Tag: Review

Review: Teachers

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Teachers (Girl Power) – Eurographics – 100 pieces

Another interesting thrift store find from my resident thrift store ninja shopper. Way to go mom!

The is from the Girl Power series of puzzles by Eurographics, the motto is “girls can do anything”. Love it! They have puzzles of the many different jobs girls can do, such as an engineer, pilot, firefighter, mechanic, and many more. Although teacher seems like a job girls have always done, it’s still a part of this series and something girls can do. 🙂

The quality of this kids puzzle was excellent. Very thick pieces that fit together well, with bright and colorful image reproduction. There were also a good variety of piece shapes, which you don’t always see in a child’s puzzle. It is an all around wonderful quality puzzle. I love it when manufacturers put effort into making good quality puzzles for children!

Even though I’m a “grownup” and do adult puzzles, I still enjoy working a kids puzzle. Mom still can’t stop herself from buying them, although we mostly just give them away to friends with kids or the special needs school my daughter works for. We put them together to be sure the puzzles are complete before we give them away. Puzzling is puzzling, no matter the piece count and I’m not ashamed to say I have a good time assembling puzzles meant for children. I’m just a fun-loving kid in a old person’s body. 👧=👵

Details:

  • Title:                  Teachers
  • Artist:                ?
  • Brand:               Eurographics
  • Piece count:     100 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 13 x 19 in. (33 x 48 cm)
  • Purchased:      Used, thrift store

Quality:

  • Board:               Excellent
  • Cutting:             Excellent
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Excellent, recommended

Review: The Christmas Library

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews7 Comments
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The Christmas Library by Aimee Stewart – Ravensburger – 1000 pieces

Aimee Stewart and Ravensburger, always a fantastic combination! Her artwork is beautiful and colorful and ever entertaining, and her puzzles have never disappointed. 🙂

The Christmas Library made for excellent puzzling – I enjoyed every single piece. Having words to assemble always makes me happy, and the style of the vintage books, ornaments, and images was absolutely gorgeous! The quality was excellent, as usual. It’s very rare that I have any quality issues with Ravensburger. The pieces look and feel like a premium puzzle, and fit together like one too. An all around fantastic Christmas image!

I’ve never really been a Christmas puzzle person, most holiday puzzles are so similar that they don’t interest me much. This year though, I’ve been lucky enough to find a few puzzles that are outside the norm, and they’ve been quite fun to assemble. I’m putting this one in that group, it’s more of a collage and that’s more to my liking then the standard Santa and the tree puzzles.

Stay tuned, the next 3 days will be all Christmas puzzles that I’ve assembled this season; I enjoyed every one. (I can hardly believe I just wrote that! 😮 )

Details:

  • Title:                  The Christmas Library
  • Artist:                Aimee Stewart
  • Brand:               Ravensburger
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                   Approx. 27 x 20 in. (70 x 50 cm)
  • Purchased:       New

Quality:

  • Board:               Excellent
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Excellent, recommended

Review: Skates

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Skates by Amy Rosenberg – Bits and Pieces – 500 pieces

This was a fun puzzle that mom and I assembled together. I haven’t seen very many Bits and Pieces puzzles that are grid cut, in my experience they’re usually random cut; it was a nice change.

This was a good quality Bits and Pieces puzzle that was quite a joy to assemble. It was a bit more challenging then we’d assumed, but still fun. The pieces fit together very well and the image itself is cute, and perfect for more than one person to work at a time. Mom started on the left side with the white ice skates and I started on the right with the scarves. We met in the middle to work on the chair and dog. Lots of fun!

Bits and Pieces quality seems hit or miss. Sometimes the fit is way too loose and floppy, and other times it’s just right. I would prefer it if the quality were consistent; that’s why we only buy this brand second hand from the thrift stores. It’s too disappointing when you pay full price for a puzzle that has quality issues.

This is a nice wintry image that has me wishing for cooler weather. It’s supposed to be 82 degrees here today! 🌞

Details:

  • Title:                  Skates
  • Artist:                Amy Rosenberg
  • Brand:               Bits and Pieces
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 16 x 20 in. (41 x 51 cm)
  • Purchased:      Used, thrift store

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Good, some hanging bits of paper
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

Review: Harborside

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Harborside – MasterPieces (Shutter Speed) – 1000 pieces

Harborside is a beautiful puzzle that was much more fun to do than I anticipated. It looked more difficult than it was and I enjoyed the assembly very much!

I’ve reviewed several MasterPieces puzzles this year, and I’ve had great quality puzzles every time. The chipboard they use is thick and sturdy and the fit is excellent – you’re never unsure whether or not a piece fits and when complete you can lift the entire puzzle without dislodging any pieces. The image reproduction on this puzzle is bright and crisp and absolutely beautiful. This puzzle is part of the Shutter Speed series which features some of the world’s most spectacular photographs – from big cities to small towns, carnivals, and more. MasterPieces puzzles are a great value as well, click the links to see the puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.

I started this puzzle with the sky and the water, and built up from there. There were different shades in both the water and sky which made those areas easier, and before I knew it I had the reflections on the water complete and was putting together the boats and buildings. The challenge level was just right, about medium difficulty. As usual it was great fun even though it isn’t the typical puzzle that I would choose to assemble.

If you’re a fan of boat/harbor puzzles, or are looking for a gift for someone who is I would definitely recommend this puzzle. It’s beautiful and entertaining and I had a great time assembling it for review. 👍

Details:

  • Title:                  Harborside
  • Artist:                Vibriant
  • Brand:               MasterPieces
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 27 x 19 in. (68 x 49 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Good – some hanging bits of paper
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Excellent
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Semi-random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Review: Golf Around the World

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Golf Around the World – Eurographics – 1000 pieces

Collages really make me happy, and Golf Around the World was no different. I don’t even like golf! I enjoy the 4 hours or so I get to myself when my husband goes golfing, but golf just isn’t for me unless it’s in puzzle form. ⛳

Eurographics puzzles are good quality, and they have an excellent catalog of puzzles to choose from. They’ve got many beautiful collages, along with a great number of educational puzzles for both children and adults; I love the informational puzzles! From fine art to cartoons, there are plenty of interesting puzzles to choose from. Their pieces are thick and sturdy, and fit together well. The pieces of this puzzle were a bit snug, but it wasn’t extreme. The finish is slightly shiny, but otherwise crisp and clear with bright, beautiful colors. Eurographics puzzles have a random cut, which I find interesting, but not everyone enjoys the non-traditional piece shapes. Check out all their puzzles currently available at Puzzle Warehouse by clicking the link above.

This puzzle went together very quickly – collages usually do in my house. It’s hard to walk away, because finishing one small section leads to the next and so on. I loved all the colors in this image, there’s something really beautiful about the vintage posters. The illustrations are detailed and lovely, much more interesting than the posters and ads we have these days in my humble opinion. Collage puzzles are my favorite 🙂 , click to see the pages and pages of fun to assemble collages available at Puzzle Warehouse.

I’m not sure if this puzzle is going to be framed for hubby or not, we’ve already done several puzzles that have been glued and framed; we may be running out of wall space! This puzzle would be an excellent wall hanging for a golf lover, and as a bonus it’s a puzzle that’s a LOT of fun to assemble!

Details:

  • Title:                  Golf Around the World
  • Artist:                Eurographics
  • Brand:               Eurographics
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 19 x 27 in. (49 x 68 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Good, a bit tight
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Random cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.