It’s Puzzle Time

The days are getting longer but many of us are still feeling trapped inside with snow, wind, and rain raging outside our doors. It’s time for a puzzle! And what better than one that includes photocrafting?

As part of a fun ‘game’ with my sister, I found a picture of a well-known destination and turned it into a jigsaw puzzle. It’s a double puzzle! She has to put it together and then she has to guess the location shown on the photo.

I used Shutterfly.com and decided on a very simple puzzle. It’s 10″x14″ and has 60 pieces. (Frankly, I’d go for more pieces the next time.) It’s very simple to make following the usual photocrafting steps for straight-forward design layout: upload one or more photos, drag the photo(s) onto the template, preview, and order.

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I was extremely pleased with the result. The puzzle arrived in good time and was nicely sturdy. I didn’t realize I would get a box, especially not one with the picture, so that was a pleasant surprise. I put it together myself to test it out before giving it to my sister.

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Shutterfly says:

• Puzzle dimensions: 60-piece and 252-piece: 10 x 14 inches; 520-piece: 16 x 20 inches; 1014-piece: 20 x 30 inches
• Puzzles are designed for 1-9 photos
• 60-piece puzzle recommended for ages 6+
• 252-piece, 520-piece, and 1014-piece puzzles recommended for ages 9+
• A matching photo box stores your puzzle.

I often find good offers on Groupon for photocrafting projects. I found a $5 coupon for “One 11×8″ Customizable Photo Puzzle” and decided to try it. (Note: Groupon coupons almost always have an expiration date and a charge for shipping that may be more than the cost of the product!)

The coupon was for Printerpix.com. I uploaded two pictures I’d taken in a forest where a friend and I like to hike. She keeps a jigsaw puzzle going all the time so I didn’t want it to be too easy. I tried to pick two of my pictures that each had lots of similar detail throughout the picture.

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I was delighted to find not only a rectangular single photo puzzle option on Printerpix but also some designs incorporating photos. I chose “Wizard Boy White” because I liked the cutout (and the surrounding white border design that would be harder to put together!) There are lots of choices for adding, modifying, and deleting text and art.

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With the second image, I created a puzzle of the photo alone. Comparing the two, I decided the “wizard” design was more fun and ordered it for my friend. My $5 Groupon coupon covered the cost of the puzzle; the shipping was $7.99.