Happy Phase 2 to all of my fellow New Yorkers! It looks like we may have a bit farther to go before we get back to normal. So with quarantine continuing, it’s time to a take a new twist on the most basic of at-home entertainment activities – the puzzle. Why put together a puzzle of someone else’s photos when you can create your own puzzle from your family’s memories? Find out how to create your own puzzle in today’s blog post!
Summer vacation season is here, and I am ready to travel – even if only in my own mind. I have been productive during the pandemic, and have edited all of my travel photos. Indeed, I bit the bullet and finally edited every image from my 2018 trip to Southeast Asia (there were over 10,000!). With every image edited, it is now time to put those photos to good use and design my own puzzle.
How I Selected My Puzzle Image
When selecting images for my puzzle project, I looked for images that would offer the highest degree of challenge. I focused my evaluation on photos that had a great deal of color, an interesting scene, or intricate repeating patterns that would be difficult to reassemble. Lo and behold, I found everything I was looking for in an image of colorful lanterns taken at a bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey. (Read all about my layover adventure in Turkey on my travel blog here.)
Size and Materials
There are several companies online who can help you create your own puzzle. I chose CreateJigsawPuzzles.com based on the variety of products offered. For maximum difficulty, I selected a 1000-piece, 19.25”x 28”–sized puzzle. While there are a number of materials for the backing available – including traditional cardboard, magnetic, wooden, and plastic – I chose Eska Premium backing for its environmentally-friendly qualities. Eska Premium is the brand name for a puzzle board made from recovered paper. As a final touch, I chose to make my own box with an image of the puzzle on the front. I created the box using Photoshop and simply uploaded the file.
My Final Review
The final product was beautiful and beyond my expectations. The box itself is high quality and my cover design fit perfectly. As a puzzle enthusiast, I can vouch for the quality of the individual puzzle pieces. The Eska Premium was a nice choice of puzzle board and gave a bit of heft to each piece. The process of the ordering the puzzle was fairly simple, though somehow I missed being able to view how my image would look on the puzzle box before ordering. The staff at CreateJigsawPuzzles.com quickly responded to my email, however, and was able to send me a PDF view of how my puzzle box would look in the final product.
For those of us living in small apartments, the only caveat I have about creating my own puzzle is the size of the final product. I have to worn you that putting together a puzzle this large required a commitment of space. I don’t personally have a table large enough to accommodate the 19.25”x 28”–sized puzzle, so I ended up completing it on my living room floor.
Create Your Own Puzzle
So are you interested in putting together a puzzle created with your own images? In an era where everything can be personalized, why should you have to work someone else’s puzzle when you can create your own? You can take the dive yourself on CreateJigsawPuzzles.com‘s website, or you can have me give you a little help. I am happy to create puzzles for clients in 1000 pieces ($85), 500 pieces ($65), or 48 pieces ($35). Prices include shipping and a personalized box with the image of your puzzle on the cover.
In addition to being a great way to while away the time, these puzzles can be used as a creative guest book for weddings or family events. You can choose your own travel memories or go bold with a big family portrait. Furthermore, my travel photos are also available if you would like to try your hand at putting together my lanterns of Istanbul puzzle.
If you are interested in taking a mental trip through the rest of my travel images, then wander over to my personal website – Kelly-Williams.com. I have created a whole line of photo-related products – from fine art prints and postcard sets to puzzles and calendars – from my images. My photos are also available for stock licensing in case you need to add a little bit of adventure to your website or marketing materials. Leave your passport at home and enjoy such exotic locales as Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Easter Island, and even…Florida!
A few of my travel images you might choose for your own puzzle:
