Review: Purses! Purses! Purses!

On November 6, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store Puzzles1 Comment

Purses! Purses! Purses! – Springbok – 2000 pieces

This puzzle image is excellent and it made me want to get to assembling it immediately – the bright colors, fun backgrounds, a collage – yes please!

This was a thrift store purchase, and although the box was slightly banged up and dented, all pieces were present and accounted for. This giant of a puzzle almost filled my entire 4 ft x 3 ft puzzle board. You never can tell in pictures, unless there’s something to give perspective; this is a HUGE puzzle!

This puzzle was loads of fun and even though it took me a few days I loved every bit of it. It was easy to separate out pieces of background colors and patterns and work on a section at a time. I love when I can just grab a bunch of pieces and assemble them without any assistance from the image on the box or a poster. It’s just me and my brain figuring out what goes where; it’s very satisfying for me. The pieces fit together tightly, but not the super tight fit that some Springbok’s have – I didn’t have to smash them together with my thumb (which is a bonus in my book).

If you’re a fan of purses or collages, this puzzle is for you! The bright colors and the interesting purses will keep you entertained – but be forewarned – this beauty requires a very large work space. 🙂

Details:

Title: Purses! Purses! Purses!
Artist: Allied Products Corp.
Brand: Springbok
Piece count: 2000 pieces
Size: Approx. 34 x 43 in. (86 x 109 cm)
Purchased: Used, thrift store

Quality:

Board: Excellent
Cutting: Very good
Image: Very good
Box: Good, a little thin for such a large puzzle
Fit: Tight, not in the extreme like some Springboks
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Random cut
Piece shapes: Very good variety
Finish: Somewhat shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Very good, recommended

Review: Cute Little Owls

On November 3, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store Puzzles7 Comments

Cute Little Owls by Kerri Ambrosino – Clementoni – 500 pieces

Mom absolutely loved this puzzle, and I can definitely see why. The colors, the cuteness, the collage effect – excellent for puzzling!

This was the first Clementoni puzzle that I’ve done. I’m reserving judgment until I’m able to do at least one more, but I’m not thrilled with the fit; it was extremely loose. Now it was a thrift store purchase, so it may have been well loved before it was donated. That’s one reason why I try not to make snap judgments, I should at least do 2 or more before I decide on the brand in general. Other than the fit, I thought the quality was very good. Nicely cut pieces, a good thickness, excellent image reproduction – impressive!

I recently went to one of mom’s thrift stores with her when she was chauffeuring me around one day. 😮 Oh my goodness! I can’t believe she finds as many wonderful and complete puzzles as she does. Seeing the section where the puzzles are, the chaos everything is in – wow. She is definitely Queen of all things Thrift Store! I bow before you, your majesty!

Also, Happy National Jigsaw Day for any readers in the UK! I’m celebrating by doing puzzles today – what a change, huh? 😎

Details:

Title: Cute Little Owls
Artist: Kerri Ambrosino
Brand: Clementoni
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 19 x 14 in. (48 x 36 cm)
Purchased: Used, thrift store

Quality:

Board: Very good, sturdy
Cutting: Excellent
Image: Very good
Box: Very good, a bit large for a 500 piece puzzle
Fit: Quite loose
Puzzle Dust: None
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Somewhat shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Very Good, recommended

Review: Castle of Horror

On October 31, 2017October 31, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment

Castle of Horror by Jean-Jacques Loup – Heye – 2000 pieces

This puzzle has been calling me for some time, so I decided I might as well get on it since Halloween is here! 🎃

I’ve been having difficulty puzzling lately and am not able to spend as much time as I’d like enjoying my puzzles. In addition, this gorgeous puzzle was very large and I had to assemble it sideways on my smaller board. I wasn’t feeling well enough to get out the larger board by myself, so I worked with the smaller one. It was difficult for me working a puzzle sideways, even more difficult than I anticipated. I guess my little old lady brain couldn’t get accustomed to the odd vantage point. Because of these things it took me an entire week to complete this puzzle!

