Arcane Shelfie

On June 15, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

About a week before Mother’s Day my daughter said that she wanted to start working on puzzles again, but she didn’t have the space for it at the moment; so I decided to get her a small wooden puzzle for Mother’s Day. She IS the “mom” of my grandpuppies after all! I bought her this puzzle, and she brought it over to my house the next weekend so we could assemble it together, I chose well – we loved it!

The design of the pieces for this puzzle drew me in, and the image itself is so adorable it was calling to me from the computer screen. Artifact Puzzles have some of the most interesting piece cuts I’ve ever seen, their designers are extraordinary! This puzzle is quite small, at 5.5 x 16.5 inches (approx. 14 x 42 cm) it doesn’t take up much room, and the pieces are so delightful and unique it makes for quite an entertaining and challenging assembly.

There are a LOT of straight edges in this puzzle which made putting it together more difficult than I had assumed. The pipe-styled connectors and the pieces they fit into are interesting to work with and give your brain quite a workout! Of course this is a plus in my book, time spent puzzling with such an interesting image and wonderful pieces is very much time well spent. Plus I got to assemble it with my daughter, which was even more wonderful. 💕

I bought another interestingly shaped Artifact puzzle for my mom’s Mother’s Day present. They’re great to give as gifts – and when I give them to family who live close by that means I get to assemble them too. Bonus! I’m looking forward to assembling mom’s puzzle too, but she hasn’t finished it herself yet. Hurry up mom! Or better yet, bring it over here and we can assemble it together. 😁

Penguin Pandemonium

On June 8, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

This is the most challenging of the Wentworth micro puzzles that I’ve assembled so far. At only 41 pieces you wouldn’t think it would be that difficult, but I actually put it away the first time I attempted it because I just couldn’t get my brain to work right and none of the pieces wanted to fit together properly.

I adore these micro puzzles, and am so glad that I bought a BUNCH of them last year. They’re perfect when I want to puzzle but just can’t get out of bed or even sit all the way up. I can dump out the pieces on a cookie sheet lined with paper and puzzle lying down. I’ve got 16 of them left that I haven’t assembled yet, and will be doing 8 of them next month for Christmas in July. There are a few “extra difficult” holiday puzzles included in those 8 with an extra difficult cut – repetitive pieces and no whimsies. I’m looking forward to them!

The mostly black and white image made it difficult, as did the cut; you can see the shapes of the pieces below…

Luckily my brain cells were firing properly (for the most part) on my second attempt at this puzzle and I was able to get it done. The perspective helped; with the larger penguins at the bottom of the puzzle at the smaller groups at the top. It was an enjoyable challenge to complete this image and I was pretty proud when I heard that last piece plunk into place. Success!

Birds (Alternate Solution)

On June 5, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles8 Comments

IMG_E4688 — Birds (Alternate Solution) by Jane Tattersfield – Liberty Puzzles – 509 pieces

How cool is this? This is Birds, the same puzzle I posted about yesterday, and it looks amazing! On the Liberty website it shows the alternate solution to the puzzle, and I was hoping when I received the box it would at least come with a picture of the second assembly to help me put it together. No such luck – but I got it done anyway. 😎

I had to study the picture online to get started, and once I figured out how it was going to work I didn’t need the picture as much (at least for the feathers). Parts of the puzzle stayed put, and the pieces that were pulled out to form the new shape were laid next to the edges; they are connected to each other, but not to the original shape of the puzzle. Once I found the pieces that were to be flipped backwards, it wasn’t too difficult to figure out where the feathered pieces were coming from and where they were going.

I’m not sure why certain pieces were turned backwards, but I do see that the pieces near the owl’s head form the eyes and beak of the bird. It does make for any interesting image, doesn’t it? The flipped pieces also helped me find the right pieces to pull and where they were going. You’ve got to hand it to the designer of this puzzle, it’s a pretty remarkable composition. To design the pieces to make a perfect square when assembled one way, and to make a shaped bird in flight when assembled another – not to mention all the whimsies. Astounding!

Birds by Jane Tattersfield – Liberty Puzzles – 509 pieces

Birds (Alternate Solution) by Jane Tattersfield – Liberty Puzzles – 509 pieces

The bottom of the bird was more difficult than the feathers and took a little more time and thought. But with the picture as my guide and a bit of determination I was able to get it all put together. I was pretty proud of myself when I finished the regular assembly, but that was nothing compared to how excited I was when I finished the shaped assembly!

