Tag: Review

Review: Sunsout Puzzle Preserver (Glue)

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlingLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse. 

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I don’t glue most of the puzzles I complete, but I have glued several puzzles for framing. This was my first time using Sunsout Puzzle Preserver and I liked it!

Some puzzles I’ve purchased specifically to frame after assembly, a Marine Corps puzzle for my husband last Christmas, Vintage Love Letters to hang in our bedroom, and several golf puzzles for hubby’s golf room. I’ve done my share of gluing puzzles, and while it seemed daunting at first, it’s really not difficult at all.

Sunsout Puzzle Preserver is very easy to use. The applicator brush is built into the lid so you can’t lose it, which is handy for those of us who can be absentminded and lose track of things. And the glue itself is opaque, so you can see where you’ve applied it, but dries clear and quickly.  I think the high gloss finish brightens up the colors of your puzzle.

Also, if you have a puzzle where the piece shape is obvious in the finished image, gluing it can soften the look of those lines and make it look more like a picture instead of a puzzle. I recently reviewed a Eurographics puzzle called Tsuki Hoshi that my daughter loved – but the piece shapes were very obvious. I glued it for her using Sunsout Puzzle Preserver and the shapes were quite muted afterward! Check it out before and after…

Tsuki Hoshi by Haruyo Morita – Eurographics – 1000 pieces

You can tell especially in the moon and the lighter top portion of the puzzle, it looks more like artwork and less like a jigsaw puzzle. I was extremely pleased, it looks beautiful!

I prefer to apply it by pouring the glue directly on the puzzle and spreading it around with an old credit card, I find it gets applied more evenly that way. I did use the attached brush for gluing Paris Opera House, but it ended up needing a second coat. I didn’t have that trouble when I used my regular method.  Be sure you put wax paper or plastic wrap underneath your puzzle so if any seeps through you won’t damage the surface beneath. Also, be careful not to apply too much, or it can get tacky – I went a little crazy the first time I used it. Oops!  😉  It’s a high gloss finish, so if you prefer matte I would use a different glue.

This is the before and after for Paris Opera House. In my opinion it sharpens the definition and makes the colors pop. You can see the darker colors more, but showing the shaded areas defines the arch of the ceilings. Compare the ceilings – the after picture shows more depth and the colors are brightened. I think it’s gorgeous!

Paris Opera House – Masterpieces (Masters of Photography) – 500 pieces
Paris Opera House – Masterpieces (Masters of Photography) – 500 pieces

I’ve used this glue on puzzles from Masterpieces, Sunsout, and Eurographics, and it has turned out beautifully every time. Like I said, I don’t glue most of my puzzles, but for the ones I do I would definitely trust Sunsout Puzzle Preserver. It’s only $3.99 at Puzzle Warehouse for a 4 ounce jar that will do 2 or 3 1000 piece puzzles. That’s an excellent price compared to Amazon at $6.60!

 

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

Review: Santa’s Highway

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse. 
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Santa’s Highway by Jim Todd – Sunsout – 1000 pieces

Santa’s Highway is a great shaped puzzle from Sunsout. It was so much fun that it went together more quickly than normal for a 1000 piece puzzle. Another puzzle for Christmas in July! 🎅🤶

While I’m not a big fan of the way Sunsout rectangular puzzles fit together, their shaped puzzles are altogether different. The fit of their rectangular puzzles is very tight and you have to work at putting two pieces together – really press down on them. The shaped puzzles they produce fit together differently and I enjoy the fit much more. Sunsout has an excellent catalog of shaped puzzles, click the link above to see Sunsout puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse.

Sunsout quality is very good in my opinion. The pieces are thick and sturdy and fit together well with a random cut that gives you a wide variety of piece shapes. The image reproduction is excellent with a slightly shiny finish that can cause glare under lights. Their boxes are large and square with the name of the puzzle, artist, and manufacturer along with the piece count on all four sides – making it easy to shelve either vertically or horizontally.

The finished puzzle is 27 x 32 in. (68 x 81 cm) which is an impressive size! It’s one thing to read the number and have an idea in your head of how big it is, and it’s another thing to actually see it. It definitely makes a statement, and would look amazing framed – or even better, glued and mounted on foam backing that is cut to fit the shape. It would make more of a statement in it’s highway sign shape I think. This puzzle is part of The Highway Series by Jim Todd – gorgeous puzzles shaped like highway signs with scenes from along the route; they’d make a great wall hanging for a car enthusiast or frequent traveler! Click the link above to see all the Highway Series puzzles and others from this artist available at Puzzle Warehouse.

