult at the time. It gave me a little of my confidence back, and the look of it makes me very happy.

Romance 1

This is one my of favorite vignettes in this collage, so sweet! It reminds me of when my kids were little. Sigh. I’m feeling old these days.

Romance 2

I’m not sure why, but this is another favorite. I think it would make a great puzzle all by itself.

It’s such a nice image, it’s too bad the piece shapes are so prominent. Gluing it might help with that, but otherwise it wouldn’t make a good wall hanging.

The random cut was nice, I haven’t put together a randomly cut puzzle in a while. It took a while for my brain to get back in the right space, but once it did the assembly was quite entertaining.

B & T Brewing Company

On March 25, 2019March 25, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles8 Comments

This puzzle is gorgeous, and was tons of fun because mom helped quite a bit – the posse was back together assembling something other than the Mystery Puzzle! Mom came over just as I had finished the sorting and she loved the look of the puzzle, so she stayed to start assembling it with me.

We finished it together too, when I had a medical appointment she came over early so that we could work on it for a bit before we left. We both are severely addicted to puzzles and puzzling. 😉

The quality of this MasterPieces puzzle was wonderful; excellent fit, thick pieces, great colors and a fun image. The random cut kept things interesting too. All around I really enjoy working with this brand, they’re very nice puzzles with a great catalog of images to choose from.

B & T Brewing 1

I quite enjoyed assembling this middle section (above) which shows all the steps of brewing beer; not being a beer drinker I knew none of the steps at all. And I love that the “steps” are at the top of the steps! 😄

B & T Brewing 2

Great image by Art Poulin, I’ve assembled 2 puzzles in this Inside Out series, have the third but haven’t assembled it yet, and would love to get my hands on the last one. Such fun!

Afternoon at the Park

On February 28, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles8 Comments

Such an adorable puzzle! It’s also an image with hidden animals, some you can see in the image as it is, and some you can only see when you look at the glow in the dark image. Most of the glow was no longer visible, even after sitting it outside in the sun for about 20 minutes there was almost no glow at all. It doesn’t really matter though, it was still a cute puzzle that was entertaining to assemble.

The quality was quite good, it had an offset grid cut and pieces that were a good thickness and fit together very well. It was a bit shiny, but the image reproduction was otherwise very good. I had a great time with the assembly. 🙂

Afternoon at the Park 1

I started with the easiest pieces to find, and the gorgeous puppy.

Afternoon at the Park 2

I’m getting close to the end here, and it was a bit more difficult than I’d assumed. Difficult doesn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable though, I like having to concentrate and focus all my attention; it’s part of what’s great about puzzling for me. It turns off my brain to almost all other thoughts and I’m only thinking about shapes and colors and what goes where. It’s almost like meditation.

Afternoon at the Park 3

The pug’s face was almost the last thing I assembled, but look how cute it is! Can you see the hidden kitty in his fur?

Grandpa’s Cabin

On February 10, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles5 Comments

I’ve had this puzzle at my house for a few months, and just wasn’t in the right mood for it when mom first found it. I finally decided to dive in, and had a great time. The artwork by William S. Kreutz made for a challenging and beautiful puzzle and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Love it when that happens!

MasterPieces random cut usually keeps things interesting, but this one was quite devious! Many times I was convinced a piece was missing, and it turned out to be 2 oddly shaped pieces in a configuration I hadn’t even considered. It certainly kept me on my toes right until the very end. This isn’t one of those puzzles where the nearer you get to the end, the faster the pieces fly into place; and I really enjoyed the challenge of it. Maybe our work on the Mystery Box Puzzle is giving me a greater appreciation for fun of conquering a complicated puzzle. 😎

I love the image, especially the characters. Grandma’s face is so sweet looking! Although if it were my family my daughter would be the one who went fishing and my sons would have stayed inside at the cabin to play video games or watch a movie. 😉

There’s something about this puzzle that makes me very happy, but I’m not sure how to articulate it. I had a wonderful time with the assembly, and just looking at the pictures brings a smile to my face.

Cupcake Heaven

On January 16, 2019January 16, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

My first completed 1000 piece puzzle of the year. I chose it because it’s the kind of puzzle image that makes me happy – a collage with bright colors – and I wanted the first puzzle of the year to be awesome and entertaining.

Cupcake Heaven had 7 missing pieces and a devious random cut that had me using more brain power than I’d bargained for. If the puzzle was complete and the fit were less spongy it would definitely be one I’d assemble again. It wasn’t always easy to be sure the pieces were in the correct places because the fit was odd.

Even though it had missing pieces and a wonky fit I still enjoyed myself, which was the aim all along. Everything doesn’t always have to be perfect – life certainly never is! It’s what you do with what you’re given that counts in the end.

Cupcakes for everyone! 🙂