Paint to match outfits and hot glue an earring post on back. Gluing 2 or 3 pieces together looks fancy too. Can also make a brooch with 6 pieces. Adding glitter on top of paint looks fancy too.
I have used the old puzzles to make new puzzles. By gluing a picture of the kids on it or a picture the kids have colored. With an exacto knife I cut around the pieces. I mail them to the kids and they have to put them together to see what they are. I've even writen notes on them. They have to put them together to find out the message, too.
I have a Christmas pin that is made out of puzzles pieces. It is a reindeer - make in shape of deer head, use the little craft eyes and put pipe cleaners for antlers and a tiny red chenille ball for the nose. Oh, yes before you start spray paint the pieces brown.
I have seen them put around a picture frame. Inside a picture frame and once someone put them on an old coffee table that was stained up pretty bad and arranged them, glued them a bit and put a piece of glass over them. Good Luck!
If you pick out the brightly colored ones & coat them with a high-gloss sealant then drill a hole at the top, they'd make wonderful & unusual earrings. You can also drill 2 or 4 holes (1 or 2 at each side) & use beads in between the pieces to make a bracelet or even a funky necklace. If you REALLY want them to have POP, try coating them with a marbleizing compound or melted embossing powder... Or decoupage tiny pictures or flowers from napkins on the pieces before coating with the sealant.
I bet if you REALLY coated them well, then used snap off backs, they would make cute buttons for kids clothing too... Or even glue some to hat bands for funky hats. How about putting several together to make a 4 inch sort of round thing, then coating these with sealer to make coasters... They would have jagged edges, but that's the neat thing about these abstract coasters. You could do a whole bathroom with them: Just glue them to the waste basket, Kleenex holder & around the mirror then seal with many coats of glossy sealant. What a conversation starter!
I have made really neat pins out of them, but I can't find them right now to photograph. You put shiny fabric on the piece (and the larger, kids pieces are better), and glue the darted (you know you cut out excess) pieces to the back with hot glue. Then, you take spangly crochet thread and start at the back, and wrap it around in different directions between the lower pieces of the puzzle, drawing it in slightly. Hot glue the end, then using E6000 glue, you glue on a pin back. Watch for my submission of this with a photo in the next week or so under crafts from Poor But Proud.
Hi. I saw a show on HGTV (perhaps Look What I Did) where they used jigsaw puzzle pieces for a wall covering in a powder room. It looked pretty cool. Depending on how many you have - it could be used as an accent wall.
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Request: Uses for Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
Archived on 08/23/2008
I have jigsaw puzzles that are missing some pieces. I would like to find some use for these pieces. Does anyone have a craft idea using these old puzzle pieces?
Christy from Fulton, MS
Answers:
RE: Uses for Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
I just thought that it might be fun way to let your children make place mats or coasters. (04/17/2008)
I have taken the small jig saw pieces and put them on hair barrettes to make unusual ones. Just glue them on then coat with something like modge podge. They turn out really cute . (04/18/2008)
By rosemary
RE: Uses for Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
M y son is an artist in different medias, oil, pencil etc, A few months ago he sent me and his sister chasing around thrift shops to pick up unwanted jigsaw puzzles (many had pieces missing) His idea was to make a 'mosaic' of different colored pieces, to hang on a wall like a painting. I saw a small finished one and it looked very good. I guess you just glue the pieces to a small canvas or board, in any colors and shapes you want.
(04/18/2008)
By ELLIE.