The artwork of Jean-Jacques Loup makes me smile, he had an irreverent sense of humor and for me that is part of what makes his puzzles so much fun to assemble. The naughty bits put a little smirk on my face, and I’m always wanting to show them to my hubby to make him smile as well. There were plenty of naughty bits in this puzzle, so I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone underage, or anyone who has children that like to assist. 😈

This puzzle had the usual great Heye quality, with one exception – the fit was looser than I’ve had with any of their other puzzles. It wasn’t horribly loose, but you could easily upset a large section with your arm or sleeve if you weren’t careful. A bit disappointing, but otherwise the quality was very good.

There are so many fun things to discover in this image, it was a treat to put together. It’s full of Halloween spookiness – including witches, ghosts, bats, vampires, demons, and much more. It’s a great puzzle for the holiday – Happy Halloween! 🎃🎃

Details:

Title: Castle of Horror
Artist: Jean-Jacques Loup
Brand: Heye
Piece count: 2000 pieces
Size: Approx. 27 x 38 in. (69 x 97 cm)
Purchased: New

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Very good, some hanging bits of paper
Image: Excellent
Box: Excellent, triangular box
Fit: Somewhat loose, upset if bumped
Puzzle Dust: Moderate amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Matte finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Very good, recommended

Review: Mickey & Minnie Forever

On October 27, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments

Mickey & Minnie Forever – Mega Puzzles – 300 pieces

Here’s another puzzle that mom and I did together. There’s something about this image, the colors, the silhouette of Mickey, the comic strips in the background – I can’t properly put it into words, but this image makes an excellent puzzle and makes me happy.

I haven’t done many Mega Puzzles brand, but this one seemed to have better quality than others I remember. The pieces were on the thin side, but very sturdy and fit together remarkably well. The image reproduction is a bit shiny, but detailed and clear. This is the second of this brand in the past month that I’ve worked that has larger pieces, it seems that the larger pieces are better quality than the average 1000 piece size. Hmm. Interesting.

The assembly was more difficult than I thought it would be, but it was no match for the 2 puzzle princesses who were working on it. 😉 I will give credit to mom though, she did more of the work than I did – she’s the best!

I’m slightly re-thinking my attitude towards Mega Puzzles. I’d like to find a regular 1000 piece and another with larger pieces so I can compare them side by side. I’ll let my thrift store sensei know what her next mission is. 🛒

Details:

Title: Mickey & Minnie Forever
Artist: Disney
Brand: Mega Puzzles
Piece count: 300 pieces
Size: Approx. 27 x 19 in. (69 x 48 cm)
Purchased: Used, thrift store

Quality:

Board: Good, somewhat thin but sturdy
Cutting: Good
Image: Very good
Box: Average
Fit: Very good
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Grid cut
Piece shapes: Good variety
Finish: Somewhat shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Good, recommended

Review: It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

On October 20, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles Schulz – USAopoly – 500 pieces

Super fun! The first Halloween puzzle I’ve done this season, and I enjoyed it very much. I’ve come around to shaped puzzles, I never really wanted to do them before. Now that I’ve got quite a few under my belt, I appreciate the nice change of pace that they offer. Their shapes make them very interesting to assemble.

I didn’t start with the edge of this one, although I normally try to find all the edges of shaped puzzles to see how much I can assemble. I started with Linus and Sally, they were the easiest to pick out. Then I worked on Snoopy’s silhouette and the moon. The pumpkins were easier than I thought they’d be! I enjoyed the challenge of this one, it wasn’t too easy. I had a great time with the entire puzzle; easy parts were quick and satisfying, challenging parts kept me entertained and focused.

I love the fall and Halloween. I don’t have too many Halloween puzzles, but I’m enjoying the ones I do have. Here’s hoping the thrift stores have some more after the holiday! 😉

Details: