Tag: Review

Review: The Old Country Store

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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The Old Country Store by Art Poulin – MasterPieces (Town & Country) – 300 EZ Grip pieces

There’s so much to see at The Old Country Store, you’ll keep finding new items as you assemble this puzzle. Look at everything you used to be able to get in one store! Fixtures, furniture, fish bait, groceries, toys, etc – it was also the post office and barber shop – everything you need in one place. Including lumber and marriage licenses! 😮 It makes an excellent image for puzzling, lots of fun.

This puzzle by MasterPieces was very good quality. They have excellent large piece puzzles to choose from, including several series like Town & Country, Memory Lane, and Playful Paws to name a few. The larger pieces are great for seniors or children; the large pieces are easier for aging hands and eyes, and do not compromise the image quality. I like them just because they’ve got great images and sometimes it’s enjoyable to work with the larger pieces. Click here to see all the puzzles available from MasterPieces at Puzzle Warehouse.

The finished puzzle is 18 x 24 inches (approx. 46 x 61 cm). The pieces were undamaged and fully separated, and there was no puzzle dust in the bag. The puzzle is a random cut, so there were a good variety of piece shapes. They were a good thickness, sturdy, and fit together well. The image reproduction was very good, with lots of detail, and a slightly shiny finish. The box is smaller and square, with the name of the puzzle, piece count, manufacturer and a small complete image of the puzzle on all four sides.

This was an easy assembly for me, starting with the edges of course, then the words, buildings, etc. One section leads to another and before you can get up to warm up your coffee the whole thing is done! It was interesting to see all the things you could get at the country store, I’d love to be able to visit one, but those days have passed us by. We had a “general store” where I grew up, with everything from candy to clothing, but I’m sure it wasn’t nearly as diverse as the old country stores used to be. The big super stores of today have almost everything we need in one place, but definitely not the same feel.

The artwork by Art Poulin is detailed and beautiful. He specializes in Americana and his artwork has been turned into many gorgeous puzzles. You can tell he has a love for the simple things in life and his landscapes are charming and inviting. Click here to see all the puzzles currently available from Art Poulin at Puzzle Warehouse.

The Old Country Store was a fun assembly, with large easy to hold pieces that would be great for seniors or younger puzzle fans. If you’re a fan of Americana or folk art, you should definitely enjoy this puzzle. Recommended! 👍

 

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

 

 

 

Review: Great Minds Set of 5 Brainteasers

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Game Reviews1 Comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Great Minds Set of 5 Puzzle Compendium (Brainteasers) – Professor Puzzle

Entertainingly frustrating is what I would call these puzzles, but apparently the name is Great Minds Set of 5. The stubborn side of me refuses to give up and keeps on trying, the other side wants me to just type in the web address to get the solutions and get it over with! Which side will win? I don’t have an answer yet, I’m still arguing with myself.  😉

I think I prefer my plain ‘ole jigsaw puzzles, but these were/are a fun distraction. I’m not the best at logic puzzles sometimes, and at other times my mind is clicking and they don’t offer much of a challenge. I’m click-less at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up.

I’ve never seen brainteasers like these before, named after “great minds”. There is a short bio of each of the men on the back of the box, along with the challenge that each puzzle presents. All of the puzzles require that you separate the pieces and then reassemble them. Sounds easy, but it’s definitely not. They also have an edition with puzzles named after 5 women with great minds.

I enjoyed learning about each of the people the puzzles were named after; some I knew and some I didn’t. I have 3 of the puzzles figured out, but if I’m being honest I’m afraid to take apart Stephenson’s Railway Sleepers (far right). I’m doubting my ability to put all that back together! Also, I know my husband would just pick it up and put them back together in about a minute, and that might not be so great for our marriage! 😉

I think these would be great for a teacher to have in their classroom, or for anyone who enjoys logic and brainteaser puzzles really. They make you stop, look, and think before you go charging ahead – we all need a little practice at that if you ask me! Like I said in the beginning, entertainingly frustrating – but it’s the entertaining part that’s most important. Give these a try and give your brain cells a workout; or click the link above to see all the different brainteasers available at Puzzle Warehouse. I’m all for brain exercising, so thumbs up for these puzzles! 👍

 

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own. 

