Today, January 29, is National Puzzle Day, and yesterday was International Puzzle Day. The recognition is just in time for the weekend’s wintry weather since staying indoors wearing flannel pajamas and doing a puzzle sounds like a great idea!
Puzzles of the jigsaw kind always are popular, and during the last couple of years with coronavirus quarantines and lockdowns, puzzle sales have skyrocketed for some sellers by more than 400%. The phenomenon has been likened to The Great Depression of days gone by, when families for economic reasons needed something to entertain them at home.
Puzzles are that thing!
New Product for The Daily Artisan Online Shop
In addition to recognizing National Puzzle Day, my blog post today is a preview of a new item that will be added to my online store for The Daily Artisan – drum roll, please – yes, you guessed it, custom puzzles of my photography!
Stay tuned next week for additional information on the new puzzle products that will join the currently available note card sets, and (while supplies last) 2022 calendars. In the meantime as you’ll see below, I have photographs of a puzzle prototype for what will be sold in my store.
Puzzle-ology
But, first, a few interesting things about puzzles I learned while researching and preparing for this blog post.
Puzzles from The Daily Artisan
Some of my photographs made into puzzles will be available starting next week in the online store for The Daily Artisan. I’ve selected a handful that lend themselves nicely to this format, and I’m excited about offering them!
For the prototype, which I gave as a gift, I chose a photograph I took in Georgia during the golden hour that photographers love. The reflections of the house and trees onto the water were so pretty, and I quickly grabbed a succession of photos before the scene changed.
This particular puzzle is 20″ x 30″ with 1,014 pieces, and the color shades will make it a challenge, I think! It hasn’t been put together yet by the recipient, but when it is, I’ll take a picture and include it in an upcoming post. I’ll also be offering smaller puzzles with 252 pieces, and 520 pieces.
In addition to the luxurious feel of the Fujicolor Crystal Archive glossy paper the company uses to print the puzzle pieces, I especially like the pretty gift box with puzzle image on top that comes with each one. (The pieces come in a plastic bag, not shown in the photographs.)
The prototype puzzle has “Photography by Susan Evans” in the bottom right corner, but the ones sold in my online store will come standard without it.
So, in honor of today’s National Puzzle Day, we salute the puzzle as an American pastime that has provided joy and entertainment for families both in good and in challenging times!
Do you enjoy putting together jigsaw puzzles? What other family hobbies are fun to do indoors during the winter (help those of us in Florida who don’t have a clue!)? Please comment below!
