Tag: Review

Review: Colored Powder

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews3 Comments
Colored Powder
Colored Powder – Milton Bradley (Big Ben) – 500 pieces

This image is GORGEOUS! It wasn’t as difficult as I’d feared it would be, and I absolutely loved putting it together. 💖

The Big Ben puzzles that I’ve been finding at my local Tuesday Morning store have been very good quality and a joy to work with. I love the slanted grid cut, and the dry feel of the pieces. The fit is quite good as well, and overall the entire puzzle was wonderful.

I started with the light blue, which wasn’t too hard. But the rest of the puzzle was a bit of a challenge mostly because my husband took the extension cord off of the big light directly above my puzzle table. It took a few days for me to find a replacement and before I did, seeing the colors of whichever puzzle I was working on was a little difficult – and this one especially!

Seeing the difference between the reds, oranges, and pinks was made even more problematic because of the lack of good lighting. The hurricane shutters are still on all of our windows (hubby is out of town for work), so I couldn’t even get any help from the window near my table.

All problems aside, this image is so beautiful that I loved watching it come together as each piece was added. It’s a little challenging, but definitely worth it!

Details:

  • Title:                  Colored Powder
  • Artist:                Big Ben Puzzles
  • Brand:               Milton Bradley (Big Ben)
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
  • Purchased:      New

Quality:

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

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

Review: Lip Smackin’ Sweets

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments
Lip Smackin'
Lip Smackin’ Sweets by Karen Romanko – Lafayette Puzzle Factory – 1000 pieces

Lip Smackin’ Sweets was difficult, but in a good way. Even though the quality was less than optimal it was still entertaining and completely absorbing.

Lafayette Puzzle Factory has good/fair quality; though I have noticed that the smaller piece count puzzles seem to be better quality. This 1000 piece had thinner pieces, a loose fit, lots of puzzle dust, and didn’t lay completely flat. On the good side there were a nice variety of shapes and the image reproduction is crisp, which is many times not true of photographic collages.

Lip Smackin' 1

The plate above was my favorite part; the bright yellow was easy to find as were the Nerds. I’m not sure I know exactly why this part was my favorite, but it was. Perhaps I just liked the look of it.

Lip Smackin' 2

The little blue “Satellite Wafers” were one of the first things I assembled. The pale blue was easy to find, and there were quite a few of them. I had a good time figuring out which satellite went where – I enjoyed the challenge. I never did like these candies though, it felt like eating tasteless styrofoam. Blech!

Some puzzlers don’t mind a less than premium puzzle, and for those people I’m recommending Lip Smackin’ Sweets. Even though the pieces were thin and the fit was loose I still enjoyed this puzzle. It doesn’t have to be perfection for me (or anyone really) to be entertained – and in the end, it’s a beautiful finished puzzle. This is a pretty image, with bright, fun colors and it kept me absorbed and wanting to be at my board for several days. That’s truly what it’s about.

Details:

  • Title:                  Lip Smackin’ Sweets
  • Artist:                Karen Romanko
  • Brand:               Lafayette Puzzle Factory
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 27 x 20 in. (69 x 51 cm)
  • Purchased:      New

Quality:

  • Board:               Good, but thin
  • Cutting:             Good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Fair, quite loose
  • Puzzle Dust:     Moderate amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Very good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, does not lay flat

Overall Rating:      Good, recommended 

Review: Canvas

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews4 Comments
Canvas
Canvas – Cloudberries – 1000 pieces

It was no surprise to me that I absolutely loved this puzzle, the image is so different from the “normal” puzzle pictures that you usually see of countrysides, cats, and collages. I love that it’s unusual and colorful, and it made for a challenging but thoroughly entertaining assembly. (My apologies for the slightly wonky picture – I am obviously not Ansel Adams!)

Cloudberries is a newer puzzle company with a small catalog of interesting images, and I have found the quality to be excellent. The pieces are a good thickness, with a good variety of shapes, and fit together well. The image reproduction is stellar, with bright colors, sharp lines, and no areas with fuzzy or blurred images.

There are more ballerinas (2 prong/2 hole) than anything other shape, but that’s usually the case with most puzzle companies. It was a bit of a pain when I got to the all white pieces, but didn’t bother me with the colored areas at all.

Canvas 1

The color wheel was the first thing I assembled and I really love the look of it (that it had words was a bonus!)

Canvas 2

The darker of the two globes had me spinning my wheels for a bit, but I got it done in the end. I work under artificial light and it was hard to distinguish the right pieces and where the lines were. It looks pretty darned cool though! I absolutely loved this image; it’s so unusual and colorful, and much more interesting to assemble than a landscape. (At least it was for me.)

