London In Snow

On December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles3 Comments

It’s my first Christmas puzzle of the season, completed the day after Thanksgiving. Not because I was in any rush to do Christmas puzzles, which regular readers know are definitely NOT my thing; but because I’ve been in a slump lately and need to get some puzzles done and ready to post. Luckily I had 4 Wentworth micro puzzles here, and they’re not only going to be part of the holiday season here on My Jigsaw Journal, but they’re going to save me with some quick and easy completions. 🙂

Wentworth Wooden Puzzles are beautifully made with excellent quality, and I absolutely adore their micro puzzles. They are tiny little puzzles (30-40 pieces) that are easy to carry and quick to put together when you’re in need of a puzzle fix. All PADS sufferers know that feeling when all you want to do is be left alone for 10 minutes so you can get your hands on some puzzle pieces and be swept up in which piece fits here and where does that color go – it’s puzzle bliss. We are all in search of a few minutes of meditation with a puzzle, and these micro puzzles are the perfect thing for it!

This image is perfect for a micro puzzle, because it looks like it would be quite difficult in a larger piece count. The top half is all shades of white and grey, and the bottom is a sea of reds and yellows. I don’t know that it would be one I’d choose to assemble if it were anything larger than a 300 piece cardboard puzzle. That said, it’s truly beautiful artwork by Richard Macneil, and it made for a excellent micro assembly.

London whimsies

My favorite here is the whimsy of the Queen, the extra detail that Wentworth adds to their whimsies makes all the difference; you know exactly who that is with all the added lines, it’s lovely!

All Grinchy-ness aside, I enjoyed this assembly, as I do for all Wentworth puzzles. It has beautiful artwork, is well crafted, and gave me a few minutes of uninterrupted puzzle time that ended with a completed puzzle. Heavenly!

*There is one coming up that I’m dreading a little bit though, it’s a micro puzzle – one of their extra difficult ones with tessellating pieces – that I’ve attempted to assemble before and had to give up on. It brings back memories of Winter Aspen – YIKES! I’m determined to master it though; but I’m not sure if I want to save it until last or just do it and get it over with. Whichever one I choose, wish me luck!

Afternoon Visitor

On November 24, 2019November 23, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

This image is gorgeous, and I would definitely want to do this one in 1000 pieces. Look at the dogs sleeping by the fire – how sweet are they? Steve Read’s images aren’t always ones that speak to me, but this one was a joy to put together at 40 pieces, and I can see how it would make a great puzzle in any size.

Afternoon Visitor whimsies

Great whimsies, I love the silverware/flatware, the detail Wentworth puts onto their whimsies makes all the difference. You can’t always tell what some of them are by shape alone, it’s the extra cuts that clarify exactly what each one is. I don’t always like the look of the extra lines on the front of the puzzle, but it doesn’t usually detract too much.

This was the last of my regular micro puzzles; all I have left now are four Christmas/winter themed ones. According to my family’s tradition, no Christmas anything is allowed until after the Thanksgiving meal. So Santa and all his helpers are just going to have to wait until after next Thursday before assaulting me with holiday everything. (Yes, I’m feeling a little “Bah Humbug” this year).

I do wish I had a few more everyday image micro puzzles though, I could use them to pad my queue – I’m running out of puzzles for the blog again! Anyone out there feeling like writing up a guest post? Done any fun or fabulous puzzles lately? 😁

Grandpa’s Potting Shed (National Jigsaw Day in the UK!)

On November 3, 2019November 3, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles8 Comments

Grandpa's Shed — Grandpa’s Potting Shed by Steve Read – Wentworth – 40 pieces

It’s National Jigsaw Day in the UK, and as usual I’ll be celebrating by working on a jigsaw puzzle. You’re shocked I’m sure; it’s a complete surprise, right? 😉

The United States has National Puzzle Day in January, but it isn’t specific to jigsaw puzzles – it includes all types (jigsaw, crossword, logic, sudoku, etc.). Wisely, the UK has a day just for our beloved jigsaw puzzles and in honor of that today’s post is a puzzle manufactured in England; a Wentworth wooden jigsaw puzzle.

I absolutely loved putting this image together, and to be honest I didn’t think I would like it at all. I’m not sure why, but I put off assembling this puzzle for quite a while; the image just didn’t excite. Luckily I was completely wrong and it was much more entertaining to assemble than expected. I’d love to come across this image in a larger piece count; the artwork by Steve Read was great fun in 40 pieces and hopefully would be in a larger puzzle as well.

Why there is a bat shape in the whimsies I’m not sure, perhaps the shed might be home to a small family of bats? Maybe they’re grandpa’s friends and keep him company while he’s out there. 🦇

Grandpa's Shed whimsies

Happy National Puzzle Day to all my fellow PADS sufferers! We may not all be in the United Kingdom, but we can absolutely celebrate with our fellow puzzlers across the pond. I hope you can find a few moments to spend with a jigsaw puzzle, or perhaps if you’re out and about you can treat yourself to a beautiful jigsaw puzzle to enjoy later.

I’m not enabling, it’s unconditional love and support, that’s all. 😁💖

The Summer Thatchers

On October 16, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles3 Comments

The Summer Thatchers is an unbelievably beautiful image that was perfect for a 40 piece micro puzzle. There was no enhancing of the photo needed, it’s truly that bright and gorgeous. I’m certain it would be quite difficult as a larger piece count, but my goodness it would be lovely!

If it’s been a while since assembling a wooden puzzle I seem to forget how much I enjoy the tactile experience; the thickness of the pieces, the feel of the image adhered to the wood, the way the pieces fall into place. There’s nothing like it!

Summer Thatchers 1

Pretty whimsies, especially the flowers, and the surrounding pieces make for an easier assembly – they’re oddly shaped and easy to find. You couldn’t make whimsies like this out of cardboard, the edges would bend and break way too easily.

Wentworth’s micro puzzles are a joy to assemble, and they allow me to work many images that I wouldn’t otherwise in a larger piece count. Starry Night definitely wouldn’t have been assembled other than in this format, that’s for sure. There are still quite a few I have here to assemble, including several winter/Christmas themed images – look for them when the holiday season is upon us, it’ll be here sooner than you think!

Whitby Harbour, North Yorkshire

On October 1, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles3 Comments

My youngest son picked out this puzzle for me to assemble, he seems very happy when I let him help me decide what to do next. I told him I needed a small piece count to do after assembling a 2000 piece puzzle, so he choose this one for me. It isn’t something I would normally choose to puzzle, but at 40 pieces I can tolerate pretty much any puzzle.

It’s an interesting image; it looks like a photograph, but it’s actually artwork. I enjoyed putting it together – but to be honest I constantly enjoy Wentworth puzzles no matter the image. Working with wooden puzzles is always a pleasure; it’s a tactile, visual, and even auditory experience that I absolutely love. I adore the whimsy pieces as well, looking at the fantastically intricate shapes and seeing the detail they can cut – they’re gorgeous!

Whitby whimsies

Honestly, it took me a minute to figure out what the ship was, I turned it every which was before it hit me that it was a ship. I have no excuse other than that I am getting older every day, and that includes my brain cells.

Working with wooden puzzles hasn’t stymied my love for cardboard puzzles though, I still do more of those than anything. In general I love working with all kinds of puzzles, I’m a little bit obsessed if you haven’t already noticed. 😉