I like using trays and cookie sheets and tin lids to put my pieces together elsewhere (think easy chair) before bringing them back to the table. If I need help with the transfer, I use a large spatula. (All tips learned from my mother who loved doing puzzles.)
Notice the fleece blanket is gone! Thanks to all who suggested it, including Catherine herself. ☺
My other tools of the trade are a flashlight and a magnifying glass.
***
I didn't know that I would have the grands' school pictures to share today, though they seem like a fitting bookend for Monday's post. I was so pleased with both photos. Love these guys!
~Samuel age 10~
I have a puzzle on my den table! It is a work in progress and may take months to finish!
ReplyDeleteIt's a cardinal in a tree and once I have completed it, I want to paint it for my 2016 Christmas painting. I love hearing how you work your puzzle and will be using your techniques on mine!
Those handsome grandsons!!!! What blessings!!!
Adorable grandsons. When my daughter was younger we always had a puzzle on the table. It's a good pastime. xoxo Su
ReplyDeleteSuch handsome boys! They took great pics!
ReplyDeleteNo puzzle here yet. We do enjoy doing them it is just that we don't have a great place to set one up until the downstairs gets put back together. We just got the dining room table usable again after years of candle stuff on it so I don't want to set up a puzzle there now. :-)
Awww the boys are darling! Sam looks so grown up and Jakob has the sweetest smile! Good work on your puzzle!
ReplyDeleteThe grand boys are such cutie pies, Vee! Enjoy your puzzle piecing. It's a great pastime for winter. xo
ReplyDeleteDarling grandchildren! They look like such nice, sweet kiddos! Grandchildren are indeed a gift aren't they? I know you must be proud as ever!
ReplyDeleteOh, what handsome boys! They look like such nice kids, and full of fun. Good progress on the puzzle, too, and I appreciated your tips. We have a winter puzzle sitting on the round table in the living room ... still in its box, alas.
ReplyDeleteVery nice pictures of your handsome grandsons.
ReplyDeleteYou are making great progress on your puzzle. I like the round shape.
I also like your handy tips. I will remember them if I ever decide to take the plunge into puzzle making. So far it hasn't happened, but I did look at them in the store yesterday.
Those are wonderful school pictures. Of course, the photographer had two great subjects. Honestly, most kids don't like their school pictures and these pictures are very nice. It's been so much fun watching them grow through the years.
ReplyDeleteYou've made great progress on the puzzle. Thank you for sharing your tools for making the project easier. Years ago K went through a phase of putting 3D puzzles together. I should get him another puzzle.
The school pix are definitely improving these days - I recall how stiff and formal they made us/our kids look back when! The boys are very nice looking, that blue background behind Samuel is fabulous!
ReplyDeletePuzzles - wow that's a beauty. My cousin in England does them non-stop whereas I haven't done one since my kids were young! Good luck Vee - and I can see your mother's tips must be working!
Mary -
Vee, I love the pictures of your grandboys...they are so handsome. Jakob's teeth missing... that is a keeper shot from our childhoods. Blessings to all of you. xoxo,Susie
ReplyDeleteWhat great puzzle tip ideas! My son loves putting puzzles together and we would give him a new one from a fun series each Christmas. My hubby mounted them on black wooden boards and now they are part of the basement decor. Good luck with the rest of yours. What handsome grandsons !
ReplyDeleteThose boys are darling. I so love those school photos. Mine are all in college of our so no more school photos. You are doing good on your puzzle. Haven't done one since I had my knee surgeries 15 years ago. I do at least two crossword puzzles everyday.
ReplyDeleteGlad your puzzle is coming along for you Vee. Adore the picture of the kids! So precious. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
ReplyDeleteThe two boys are so handsome!!!!!!!!! Their pictures did come out great!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful boys! Made me think of my grandsons, who are a little younger, and then I thought about not having received a school picture this year!
ReplyDeleteNo puzzle here at the cottage. I think that it would be a fun project for February though.
I will have to show this to Benjamin. We started a puzzle and gave up. We needed these tips. He will also enjoy seeing your grandsons, since they are so close in age. Well, I can't wait to see it finished.
ReplyDeleteYour grandson's school pics are so much cooler than the ones we used to have. Cute boys! No puzzles here. Looks like good progress there though :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't worked on a puzzle in years. Your grandson's are so handsome!
ReplyDeleteI haven't done a puzzle in so long. I like the round one you are doing but wonder... is it's harder to find the edges?? It sounds like you have your technique quite perfected. Your little grands are so cute...and what's not to love about missing front teeth? My one and only grand daughter, Olivia, is in this stage presently as well. Can't wait to see your completed work of art!
ReplyDeleteHi Debby~
DeleteNot as difficult to do the round edges as I thought it would be.
Handsome boys! We love doing puzzles, but with 3 mischief-making kitties, I don't think so. Can't wait to see the finished picture:-D
ReplyDeleteThat round puzzle is very neat! When Beloved and I were newlyweds, my sister sent us a round puzzle of a pepperoni pizza, and it was even scented like pizza! We ALWAYS got hungry when we worked on it.
ReplyDeleteThen just this past weekend, my sister was visiting in Michigan and was invited to the home of a lady who had assembled at 16' x 5' puzzle (yes, that's 16 feet!). After completion, they glued it together and had it mounted on a wall in their basement (a finished basement) and then had an open house party so people could see it. Very impressive. I think she said it took the lady 5 months to assemble it.
Great-looking grandsons!!
No time for puzzles here, sadly. I do enjoy them. A round puzzle would be a challenge. Such good looking grands you have. And how quickly they are growing up.
