Unknown Title

On September 12, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Here’s another puzzle from several years ago, and I specifically remember the time frame and what was going on when I was assembling it. I don’t always remember the specific time, but I do with this puzzle – it was June of 2016. It seems odd that I don’t have the title or even the brand of the puzzle, but unfortunately I don’t have that information (even though I searched the internet for info on it). I wish I did, because this was so much fun to assemble; I’d love to be able to recommend it by name. 🙂

Even though this thrift store puzzle had two missing pieces it was so much fun! It was so long ago, and missing pieces, but I do recall that mom wanted me to keep it so she could assemble it even though it wasn’t complete. It may be hiding in the piles and piles of puzzles at mom’s house, but she’s in the process of moving, so finding it isn’t an option at the moment.

The great colors and all the wording made this puzzle both entertaining and challenging; and part of the reason mom wanted to assemble this even with missing pieces is because I enjoyed it so much. I don’t recall much about the actual quality of the puzzle, but the image is what made it so much fun to put together.

If you can find a title, artist, or manufacturer please let me know (I’m not great at finding things online, obviously). 🙂

Route 66

On September 9, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles4 Comments

Route 66 is a popular theme for jigsaw puzzles, and I’ve done several of them. This one was great fun, had excellent quality, and was one of the more entertaining versions in my opinion.

Ravensburger puzzles are always a great find at thrift stores, and this one was no exception. Even though it had obviously been assembled several times, the fit was still excellent. The box was pretty beat up, but thankfully there weren’t any missing pieces.

There was so much to see in this image; and with so many postcards and Route 66 road signs it was a bit of a challenge as well. But it was the best kind of challenge, the kind that sucks you in and focuses your attention. And as an added bonus I got to assemble this puzzle with my mom, which upped the entertainment factor. Puzzling with mom is the best!

Route 66 lends itself well to collage puzzles, and this is a bright, beautiful image. It’s no longer in production, but if you run across it at a thrift store I would highly recommend it – this Route 66 puzzle was definitely a place to “get our kicks”. 🚗

Things I Ate as a Kid

On September 8, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

I love collages, images by Charlie Girard, and bright, fun colors on a puzzle. This puzzle has all of those things, but for some reason I didn’t enjoy this puzzle as much as I’d hoped I would. I can’t put my finger on why that was, but you can’t fall in love with every puzzle I guess.

There was nothing wrong with the puzzle itself, even with it being a thrift store purchase it still had very good quality. There isn’t anything wrong with the image either, when I saw the box I was very excited to start assembling it. Doesn’t it look like fun to you?

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It sure looked like fun to me, but for some reason I can’t quite put into words I didn’t have as much fun as I’d hoped.

Perhaps I just wasn’t in the right mood, or perhaps I just wasn’t feeling well. I think the problem was definitely with me, and not with the puzzle itself. We can’t love every puzzle, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give this one a try if you have the chance. It was good quality, and perhaps you’ll be in the exact right mood to enjoy this one to the fullest. 🙂

Vintage Candy Shop

On September 3, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

I see a recurring theme, I didn’t post these puzzles because the pictures are so awful. On a positive note, we’re about halfway through the old puzzles so it shouldn’t be too much longer. I must have been having balance issues when I was taking these pictures; it looks like I was falling and on my way to the floor when I snapped this picture!

I think I should start including an image of what the puzzle looks like straight on for my readers, you should know what it’s supposed to look like…

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I love an Aimee Stewart image, and this one was pretty darn fun to put together even though the quality was less than optimal. There was some splitting of the chipboard, and a few pieces with image lift. The pieces were a bit thinner than I’d like, but they weren’t too bad and the fit was excellent. Ceaco puzzles seem to fit together very well no matter the quality of the board, and a good fit is something many puzzlers appreciate, myself included.

The cash register was my favorite part to assemble, the number keys and the wording on the front of the drawer were fun to put together. The drawer itself was a little more challenging, but still completely entertaining. The different candies were so bright and interesting – Aimee Stewart’s use of colors and the way she puts them together makes for added difficulty, and added pleasure. I’ve done many of her puzzles and they’re always a challenge, but always beautiful and a good time.

Fun puzzle, with fair/good quality, if you like the image and you find a copy of this one I definitely recommend it. 👍

Swing Your Partner

On September 1, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles2 Comments

I really have gotten tons better at photographing my puzzles – these pictures from several years ago are terrible. The angle is absolutely awful! This is what the image looks like straight on…

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This one was lots of fun, and the image was great for puzzling. I’ve done several puzzles by Jane Wooster Scott and have enjoyed them all, her pictures make for entertaining puzzles. 🙂 It’s a great image; the bright colors, straight lines, and symmetry of trees, etc., made for a wonderful assembly. Her artwork reminds me of Charles Wysocki in some ways, and for me they’re both artists whose work makes for excellent puzzling.

The quality of this Ceaco puzzle was good/tolerable. Sometimes the chipboard used is quite thin, but this one wasn’t too bad. There wasn’t much splitting of the board or image lift, and the fit was excellent. The image reproduction is very nice as well; the finish is a bit shiny, but thankfully not too much. Overall, a good quality puzzle that was entertaining to put together. That’s all I’m looking for!