May Reuse It Item - Puzzle Pieces

According to Wikipedia, a puzzle is a game or problem which tests the ingenuity of a would-be solver. Reusing a puzzle seems to bring out the ingenuity of the crafter or artist as we see here in May's Reuse-it item post.

Sarah

Source: Instagram

There are tons of craft tutorials out there to use up mismatched puzzle pieces, but in my quest to find something for this month's topic, I wasn't seeing a lot of ideas that keep the puzzle intact, or use the original pictures. This crafter has taken large chunks of a puzzle, shellacked them with some kind of crafting glue, and used them as gift tags. I really liked this approach, and I thought this idea would also work really great as part of a scrapbook or shadowbox collage. This way, even when some pieces of your favourite puzzle go missing, you can still enjoy your favourite parts of the picture.

Lana
A puzzle with all the pieces can be covered and personalised to make a new one - but what of the ones that are missing pieces? Kids' Chaos has designed some really cute greeting card printables that make use of them, offered for free here. All you need to do is print and add puzzle pieces! Using theirs as inspiration, here's one I made for my anniversary.

Nichole

I've realized I personally own about 70 percent of the world's total jewelry, so I spend a lot of my time looking for cool DIY furniture crafts. If you thought I wouldn't find one for puzzle pieces, you'd be completely wrong! UK designer Rupert McKelvie spent hundreds of hours gluing thousands of puzzle pieces from incomplete sets into a side table. Not sure how sturdy it would be for actual use, but failing that what you really have here is art. Check out the website Design Milk for more pictures.

Emma

As a parent jigsaws are a double edged sword; they make a great quiet activity for the kiddos but making sure all of those matching pieces stay together is a job in itself. Knowing that I could make these gorgeous fridge magnets with puzzles missing pieces makes me not want to be quite so worried about keeping them all together.

Michelle

In this blog, there are many ideas on how to turn a name into a fun and personal room design. This one, on the blog, Honey & Fitz, especially caught my eye as it incorporates dozens of puzzle pieces. Using bright colors, this fun craft would stand out in any room!

Hayley

It's wedding season and website, Mrs2B has some great suggestions on how to use puzzle pieces to personalize the big day! My favourite are the simple wedding cake toppers which are unique and easy to create!

Now it's your turn! Share your favourite ways to reuse puzzle pieces in the comments below.