One week to go!

On June 10, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling, World's Largest Puzzle ProgressLeave a comment

One week from today we’re assembling Disney’s Memorable Moments! Friends and family have been invited, hall has been reserved, and I’m super excited! 🙂

I’m really excited to see every section put together and although in my head I know the measurements of the finished puzzle, it will be a different thing altogether to see it firsthand. Each section as it was completed seemed like an enormous puzzle on it’s own, and connecting them will be quite an awesome sight. 😮

I’m hoping to have an excellent picture that I’ll be able to put on the home page of the blog to replace the advertising image. Honestly though, how in the world do you get a good picture of a puzzle that’s 23 feet long and lying on the floor? I’m thinking we’re probably going to have to take a ladder. A camera rigged drone? (That made me laugh just thinking about it) Hopefully there’s a picture that turns out good enough to use here. I want a picture of myself lying or sitting on top of the puzzle, luckily the puzzle is so big the camera will have to be far enough away that it won’t be too close to my face. 😉

So if you’ve kept up with my blog and watched my progress on the “World’s Largest Jigsaw Puzzle”, it’s finally going to be completely assembled on Saturday June 17, 2017! Most likely I’ll post an update and pictures on Sunday, so stay tuned. 😎

The Pet Parlour

On June 4, 2017June 4, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

Pamela runs The Pampered Pooch Parlour, but she dreams of diversifying and branching out to bigger and better things. What If her dream became reality, would things go wild? What would her shop look like then? This is what you have to puzzle in Ravensburger’s What If #6 The Pet Parlour.

If you read this blog regularly you know I love Ravensburger puzzles and that their quality is excellent. This puzzle is no different. It’s nice after working other puzzles to start a puzzle you know is going to be good and whose quality you don’t have to worry about – it’s like coming home. It makes me happy. And yes, I know, I need to get out more. 😐

This puzzle looked like fun to me, and it was even more fun than I thought it would be! I really enjoyed it very much, and of all the What If puzzles I’ve done so far (1-6) I would say this one is definitely my favorite! The concept is funny, the artwork is exceptional and it makes for a wonderful puzzle. If you’re not sure about the What If concept and you want to try it out, start with #6 – it’s tons of fun. 🙂

The Village Hall

On May 22, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

I was in the mood for a Ravensburger puzzle, and this one looked like fun – it was! Again, I don’t take a picture of the entire puzzle because I don’t want to ruin the fun for anyone. So much of the enjoyment I get from puzzles like this is working out what’s going on and who goes where. I don’t want to spoil someone else’s fun!

In this puzzle, the caretaker at Grimley Hall is certain his new booking system is foolproof. But what if he didn’t take enough care and what if the Hall were double booked, or worse? As usual the result is comical and makes for a great puzzle.

Sometimes I’m just in the mood for a puzzle with quality I know will be excellent and I can just chill out and have fun with the assembly. Ravensburger is always available for that! This puzzle was no different and it was nice to sit down and get lost in the puzzle and tune out the world, even if only for a few minutes at a time. The pieces just feel good in your hand and you can put your mind in puzzle gear and not think about anything else.

As usual the art of Geoff Tristam is excellent and funny with bright colors and clean lines, and humor that I love. Also if you’re not familiar with the What If puzzles, on the back of each box is a blurb about the artist and he’s dressed up for a picture relating to the puzzle. On the back of this box he’s dressed up like the caretaker and he even has a ledger for bookings! I adore cartoon puzzles, and Geoff Tristam’s artwork is some of the best. 🙂

I highly recommend trying the What If puzzles. The quality is exceptional, the artwork is excellent and it’s wonderful exercise for your brain.

Soon!

On May 16, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlingLeave a comment

As of yesterday we have a date set, the hall is reserved and I will FINALLY be able to assemble the entire 40,320 piece puzzle! I’m very excited, and even though it’s another month I have to wait I know that the date is coming up and it’s definitely going to be completely assembled. 😎

I had to make sure all the people I wanted to invite were able to come, and that’s why the date is so far away. It seems far away at the moment, but I know in the grand scheme of things it really isn’t. It took a little over 6 months to complete, so waiting another 4 weeks isn’t that much of an inconvenience (it just seems like one!)

I’m so looking forward to seeing the entire puzzle, I have a feeling it will be extremely overwhelming when all the sections are assembled and I can visualize my accomplishment. 😮

So, if you’ve been waiting to see me with the completed puzzle it won’t be too much longer that you have to wait. I promise I will let someone take my picture and I will definitely be posting pictures of the final assembly and the completed puzzle!

The Frozen Difference

On May 12, 2017May 18, 2023 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This puzzle is called The Frozen Difference because the image on the box top and the image on the puzzle are different. There are nine small differences between the two, and there is a small poster of the puzzle in the box with the differences circled. How many more times do you think I can use a form of the word different differently?

As you can see by the picture, the pieces are somewhat warped and do not lay flat. I have never seen that in an adult Ravensburger puzzle, however I haven’t done any children’s puzzles from them and can’t say if it is typical or not. I believe from knowing the excellent quality that Ravensburger produces that the issue with this particular puzzle lies in the fact that it was a thrift store purchase and was most likely used plenty and/or perhaps not reboxed or stored properly. (This is Florida after all, and you wouldn’t believe the things that can become warped in the heat. Plastic, cardboard, minds, ideas, etc.)

I will admit that I have not seen Frozen. My kids are adults now and I don’t have to sit through their movies any more. I know the sisters are Anna and Elsa, I know the snowman is Olaf, I know the song Let It Go is burned into the brains of parents with young children, and I know that I’m thankful that I don’t have young children. 😉

The thickness of the pieces, especially compared to other children’s puzzles, is excellent! They feel sturdy in your hand, and the linen finish is top notch as well. There is a nice variety of piece shapes and they fit together well in spite of the slight warping. The quality overall is excellent, and I will always recommend Ravensburger puzzles. They’re top of the line in my book!

Ravensburger has been and continues to be my favorite jigsaw puzzle manufacturer. This puzzle has issues, but I cannot say for certain if it was a manufacturing problem, or just because the puzzle was purchased secondhand and was loved and used a lot.