Tag: Puzzle Shopping

Shopping Trip

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling, Miscellaneous8 Comments

I had to leave the house yesterday, and found myself at the bookstore looking at jigsaw puzzles, I even ended up buying a few – who woulda thunk it???

Before leaving home I was sorting my next puzzle, but now that I’ve got these new ones the one I was preparing to assemble seems so boring! Plus, if I get Frankenstein and the horror books done quickly they can be posted this month for Halloween.🎃

Interestingly, after my jaunt to the store I now have a shopping tip for you, if you shop in person. The World of Frankenstein is a Laurence King brand puzzle, and if I were you and wanted good quality I would only purchase this brand if you can be sure where it was manufactured.

In the store today there were plenty of puzzles by this brand, including The World of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, etc. – but they were all manufactured in China. The World of Frankenstein was one of only two images by this brand in the store today that was manufactured in the Netherlands. There is a big difference in quality between the two, and after seeing the difference in person and talking with a fellow puzzle blogger in Europe about this brand I wouldn’t purchase a Laurence King puzzle if it was made in China. If you’re spending your hard-earned puzzle budget on a new LK puzzle, please be certain where it was manufactured.

I’ve never recommended a brand specifically depending on where it was made, but there’s a first time for everything. So, if you find a Laurence King puzzle that was manufactured in the Netherlands I highly recommend them. I just completed one of their puzzles and it was excellent quality (I adored it!). If you find the same brand but it was made in China, be wary. Just a friendly suggestion of course. 😊

Anyway, now that these three puzzles are sitting on my board, my fickle menopausal brain (currently being slowly boiled from the inside by hot flashes) has decided that I’m going to assemble the horror books collage. I haven’t started it yet, but I’m very much looking forward to it!

Happy puzzling today my friends!

What Is It About….

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling6 Comments

What is it about being told you can’t do something that makes you want to do it? After being told that puzzles are hard to find and getting more expensive, and seeing it for myself – all I want to do is find and buy some puzzles!

I don’t really need any puzzles, there are literally hundreds of them here between my house and my mom’s house. Hundreds! Years worth of puzzle assembly. Why in the world do I now have a bee in my bonnet about buying more? It’s my contrary nature, I think. No puzzles for sale? I need to find some puzzles to buy!

Is it just me? Does the lack of availability make you want to buy more? Or is it just that I don’t like being given limitations? I gotta tell ya, I do NOT like being told what to do, or what not to do. Of course no one told me that I couldn’t buy any, but the lack of availability and rising costs made me more determined than ever to find puzzles. Not just any puzzles, but ones that appeal to me and that are not overpriced. Stubborn? Me? Yep.

*There are two orders on their way to my house right now. 😈

Skulls In Progress

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling6 Comments

Skulls IP
Eurographics Skulls In Progress

My son got me this puzzle for Christmas last year, but he was adamant that I shouldn’t assemble it until closer to the Day of the Dead. Per his instructions I’ve waited, and will have it put together for the correct holiday. 💀

I haven’t assembled a Eurographics puzzle in a while. I was quite surprised to find that instead of an interesting random cut this puzzle is a grid cut (which I don’t mind at all) with only one piece shape (which I do mind). I don’t know when this change occurred, but I’m pretty disappointed I have to say. I’m sure it’s much cheaper to make a die with only the one shape, but we puzzlers appreciate some variety and craftsmanship. Is everything only about the bottom line? Oh well, it’s not the end of the world, just a small annoyance I felt the need to vent about.

It’s a beautiful image, and an explosion of color – it makes for quite a challenging puzzle! This is day three of working on it, but I’m hoping to finish it today. I’ve got a bee in my bonnet about getting myself some new puzzles, perhaps that will be the push I need to buckle down and get this one finished. The board needs to be cleared for a new puzzle.

Buzz, buzz – someone’s going puzzle shopping! 🐝🐝