Review: Puppets & Marionettes

On October 18, 2023September 24, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews6 Comments

Puppets & Marionettes by Jay Burch – Pomegranate – 300 pieces

While this isn’t your typical Halloween image, for me the creepiness of the puppets in this artwork made me immediately think that it would be perfect for posting in October. Spooky, creepy, menacing, and just all-around disturbing if you ask me.

The quality of this Pomegranate puzzle was exceptional. I’ve done one or two puzzles by Pomegranate in the years since the pandemic and noticed immediately that the quality had gone down a bit. With the supply chain issues and the overwhelming demand for jigsaw puzzles at the time it wasn’t difficult to understand the reasons for the drop in quality; though I’m hoping for better days ahead with a return to their pre-pandemic excellence. Thankfully, this puzzle seems to be a return to their old quality standards; maybe wishes come true!

There were a very good variety of pieces and the pieces were wonderfully thick with a fit that was truly exceptional. The image reproduction was excellent as well, although the finish was slightly shiny. My only small problem with the quality was the amount of puzzle dust, but that’s a minor annoyance that doesn’t really detract from the enjoyment of the assembly.

From this picture it looks as if this section with the horse would be quite simple to find the pieces and put together, but in reality it wasn’t easy to find most of the blue pieces, and it looks quite dark in the finished image. I think if this had been a larger piece count it would have been quite a challenging puzzle.

There’s something truly menacing about the little boy puppet’s face, although pretty much every marionette shown seems creepy in some way when you really look at them. It’s probably not what the artist had in mind, but that’s how I see it.

The fit was truly exceptional with this puzzle. The thick pieces and the tight fit made for a satisfying and entertaining assembly. Plus, I got to take one of my silly stand up pictures!

Though it was a bit difficult at times, this was an entertaining assembly. The artwork makes me think of suspenseful movies, and if you opened a closet door and saw these puppets and marionettes looking like they do – yikes. Cue the dark music, something’s coming for you!

This puzzle is definitely recommended, great quality and lots of fun to put together. 👍

Details:

Title: Puppets & Marionettes
Artist: Jay Burch
Brand: Pomegranate
Piece count: 300 pieces
Size: Approx. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 46 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Excellent
Cutting: Very good
Image: Excellent
Box: Very good, sturdy and thick
Fit: Excellent
Puzzle Dust: Large amount of dust
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Very good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Excellent, highly recommended

Review: Frenchie

On March 16, 2022March 16, 2022 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews6 Comments

Frenchie – de.bored puzzles – 500 pieces

I ADORE this image – French Bulldogs are one of my favorite breeds – it’s my dream puppy. With that sweet little face and that bright, colorful background how could I not give this puzzle a try?

de.bored is a new company to me, and the quality was good. On the pro side there were a great variety of shapes, sturdy chipboard, a good fit, and excellent reproduction. For cons, it had a very shiny finish, and the white, slippery, “sharp” backing that I am not a fan of. It was made in China, but according to the box the company is in Ohio in the United States. Overall the quality reminds me of a Mudpuppy puzzle but with more varied shapes.

It says on the back of the box that they are a “new puzzle company bringing artist-inspired puzzles to you. These frame-worthy designs will help you unplug and destress, allowing you to de.bored your life!” Cute slogan, helping you to be de-stressed and de-bored. Although, if their puzzles are artist-inspired then it’s a bit disappointing that nowhere on the box is the artist who created this image given any credit at all. Just an observation.

I did enjoy this puzzle and the quality was better than I thought it would be. The image was a little challenging, with the colored background much easier to assemble than the dog itself. But then again, if it were too easy it wouldn’t have held my interest as much.

Many thanks and much love to my darling daughter who saw this while she was out shopping and decided that mom would like this puzzle. What a sweetie! 💗

Details:

Title: Frenchie
Artist: Unknown
Brand: de.bored puzzles
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 17 x 23 in. (43 x 58 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Good
Cutting: Very Good
Image: Excellent
Box: Average
Fit: Good
Puzzle Dust: Minimal amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Very shiny finish w/sharp, white backing, lays flat

Overall Rating: Good quality, recommended

Review: Mandala Delight

On January 13, 2022January 13, 2022 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles9 Comments

Mandala Delight – Page Publications – 500 pieces

I pride myself on not making snap judgements about a brand after only working one of their puzzles. That ends now. Sssssnap! This brand is TERRIBLE, please do not waste any of your precious puzzle budget on any Page Publications puzzles.

Trying new brands always gets me excited, in the back of my brain I’m always hoping for a great quality puzzle that would add to the list of brands I can confidently buy any puzzle from. This was such a colossal disappointment – there aren’t enough words in the English language to tell you exactly how much.

Let me list the problems….

Extremely thin pieces
Flimsy chipboard that is easily bent and split
Fuzzy backing with a ton of puzzle dust
Too shiny finish that creates glare
No variety in shape at all, every piece fits everywhere
Horrid, extremely loose and spongy fit – even worse than Norman Rockwell
Doesn’t lay flat -not even close

My regular readers know that I normally try to find something positive about every puzzle. That just isn’t possible with this one; there’s nothing here that’s good in my opinion.

There have been quite a few new brands pop up in the last two years to take advantage of the increased demand for puzzles during the pandemic. This one is new, and from the looks of the puzzle I just assembled Page Publications doesn’t seem to be at all concerned about the quality of their product.

Look at how this puzzle lays; the fit is so bad that the pieces don’t really connect and lay flat together. Absolutely atrocious.

