Santa & Rudolph

On November 26, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles2 Comments

Not counting my “Christmas in July” on the blog, this was my first Christmas puzzle of the season! As usual, I’m only showing the character shown on the box – no spoilers. You’d miss out on the fun of discovering for yourself why it’s better if Santa keeps his job instead of handing it over to Rudolph. 😉

I adore Geoff Tristam’s sense of humor – even the gift tags on the presents were funny! His partnership with Ravensburger for these What If puzzles is a great pairing in my opinion; I hope it continues for a very long time!

I really appreciate the quality of a Ravensburger puzzle, especially after I’ve worked on another brand that isn’t as “premium”. It even makes me happy to lay all the pieces out, because I just know it’s going to fit well and that there will be enough variety in the piece shape so that the assembly isn’t overly tedious. (I’m working a puzzle with not much variety in the shape of the pieces and I’m feeling frazzled 😳 )

If you haven’t tried a What If or Wasgij puzzle yet, I highly recommend it! You’re not really working completely from scratch, most of the time you can tell from the picture on the box what the background, flooring, or scenery will be, as well as the clothes people are wearing. You can get a general idea of what might go where, you may just have figure out where the scene might end up. For me, it focuses the attention. If I’m looking at the image on the box I don’t have to pay super close attention to background items or colors to tell me where a section will end up. Without an image you’re guided by only the colors and shapes – and the hints on the box of course. It’s a pilates class for your brain cells, it makes them use their “muscles” in a different way. 😀

Santa looks pretty cute with his antler hat, but I think it would be better for everyone if he drives the sleigh!

Dolphin Cove

On November 16, 2017November 16, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

I’m not normally one for ocean or jungle animals puzzles, although I’m not sure I could articulate why; they just aren’t my favorite. Still, it was a relaxing and wonderful quality puzzle – which I suppose is the point. Relaxing entertainment, right? I think I chose this one to assemble because I wasn’t feeling like my brain was working well enough to work a 1000 piece puzzle. Some days I just don’t feel like all the gray cells are firing properly. 😐

This image is bright and full of movement and color, an excellent image for puzzling. It took longer than I expected, but it wasn’t because of the image, it was my fault. Either I didn’t feel much like puzzling at the time, or I just wasn’t feeling well. Whichever was the culprit, it took me a couple of days to get this one done.

The fit was looser than normal for a Ravensburger, but it wasn’t too terrible. Although I usually take things like that with a grain of salt if it’s a thrift store purchase and I’m familiar with the brand. Good find though, and all pieces present and accounted for!

(What If #10) The Birthday

On November 12, 2017July 26, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

Another puzzle where I don’t show the whole image, it’s more fun when you get to figure it out for yourself! I loved this puzzle, it was relaxing and so good at helping me relieve stress. More and more these days I seem to need my puzzles to help me stay calm and get rid of some anxiety, there’s only so much pharmaceuticals can do. 😉

I adore the Ravensburger What If and the Jumbo Wasgij series. The image on the box is only a clue to what the puzzle image is, you have to figure it out as you puzzle along. I find that I pay more attention when I assemble these types of puzzles, you can’t figure out where things fit into the image by just checking the box top!

All the What If puzzles are illustrated by Geoff Tristram, who seems to have exactly my sense of humor. The images are precise and detailed and always full of fun, artists like Mr. Tristram are the reason I fell in love with cartoon puzzles. In this edition, the box shows our hero Derek’s dream birthday dinner – the puzzle is what happens if the champagne is a little too lively. As usual, chaos is the result! 🙂

If you haven’t tried a Wasgij or What If puzzle, I highly recommend giving it a go. You use your brain differently I think, and it’s a very nice challenge. What If…..you ended up loving it??

Dragon Rider

On October 28, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

What a gorgeous puzzle, and how disappointing that there’s a piece missing! Such beautiful artwork by Lynton Levengood, it is an absolutely stunning puzzle.

Ravensburger kid’s puzzles have the same excellent quality as their adult puzzles, yet another reason they’re my favorite puzzle company. The pieces are always thick and sturdy and feel good in your hand. The image reproduction is excellent and you can see above how well they fit together, it’s almost seamless.

I’m bummed that this one isn’t complete, my little “grandson” would have loved it. Oh well, I suppose it’s better than if I gave him an incomplete puzzle; it’s very frustrating for him when he can’t find a piece. At least I’ve got enough smarts to be sure and check them first. 🙂

Wouldn’t most kids (especially little boys) love to ride a dragon? I would. I need to ride side-saddle though, and the dragon has to promise to spew fire on a few places that have earned my wrath! Oops. Got a little off track there. Apologies. 😇

If you’ve got a little one who loves dragons, I highly recommend this puzzle! (Be sure you find one with all the pieces though)

Prima Ballerina

On October 22, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This was the first puzzle I assembled after my attempt at Winter Aspen. Even though there was a piece missing it was still very nice for me. The feel of the regular sized pieces, the way they fit together, and the fact that the image was so much less difficult made this an excellent assembly. 🙂

Ravensburger puzzles have such great quality that it’s always nice to work with them; but even more so after working with a puzzle that was difficult for me in any way. When I’ve done a puzzle that was dark, or difficult, or one that just felt tedious I always try to make sure I do a Ravensburger next. It always makes me feel better, and gets me back in my “puzzle groove”.

After failing to complete Winter Aspen I wasn’t feeling like the Supreme Puzzle Goddess that I am, so I needed a Ravensburger fix to lift my spirits. This puzzle was healing balm on my wounded ego, and made me feel so much better! 😊

It didn’t matter that it’s not an image I would normally choose, it didn’t matter that the colors were muted instead of bright, and it didn’t even matter that a piece was missing. What mattered was that I enjoyed this puzzle; it didn’t feel like work or a chore, it was relaxing, fun, and helped me get my mojo back!

This puzzle would be great to frame for the little ballerina in your life, or someone who just loves to dance – it’s so pretty!