Merry Christmas Everyone!

On July 28, 2017July 28, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Adorable kid’s puzzle from the thrift store. Puzzles for my Christmas in July here on the blog seem to be falling in my lap. There are plenty of Christmas puzzles in the thrift stores lately, though I’m definitely not complaining.

This is a Springbok puzzle which has good quality with very thick pieces and nice image reproduction, the fit is what I’m not a fan of. Springbok puzzles usually have an extremely tight fit, so much so that you have to really press down to connect the pieces. This puzzle was so tightly fit that the finished puzzle curled up at the edges! I prefer a fit that doesn’t require upper body strength; to me, if I have to work that hard to connect two pieces it makes me question if they actually fit together. But that is my personal opinion, it’s really just a matter of taste. A lot of people prefer the tighter fit, isn’t it great that we’re all so different and there’s a puzzle out there for everyone? 🙂

This was a quick assembly that mom and I did after she finished showing me her latest finds from the thrift stores. We both enjoy putting together the kid’s puzzles – first we have to make sure all the pieces are there before I pass them along to my grandson. And second, we have both refused to grow up – so even though she’s in her 70’s and I’m in my late 40’s we are still little kids at heart who can still have a good time putting together a kid’s puzzle. 😎

Peppermint Patty was always my favorite of the Peanuts gang, because she had freckles and was a tomboy, just like me! I prefer hanging out indoors these days and there isn’t any running around since I was injured, but I’ve still got my freckles. 😉

Kittens with Pumpkins

On July 26, 2017July 26, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Gorgeous puzzle! Cobble Hill makes an excellent large piece puzzle – beautiful linen covered pieces that feet great in your hand and fit together wonderfully. Thrift store finds are so much fun. 😉

This was one of the 5 puzzles mom and I assembled in one day. We grabbed all the kid’s puzzles we needed to assemble to check that all pieces were there and did every one! For me it was the best quality puzzle of the day. The image is adorable and sweet and would be great for kids; and it isn’t too childish, so it would also be good for anyone who needs or likes larger piece puzzles.

Puzzle Warehouse carries this puzzle in two sizes, a 35 piece and a 60 piece. It’s a great quality puzzle, I highly recommend it. 👍

Garden Bridge

On July 23, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

Pretty puzzle from Masterpieces, sadly missing a piece. Oh well, at least we saved someone else from having to buy an incomplete puzzle. 🙂

Mom and I had started a whole different puzzle this day, and after about 100 pieces we gave up. The other puzzle was an awesome image, but unbelievably tedious and un-fun. We tried to like it, then we remembered that doing puzzles is supposed to be fun and why in the world were we doing a puzzle we weren’t enjoying?? Sometimes we think that we have to finish a puzzle, just because we bought it. Nope. If it ain’t fun, it ain’t worth it! We spent our money to learn a lesson. That day’s lesson? Sometimes the coolest pictures make the worst puzzles!

So, we gave up on that one and decided to try this uncomplicated, beautiful puzzle with only 300 pieces. It was MUCH nicer to work.

The large pieces were nice and thick and fit together well – we both enjoy a large piece puzzle every now and then. The quality was good and the picture was lovely and we both enjoyed the assembly. It’s nice to work an easier puzzle once in a while, it makes you feel like a puzzle master. Look how fast I completed this entire puzzle! 😉

The scene by Alan Giana is beautiful and serene and it makes me think of summertime in the north. Blooming flowers and butterflies, birds and a small stream – lovely and calm. Extremely nice puzzle that was unfortunately missing a piece. Darn.

Holiday Treats

On July 21, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

A nice collage from the thrift store, it was a bit of a challenge but we powered through only to find there were 3 missing pieces. Sigh. Oh well, those are the chances we take with thrift store puzzles – if we get a $20 puzzle for 69 cents then we have to expect that sometimes it won’t always be complete. It was still fun to do! 🙂

Another chilly puzzle for Christmas in July. It took us a while, but mom and I finally got this one finished last week. It was moderately difficult, but quite fun to assemble with a friend.

The cut was random which mom doesn’t really care for, I don’t mind it so much but I do prefer a grid cut most of the time. With the randomness sometimes you think you know what shape piece you’re looking for and it turns out you weren’t even close! It’s nice to change things up once in a while though, I think it makes my brain work differently – it takes me a bit to make the change in how I’m perceiving the pieces and how they fit together. It’s excellent exercise for the brain cells!

The pieces felt thick and sturdy and fit together well, the image reproduction was lovely and made me hungry for Christmas cookies! The finish was quite shiny, but the puzzle wasn’t dark so it didn’t present a problem.

All things considered a good quality puzzle that mom and I had fun assembling together, even with the 3 missing pieces. Merry Christmas in July!

Chocolate Memorabilia

On July 19, 2017 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment

This puzzle was as nice to assemble as chocolate is to eat! Great thrift store find from the Great American Puzzle Factory, all pieces present and accounted for. 🙂

Another new-to-us company and we were impressed! The pieces are on the thin side, but are sturdy and feel good in your hand. The fit was very nice with random cut pieces, and the image reproduction was good with a shiny finish that can cause glare. Very nice puzzle that has found a new home with us. Hopefully we find more puzzles from this company at the thrift stores so we can compare the quality and see if it holds up.

Mom and I started the puzzle together and got about 50-60% done before I had to go home. We worked primarily on the words, there are so many! By the time all the words were complete the puzzle itself was about 50% complete. She finished it on her own the same evening, it was too much fun to leave it alone! I love puzzles like that. ❤

I enjoy trying out new companies, and seeing all the cool puzzles mom finds at the thrift stores. Perhaps there will come a day when we stop finding new companies to try out, but with so many countries in the world and so many manufacturers, I doubt it! 😁