Santa’s Highway went together quickly as it was easy to pull out sections to assemble. Unlike rectangular puzzles it isn’t as easy to start a shaped puzzle with the edge. I started with the cactus and reindeer flying across the moon, then moved on to the map and pictures. One after another each section went into place quickly because it was so much fun to assemble that I couldn’t leave it alone! Also, I loved how the edge looks beveled; it makes the puzzle even more striking and distinctive. I had a great time with it and am now looking at getting Lincoln Highway from this series to assemble next – it has gorgeous scenes from Historic Pennsylvania Highway 30. Another one added to my wish list, which is getting quite large! 😉

This puzzle was a wonderfully entertaining assembly and I enjoyed it from start to finish! If you enjoy Christmas or shaped puzzles, or even want to give shaped puzzles a try I highly recommend Santa’s Highway. Two thumbs way up! 👍🎄👍

 

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

 

Review: Puppies in a Basket

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.  
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Puppies in a Basket by Susan Brabeau – Ravensburger – 500 pieces

Puppies in a Basket is an adorable 500 piece puzzle from Ravensburger – my favorite puzzle company! Click the link above to see all the puzzles available from this manufacturer at Puzzle Warehouse. Their catalog is large and varied, and there’s something for everyone – from 10 pieces to the world’s largest puzzle at 40,320 pieces! (I don’t want to brag too much, but the 40,320 piece puzzle?–I did that! 😎 )

This puzzle full of puppy cuteness was an entertaining assembly from start to finish! The pieces for this 500 piece puzzles are little bigger than their average pieces, which I enjoy. They feel good in your hands and make for a nice size finished puzzle.

Ravensburger pieces are about the nicest, most premium pieces on the market and they are what I compare all other puzzles to. The fit is excellent and their “softclick technology” makes it so that you know when you’ve found the correct piece and the finished puzzle is absolutely smooth. The variety of piece shapes is excellent and makes for a fun puzzling experience. Their quality is exceptional in my opinion and I never hesitate to purchase a Ravensburger puzzle because I know I’ll be getting wonderful quality.

The artwork by Susan Brabeau feels homey and warm, and is an excellent image for puzzling. There are plenty of different colors and textures to help with assembly, and enough sameness so that it isn’t so easy that it’s boring. Susan’s artwork is nostalgic and beautiful and has been made into many puzzles by several different manufacturers. Click the link above to see all the puzzles available from this artist at Puzzle Warehouse.

These puppies made for a fun puzzle that was quick to put together. I started with the light blues of the window frame and pillow, and then assembled the basket. It was easy to pick out colors or textures to assemble without having to check the box image for reference; the quilt was fun with some repeating fabrics and colors. An excellent puzzle that made me smile every time I looked at it. The picture still makes me smile. 🙂

Dogs (especially puppies) are a popular puzzle image – who can resist all that sweet cuteness? I sure can’t! Unfortunately this puzzle is no longer available, but with almost 20 pages of dog puzzles to choose from at Puzzle Warehouse you’re sure to find an adorable four-legged friend to puzzle with. 🙂

 

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

 

 

 

Review: Neuschwanstein Castle

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse. 
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Neuschwanstein Castle – Masterpieces (Masters of Photography) – 500 pieces

Neuschwanstein Castle was a quick, fun puzzle that had better quality than I thought it would. I honestly don’t understand the fascination with this castle, there are so many puzzles of it from so many different companies! It’s an interesting looking castle in a beautiful setting, I guess because it makes for a pretty picture? Whatever the reason, it does make a lovely image and it was an enjoyable puzzle to assemble.

This puzzle is part of the Masterpieces Space Savers collection. Small boxes approximately half the size of a regular 500 piece box designed to put a lot of puzzle fun in a little box for a little price. The puzzles are either $4.99 or $5.99 at Puzzle Warehouse, which is a great price for a 500 piece puzzle if you ask me. I was impressed with the quality of this puzzle, and I’m looking forward to working on a couple other space saver Masters of Photography puzzles that I have to review. I’m hoping they’re all nice quality like this one. Click the link above to see all the space saver puzzles available from Puzzle Warehouse.