 

Review: Country Kitchen

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Country Kitchen by Janet Kruskamp – White Mountain – 1000 pieces

Country Kitchen was a moderately challenging but beautiful puzzle that made me wish I still lived in the country! The stove looks just like one my great grandmother used to use, and the canning pot on the stove looks exactly like one my mother used to have when she canned tomatoes, peaches, and many other tasty treats for the family. I didn’t always appreciate the work that went into feeding us, and the taste of home grown and preserved foods, but I sure do miss them now! Obviously, this puzzle is making me feel a bit nostalgic. 🙂

White Mountain doesn’t just have an excellent catalog of collages, they also have beautiful artwork, photography, landscapes, maps and educational puzzles as well as a new line of children and family puzzles. Their quality is very good with larger, thick pieces that fit together well and excellent image reproduction. Click the link above to see all the puzzles from White Mountain currently available from Puzzle Warehouse.

White Mountain 1000 piece puzzles are larger than most at 24 x 30 inches (61 x 76 cm), so be sure you have a large enough work space before you begin. There was some puzzle dust in the bag but not too much, and the pieces were all separated. There were a few slightly bent pieces but they weren’t so damaged that you couldn’t use them; a quick little bend in the other direction and they were fine. The pieces were thick and sturdy and fit together well. The image reproduction seemed a little muted and fuzzy at first but that was just the artwork style (and my aging eyes). The box is about the average size for a 1000 piece puzzle with the name of the title, artist, manufacturer, and piece count on all 4 sides. 2 sides have a smaller complete image of the puzzle, and 2 sides have a small partial image, making it suitable for shelving either vertically or horizontally.

This assembly was moderately challenging for me because of the art style. The image of the puzzle looks as if it would be easier, but the brush strokes and soft lines made it a bit more difficult for me. That’s a good thing in my mind though, I like a bit of a challenge – it exercises the brain cells. The curtains were the easiest to pick out, along with the stove, sky, and flowers. After those were complete it seemed to get a little easier and went together more quickly for me. It was an extremely enjoyable assembly, and I look forward to working more puzzles by Janet Kruskamp – I like her style! Check out the other puzzles from this artist by clicking the link above, The Blossom Shoppe is gorgeous!

The new puzzles from White Mountain have sold extremely quickly, so if Country Kitchen is sold out at the moment you can always leave your email and sign up to be notified when it’s back in stock. If this image speaks to you I would definitely recommend it. It’s beautiful, nostalgic, and a little challenging – an excellent combination! 👍👍

 

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Review: Mini Find It – Easter

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Game ReviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

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Mini Find It – Easter is a game where you do what the name says, find it! In the game among all those beads are many items to be found. There is a list on the top to tell you what’s hidden inside and all you have to do is find it. Easy? Theoretically! Everything isn’t easy to find, but you’ll have a great time looking.

I don’t know what it says about me (in my late 40’s) and my mom (in her early 70’s), but we are having the best time with these kid’s games! Perhaps it says that we’re technically adults, but we also like to let our inner child out to play – A LOT. 😎

For this game, though, I didn’t just rely on two little old ladies and what they thought – I wanted to see what a child in this digital age thought and whether or not a non-electronic toy could hold his attention. Levi is 10 years old and a family friend, so I wanted his thoughts on this game and whether or not today’s tech savvy kids would enjoy it. He was excited to help out, and was so great I’ve hired him to be my product tester – luckily homemade baked goods are all the payment he requires. 😉

Levi had the game for a little over a week, and even took it on a weekend getaway with family. Here is his review…

He thought it was fun, but more fun to play with someone than by yourself. He also enjoyed that it wasn’t easy to find everything and that it provided lots of hours of play time. The objects were hidden very well, and you really had to work at moving the game around to try to find everything. He thinks the objects were very small and could be a tad bigger, but that overall he really enjoyed the game and thought it was good for just about everyone to play. (Well reviewed Levi! Let me know if I’m baking cookies or brownies for you. 😘)

Identity Games manufactures this game, and they make several versions. The Easter game I reviewed is a mini version; probably about 6 or 7 inches high. The regular Find It games look to be about twice as tall but perhaps a little thinner. They have many versions to choose from  – discover America, pirates, glitz & glamour, dinosaurs, even one called “Ew, Gross!” I wonder what they’ve hidden in that one! The regular editions come with playing cards and ways to play sheet. Click here to see all the Identity Games available at Puzzle Warehouse.

