Tag: Re-marks

1980s Novels

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles10 Comments

1980s Novels – Re-marks – 1000 pieces

This puzzle went together so quickly once I actually started on the assembly. It was sorted the day before, but didn’t start assembly at all until the next morning. It began in the morning and was finished before I went to bed that night. It was so much fun – it was definitely the right puzzle to help lift my mood!

The quality was actually on the better side of an average Re-marks puzzle, I had no issues with the fit or the reproduction at all. It was a very good quality puzzle, which made me even happier. 😎

To be perfectly honest, the fact that this cover was in the collage is basically the reason I bought this puzzle. I picked it up in the store and my eye went to this book and I didn’t even look at the rest of the book covers; it had already been decided! Ready for a little reminiscing?

When I was in the 10th grade my English teacher gave us a list of about 150 or so books that she considered very good literature, and those were the books we were to pick from to do book reports or whatever it was she called them. I LOVED reading and I think I went through more of those books than any other of her students. I didn’t turn in papers on all of them, but I loved having that list and found books I thought I would like and just read them for myself. That’s how I found this book. I enjoyed it so much that I gave my library copy to mom to read – and she loved it too. It’s the first book in a series of six, and it’s set in prehistoric times when it’s possible that Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon humans were sharing the world. I know, it doesn’t sound that interesting, but mom and I loved it! She loved it so much that she got all the books on tape that were available from the library and we would listen to them in the car on our weekend trips with dad to softball tournaments.

I’ve re-read the entire series several times. I love the books, and now they also remind me of mom because we both loved them so much. 💕

I’m not sure how I found this book, but I recall being completely absorbed by it when I first read it. Plus, look at that cover – it’s gorgeous! This is one of the ones I picked out on the initial sorting, and it was so fun to put together.

Mom and I loved Fannie Flagg books; she found some of her novels from the early 2000’s and encouraged me to read them. Honestly I’ve never read Fried Green Tomatoes, but some of her other books I’ve read over and over and mom and I absolutely adored them. The workings of a small town and the hilarity that comes from just regular people being themselves made for such fun novels, and some of them were just heartbreakingly beautiful. Fannie Flagg books make me think of mom, and how we were very alike in the books that we enjoyed.

This puzzle was a joy to put together, and many of the books made me think of my beautiful momma, which was sad but also brought back sweet memories.

If you’re looking for a puzzle with good quality and a great image, I highly recommend this one. I adored it! 👍👍

Wish You Were Here

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Wish You Were Here – Re-marks – 1000 pieces

Although I did enjoy this puzzle, the quality – specifically the edges – left a little to be desired. Still, it’s a collage of beautiful stamps and it was entertaining to assemble, which is the point of puzzling after all.

I’m used to Re-marks puzzles and their quality, but I put up with some of the annoyances because their catalog of images contains so many fun and beautiful collages and I’m a sucker for a collage! The issue I had this time was not with the fit or the image (the usual suspects), but with the edges.

There were two separate spots on this puzzle where the edges didn’t connect and just laid next to each other. A pet peeve of mine that I find very annoying. Puzzles should fit together not sit together! Although I didn’t pull the pieces for those specific sections when I was sorting I ended up going through the trays of pieces laid out to find each of the two sections so that the border would be complete and connected and wouldn’t move around during the rest of the assembly. Annoying!

If you’re a regular reader you know I adore this holiday even though there is no Mexican heritage in my background; so of course I’m going to show you this stamp. Isn’t it colorful and beautiful? I love it!

This was an enjoyable and slightly difficult section to put together; the dots made it easy to find the pieces, but it didn’t go together as easily as I’d assumed it would. Still, isn’t it a pretty stamp? I love looking at stamps from other countries, they’re so varied and interesting.

Border quality issues aside, I really enjoyed this assembly and definitely recommend this puzzle. It made for beautiful, contemplative, and interesting puzzling. 📧💜

Holiday Books

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Holiday Books – Re-marks – 1000 pieces

Collages are my happy place, and this collage of holiday books was really quite fun – even though it was Christmas themed. The bright, fun colors and the interesting book covers made it much more entertaining than I thought, and I enjoyed myself very much.

