Hey there! Today I am going to show you how to turn a puzzle into framed art!
It’s a good possibility that either you or your kids have a love for puzzles! My twins have been puzzle fanatics since they were old enough to grasp the concept. (We own at least 30 puzzles!) Every Christmas I get them a puzzle from the dollar store to put in their stocking. My daughter fell in love with hers this year; she made it once, then refused to put it away because it was “too pretty”. So, it sat on her desk, waiting for me to purchase puzzle saver tape. Then one day I had a thought- “puzzle saver tape can’t be that different from shipping tape…”
If you are anything like me you probably keep a wide variety of tape on hand. In our house clear shipping tape comes in handy quite often. So, if you don’t mind cutting strips of tape and spending about 5-10 minutes on an extra project, this one will definitely save you some money!
What you need to turn a puzzle into framed art
- A puzzle (In this tutorial I used a 48 piece from the dollar store)
- Clear shipping tape
- Picture frame (I used an 11×14, simply because I had it on hand)
- White paper (optional)
How to turn a puzzle into framed art
Before starting your puzzle, take the cardboard out of the picture frame. Create your puzzle on top of the cardboard. (This will make things a little easier later.)
**Read “Tip” at the bottom of the page before continuing.**
Step 1:
Once you complete your puzzle lay a flat surface (another piece of cardboard, book, etc.) on top of the puzzle. Then, using the cardboard from the frame and the flat surface on top, sandwich the puzzle and carefully flip it over.
Step 2:
Now that the puzzle is flipped the taping fun begins! You will need to cut strips to go (horizontal) across the back of the puzzle. Don’t worry about getting it right at the edge along the sides, you can keep it back a little ways. But do make sure you place the tape right at the edge at the top of the puzzle, as well as at the bottom.
Once you get the tape on horizontally, run a strip of tape down along both sides (vertically).
Now, the entire backside of the puzzle should be covered with tape.
Step 3:
Replace the cardboard, from the frame, back on the puzzle; sandwich together and carefully flip.
Lay the underside of the frame on top of the puzzle, flip over. Now replace the cover and hang!
Tip:
If the frame is larger than the puzzle, add a sheet of white paper to the cardboard from the frame. Cut the paper to size. When you are done with Steps 1-3, before putting in the frame, tape the puzzle to the white paper to hold it in place. You can use either shipping tape rolled up (sticky side up) or double sided tape. Place tape at each corner of the puzzle.
And there it is! A fun project for you and your kids that’s easy on the wallet and pretty on the wall! Have a lovely day!
For more fun art projects, check out Unicorn String Art!