Pardon?

On April 12, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles3 Comments

These puzzles weren’t named on the box. I’m naming them as I go, with titles that make me smile. I got a box with three kids puzzles at the thrift store, and I found these pieces at the bottom of the box; two of them were bagged, but this was just scattered at the bottom; that’s probably why there’s a missing piece.

The quality was fair, with a good fit and good enough thickness. I really do wish there were more kids puzzles with better quality, kids aren’t the only ones who put them together. Many times parents or other adults help children with their jigsaw puzzles, and everybody appreciates good quality.

In my head these are two best friend kitties, and it’s them against the world. They put up with zero nonsense, and can make you feel awful about yourself by saying nothing at all and giving you the look you see above. Pardon? Did you really just say that out loud?

Butterfly Bunny

On March 29, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles7 Comments

I love the butterfly “barrette” in the bunny’s hair, it’s too adorable! This was just a quick little puzzle that made me happy to assemble. As is sometimes the case with Milton Bradley puzzles it was only fair quality; I do wish jigsaw puzzles made for children were a little more sturdy. 😐

The Conversation

On March 24, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles4 Comments

Here’s another puzzle I would not normally choose; it came in the lot of puzzles purchased from the marketplace. The artwork is phenomenal, it reminds me of Norman Rockwell with it’s precise and photo-like detail, but it makes for quite a challenging assembly – which is why this image wouldn’t be my first choice to puzzle.

It’s always a little bit of a wonder to me how the puzzle looks when it’s complete. When you’re assembling it the pieces seem muted and fuzzy with an image like this, but when finished it looks so crisp and clear you can’t believe you had a problem putting any of it together. At least I can say with this one I knew going in that it would be difficult, no surprise this time! 😉

The fit was slightly loose, but otherwise the puzzle was good quality; and even though it was challenging I enjoyed myself.

Many Travel Bags

On March 21, 2019March 20, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles10 Comments

My apologies for the cockeyed photo – I can usually do better than that. 😐 I like the alternative title for this puzzle shown on the box, “Valises a Gogo”. Sounds much more fun, doesn’t it?

The 300 piece Milton Bradley puzzle I posted yesterday was much better quality than this one, unfortunately. This 500 piece puzzle from the same brand had a very loose fit that was a difficult to work with early on in the assembly. The edges barely stayed together, and it wasn’t until quite a bit of the interior was done before I could trust that the pieces would stay connected if accidentally bumped. On the plus side it had very nice image reproduction, even if it was a tiny bit darker than the box showed.

I don’t know that I would have picked this puzzle out for myself, but it was more fun to put together than it looked. If you come across “Valises a Gogo” or “Many Travel Bags” it’s a fun picture to assemble, but I would recommend it from perhaps a different company if you’re not a fan of an extremely loose fit.

I Will Keep a Light On

On March 20, 2019 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

With such a lovely image and wonderfully thick pieces, this puzzle was an all around pleasure to put together.

Milton Bradley’s EZ Grip pieces are the thickest I’ve worked with, and that’s including premium brands. They’re sturdy and easy to pick up, hold, and maneuver; there are a nice variety of shapes and they fit together extremely well. The general quality of MB’s 300 piece puzzles is excellent and there’s never any hesitation to purchase or assemble one. If you find one while you’re out thrifting, you might want to give it a try! 🙂