Tag: Whimsy pieces

Adoration of the Magi

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi – Artifact – 208 pieces

This was the very first wooden puzzle I sent to my sister-in-law and her family, and after having assembled it – yikes. It was quite difficult! I had no idea, apparently I need to pay more attention and make sure the puzzles I gift them aren’t too challenging, I wouldn’t want them to get frustrated and give up.

This Christmas image has all the requisite holiday whimsy pieces; angels, the star, all the characters for the nativity – even the words “Gloria In Excelsis Deo” on a banner.

The pieces make up the nativity scene that you can see from the back as well. What wonderfully creative puzzle designers they have at Artifact!

There were three holes built into the puzzle to hold up the three pieces with no coloring at all (the three wise men and their transportation) – if there’s an industry term for the stand-up pieces I don’t know what it is. Other than very cool and amazing looking!

Hubby, his sister and her husband were all working on it with me so I had to take a picture. I don’t know when we all got so old looking, but we sure don’t act old – that’s for sure. 😉

Pop the Champagne

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Pop the Champagne by Aimee Stewart – Wentworth – 80 pieces

This challenging and beautiful little puzzle was SO much fun to put together! It was the last one in a day where we put together two mini wooden puzzles, one larger and more difficult wooden puzzle, and a 500 piece cardboard one. Luckily, we had just as much fun with this last one as we did the first.

I’ve done a few shaped Aimee Stewart images, and they’re always a bit challenging but lots of fun – this one was no different. The swirling shapes of the pieces and the gorgeous colors made for a great assembly.

There was only one whimsy piece with this mini puzzle, a bunch of grapes right near the center of the bottle…

We had such a great time with this that it ended up staying with my sister-in-law, she kept saying how much fun it was and I just couldn’t resist leaving it for her just like the Tea Bath puzzle we put together at their cabin on our first trip. I know it will be well loved and put together many more times. 💕

Hubby and his sister worked on it by themselves for a few minutes, and I got in there closer to the end and sis and I put in the last few pieces together. Love, love, loved it!

Bluebells

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles4 Comments

Bluebells – Wentworth (Mini Mindful) – 40 pieces

As beautiful as this image is, I have to say this Mini Mindful was a bit disappointing for me. All of the other puzzles in this line that I’ve done have had tessellating pieces, or a repeating pattern of interestingly shaped pieces – this seemed just like a regular micro puzzle from Wentworth.

There’s not a thing wrong with Wentworth’s micro puzzles, but I was hoping for more of a challenge with the Mini Mindful; one that makes you really focus because it’s more difficult than a “regular” puzzle. This is just my opinion of course, but that’s what this blog is – my opinions about the puzzles I assemble.

Cute whimsies to go along with the outdoor image. They made the puzzle even easier to assemble, the shapes around them were very easy to find. 😢

Still, it’s a lovely image and I enjoyed putting it together even if I was a little let down by the piece shapes.

Medicine Teepee

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles6 Comments

Medicine Teepee by Joseph Henry Sharp – Artifact – 105 pieces

Oh man, was this ever a fun puzzle to assemble! Usually pieces that don’t connect really annoy me, but the way this puzzle was almost like playing with a tangram was extremely entertaining. I absolutely loved it!

There was really no need to take a separate picture of the whimsy pieces, as they’re all sitting on top of the puzzle – you can check them out for yourself. I actually really liked that, it made the rest of the puzzle a little more of a challenge. Whimsies and the pieces that fit around them make a puzzle easier to put together; with these on the top you couldn’t use them to assist in the assembly.

The image by Joseph Henry Sharp was interesting and made for slightly difficult but excellent puzzling. There were quite a few times where I placed pieces wrong (especially in the sky and the grass), you definitely had to pay close attention. Having to be completely focused on the image and the shapes made for an almost meditative experience and I can’t wait to assemble this one again!

What a fantastic puzzle! And a special thanks to Alice for letting me know about the half-price sale at Artifact they were having in June. I got this beauty for only $18.00! 💗

Literary Dogs

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles10 Comments

Literary Dogs by Kathryn Freeman – Artifact – 302 pieces

This very long puzzle was so entertaining to assemble that I kept forgetting to do other things; things like taking a drink, getting up and moving around, talking to my family, etc. With such an interesting border and so many adorable dogs I just kept getting sucked into the assembly – don’t you love it when that happens? I do!

Such a wonderful quality puzzle from Artifact, it was a joy to put together. Lately I’ve been putting together more puzzles with unique borders, and I have to tell you that they are so much fun. 😍 It’s hard to see when you take a picture of the entire puzzle, so I’ve taken some closeup shots for you.

Not only are there whimsies in the body of the puzzle itself, but there are animals frolicking all across the top as well. I love that you can tell the breed of several of the dogs just by their shapes.

The books include quite a few animal-related stories: Lassie, Old Yeller, Moby Dick, White Fang, etc. There are the classics as well; The Hobbit, Of Mice and Men, Anna Karenina and more. Books and dogs – this puzzle was right up my alley!

Love the heart on the side of the big black and white dog (I’m unsure of the breed), and the tableau of animals romping along the top of the puzzle are so cute!

You can see that many of the whimsy pieces were attached to the top border, and some were by themselves. I can’t overstate how much I enjoyed this – it made for a wonderfully absorbing and entertaining afternoon of meditative puzzling.