Like Levi, mom and I enjoyed this game very much. It’s perfect for car rides, in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, waiting at a restaurant, or just in the living room at home. Almost all ages can play, so the whole family can get involved in the search. It isn’t so easy that you find everything quickly and become bored – you know the items are there if you could just get the beads to fall the way you want them to! (They rarely do, you gotta work at it! 😉 )

Find It, any of the versions, would make a great gift, especially for someone who needs to unplug from everything for a while. It’s good for visual acuity, attention span, and just plain old fun! I personally would love to see exactly what they’ve hidden in the “Ew, Gross” Find It. I’m giving this game 3 thumbs up, one for each generation that had a great time playing it! 👍👍👍

 

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own (or those of my product tester)

 

 

Review: Spirit of Coca Cola

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Spirit of Coca Cola by Pamela Renfroe – Springbok – 1000 pieces

Spirit of Coca Cola was a fun but quite challenging puzzle. I like the image, it makes me think of my dad who always has and always will drink Coca Cola!

Springbok puzzles are good quality with nice thick pieces that fit together very snugly and excellent image reproduction. I’m not sure if you would call the cut random or semi-random, but it did make for an interesting assembly. If you read this blog regularly you know I’m not a fan of the super tight fit, but many people are; to each his own. It does make it easy to assemble a smaller section and then pick it up and move it – that’s one good thing about a very tight fit. There’s always a positive to be found, so I always try to find it. 🙂 Springbok has a varied catalog; there are so many interesting puzzles to choose from – nature, animals, sweets, holidays, and many others including more Coca Cola images! Click the link above to see all the puzzles from Springbok available at Puzzle Warehouse.

There was a fair amount of puzzle dust in the bag, but the pieces were all separated and undamaged; the fit was tight and required some effort to connect pieces. The image reproduction was beautiful with a slightly shiny finish. It was a bit difficult to work the darker areas of the puzzle for me, my puzzle area only has artificial lights so there was glare to deal with. The finished puzzle is on the large side for 1000 pieces 24 x 30 inches (61 x 76 cm) so be sure you have a large enough work space. The box has the name of the puzzle, manufacturer and piece count along with a small image on 3 sides so that you could store it vertically or horizontally.

The assembly was relatively easy at first, the bottom half of the puzzle was easy to pick out pieces to assemble the plane, all the people and signs, etc. Once the building and everything below it was complete the challenge was turned up a notch! There is a fair amount of blue sky to put together and an even larger amount of tree line. This section was more time consuming and slightly tedious for me; the trees were more difficult than the sky and took the most time. This wasn’t my favorite assembly, but it wasn’t too bad and I sure was proud when I finished it. 🙂

The artwork by Pamela Renfroe feels retro/nostalgic and makes me think of “simpler times”. I love the feeling of family in this image, and it made me look through the vintage puzzles at Puzzle Warehouse and add several of them to my ever growing, insanely long wish list. 😮 There are a bunch of wonderful collage puzzles that I would love to get my hands on!

Spirit of Coca Cola is no longer available at Puzzle Warehouse, but don’t worry, Coca Cola is a popular theme for puzzles and there are a surprising number of them to choose from. Click here to see all the Coca Cola puzzles available from Puzzle Warehouse from several different puzzle manufacturers. I especially love Santa’s Coca Cola Christmas – such beautiful artwork! The Coca Cola puzzles make me smile and some of them definitely seem like a fun challenge to take on!

 

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.