Happy Memorial Day weekend! We're starting to have serious summer weather here, which always puts me in the mood for nature puzzles. Tigers, elephants, cows, lizards, and birds--all are frequent subjects of jigsaw puzzles. These puzzles bring a little bit of nature into the house. You don't have to be a birdwatcher or be able to... CONTINUE READING

Publisher: Cobble Hill (Canada), 2016 Title:  “Garden Birds" by Greg & Company  500 pieces, 18" x 24" Review by Jane OUR RATING: 8.25/10 Box Quality:  (8/10) The box is shown above and below. It's an attractive rectangular box similar in size to Ravensburger and Jumbo, but it has a nice linen finish. The front does not show the artist or image name. Back... CONTINUE READING

This is a very fun and easy 2000 piece puzzle to assemble. The six lovely vignettes around a central image break the puzzle into many smaller scenes, giving it a collage effect. The colors of the birds and flowers are bright and there's abundance of patterns like the wood table, wicker basket, pine needles, and pine cones, to make even the green and brown areas a delight to put together. It's like getting seven puzzles in one. Cobble Hill is a quality brand with a random puzzle cut and attractive boxes. I would have liked to have seen more information about the artist and image on the box or included inside. Recommended... CONTINUE READING

Fine art puzzles have been around probably as long as puzzles have existed. It's an obvious concept--take already created masterpieces of the art world and make them into puzzles. It's so obvious one wonders why any other type of puzzle bothers to exist. After all, how can any new image compare to a long-established icon... CONTINUE READING

This gorgeous puzzle by Diego Rivera offers the best of two worlds--it's a fine art image but it also feels contemporary, colorful, and far from fussy or dull. The bright colors and random cut make assembly interesting. It has enough difficulty to appeal to a true puzzler, but isn't too hard for a family puzzle night. When you're done, you'll have an image worthy of framing. Recommended... CONTINUE READING

Charley Harper's National Park posters are lovely minimalist images of the American wilderness and make terrific puzzles, particularly when paired with Pomegranate's excellent quality. Thick pieces, a good collectible box, and a puzzle finish that is soft to the touch, all make this brand a wonderful puzzling experience. "The Alpine Northwest" isn't as colorful as some Charley Harper images, and there are a lot of white pieces here. But the assembly was fun and never frustrating. In the end you'll have an image ideal for framing. Recommended... CONTINUE READING

I found three new Wasgij puzzles on the web today. I love Wasgij puzzles and I'm always happy to see new ones. These should be available in the US in short order. For those who have never done a Wasgij, the idea is that the puzzle you assemble is  not the box image, but some... CONTINUE READING

If you like random-cut puzzles, larger pieces, and a bit of a challenge in your jigsaws, you'll love "Wharf Street" by Springbok. The photographic image has painterly qualities. The central part of the image, with the bright colors, flags, and reflection in the puddle, is fun and easy to assemble. But the large amount of cobblestones in the foreground are tricky to piece together, and there're quite a lot of dark pieces too. The Springbok quality is excellent with a tight fit and creative cut. But the surface of the puzzle is shiny and does give off glare under overhead lights... CONTINUE READING

JIGSAW JUNKIE JOINS THE PUZZLE WAREHOUSE FAMILY By Jane Holmes Jigsaw Junkie is gearing up for a big change and a new challenge starting May 2016.  This humble puzzle blog is going pro! Jigsaw Junkie has joined forces with Puzzle Warehouse to become bigger and better than before. Puzzle Warehouse is the largest puzzle distributor in... CONTINUE READING