Tag: One Coffee Puzzles

Wintry Windows* (Advent – Day 1)

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles12 Comments

Wintry Windows* – Aldi – 80 pieces

We’re finally getting to my advent calendar puzzles. Hooray! Wait. Did I just say that? Perhaps aliens have finally come Earth and have taken control of my brain – where in the world/universe did that come from? 🤔👽

Onward to the puzzle!

None of the puzzles have a title or artist credit, so I’ll be giving them a title when I post them. They’re not overly creative, like today’s “Wintry Windows”, but I’ll try my best.

I was happily surprised by the quality of this little puzzle. There is no name brand, other than that it was made in China and distributed and sold exclusively by Aldi. The pieces are a very good thickness, the image reproduction is clear and crisp, and the fit is good. Unfortunately there is no variety in piece shape; they are all ballerinas (2 prong/2 holes) one thinner that is placed vertically and the thicker one is placed horizontally. The finish is a bit shiny but it’s not too terrible to work with under artificial lighting.

So as it stands there are three pros and two cons – as we get further into the calendar we shall see if the quality stays good throughout. I’m hoping that every puzzle has all of it’s pieces and that there are actually twelve puzzles with no duplications or omissions. Stay tuned!

It may look as if the pieces are interchangeable and that all the vertical pieces would fit anywhere, but happily there are small differences and they only fit where they belong. That may seem like a ridiculous sentence, but anyone who has worked with a puzzle whose pieces are exactly the same knows what I mean. It’s nice that there aren’t false fits to deal with.

Day one of the Advent calendar is done, with no drama – I’m hoping for good things from day two!

Christmas Party (Puppy)

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles7 Comments

Christmas Party (Puppy) – Brother Sister Design Studio – 100 pieces

Here we have the last of our Christmas party attendees – these adorable puppers in silly sweaters. They’re all cute, and the addition of the googly eyes to the pieces made for entertaining puzzling.

Anyone out there know for sure what breed of dog this is? My daughter is certain it’s a St. Bernard puppy, while to me it looks like some breed of terrier. We could both be wrong, obviously. The Pug and the French Bulldog were obvious to me. This one – not so much. Any help?

I’ve done three or four little puzzles from this Hobby Lobby brand, and going back through my posts and remembering the puzzles (along with seeing the pictures) tells me that these were the thinnest pieces and worst fit I’ve had from them. It wasn’t horrid, by any means. But of the puzzles of this brand I’ve completed, these were the thinnest, and had the loosest fit. Perhaps it was because they’re shaped, I’m not sure.

Still, they were a gift from my personal puzzle fairy, and I enjoyed and appreciated them very much. How can you not love these little puppies? Thanks Penny!

Christmas Party (French Bulldog)

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Christmas Party (French Bulldog) – Brother Sister Design Studio – 100 pieces

Here’s another cutie from the box of three puzzles, I should love this one – a French Bulldog is kinda my dream puppy. Unfortunately, although it was an absorbing assembly, it wasn’t actually a lot of fun.

The pieces seemed thinner on this one, the fit was much more loose, and the pieces easily came apart. It was frustrating and I had to be very careful not to disturb what was already put together. Maybe it’s because with each successive puzzle I was feeling more and more under the weather, maybe the second and third were just harder assemblies than the first one, or maybe I’m just feeling Grinch-y these days. Who knows?

Wish I was feeling this one more, but I’m just not. The puppy is adorable, but that’s about it for me.

Christmas Party (Pug)

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

Christmas Party (Pug) – Brother Sister Design Studio – 100 pieces

I hope this sweet little pupper with the googly eyes gave you a laugh this morning. Isn’t it adorable? And hilarious? This is from a set of three puzzles, each 100 pieces, that was given to me by fellow PADS sufferer and my bestest puzzle buddy Penny. 🧩💚

Brother Sister Design Studio is Hobby Lobby’s house brand. I don’t shop there for personal reasons, but I’ve been gifted their puzzles a few times. The quality has usually been good. The pieces are on the thin side, and the fit is somewhat loose, but otherwise they are good puzzles with unique images that are entertaining to assemble.

This was assembled without looking at the box. The first thing I wanted to do was get that face put together, so I started with all the fur. It looked so funny I texted this picture to my daughter. She replied, “That made me laugh so hard I almost peed!”. 🤣

From there it was easy to see what colors and patterns were on the hat so I finished the top of the puzzle.

The sweater and scarf pieces looked like a whole lot of sameness, so then I decided to assemble the rest of the border so all that was needed was to fill in the middle. This was another puzzle with edges that didn’t always connect – but it was less annoying this time because of the order in which I assembled it.

I put all three of the puppy puzzles together today, because hubby decided to share his virus/cold whatever it is with me and I’m a little under the weather. All the pictures have been taken and I can work on the posts in bed if I’m not feeling great. That way I don’t have to get up and get myself to the puzzle board early in the morning for the next couple of days.

And if my typing wakes up hubby….well, that will be my gift to him….you know, for him being such a giver and passing along his illness. 😇

Shining Brightly

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

Shining Brightly by Alan Giana – E&L – 100 pieces

This is exactly the type of puzzle image that puts me off, but it was a gift from a friend so of course I assembled it. Because it’s only 100 pieces I put it away to assemble with all my other little puzzles during December – and here it is. Sickeningly sweet snowfall, outside tree and all. 😐

It’s a thrift store puzzle, and you can tell it’s been assembled many times. It wasn’t the greatest quality to begin with, and the thing is falling apart. The fit is horrendous, and the image is lifting in several places. Not a great puzzle. But it isn’t surprising, E&L isn’t a brand I would ever recommend; even their new puzzles are lacking in the quality department.

This was one of those times where I don’t really enjoy the puzzle at all, but I very much want to finish. My brain almost goes into this mode where it isn’t about having fun with the puzzle, it’s only about finding the right piece. What is next? Where does this go? Do these colors match? Do I need a rounded knob or one that’s upturned slightly? It’s about completion, period. There aren’t many times when this happens to me, but this was one of them.

Normally I know (relatively) what puzzles and images will be enjoyable; I know the good brands, the artists whose work is enjoyable, and how many pieces make a fun assembly for me. Sometimes though, I run into a puzzle that puts me in the “must finish it” mode – usually they are gifts.

That being said, whether or not the assembly is enjoyable – every single puzzle that is gifted to me is appreciated – no matter the brand, condition, or image. If someone cares enough to think of me when they see a puzzle and they get it for me, I love that and am truly grateful. This puzzle wasn’t great, but I’m still thankful for the friend who gave it to me, and that she cared enough to give it to me in the first place. 💖