Tag: Pomegranate

Review: Cats, Rabbits, Birds, Fish, and Flowers

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Cats, Rabbits, Birds, Fish, and Flowers by Makoto Nakamura – Pomegranate – 300 pieces

The title of this puzzle is a mouthful, I know – but if you look closely you can see the reason for the name. All of the “flowers” you see are made up of Cats, Rabbits, Birds, Fish, and Flowers! Click the link to see this puzzle at Puzzle Warehouse.

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Can you see them?

Makoto Nakamura is one of the foremost tessellation artists in the world, and I adore his work! If you’re a regular reader of the blog you might remember the Pesky Parrots puzzle I assembled last year, it was by the same artist only the tessellations in that puzzle were the pieces themselves! I love that Pomegranate chose one of his works for their puzzles, isn’t it a striking image even before you recognize the animals?

Pomegranate puzzles are in the top echelon of puzzle manufacturers in my opinion; their quality is exceptional! The pieces are wonderfully thick and feel good in your hands. They fit together with just about the perfect amount of tightness, and the matte finish doesn’t glare under lights. Their catalog focuses on illustrations and fine art, and the image reproductions are crisp and clear and retain the original beauty of the artwork. I don’t normally comment on puzzle boxes, but the Pomegranate boxes are the sturdiest I’ve found; and as an added bonus nothing covers up the full image on the box top – you can see the entire picture! Not many companies do that, and it is very much appreciated by puzzlers. Click the link above to see all their puzzles currently available at Puzzles Warehouse.

Even though looking at the pieces made me think it might be a challenge, it was exactly the right amount of challenge for me. I couldn’t walk away from it! I started with the red and pink fishes in the center, and then worked color by color to finish flower after flower. It wasn’t super easy, but it wasn’t eyeball-crossing difficult either – just right!

If you enjoy this image, I highly recommend this puzzle. It’s excellent quality with a beautiful and interesting image. I loved it! ❤💐

Details:

  • Title:                  Cats, Rabbits, Birds, Fish, and Flowers
  • Artist:                Makoto Nakamura
  • Brand:               Pomegranate
  • Piece count:     300 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 20 x 20 in. (51 x 51 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A

Quality:

  • Board:               Excellent
  • Cutting:             Excellent
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Very good, sturdy with complete image on front
  • Fit:                     Excellent
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Excellent, highly recommended

 

I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Review: Mandala Fruit Tree

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews1 Comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Mandala Fruit Tree by Paul Heussenstamm – Pomegranate – 500 pieces

I chose Mandala Fruit Tree to review, and I wasn’t disappointed – it’s just beautiful! I also enjoyed learning about mandalas from the information of the back of the box. I had no idea they were spiritual and used for meditation, or that they are a mystical symbol seen by many as the doorway to the soul.

The artist, Paul Heussenstamm, believes that soul patterns are manifested in mandalas, and his works often contain them. All of that makes this image even more striking and interesting for me. Click the link above to see all of this artist’s puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse. (They even carry a couple of Peaceful Wooden Puzzles of his work! Click to see my post on my wooden puzzles with a review of Peaceful Wooden Puzzles)

Pomegranate is one of my favorite brands. The pieces are wonderfully thick and the finish feels almost soft in your hands. The fit is tight, but not too much; you won’t have to use your upper body strength to put them into place. 😉 Their catalog of puzzles is mostly fine art, and the image and color reproduction is superb. I don’t normally comment on puzzle boxes, but even the boxes of Pomegranate puzzles feel amazing – you know you’re holding a premium puzzle in your hands when you’re holding a Pomegranate.

This puzzle was more of a challenge than I anticipated, but I was up for the task. Once I assembled the edge and the plain blue background I had to come up with a strategy for the tree itself. I decided to separate the pieces by shape and work by piece shape first and then color/pattern. It worked wonderfully and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire assembly. Mandala Fruit Tree was even better than I thought it would be, I highly recommend it! 👍

Details:

  • Title:                  Mandala Fruit Tree
  • Artist:                Paul Heussenstamm
  • Brand:               Pomegranate
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 46 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Excellent
  • Cutting:             Excellent
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Excellent, short bio of artist on back
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Excellent, highly recommended

 

I received this product at no cost to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

The Victory of Alexander the Great

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments
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The Victory of Alexander the Great by Albrecht Altdorfer – Pomegranate – 1000 pieces

This puzzle was an unopened thrift store find. Who in the world would give away a Pomegranate unopened? I guess I shouldn’t judge, you never know the circumstances. I’m thrilled we were able to find a brand new puzzle for $1.99 though.

The image is not one I would choose for a puzzle, but cheapskates can’t always be choosy. 😁 I considered starting this puzzle at least 5 times before I actually jumped in and went for it. I would pick it up, open the box, look at all the pieces, and eventually decide I wasn’t in the mood for that much of a challenge. I’m not sure why I decided it was time now, but I don’t always know what in the world is going on in my slightly off-kilter brain.

The top of the puzzle was the easy part, and it didn’t take me too long. The sky wasn’t overly difficult, in fact I was surprised how easy it seemed. The bottom half of the puzzle, oh my. There is so much detail! Numerous horses, soldiers, flags, spears and tents – it boggles the mind! It was so dark and busy that it took much longer than normal. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t the most fun either. I was pretty proud when I finished, and still am. It definitely gave me $1.99 worth of puzzle enjoyment!

 

 

Noah’s Ark

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles1 Comment
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Noah’s Ark by Jenny Tylden-Wright – Pomegranate – 300 pieces

I’ve done a few Noah’s Ark puzzles, but this one is so different and beautiful I just had to get it. It’s striking and unusual, and I had the best time assembling it. Why aren’t there more puzzles with her artwork??

I also wanted to try a 300 piece Pomegranate, I’ve done both their 500 and 1000 piece puzzles and wanted to see how the smaller piece count was quality-wise. Excellent! I wasn’t expecting anything else, they’re just wonderful quality all around, and their catalog is full of gorgeous artwork to choose from. I highly recommend these puzzles!

I loved this puzzle so much I went back through the Pomegranate puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse and added 4 more of their puzzles to my wishlist.  This is getting out of hand!

The World Landmark Buildings

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment
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The World Landmark Buildings by Gregory L. Blackstock – Pomegranate – 500 pieces

This artist makes me smile, and I love his puzzles so much – they’re always a pleasure to assemble. The artist has autism and in his eyes the world needs to be arranged in orderly groups (bugs, birds, eggs, or landmark buildings) and his artwork reflects that. I understand the need to try to make the world a little more orderly and predictable, it helps deal with the stresses of everyday life. His artwork reminds me of my boys (both have autism as well), and it makes me think of them and how difficult the world is for those with autism and how having an outlet for the stresses in their lives is so important. It is for all of us, really – but especially for those who have exceptional brains that work a little differently then ours do and have difficulty processing all of the daily stresses of dealing with their surroundings and others.

Pomegranate puzzles are wonderful quality and I would never hesitate to purchase one of their puzzles. The pieces are thick and feel smooth with an excellent finish, they fit together very well, and the image reproduction is stellar! Even their boxes feel amazing, you know before you even see the pieces that you’ve got an excellent quality puzzle in your hands.

This assembly didn’t take very long once I got past the edges on the sides. It took some concentration and trial and error before I got all the pieces placed correctly, but once I did it was smooth sailing from there. It was easy to pick out all the pieces for one building and assemble it, and then move on to an adjacent building. Once the buildings started going up it took almost no time at all and before you know it the entire puzzle was complete!

I highly recommend Pomegranate puzzles, and in particular the Gregory L. Blackstock puzzles they carry. They are a joy to assemble!