Bread Baking

Bread Baking
Bread Baking by Kim Jacobs – Milton Bradley – 500 pieces

This image would make for a lovely wall hanging in someone’s kitchen. But it made for a  challenging jigsaw puzzle – at least for me. The color palette is so pale and sometimes indistinct; and for someone who loves bright colors (me), it made the assembly a little more difficult to get through.

It was a gift though, and even if the colors aren’t to my choosing or the image isn’t one I’d pick out I thoroughly appreciate the thought that went into it. Someone took the time to select this puzzle for me because they thought I would like it, that is what’s really important – not the image, the quality, or the size. Even though it isn’t a puzzle that I would have chosen for myself I love it for who gave it to me, and the thought it represents. 💝

Bread Baking 1

I loved the red oven – not only would I love to have a red oven because it’s my favorite color, I loved this one because the pieces were easy to pick out. There really wasn’t anything else red in this image besides the rug. It was a good place to start. 🙂

Bread Baking 2

So many cats! There must be cat hair all over that kitchen! I’m not sure I’d want them hanging around sticky bread dough being shaped and proved.

I’ve never had any major quality issues with these smaller piece count Milton Bradley puzzles. The fit on this one was a bit loose, but not too much so. Otherwise it was good quality; thick board, nice variety of shapes, and very nice image reproduction. For me they’ve always been a good quality puzzle that I never hesitate to purchase when I find them.

The colors and brush strokes made this assembly a challenge for me, but I conquered it anyway – like the Goddess of Puzzles that I am. 👑

Vintage Tin Toys In Progress

Vintage Tin Toys IP
Vintage Tin Toys by Lewis T. Johnson – Milton Bradley – 1000 pieces

I didn’t actually start assembling this puzzle until yesterday, it was been sitting on my board waiting to be sorted for more than a day. Finally got my lazy butt in gear and started working on it!

It’s much more difficult than I thought it would be, but I find that I’m not at all frustrated with it. Finding the right shape or the right color is still relaxing and peaceful, even if the rate of assembly is a little slower than normal. My daughter chose an awesome puzzle for me, she’s the sweetest❣

My one frustration with this puzzle is that the image on the front of the box is, of course, covered in one area by a banner with information that could have been put elsewhere. There is an image of the artwork on the back of the box with no obstructions, but it’s smaller than the image on the front! So annoying! Seriously, do they think that’s something we puzzlers are looking for?

My eyesight is declining as I get older, and a smaller image isn’t what I’m looking for. If you can’t give me an unobstructed view of the artwork on the front of the box, give me a poster to work from. I realize that it may cost you a few more cents in production, but trust me, you’ll make the consumers very happy and more inclined to purchase your product. Duh! Is this really something you need to be told?!

Sorry for the rant guys, guess I just needed to get that off my chest.

Happy puzzling today! 😎🧩

Proud Lion

Proud Lion
Proud Lion by Martin Nasim – Milton Bradley – 300 pieces

This puzzle is gorgeous! I’ve been impressed by the quality of these Milton Bradley puzzles, they’re very nice to work with and I love the unique images they have. I always like to have two or three (or more) smaller piece count puzzles around, sometimes it’s just nice to put together a smaller puzzle.

I started by separating the pieces into two halves, the painted side and the funky side; and I also pulled out the middle pieces – they’re easy to spot and a good place to start.

Proud Lion 1

The edges and middle done – I was even able to pick out the pieces that surround the center. (Sorry about that dark spot in the lower right corner, I spilled a drop of puzzle glue on the fabric that covers my board. I usually try to move the puzzles away from it while I’m photographing them, but it slipped my mind with this puzzle. 😉

Proud Lion 2

I started with the more difficult side, and even though I had to use my tired old lady brain cells a little more than usual I enjoyed putting it together. The second side went together more quickly, but still required a bit of brain power. Not all 300 piece puzzles are easy, they can be just as challenging as larger piece counts; I find them completely entertaining and a nice break in between assembling bigger puzzles.

I truly enjoyed the artwork and would love to find more puzzles by this artist – this image was absolutely a joy to put together and makes for a beautiful puzzle. 🦁

Bread Baking In Progress

Bread Baking IP
Bread Baking by Kim Jacobs – Milton Bradley – 500 pieces

This puzzle has been very slow going – the colors are very muted and almost nothing at all is obvious. It may be partly due to the new dosage of my pain medication (YIKES), but mostly I think it’s the image. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

My blog tells me I’ve assembled one other puzzle by this artist, and looking back at the post I see that it wasn’t one that I particularly enjoyed. Although the artwork on both puzzles is lovely, they just don’t seem to make good puzzles for me. It’s just one of those subjective things, it isn’t especially my pile of pieces.

It was a gift – one of my Christmas puzzles – and I’m hoping as I get further into the assembly it will get a little easier, and perhaps a little more enjoyable. 🙂

Giveaway Winner!

Sewing Collage
Sewing Collage – Milton Bradley (Big Ben) – 500 pieces

The random number generator has spoken, and the winner of the 500 piece Sewing Collage puzzle is…………………

Entry #4 – Marleen Smallegange – Congratulations!

I’ve sent you an email, and hopefully I’ll be able to get your copy out to you very soon. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂

Thank you to everyone who entered, I’ve enjoyed holding this giveaway. Thanks to everyone who stops by here at My Jigsaw Journal, you are always welcome! Be on the lookout for another giveaway soon – it will be a 1000 piece next time. 🧩