Georgetown Floral

On August 30, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles1 Comment

I figured this 300 piece puzzle would go together pretty quickly, I figured wrong! Luckily the quality was so good, and the image was so pretty that even though it was difficult I didn’t find it too tedious.

Hasbro’s EZ grip pieces are EXTREMELY thick, and fit together very well. The image reproduction was excellent, with beautiful colors; although the finish was shiny and prone to glare under artificial lights. There were a very good variety of piece shapes as well, and they made for for an interesting assembly. All in all, the quality was wonderful.

This was my first image by Jan Ford, and I enjoyed it very much; the color palette was beautiful. Flower puzzles aren’t always my first choice, but usually once I get going I find that I enjoy them very much.

Although it took longer than I thought it was an entertaining puzzle to assemble, and at the end hubby helped with the last little bit. I always enjoy having him help me with my puzzles, and he very much likes to swoop in at the end and help with the last few pieces. If I’m feeling generous I even let him put in the very last piece. 🙂

Lucy’s Shop

On August 28, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

How I wish I’d taken a better picture of this puzzle, it’s absolutely beautiful! The colors were lovely and it was just about a perfect image for puzzling.

This Bits and Pieces puzzle had a very good fit, and I very much enjoyed finding and assembling each small section. If you can believe it, after assembling the edge I started with the grass! I figured it was going to be the most difficult part, so why not get it out of the way first? It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be, and for me it made the rest of the puzzle seem easier.

The shop itself was the easiest part to put together, and each person in front of it was so entertaining to find and assemble; I really had a great time with this puzzle!

How is it that I can remember so much about a puzzle I put together over two years ago, but can’t remember things that happened yesterday? I have no idea, but I do know this – getting older ain’t for sissies!

Wacky Packages

On August 24, 2018August 24, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

I enjoyed Wacky Packages so much I can’t believe I never posted about it! (This was completed several years ago) The fit was amazingly tight, but it didn’t bother me that much because the image was so engaging and entertaining. My daughter started to assemble it herself and gave up because the fit was so snug, but I absolutely loved it. When the fit is this tight I like to stand them up on the bottom edge and take a picture that way – it just makes me smile. 😁

The quality of this White Mountain puzzle was good; the artwork seemed a bit fuzzy and the fit was EXTREMELY tight, but otherwise it was very nice. The pieces were thick with a very good variety of shapes. The image reproduction was very good; I think the fuzziness was the artwork itself rather than the reproduction – the colors were excellent! My picture is a bit fuzzy, here’s a better image…

1065_wacky_packs_1200

Collages are my favorite type of puzzle image, I love being able to complete one section at a time and finding where it fits into the overall picture. Charlie Girard is one of the best collage artists around (in my very humble opinion), and I always enjoy his work. This one was not only fun to assemble, it was amusing to read – Neveready batteries and Weakies cereal! 😂

I’m surprised how fondly I remember this puzzle, because the fit was so snug. Normally that’s something that I don’t care for at all, but when the image sucks me in and I’m having such a good time I seem to be completely unconcerned with any quality issues. This was definitely one of those times. The image overcame all, and despite my disdain for a super tight fit I had a wonderful time putting this puzzle together.

Review: More Ice Cream Please

On August 22, 2018August 22, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviews, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

More Ice Cream Please – Cobble Hill – 500 pieces

This was quite fun, but very challenging. It’s got a few missing pieces, but them’s the chances you take when you purchase used. It didn’t detract much from my enjoyment of the assembly, and the puzzle was such good quality that I didn’t mind that much. Fun puzzle!

For being a used thrift store puzzle, the quality held up quite well. The pieces still had a great feel and fit together very well. Sometimes you buy a pre-loved puzzle and it’s been beat up by it’s previous owner; this one seems to have been taken care of (if you don’t count the missing pieces). I do love a Cobble Hill puzzle, especially the smaller piece counts – the quality is excellent!

Once the edge was assembled it seemed that there may be a few missing pieces, but you can never be sure with a random cut – sometimes the edges don’t look like edges. Blue ice cream was the first to be assembled, and when those were finished I knew for sure that there were some pieces that seem to have melted away 😉

Mom came over and helped me finish this one up, with her help the pieces seem to fly into place! For me it’s so nice working a puzzle with someone else; there’s the fun of working together on a common goal, good conversation, and just spending time together. In the words of one of my favorite puzzle companies – Sit long. Talk much. Turn off that screen.

It’s more challenging than it looks, but absolutely worth it! Definitely recommended, two sundaes way up! 🍨🍨

Details:

Title: More Ice Cream Please
Artist: Not credited
Brand: Cobble Hill
Piece count: 500 pieces
Size: Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
Purchased: Used, thrift store

Quality:

Board: Very good
Cutting: Very good
Image: Very good
Box: Very good
Fit: Very good
Puzzle Dust: Small amount
Piece cut: Random cut
Piece shapes: Very good variety
Finish: Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating: Very good, recommended

Taking Pumpkins to Market

On August 21, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store Puzzles6 Comments

So I found a total of 20 puzzles that I’d previously assembled and posted pictures of on my completed puzzles pages, but had never written an entire post for. The only conclusion I can come up with is that the pictures are so unbelievably horrid that I was loathe to unleash them on the unsuspecting readers. Well, times being tough and all, I need puzzles to post and so here we are. With the “found” puzzle pictures I have now given myself a 3 week cushion in which to get off my lazy butt and get some serious puzzling done. The pictures are terrible, but a girl gots to do what a girl gots to do! 😇

Another stellar photograph – this time with my husband’s shoes showing up in the background. Yeesh.

Still, this is an exciting puzzle – it was my very first Cobble Hill! I remember being so excited about this puzzle, not only did the pieces look and feel amazing – the box did too! The linen paper they use on both the puzzle and the box gives a great feel in your hand. They do such a good job with quality, especially on their smaller piece count puzzles.

What fascinates me about this puzzle is that it seems quite bright and colorful, but I distinctly remember that all the pieces seemed rather dark with varying shades of brown/black/dark. It was much more of a challenge than it looks, but it was still entertaining and excellent quality.