This was the loosest fitting Re-marks puzzle I’ve done in a while, and it made it quite annoying to work with until you could get more sections joined to the border to anchor everything together. Still, it wasn’t horrid, and the rest of the quality points were quite good. The image reproduction, the piece shapes, and the cut were all good. I know going in that sometimes the fit is a bother, but I love Re-marks book cover puzzles and am willing to put up with it to enjoy assembling the image.

1875! This is from November of 1875! I found it interesting that it doesn’t say edited by, it says “conducted by”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that wording before – very cool. Also, it was conducted by a woman, in 1875 that’s something!

Ah, memories. This cover reminds me of the Little Golden Books I used to have as a child, and the image reminds me of the TV specials we used to watch every year. This one really brings out the nostalgia for me. 💖

Did anyone out there know L. Frank Baum wrote a Santa Claus story? I certainly didn’t! With his amazing imagination I bet this book would be quite an entertaining read. Have any of you read this?

I enjoyed this puzzle very much, but still I find myself tired of the Christmas puzzles already. As I write this post it’s only November 17th, but having assembled two 1000 piece holiday puzzles already I am OVER it!

Still, I’m very much looking forward to all the little holiday puzzles in my advent calendar, and the other assorted mini puzzles I’ll be putting together in December. Small puzzles make me very happy!

Holiday Books In Progress…

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzling13 Comments

Holiday Books – Re-marks – 1000 pieces

Another holiday puzzle already on my board, and we’re not even halfway through November! Surprised that I have so many Christmas puzzles here? So am I! Although, thinking about it just now I realized that almost all of them were given to me – they aren’t ones I purchased, because….well, you know.

In fact, of the twenty-one holiday puzzles here at the house left to be assembled, I purchased ONE of them. The set of 12 advent calendar puzzles was a gift from hubby, three are thrift store puzzles mom bought, five (including the one I’m currently working on) were sent to me by my bestest puzzle buddy Penny, and only one of them was actually purchased by me.

When I tell you the title of the Christmas puzzle I bought, you’ll get it. It’s called Ruby the Red Beaked Emu. I just gotta be me! 😁

I’ve already put together three holiday puzzles, and I gotta tell you – I’m sick of them already. Yep. Once I finish this one I’ll be taking a break from them. In fact, there are two 1000 piece Christmas puzzles that perhaps will be put away for next year because I just don’t want to make myself put together puzzles because it’s the right season. I’m supposed to be having fun!

Eighteen of the puzzles are 100 pieces or less, so I’m planning to save those until December; I can assemble them in the morning with a hot cup of coffee and start my days with a completed puzzle. Doesn’t that sound lovely? It does to me.

This collage puzzle I’m working on right now is going pretty quickly, and other than a very loose fit I’m enjoying it. Collages make me happy.

Even if they are holiday themed. 😉

Horror

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles15 Comments

Horror – Re-marks – 1000 pieces

This collage of horror book covers was so much more entertaining to assemble than the Stephen King covers puzzle that I posted last week. The quality was much better, which made for a more satisfying experience – loved this one!

I usually tell you how many books of those shown that I’ve read; and you’ll be able to tell that horror isn’t exactly my genre when I let you know that I’ve only read 4 out of the 55 books shown. Yikes, it make me seem like an illiterate troglodyte, doesn’t it?

Whatever. Even if I am, my mom said I was adorable and my family loves me – so there! 😜

Typical Re-marks quality; random cut with a variety of piece shapes, good image reproduction, very good fit, and a slightly shiny finish. Pretty good, all around – and it made for a great assembly that went quite quickly.

I haven’t read this book, but I loved the cover – doesn’t it seem perfect for Halloween? Spooky!

Haven’t read any H.P. Lovecraft either, but I know he’s quite popular in the horror/sci-fi genre; and I’ve even seen an episode of Supernatural about him. Plus, look at that creature – yikes! I think it’s called Cthulhu. Do you think Mr. Lovecraft just banged his face onto the keyboard to come up with that name?

Now this one I HAVE read, it’s by my favorite author; it’s one of my favorites of his too – though I wouldn’t classify it as a horror novel. Suspense, sure. Thriller, yep. But not really horror in my opinion. Still, it’s a great book.

I enjoyed this puzzle from the first piece to the last, and highly recommend it if you can find it. When I purchased it the cashier told me this particular puzzle was selling out very quickly. No wonder, it was such fun!