Liberty Puzzles are my favorite of all the wooden puzzle companies that I’ve tried. Their craftsmanship is exceptional, they have more whimsies than any other company, and the intricacy of their cuts is absolutely without equal. The pieces feel great in your hand, and there’s nothing like hearing them plunk into place when you’ve found the right spot. They’re not cheap, but I think they’re fairly priced (much more reasonably than many wooden puzzle companies) and completely worth it.

I bought myself this puzzle as a gift, and I’m looking forward to having another excuse to buy myself a present. Father’s Day is coming up this month, perhaps I need to get myself something. Without us moms there wouldn’t be fathers, right? 😇

Birds

On June 4, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles10 Comments

Stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, colorful, intricate – there are endless adjective possibilities to describe this puzzle, but I’m going with amazingly awesome! This was by far the most entertaining puzzle that I’ve assembled this year.

Liberty Puzzles are excellent quality, and they’re my favorite of all the wooden puzzle companies that I’ve tried. They have more whimsies than other companies, and the cut is extremely detailed and intricate; the pieces are works of art within the artwork! The puzzles are made from 1/4″ plywood and are a joy to handle and assemble. I’m pretty particular about the puzzles I choose to purchase new, but I would literally do ANY puzzle, ANY image from Liberty – every puzzle they have is exceptionally well made, and the cut of the pieces would make any image an entertaining assembly.

As you can see the whimsy pieces are extremely detailed, they’re all hand-drawn and beautifully made. The image is reproduced with amazing color and expertly adhered to the wood. These puzzles are made to be assembled and enjoyed over and over again.

It’s definitely an extravagance to spend so much on one puzzle, but I’ve decided that I’m worth it – they make me very happy. Most of the puzzles I assemble are the regular cardboard variety, but I allow myself to splurge on a wooden puzzle now and then; I also like to give them as gifts. Mother’s Day and my 30th wedding anniversary were a day apart this year, so I decided to get myself this puzzle as a reward for having and raising 3 children, and putting up with their father for 30 years. 😉

The colors of the birds are so beautiful, and they all work together to make a gorgeous puzzle. Even up close the colors and patterns make it difficult to see the piece shapes, so it isn’t one of those wooden puzzles where the outlines of the pieces overshadow the image. That’s part of the reason I chose this puzzle, the colorful image hides the lines that are more prominent in wooden puzzles, especially with lighter colors. I don’t consider it a flaw; it doesn’t diminish my enjoyment of the assembly, it’s just the nature of a laser cut wooden puzzle.

The edge pieces definitely weren’t easy to pick out; I found some of them, but not all. I did my best to assemble some of the edge and then decided to just start working the puzzle. I started with the yellow bird, it’s the lightest and the pieces were the easiest to find. The bright green bird at the top was next, and then the two birds with speckled coloring. The big blue owl was next, and from then it was filling in and assembling each of the smaller birds and flowers. It’s not an easy puzzle by any means, but I enjoyed the challenge of it.

The best part of this puzzle (besides it’s beauty) is that there is an alternate solution, one that is even more challenging that the traditional assembly. Once I finished assembly number one I was looking forward to attempting the second solution, but came down with a virus and spent the next four days in bed with no puzzling going on at all. Yesterday I was finally recovered enough to get back to it and I conquered the second assembly. Stay tuned, tomorrow’s post will feature this same puzzle looking very, very different!

London, The Thames….

On May 30, 2018 By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlesLeave a comment

London, The Thames with View of the City and St. Paul’s Cathedral – a giant name for such a small puzzle! This is another in my collection of Wentworth micro puzzles, perfect for when I’m stuck in bed but still want to work on a puzzle.

This is absolutely NOT the type of image that I prefer to assemble, but when there are so few pieces I’ll take on just about any challenge. I appreciate the workmanship of these puzzles, and that they’re easy to take and assemble anywhere – especially when you don’t have much time or space.

I’m always amazed at how difficult a puzzle with so few pieces can be. You would think with only 30-40 pieces it would go together quickly, but they usually don’t. The cut is such that it takes a bit of brain power to complete, but I love that. They’re fun and challenging, the best qualities of a great puzzle!