Canvas 3

You can see in the upper right corner where it looks “dirty” for lack of a better word. It’s part of the image, but was a little confusing at first. I thought the box was a little dirty in places too, but it’s part of the “Canvas” image. On the plus side, it did make it easier with the white pieces. 😉

I adored this puzzle; the assembly was entertaining and interesting, with just the right amount of challenge. I definitely recommend you give Cloudberries puzzles a try if you have the chance. They have some fantastic images in their catalog, and they make a great puzzle! 🌦🍒👍

Details:

  • Title:                  Canvas
  • Artist:                Cloudberries
  • Brand:               Cloudberries
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 19 x 27 in. (49 x 69 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

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

Overall Rating:      Excellent, highly 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: I Will Help You

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews2 Comments
I Will Help You
I Will Help You – Promise Puzzles – 300 pieces

The is the second of two puzzles from this company that I’ve assembled to review, and I found the quality of this one was even better than the first. The image was a little more of a challenge, but I still enjoyed the assembly very much.

FairHope Promise Puzzles is a subscription service that sends you a new puzzle every month, and they also come with a 30-day devotional included in the box. You can also purchase the puzzles separately – click here to see the puzzles they currently have available. They make and sell other Christian-themed items, including greeting cards, books, and music cds.

I found the quality to be very good, with thick pieces that fit together very well and have a good variety of piece shapes. They are larger pieces, easy for both younger and older puzzlers to grasp and hold – I quite like working with the large pieces – it makes the finished puzzle seem larger and more of an accomplishment. The image reproduction is beautiful, and the image in this puzzle especially is lovely.

I Will Help You 2

This is everything included in the box; the accompanying devotional, the poster to help with assembly, and the puzzle itself. I always appreciate a poster with a puzzle, it’s nice to have the complete image that is a bit larger than the one on the box, and it’s great for when more than one person is working on the puzzle. One can use the box and the other can use the poster.

The tree was a bit of a challenge; all the leaves across the top and the large trunk made me slow down and really pay close attention to the shapes and shades of color. I rather like the ones that are a bit more difficult; if they’re too easy it goes by too quickly for my taste. It’s a very pretty image and one that was fun to assemble.

I know my readers are a varied group of puzzlers with different beliefs and attitudes, and these puzzles won’t appeal to everyone. But for those who may be interested, I found them to be very good quality and can definitely recommend them. 🌳👍

Details:

  • Title:                  I Will Help You
  • Artist:                Promise Puzzles
  • Brand:               Promise Puzzles
  • Piece count:     300 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Very good
  • Image:               Excellent
  • 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

 

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: Pixels

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews3 Comments
Pixels
Pixels – Cloudberries – 1000 pieces

I absolutely loved this puzzle! The image is so pretty to look at, and everyone knows how much I enjoy blocks of color – that’s all this puzzle is! The assembly wasn’t too difficult, but it wasn’t always easy either; it was Goldilocks – just right. 😎

Cloudberries is a small, family owned UK company, and they have a wonderfully interesting catalog. Their images are so varied and different than the usual puzzles you normally see, I would love to do pretty much any of their puzzles! Click the link above to see what gorgeous images they have available now, and even some that are coming soon. (When Geometry and Patchwork are available, I’m definitely getting them!)

The puzzles are manufactured in the Netherlands, which is why I think the pieces feel similar to a Jumbo puzzle (also manufactured in the Netherlands) its almost a waxy feel; they just feel great in your hands.  They have a very good fit, although some pieces can seem to fit where they don’t belong – but with this image that was more my fault because sometimes you think you know the right color and your brain is just wrong. The majority of pieces were ballerinas (2 prong/2 hole), but there was a variety of shapes; and the image reproduction is gorgeous.

I had a great time with the assembly, and I completely adored this puzzle, both the image and the quality. It is definitely recommended – 2 thumbs way, way up! 👍👍

 

*Just a note from a personal perspective – This was the first 1000 piece puzzle I assembled after losing my mom, and I have to say that the assembly just drew me in and allowed me to stop thinking and just become absorbed with the puzzle and which piece came next. It was a lovely respite from everything that was going on, and was exactly what I needed – the perfect puzzle at the perfect time. *

Details:

  • Title:                  Pixels
  • Artist:                Cloudberries
  • Brand:               Cloudberries
  • Piece count:     1000 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 19 x 27 in. (48 x 69 cm)
  • Purchased:      N/A, sent for review

Quality:

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

Overall Rating:      Excellent, highly 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.