ReplyDeleteThe kids are getting so big!!
ReplyDeleteI always do the outside edge first. I've always just sat at the table though to work on it.
Can't start another one until Sunday because we are having company and need to use the table!!
I haven't set up my puzzle yet, but you are really moving right along. The cookie sheets are a great idea! Your grandsons are so handsome and have grown so much.
ReplyDeleteLove all your puzzle making tips. And your grandsons look quite handsome in their school pics.
ReplyDeletewow I am soo impressed. You've gotten soo much done! AND you've totally gotten me in the mood to try one over here. I think I will start looking around for one. But something easy to start with I am thinking...lol....I could get obsessive on something like this, grin. Enjoy your day Vee!
ReplyDeleteGreat start on the puzzle! The grands are very handsome!
ReplyDeleteI haven't done a puzzle in a few years, but I enjoy them! Those boys are handsome! And I like how Sam is standing in his photo - relaxed and casual.
ReplyDeleteWell done - or well on the way to done! And what handsome young men your grandsons are......
ReplyDeleteWhat sweet faces those boys have!
ReplyDeleteStill blogging and calling by for a catch up. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! It seems they were babes just yesterday...and now such handsome young men!
ReplyDeleteGood job on your puzzle! As for me...there won't be any puzzle happening here anytime soon. What I don't need is one more 'project'!
Aren't those cute school photos! Glad you got rid of the blanket. I found that doing a puzzle on a cloudy day is lots easier than on a sunny day. I'm thinking about a Downton Abbey puzzle, depending upon who or what is pictured. My Season 6 DVD came today! xo
ReplyDeleteLovely photos of the grands! School photos can be so tricky--kids making funny faces or the hair not combed. Your guys look perfect! We do not have a puzzle on the table yet. We've been in tax mode...a puzzle would be a lot more fun! ♥
ReplyDeleteSuch great school photos of those handsome boys! You are channeling my father while you put that puzzle together. (I don't believe in channeling but you catch my drift)
ReplyDeleteHi Vee!
ReplyDeleteI have not set up my puzzle, although I think about doing it everyday! I have a really cute one with outhouses on it, I really need to get it put together. I like the idea of putting some of the pieces on cookie sheets, I'll remember that.
Cute, cute grands! They grow up so quickly!
Hugs,
Barb
Such handsome guys.....
ReplyDeleteYou make me want to get a puzzle. lol I haven't put one together in years and years..
Love, Mona
I've never seen a round puzzle, putting these together could be habit forming. :-)
ReplyDeleteGosh I like the grown up stance Sam has in his photo and who can resist a cute face missing the front teeth!
Such handsome boys! They grow up too fast, don't they? You are making great progress on your puzzle. Love the spatula tip! What a great idea. I have a very large one for flipping pancakes, it would work well....
ReplyDeleteYou are a professional puzzler with all of your tips and tricks!! I like the cookie tray idea...hmmmmm...
ReplyDeleteLove the photos of those handsome grandsons of yours!! (I may not like that they looks so grown-up all of a sudden, but I think these are wonderful pictures!)
Vee, looks like a good system for the puzzles. I loved your comment over at Bernideen's. Though I would never put cream in my tea, I would not call you an "ignoramus" for doing so, if that's what you like! :D
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! Glad you are enjoying your puzzle and getting on well with it! xx
ReplyDeleteYou've really done a lot of the puzzle already! Great picture of your handsome grandsons, Vee ;)
ReplyDeleteNo puzzles here but I love your hints!
ReplyDeleteAs for your grandsons, my aren't they handsome young men? : - )
Keep up the good work! What a fun project for wintertime!
Hugs! ♥
Hi it's me again - just wanted to say you raised your daughter well - that was a tasteful way to handle herself with her awkward situation - you have every right to be proud, Vee. ♥
ReplyDeleteKudos to your daughter and her note to professor #1. That's good manners and I know she got them from you. Your puzzle is coming along really well. I'd say mine is 500 down and 500 to go. Sam and Jakob are handsome young boys. Have a great weekend Vee!
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd like to chime in and agree with Michele and Pamela. Your daughter handled an awkward situation beautifully.
ReplyDeleteYes my puzzle is set up but there hasn't been much progress this week. I have tried three lamps/ lights and a change of locations but will have to bring a flashlight and magnifying glass to the puzzle table. Good luck with yours.
ReplyDeleteHello again, I forgot to tell you your grandsons are such nice looking boys...but you know that already of course! You must be very proud of them!
ReplyDeleteI did several puzzles over the holidays and after. It was so much fun. I do like your tips for the trays and lids and the spatula too.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a lovely one you're working on now. And those grands -- good looking fellas.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend...
Brenda
xox
PS I loved your last post about the professor and the thank you note. A note of grace indeed ... win/win.
Oh Samuel and Jakob are getting so big! They are such handsome boys, and I know you must be very proud of them, Vee. My oldest grandson is in first grade and is now able to read at a 2nd grade level so I love scouring around second hand stores looking for books for him. He is so enthusiastic about reading, which makes me very excited.
ReplyDeleteI have not made a giant puzzle like this in years! My husband and I used to enjoy doing them together when we were first married. Even though he is retired we both seem to be busier than ever these days and by evening we both are too tired to do much than have a cup of tea and do a little reading or watch a movie on TV. Maybe I'll surprise him with a puzzle one of these days that we can do together again?
The boys are so handsome and growing. Glad they live near you so you can enjoy time with them.
ReplyDelete