Puzzle Pieces...

I recently listed some new crafting supplies kits on Etsy, including a Christmas Bags of Ideas kit. As my Bags of Ideas kits contain a few puzzle pieces I thought it would be a good time to share some of my ideas for what to do with them!

I'm mainly going to show you how I paint and decorate the puzzle pieces...

I like to use acrylic paint as a base - it doesn't take too long to dry and covers the picture quite well, you can paint on either side of the puzzle piece. Depending on how thick/ thin your paint is you may need to paint more than one coat.

On this puzzle piece I have painted a coat of brown acrylic paint, left it to dry and then used Anita's 3D Dimensional Paint in metallic bronze.If you use the 3D paint fairly thickly you can use it like a glue and drop little beads and sequins into it. Alternatively, I have used PVA glue (which dries clear) to stick beads, sequins, glitter and even tiny cogs to the puzzle pieces. (I include some beads and sequins in my Bags of Ideas kits.)Another way of decorating the puzzle pieces is to glue a patterned piece of paper to the puzzle piece (using PVA glue). Then using a craft knife carefully cut around the puzzle piece. This is quite tricky - I recommend a sharp knife and a bit of patience!!

Some of my favourite pieces are the ones with beads in a variety of shapes/ sizes and colours... Before you do anything else with the pieces make sure they are completely dry!

I want to use some for jewellery, so I have varnished the back and edges then wrapped them in wire. I have also used some on greetings cards by turning the pieces into little presents (top right). Glue the puzzle piece to a piece of card just big enough to fit the piece on, then wrap wire around it to look like a ribbon and bow around a present. Use double sided tape/ PVA glue to stick it to a greetings card.

I hope this has given you a few ideas! It would be great to hear any other ideas you have too :)