I was surprised by the pieces of this puzzle, they seemed very nice and not what I expected from the space savers box. I assumed (incorrectly) that the pieces would be thin; they were thicker than expected and fit together very well. The puzzle was random cut and had a nice matte finish that didn’t cause glare.

My only issue was the obvious piece cut in the finished puzzle. It makes it a little more difficult to see the details of the picture through all the piece shapes, but doesn’t really detract from the enjoyment of the assembly. I’m reserving judgement until I complete more of this series for comparison.

The space saver boxes are all one piece with a top that flips up. Not ideal for keeping the puzzle after you’ve assembled it; it would be too easy to lose a piece. I would recommend using a zip top plastic bag to store the pieces in the box after it’s been assembled. Also, because the box is smaller the image of the puzzle is smaller – it could be difficult if you need to reference the picture on a puzzle with more detail. On the plus side, these small boxes are perfect for travel.  Throw it in your suitcase for a vacation or just a weekend away and you’ve just packed some quality family time. 🙂

I enjoyed Neuschwanstein Castle even though it isn’t an image I would normally choose. It’s a good quality puzzle that was an entertaining assembly, definitely recommended.👍

 

I received this product at no charge to facilitate this review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

 

 

Review: Summer Hummer

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse. 
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Summer Hummer by Spencer Williams – Sunsout – 1000 pieces

Summer Hummer is a beautiful puzzle that would look amazing framed. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, and went together pretty quickly. It was a fun assembly, which I didn’t expect! 🙂

Sunsout is a puzzle manufacturer I don’t usually purchase. Not because of their quality, it’s just a matter of taste/opinion; I prefer puzzles with a different fit. Sunsout puzzles fit together quite snugly and it always makes me think I don’t have the correct piece if I have to really push it together. A lot of people prefer the tighter fit you get with Sunsout and Springbok puzzles and they are just as right in their opinion as I am in mine. 😎 Sunsout puzzles are made in the USA and eco-friendly using soy based inks and recycled cardboard. Thumbs up for that!

The pieces were undamaged and fully separated in the bag and there was a moderate amount of puzzle dust (might want to dump the pieces out on something other than your board first). The pieces are thick and sturdy and fit together quite tightly; you can easily move sections around without them falling apart and can even lift the entire puzzle once it’s completed. Most of pieces were ballerinas (2 prong/2 hole) but with a large variety of sizes and shapes. There was a small amount of hanging paper on the backs of some pieces – little bits of paper left from the cutting process. It isn’t too much to deal with but can be annoying. The image reproduction is very good – the colors are bright and the image matches the box cover exactly. The finish on the pieces is slightly glossy and can cause glare working under lights; it wasn’t too much of a problem with this puzzle as there aren’t many dark sections.

I was surprised at the size of this puzzle 26 x 26 inches (66 x 66 cm), it seems much bigger when you’ve finished it. The box is quite large for a 1000 piece puzzle, 12.5 inches square (31.75 cm) and the bottom section is thinner cardboard. All four sides have the puzzle and artist’s name, piece count, finished size and manufacturer. Three of the sides also have a smaller complete image making it easy to shelve either vertically or horizontally.

This puzzle took about 3 days to complete which is about average for me. I thought the background sections would be difficult and time consuming but they really weren’t. The larger hummingbird was easy enough to pick out but the smaller bird is green and the pieces were easy to overlook at first. Once the flowers and birds were complete you’re left with a lot of green. Many shades of green. But it wasn’t bad! Plenty of shading within the green and textures on the leaves made it easier.

This was my first puzzle by Spencer Williams, and I enjoyed the artwork very much. It makes for good puzzling and is a beautiful image. You can click here to see the other puzzle available by this artist at Puzzle Warehouse, it’s a lovely image of soaring eagles. Before completing this puzzle I would have thought it would be difficult with the background of the sky, but I think it would most likely be another fun assembly like this one.

Summer Hummer was enjoyable to assemble and the finished puzzle is gorgeous and would be excellent for framing! Even though the fit isn’t my cup of tea I have to say this is one of the most beautiful finished puzzles I’ve seen in quite a while. If you like a puzzle that fits together tightly and this image speaks to you, I definitely recommend this puzzle. 👍

 

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