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?

Spongebob Squarepants

On July 2, 2018July 2, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Another quick kids puzzle that fit together well, but both the box and the pieces were less than ideal. I guess the fit is one of the most important things, but for me I’d like both the pieces and the box to be more sturdy.

Kids aren’t always careful or gentle with their toys, the boxes especially. I think puzzles are important for children to play with – of course I’m most likely a bit biased. Still, if the boxes are sturdy and not easily broken then there is less chance of losing pieces. When you have a box that just opens like a cereal box there is a greater chance of losing pieces; once you lose pieces you also lose the desire to assemble that puzzle – at least that’s true for me.

It’s a fun puzzle to assemble, with bright colors and a fun picture – especially if you’re a Spongebob fan. It didn’t take long to put together, but was a nice change of pace since I hadn’t had any kids puzzles to assemble for a while. For me a puzzle is a puzzle, no matter the piece count. I try to enjoy them all! 🙂

Review: Pattern 3

On June 23, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews1 Comment

Pattern 3 by Patchwork – Milton Bradley – 300 pieces

I absolutely love these puzzles by Patchwork; as soon as I finish one I’m wishing I had another one to do. The patterns and colors make for the most entertaining puzzling experience – and the quality is pretty darn good too!

These patterns would be phenomenal in a larger piece count as well, they really are quite fun to assemble – at least they are for me. I know not everyone has the same taste in puzzle images, if we did think of how boring puzzle shopping would be! These are definitely my cup of tea though; a collage of bright, beautiful colors and interesting patterns – along with great quality.

I’m still on the lookout for Pattern 1, I’m sure I’ll come across it one of these days. I’ll be pretty darned excited when I do – because these puzzles make me very happy!

Details:

Title: Pattern 3
Artist: Patchwork
Brand: Milton Bradley
Piece count: 300 pieces
Size: Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Very good
Image: Excellent
Box: Brick style box with plastic lid
Fit: Excellent
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Very good, highly recommended

Garden Shed

On June 21, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles7 Comments

This is a beautiful puzzle that was a little bit challenging, but altogether lovely to assemble. The artwork is charming, the quality was excellent, and the entire experience was entertaining.

I don’t always care for images with so much pastel or muted colors; but this one was quite fun to assemble. The number of different flowers made me really pay attention to patterns and shades, and added to the difficulty level. I enjoyed the artwork and the color palette very much, and would love to find more puzzles by this artist. I have done one other puzzle by Geraldine Aikman, but the color palette was brighter with more primary colors.

These premium Milton Bradley puzzles have very good quality. The pieces have a good feel, are made with thick chipboard and fit together very well. There are a good variety of piece shapes, and the image reproduction is true to the image on the box. Regular readers know I don’t usually comment on puzzle boxes, but these boxes have a “premium” feel and aren’t made of the relatively thin cardboard that you find on most puzzle boxes.

I love the detail on the inside of the shed – including the cat!

For a puzzle with only 300 pieces, this one offered enough of a challenge to keep my mind engaged and keep me occupied for a few hours. Exactly what a puzzler like me enjoys! I know 1000 piece puzzles are the “norm” and the most popular piece count, but at the moment I’m mostly doing 300 and 500 piece puzzles. I’m glad there are plenty of excellent choices in those pieces counts to keep me happily puzzling for quite some time.

Review: Rooster Express

On June 19, 2018February 5, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store Puzzles4 Comments

Rooster Express by Charles Wysocki – Milton Bradley – 300 pieces

I love a Wysocki image that isn’t the norm, ones that maybe only have one house instead of many; or ones that feature something different, like this rooster. This puzzle is the perfect example of that.

Most puzzles by Charles Wysocki we’ve done are produced by Buffalo Games, every once in a while I come across one from another manufacturer. This beauty is made by Milton Bradley. The quality is very good; with thick pieces, excellent image reproduction, and a beautiful fit. It was a joy to assemble!

I assembled it a little differently than usual, I started from the top and put together the sky, buildings, and fields. Then I went to the bottom and assembled the road, wagon, and rooster. After that all that was left was the grass, which didn’t take much time at all. It was over too quickly! It was more fun than I thought it would be, those are my favorite types of puzzles. 🙂

Details: