Review: Yarn Shop

On August 1, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

Yarn Shop by Kim Jacobs – Milton Bradley – 500 pieces

Mom loves this image, but it’s just not my pile of pieces (cup of tea, as it were). It’s too pastel, and there’s too much going on. It’s pretty, but it just wasn’t fun for me to assemble.

The quality was good; the pieces are a good thickness with a nice variety of piece shapes. The image reproduction seems a bit fuzzy, but that could be the artwork itself. The fit seemed a bit mushy to me, it wasn’t always clear if the correct piece was chosen because sometimes a piece seemed to fit but really didn’t. I don’t always have the right words, so I’ve chosen “mushy”.

You can see in the above pictures that there was a lot of patterned background, almost none of the pieces had a solid color with no pattern. Perhaps if it were more brightly colored it wouldn’t have been such a chore, but in my opinion the color palette added to the difficulty. I seriously disliked the entire assembly, but that was more about my taste than the quality of the puzzle.

Of course, it could be that I just wasn’t in the right mood for this image. You never can tell these days; old age is setting in (I’m a few months away from 50), and there are plenty of “You kids get off my lawn!” moods that my family has to endure. 👵

If you’re in the right mood, and this image is one that tickles your fancy, I say go for it. The quality is good and if you like the artwork you should enjoy the puzzle.

Details:

Title: Yarn Shop
Artist: Kim Jacobs
Brand: Milton Bradley
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Good
Image: Good
Box: Average
Fit: Good, slightly mushy
Puzzle Dust: Moderate amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Good, recommended

I Found It!

On July 27, 2018July 27, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

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This is Pattern 1, I’ve been looking for it for months, and mom and I finally happened upon it at Tuesday Morning!

I’ve already assembled Pattern 3 and Pattern 4, and loved every moment of putting them together. I don’t know what happened to Pattern 2, I can’t even find an image of it online. Perhaps it was never made into a puzzle, or possibly they love to keep us guessing by just skipping a number and making us crazy trying to find it. All I know is I’m thrilled we found this one!

I haven’t touched a puzzle piece for 2 days now, but hopefully today I’ll feel well enough to start puzzling again. I’ve gotta catch up and get some puzzles done, I’m running out of puzzles to post! 😱

Oceanside Retreat

On July 17, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Oceanside Retreat is a very pretty puzzle that was a nice calming assembly. It was just what I needed at just the right time.

300 to 500 pieces seems to be my sweet spot these days, and I’m enjoying these puzzles very much. There’s something very calming about this image, and I would probably enjoy it in a 500 or even 1000 piece. There’s something about the colors and the blends, it’s just relaxing and soothing to look at.

I couldn’t figure out what was going on in the upper window of the house, I had to ask several family members what they thought. Now that they’ve all weighed in, I can absolutely see it and can’t believe I didn’t see it before! It’s a mother holding a baby and giving it a kiss. So sweet!

I’m running out of 300 and 500 piece puzzles to do, either I need a shopping trip or a visit from my friendly neighborhood thrift store ninja!

Maple Sugar Time

On July 15, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

While this image isn’t one I would choose most other times of the year, I saw this one and decided to get it done for Christmas in July. It was good quality, and pretty fun to assemble.

As usual, these Milton Bradley puzzles are good quality; although the fit of this one was quite loose. This happens sometimes at the end of a run when the dies are getting dull. I don’t consider it a flaw, it’s just one of those things that happens in manufacturing.

All the little scenes were fun to put together; carrying the sap to the big kettle to be sugared off, getting more wood for the fire, etc.

Although I’m not a fan of Christmas/winter puzzles, this one wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed it, but to be honest I’d rather working on a puzzle with bright colors, or maybe one that had a bunch of little shaped puzzles. ☺

Hot Air Balloon Sunset

On July 11, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles12 Comments

My daughter took me puzzle shopping last week, and while I don’t normally care for hot air balloon puzzles this one was only 500 pieces and the colors were so pretty that I couldn’t resist it.

I’ve been finding a lot of these Milton Bradley puzzles lately, they’re pretty good quality and they have some really nice images to choose from. I especially appreciate the nice fit and variety of piece shapes. The feel of the pieces is smooth and pleasant, and I enjoy working with them. Good thing too, since almost all the smaller piece count puzzles I’ve been finding have been this brand.

The colors are quite striking and they all work together to make a beautiful puzzle; although there’s no mention of the artist anywhere on the box. This seems to be a theme lately, why are puzzle companies not crediting the artist? It isn’t just Milton Bradley, it’s been the case with several puzzles from different manufacturers. Not cool if you ask me.

How many hot air balloon puzzles have you seen or done?