RE: Uses for Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
My daughter came home from Vacation Bible School a few years back with a picture frame decorated with puzzle pieces, and it was really cute. You could either create the frame out of cardboard or poster board and glue on the puzzle pieces, or you could use cheap thrift store or dollar store frames in the same way. The pieces could either be glued on as is, or could be painted (probably w/spray paint) any colors that you would wish to use. (04/19/2008)
Corny cards come to mind, glue a few bits to the outside, You complete me, You're my missing piece,..blahblah. Perfect for that true blue friend or husband ( same person? :) Magnets? Give the kids something to move about while you're making dinner. Or maybe even under a glass top tray or coffee table. A conversation starter? String together as a garland, something colorful to lace over the curtain rods to cheer up the house just before all the flowers start to bloom . Hope this helps! :) (04/22/2008)
A friend of mine has as a coffee table with a glass top and space beneath the glass you can store stuff . She changes the stored stuff regularly so at times her coffee table has had a shells top, pine cones, colored marbles etc. You could do that with colorful puzzle pieces. (04/22/2008)
By Killer Bees
RE: Uses for Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
I have used puzzle pieces to make pumpkin pins. Paint the body of the plain side orange the top portion brown like the stem. Draw on eyes and mouth in black permanent marker and hot glue a pin back on the puzzle side. You could probably adapt this idea as apples for teachers and more! (04/23/2008)
You can make photo frames out of them, actually I think it is on one of the web sites under recycle. (04/23/2008)
By Jackie young
RE: Uses for Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
They are great embellishment for scrapbook or other crafts.
You can use either the puzzle finished as a whole or individual.
Then you can paint on them with crafting paint (Making Memories).
You can glue them to your scrapbook pages, frames, whatever your imagination takes you. (04/24/2008)
By Lorena
RE: Uses for Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
I have used jigsaw puzzle pieces for numerous crafts. Glued around a popsicle stick frame with a sign on it saying, "I LOVE YOU TO PIECES" makes a great Mother's Day gift. Shape them into Xmas trees, wreaths, or geometric shapes for lapel pins. Paint them corresponding colors add dimensional glitter paint for ornaments or berries. Let children fashion their own shapes with the pieces for their own creations. Let your imagination soar! I am sure Family Fun Magazine website has numerous ideas as well. Just type in puzzle piece art and see what you get! Have fun! (04/24/2008)
Don't throw away that jigsaw puzzle with pieces missing. Paint a few pieces, stamp or write a letter on each one and use them to make a title on a scrapbook page. Then use the corner pieces on the corners of your photos. (Cover the backs with acid free paint or paper if you are unable to determine if the puzzle is acid free.)
By Kate Larson
Puzzle Piece Jewelry
Spray paint them and turn them into earrings, bracelets and necklaces with a few jewelry findings. Glitter might add to them.
By Marty
Puzzle Picture Frame
Glue jigsaw puzzle pieces around a wooden picture frame for a unique look! You can paint them or leave them "as is" for an abstract look. This is a great way to use puzzles that have a few missing pieces, instead of discarding. It's also an unusual way to cover up defects, nicks and scratches in frames.
By Becki in Indiana
Bookmarks
When my eldest son was in the first grade, he came home with a photo of his teacher, him and myself and it was in a frame of painted puzzle pieces. We have a bag in our craft box of pieces just for when we need them. We will be making bookmarks soon and I'll bring those out for them to glue on their bookmarks if they so choose!
Use puzzle pieces to make pins. Just spray paint and let the children decorate. Then glue a pin on the pack.
By Sonya
Puzzle Pieces Wreath
Put the puzzle together on top of newspaper. Spray paint in a nice Christmas color. Now draw a circle about 6" in diameter on paper, and cover it with wax paper. Make a round of painted puzzle pieces, then glue a second round on top of them, indenting slightly. Paint on details like holly leaves and berries, write "Merry Christmas" on a banner that you glue across it, and hot glue a string or ribbon hanger. We made some with the year on them and our friends really loved those!
Do you have any more uses for puzzle pieces? Post them below.
Answers:
RE: Uses for Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
You can also glue them together to make into snowflakes for hanging in windows or as tree or package decorations. Glue together into the shape you want, then paint them white or silver, sprinkle them with silver or white glitter while still wet . Hang when dry! (06/29/2007)
