Puzzles

Puzzles, also known as jigsaw puzzles, are usually made of cardboard or wood interlocking pieces that come together to form a complete picture. Putting together a puzzle requires concentration since the goal is to find pieces that fit together though they come completely jumbled and mixed. The more pieces in a puzzle, the more difficult it usually is to put together.

How to Make Your Own Puzzle

A puzzle can be made of any photo, picture, or artwork. You can easily make your own puzzle online using a template puzzle maker, like Shutterfly’s personalized photo puzzles. To make your own puzzle, first, choose the photo or picture you’d like to use. Pictures with more colors and objects will be more difficult than photos with a clear focus and a simple background. To adjust the difficulty, you can also choose the number of pieces you’d like to work with. A 5000 piece puzzle will be significantly more challenging than a 1000 piece puzzle, and puzzles will get easier the fewer pieces they have. When making your own puzzle, you can also choose the material. A thick puzzle board or a wood puzzle may be easier for kids and seniors since the pieces are easier to grab and put into place.

Choosing the Best Puzzles

If you’d like to buy a puzzle rather than making your own, the same principles apply to choosing the best puzzles. Adult puzzles may be more challenging because of the complicated photos and a greater number of puzzle pieces. If you’re looking for puzzles for kids, choose simple artwork like animals or their favorite characters. When looking for jigsaw puzzles for adults, also pay attention to the materials. You can find 3-D puzzles made of plastic or styrofoam that guarantee an added challenge. 

Since a jigsaw puzzle can feature beautiful artwork or a memorable photo, puzzles can make for great decor. Once you’re finished, learn how to frame a puzzle, especially if you finish one with many pieces that you know you won’t want to complete again. All you need to do is brush your puzzle with glue so it stays together, and then you can frame it so it looks just like a beautiful piece of art or large-format photograph.

Gift a Personalized Puzzle

A custom puzzle can make an excellent gift for your loved ones. With Shutterfly, you can create a photo puzzle featuring your family photos, wedding memories, holiday pictures, and more. Your kids, friends, or loved ones will have a great time putting together puzzles with their own memories, and photo puzzles are perfect for framing once they’re complete to hang up as personalized wall decor.