As with the Norman Rockwell puzzle, I got a bee in my bonnet about finishing this even with the ghastly quality. Perhaps it’s because I knew I would be giving it an awful review, and wanted to show you a finished puzzle. Perhaps it’s because Stacey is stubborn as a mule. Mostly, it’s just because my weird brain is in charge; sometimes I have to finish and I’m not sure why.

Please, if you love jigsaw puzzles do NOT purchase any of this brand. Ever. If you come across people handing out free Page Publications puzzles – eyes forward and keep walking, while chanting LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR CRAPPY PUZZLES!

We deserve better. So much better.

Details:

Title: Mandala Delight
Artist: Unknown
Brand: Page Publications
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 20 x 25 in. (51 x 64 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Poor
Cutting: Poor
Image: Fair
Box: Average
Fit: Poor
Puzzle Dust: Large amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: No variety, pieces fit everywhere
Finish: Shiny finish, does not lay flat

Overall Rating: Very poor quality, not recommended

Review: Stained Glass Tree

On December 9, 2021December 8, 2021 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews3 Comments

Stained Glass Tree by Jen Cameron – MicroPuzzles – 150 pieces

Hubby liked the image on Stained Glass Tree much better than the first MicroPuzzle we assembled with the donuts, and to be honest so did I. There was nothing wrong with 2037 Calories, but this one was just so lovely! The colors of this one are so beautiful and the finished puzzle makes me want to frame it and have it sitting on a table somewhere in the house. Love it!

These little MicroPuzzles have quite good quality for such little pieces, and I’ve been very impressed with them. What I love most is that when you’ve chosen the correct piece you know immediately, it slips right into place; that’s pretty helpful for these aging eyes with such small pieces. Once you get the edge together the fit can be loose – until more pieces are added – otherwise the fit is good. Piece thickness is very good for such small puzzles, and the image reproduction is stellar. Click the link above if you’d like to see their catalog of puzzles available, they’re constantly adding new images. I’m currently OBSESSED with their puzzles and absolutely love them!

There is only one piece shape, what I call ballerinas (2 prong/2 hole), but I don’t mind that with these little puzzles. What would normally be very or slightly annoying in a larger puzzle doesn’t bother me at all with these little ones. Probably because there is enough variety within the one shape, you don’t accidentally put a piece anywhere and think you’ve got it right. (Well, I don’t. Hubby did once with some edge pieces, but I came in later and could see it right away and fixed it.)

My one issue is that the artist credit isn’t available on every puzzle. I’m a big believer in giving artists their props here on the blog – their artwork is the reason we all have so many fantastic puzzle images to choose from. The title of each puzzle isn’t shown on the tubes they come in, but my suggestion is to at least give credit on the website. Then you’d be able to see which artist created the image, and I’d be able to put that information here when I post about the puzzles we’ve completed – to give them credit for their beautiful work.

*The artist is credited for this puzzle, but many of the images on their puzzles do not have the artist listed on their website.*

Mom must have whispered in my ear this morning as I’m typing this up, reminding me that you cannot tell the size of the puzzle unless you have something next to it for comparison. She was always telling me when I did a very large or very small puzzle that I needed to show the actual size by putting something next to it for a reference…..

It makes a difference when you can see just how small they truly are. There’s something about working with the small pieces that is so satisfying for me – although I’m not sure I am able to articulate exactly why that is. Whatever the reason, I’m captivated by these little puzzles and having the best time putting them together.

MicroPuzzles are very nice quality mini puzzles, and I’m extremely glad I found them. If you think you’d like to give them a try, I definitely recommend them. We’re giving them two test tubes way up! 🧪🧪

Details:

Title: Stained Glass Tree
Artist: Jen Cameron
Brand: MicroPuzzles
Piece count: 150 pieces
Size: Approx. 4 x 6 in. (10 x 15 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Very good
Image: Excellent
Box: Test tube
Fit: Good, somewhat loose
Puzzle Dust: None
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: No variety, one shape (ballerina)
Finish: Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Very good, recommended

Review: Willard & Margaret*

On July 23, 2020 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store Puzzles8 Comments

This is another puzzle that I have named (with a little help), because there is no title on the box anywhere. After some discussion with my puzzle pal Penny we have decided to name this one after the characters in a silly Ray Stevens song “It’s Me Again Margaret”. Willard & Margaret. I just love the sound of their names; and the names absolutely do NOT seem like the right ones for these pups, which makes the title even more funny to me. 😁

Re-marks has a large catalog of puzzles to choose from, and I find that because many of the images are ones I enjoy assembling I am willing to overlook some quality issues that come up from time to time. I have had the odd problem here and there, but overall I find their puzzles to be good/very good quality. The pieces are a good thickness with a very good variety of shapes that fit together well (although sometimes loosely). The image reproduction is very good as well, with beautiful colors and sharp lines.

The quality of these smaller 100 piece puzzles from Re-marks is very good, and reminds me of a White Mountain puzzle in both the quality of the chipboard used and the shapes of the pieces. They fit together well and I’ve seen no image lift on any of the pieces even though this is a second-hand puzzle. They’re fun to assemble too, and the images makes me smile – they’re both silly and entertaining to put together. 🙂

It is always my intention to be objective, although I freely admit that I am not perfect. I do try to remind the readers that all reviews are basically subjective; it is my impression and opinions about the puzzle I am assembling, nothing more. Take every review with a grain of salt – ultimately you have to decide for yourself which aspects of a puzzle’s quality are most important to you. I’m just trying to provide my perspective in the hopes that it might help you decide which puzzles you do or do not wish to try.

Happy puzzling! 🧩

Details: