Easter Puzzle Hobby Magazine 2022 by Puzzle Hobby Magazine

Supporting Women Puzzle Preneurs

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INTRO

Welcome to the sixth edition of the Puzzle Hobby Magazine. Our Women Puzzle-Preneur Community continues to grow each month. See pages 6 & 7 for the connections the Puzzle Hobby Magazine supports each month.

We couldn't wait to try Grateful House's new jigsaw puzzle line up. We got three to review. In our review we used their puzzle mat, and trays with their new puzzle. Read about an Architect who uses her skill to create extremely unique jigsaw puzzles. Did you know there is a USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association? Check the article to learn more. Cover Image: Cobble Hill Puzzle Company -Easter Bunnies -Artist: Donna Race -Pieces: 500 -Size: 26.625" x 19.25" Back Image: Cobble Hill Puzzles -Easter Eggs -Coastal Cookie Shoppe -Pieces: 1000 -Size: 26.625" x 19.25"

Y BB O H E L Z Z U P W A S G I J

This month we discovered a 'new to puzzle images' Artist, Peggy Davis. Her brilliant floral patterns are sure to light up your room as you assemble her puzzles produced by Cobble Hill Puzzle Company.

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EDITOR Linda Richard ASSOCIATE EDITORS Judithlynn Krusky Sherri Demos Roberta Shore CONTRIBUTORS Peggy Davis Grateful House Antônia Sobra Puzzle Parley JPiC - Karine Déry Mari Puzzle Library Puzzle Olympics USA Puzzle Association My Jigsaw Journal Peter Christensen Sherri Demos Roberta Shore Judithlynn Krusky Cher Finver

Contact:

info.puzzlehobby@gmail.com www.puzzlehobby.com

Table of contents About Artist - Peggy Davis

04 10

This month's artist, Peggy Davis, is relatively new to licensing her work to puzzle companies however Cobble Hill Puzzle Company saw this winner!

Architect - Antônia Sobra

Antônia shares her architectural skills in many creative ways that are also custom cut jigsaw puzzle pieces.

Grateful House Puzzles

The Grateful House Puzzle Company has new jigsaw puzzles added to their line of products.

USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association

It is quite interesting how the USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association supports so many activities that many of us have heard about. Time to get this news out there!

About Puzzle Hobby Magazine Spring is in the air as Easter approaches and the days become longer. Bright, colourful, flowery, 'new-beginnings' puzzles are surfacing everywhere! As Puzzlers tend to move outdoors more this time of year until the Fall, our support for Women Puzzle-preneurs like yourself, becomes even more important. You can pay-itforward. 'Caring is as easy as sharing' this content with your followers. Feel free to reach out to us with your thoughts and ideas. All suggestions are welcome no matter how small. What would you like to see or know that would be helpful and/or improve your Puzzle-Preneur's success? Finally, a special thanks to all our Contributors for their time and our Volunteer Associates for their tireless commitments.

Linda Richard Editor

Many Thanks To Our Sponsors This page is dedicated to our Sponsors who have supported us in one form or another for the reviews provided on PuzzleHobby.com and all it's endeavours.

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Supporting Empowered Women Puzzle Preneurs The women presented here all have one thing in common, their LOVE of puzzles, and have found their niche in the puzzle world.

Lori Schory Puzzle Artist

Anne D. Williams Author/Historian

Karine Déry JPiC

Karen Kavett Puzzler/Youtube

Peggy Davis Puzzle/Artist

Antônia Sobra Puzzle/Artist

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Shelley Davies Puzzle Artist

Linda Richard Puzzler/Author

Monica Marlatt Rose Cat Khan Puzzler/Instagram Puzzle Artist

Is this You? Contact Us

Klodya Tremblay Puzzler/Instagram

Jill Walterbach Puzzle/Artist

Supporting Empowered Women Puzzle Preneurs Each woman has their interpretation of how to express their passion for puzzles which helps promote the benefits of jigsaw puzzles to the world.

Anie Maltais JaCaRou Puzzles

Mari and Eva Marieva Puzzles

PuzzleUp.org Ann Marie Mendlow Wooden Puzzles WorkShoppe

USA Puzzle Association

Jamie Lane Grateful House

Joy Hess jngpuzzles

Lauren Altman PuzzlePeak.com

Arte et Marte Puzzles

Kelly Poff Mintyfizz Puzzles

Puzzle Labs LINK

Is this You? Contact Us

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To plant a garden is to believe

in tomorrow. Audrey Hepburn

Best Jigsaw Puzzle Brands What are the best jigsaw puzzles Brands? In the market today, some of the best puzzle brands must maintain interesting images for their puzzles to sell. The best jigsaw puzzles will start with a clear, sharp, attractive image with a puzzle title. The image will be large enough on the puzzle box and/or it will have a poster inside. The box will be firm and sealed with plastic to avoid loss of pieces and to protect the image cover. The box design must be very sturdy to keep the puzzle pieces safe. The details on the box will state the artist, number and piece shapes and the size the puzzle measures when completed. The pieces inside the box will be in a sealed bag. Most premium puzzles will have little puzzle dust by the cutting manufacturer. The pieces will not be cut loose. That’s in a perfect world. ( Learn more here... ) That said, when purchasing a jigsaw puzzle brand for the first time (or even more than once) be mindful that puzzle companies do not always have full control in the production of their product. A few 'big-name' companies will have full quality control but for those that don't, producing a puzzle 'in the perfect world' is difficult to achieve. So expect that a good quality jigsaw puzzle may meet several of the criteria mentioned above, however, expect one or two flaws. The following LINK is a huge list of jigsaw puzzle brands on an embedded spreadsheet. Take a look to see which different Brands you might like to support.

List of 250 Jigsaw Puzzle Companies CLICK HERE PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

Peggy Davis We were looking for colourful Spring flowers for this month's artist and found Peggy Davis to be a perfect fit. She did the following email interview with us...

Q. For our Readers, which state do you live in? I live in Northwest, Indiana Q. Where did you grow up? I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago, Markham, Illinois

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Peggy Davis Here are some rich, vibrant puzzle images that are irresistible for a lot of jigsaw puzzlers. Peggy is mostly self-taught and she goes to show us, with determination, an Artist can be just as competitive and successful as others. Here's how she accomplished her goals.

Q. Did you travel a lot, and which images were created as a result of your travels? I have done quite a bit of travelling and while not one piece of mine is influenced by a specific trip or place, my over all style has been influenced by travelling. I love to visit art galleries and art walks when travelling, which sparks new thoughts and techniques in my work. Q. How did you become interested in art licensing to jigsaw puzzles? I actually was interested in art licensing in general. I have produced traditional wall art for many years, and for me, it was just a natural transition to also see my art on actual products. Furthermore, I started following other licensing artists to teach myself on how to accomplish that goal. Q. What kind of education do you have that gives you the abilities to be so creative in your artwork? I have always drawn and painted from about 5. The only actual formal education I have had is my 4 years of high school art. I had a very encouraging and inspiring art teacher at Bremen High. I still use a lot of the basic skills taught to me in those days today. Other than high school, I am self-teaching myself everyday by learning through books, studying historical and modern artwork. I also keep up on yearly and seasonal trends.

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Peggy Davis Q. This is a big ask....do you have ONE favorite? I love them all differently, they are like children. Each one has their own little personalities and bright spots.

Colorful Conversation

Fanciful Q. Out of all your licensed images, do you know which image has sold the most puzzles?

Joy in the Morning

So far my Ceaco puzzles "Peggy's Garden" a series of 3 are selling great. They are in local stores like, Walmart, Kohl's and Meijers. My Cobble Hill puzzles are just hitting stores, but can be found online.

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Peggy Davis Q. What did you do for a living before you decided to get into art licensing? When raising my children, I was a part-time restaurant server. I also, during those years, painted furniture, children's murals and painted theatrical sets which was great practice for the work I do now. Later on, I painted and sold my work on internet marketplaces as well as local art galleries. Q. Who were/are your biggest influences and inspirations in the art licensing world? Wow! There are so many talented artist's out there, and I have so many favorites. If I had to pick a few, Janet Stever, Tara Reed, Jennifer Nilsson , Mary Swift and Beth Grove. I guess that's more than a few, but there are so many, I feel like I could go on and on.

Q. What products other than jigsaw puzzles have you licensed your artwork to? I have work on fabric, wall tiles, night lights, cross stitch patterns, rugs, pillows, yard flags, wall art prints etc. Q. Does photography enter into your work? Yes, absolutely, my phone is loaded with inspirational photos I have taken when my husband and I are out driving around. It's not uncommon at all for me to get out of the car and take an on sight photo. Also, I photograph my own gallery work to turn into digital art prints.

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Peggy Davis Q. Is your artwork digitally enhanced or hand-painted? My gallery art is all hand-painted however in some of my licensing pieces I start off with everything hand-painted but then paint extra elements separately and then add them in randomly to different pieces of my work in photoshop. Q. Were you from an artistic family background? My dad was crafty and I have recently found out my aunt Betty was a flower painter. My sister and a few nephews draw, so I guess you can say yes. Q. Have you always identified yourself as an artist? I have always felt like one, always wanted to be one but it took me years to actually finally allow myself to identify as an artist. Finally I can say yes I am a full time actual Artist. :) Q. What is the average length of time it takes for you to create one image? Each image is different. I have to go to designs I have developed that are "Peggy Style" pieces and I can put those out in a day or two. I have pieces that evolve over time and may sit awhile while I study them and then go back to them as I decide where the piece should go. Those can take weeks or even months. Then there are pieces that take a week or two. Each piece decides on its own how long it will take before I can completely call it done. Q. Do you know how many puzzle images you have licensed over the years? I am pretty new to puzzle licensing but currently have 5 out in stores, 2 in production and a few I'm in the process of creating.

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Peggy Davis Q. If a person was interested in doing the same work you do, what is the best advice you can give them? My best advice is to keep painting and creating. I think most people think it happens overnight. Maybe for some but I think it takes about 2 years of constant work for your individual style that you are comfortable with to emerge. It's like playing piano: you don't become amazing in a week, it takes practice. Then start compiling your work into groups or collections and then start submitting to art licensing companies but only those that your work is compatible with. Don't shoot for everything but be targeted. You can do it on your own but to start having an agent helps. I am quite happy with my agent. Q. We would also like to see/know how your 'work in progress' happens - are there images/stages that you can share? Yes, see the video to the below.

VIDEO - CLICK HERE

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Peggy Davis

Q. Do you have a specific art studio or work from your home? I work from my home studio. I'm near a lake in the country and surrounded by farmland. Q. Can you share something personal about yourself to us that is not on your social media channels - like perhaps you do jigsaw puzzles? Or besides painting, do you have another hobby? I have many loves, mostly involving my hands. I like to bake and cook, garden, sew, cross stitch, crocheting. Furthermore, I love sketching in my spare time and working on digital artwork. I also love road trips. I love seeing the countryside and visiting places of interest. But above all I love spending time with my husband, kids and grandchildren. PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

Peggy Davis Shady Garden Brand: Cobble Hill Puzzle Company Pieces: 275 large size Size: 24" x 18"

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Peggy Davis Shady Garden Puzzle Review I did not do my usual sorting routine but simply laid out all the pieces onto the foam boards. They are quite colorful enough to pick out the red flowers.

The Shady Garden puzzle also comes with a very nice size poster. I tend to lightly tape the poster to the top outside of the box then put the box onto my puzzle stand with the empty plastic bag in the inside of the box - keeping it altogether!

You will notice the border on this one is cut off from the edges compared to the poster. Look closely at the poster border and then the border I assembled. It very clear with the orange petals in the top center which is cut off on my image and there is actually pink/green space on the box and the border...no biggy but merely an observation. I carried on with assembling the seven main flowers with the different patterns/colours. Then I assembled the smaller pink patterns and green. The shapes of the pieces assisted with that as well.

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Peggy Davis The following images show some of the lovely artwork by Peggy Davis and how she captures the true vibrant colors of the 'rich' flowers. Also very visible is closeups of the shaped puzzle pieces which are extra large.

The matte finish is always nice on these puzzles. As is the cut and quality of Cobble Hill jigsaw puzzles. I was especially attracted to the colors on this one. 20

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Peggy Davis Extravaganza Brand: Cobble Hill Puzzle Company Pieces: 1000 Size: 19.25" x 26.625"

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Peggy Davis Extravaganza Puzzle Review Looking at the border to the left, you can see the array of multi colors. I laid out all the boarder pieces in my assembly area first. I started to match up pairs as much as I could and placed them into the areas as they appeared on the image.

I could tell from the image that this many colourful details was going to be a bit of a test to assemble. The border process confirmed that as I was referring to the image for each next piece. When it came to start the assembly, I knew the few large sections of flowers was the only way to get this puzzle to 'take off'. As you can see , the largest sections of the main flowers combined with the border, takes about 1/4 of the puzzle. 22

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Peggy Davis Extravaganza Puzzle Review The Extravaganza puzzle also comes with a large non-glare poster which is about the same size of the box as shown to the right. I decided to continue with focusing on piecing together small sections of red, even if it meant only 2 pieces and sometimes even 1 piece - I put them into place on the board. The section with the light bluish background in the upper left and right went together next. That left the bottom half portion where the process slowed down. The colors are 'busy' with lots to connect, and it was the area I spent most of my time on. That said, it totally slipped my mind to take a work in progress image.

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The Puzzle Olympics is a free, fun, online, non-

competitive event, open to all ages and all countries. The Junior Olympics is for children of all ages, with no minimum or maximum number of pieces or puzzles required.

The event consists of eight rounds, scheduled in sequence by increasing piece counts.

During the time frame for each round, players may post as many puzzles as they like of the correct

piece count to the album designated for that round. Puzzles can be any brand, any theme, and any image. There is no required number of puzzles or rounds

for participation. Players may participate in as many rounds as they like and post as many puzzles as they like

Puzzle Olympics Training

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ROUNDS by piece counts: Preliminary Games: puzzles up to 100 pieces Bronze – puzzles from 101 to 499 pieces Silver – puzzles from 500 to 999 pieces Gold – puzzles from 1000 to 1499 pieces Closing Ceremonies: puzzles from 1500 to 2999 pieces Olympic Games: puzzles of 3000 pieces or more For additional fun, players are welcome to form teams to have their puzzles counted together. So tell all your puzzle friends and join the fun at the Puzzle Olympics Registration begins on May 1. For updates, questions, suggestions, or to volunteer to help, join our ‘training’ group to get ready for the Puzzle Olympics at:

Puzzle Olympics Training

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I am thrilled to share with you one of the MOST brilliant, personal unique Jigsaw Puzzle gifts I have ever received. This is the kind of gift that is priceless because it is created with the kindness and passion that is shared among jigsaw puzzlers. I want to sincerely thank my jigsaw puzzler friend Antônia Sobral from Brazil who was so thoughtful to create, produce and then send me this jigsaw puzzle treasure I am deeply touched and grateful for our connection. I have been following Antônia Sobral as she has combined her Architectural skills with her passion for jigsaw puzzles and her creative artistic skills into beautiful productions of unique shaped, designed and fabulous coloured jigsaw puzzles. Her custom cut jigsaw puzzles are very high end quality from a mindful thought that blossoms into a work of art that deserves to be appreciated by many as it is displayed on the wall. Her collection should really be a travelling Exhibition however at least you have the option to see videos, photos and more information about her right here in this article. This letter 'L' shaped puzzle overlaps to form the shape of the puzzle. The board is extremely high quality and the pieces fit nice and quite snug. PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

ANTÔNIA'S GALLERY

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How did you come up with this idea of creating jigsaw puzzle letters? I wanted to give a gift to some people who encouraged me to go on with my work, but I wanted the gift to be unique and very particular to each of them. I also wanted it to be a sample of the techniques that I have created for my puzzles; so it was important that I made something that could rotate, as it is with the Seahorse puzzle, or had overlaps and ups and downs, as it is in the Snake puzzles. Then the idea of those people’s initials came to my mind.

Custom Made Cutting Tool CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO WATCH THE VIDEO

How long does it take to create one from start to finish? It took me an average of three days to complete the whole process, because each puzzle was a different size and had a different number of pieces. The work was distributed as follows: one and a half days for drawing, painting, gluing to the base, cutting along the outlines, sanding, cutting into pieces, varnishing and assembling for review. And another day and a half for making the box. Of course, we are talking about very small 50 to 80piece puzzles. What materials are you using for the wood, paints and cutting tools? First, let me make it clear that the puzzles are made of cardboard rather than wood. I use two types of cardboard: one is widely used in crafts in general, and the other one is more frequently used in architectural scale models. The choice of cardboard grade and sturdiness is made aiming at the perfect fitting together of the pieces, as we, puzzle lovers, know how unpleasant it is to try to assemble a puzzle whose pieces won’t hold after being put together. PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

I use several different techniques and materials for painting. I've made some paintings using varnish only, others using oil pastel crayons, and I am currently using acrylic paint. Each material has its characteristic and produces its kind of beauty in the outcome. For the snake puzzles, I also used a crackle finish varnish to get the snake skin effect I was looking for. When it comes to cutting, I use knives which were made especially for me. In the beginning, I started talking to people from hardware stores, until they referred me to a gentleman who had a lathe. He very kindly adapted a hole cutter so that I would be able to cut half a circumference and gave me the steel tool as a gift. (Please see page 29 for photo of the tool). Later on, being an Architect, I drew the knives according to my needs and took the drawings to a knife manufacturer. In order to make the cuts, I have to hit hard with a sledgehammer. You need strong biceps (!!) but also care and delicacy of touch so that nothing goes wrong.

My kids and I always had puzzles as a hobby. The spacious house made it possible to transform the architect's drawing board into a table to assemble large puzzles, as there were already those with 1000, 1500 and 3000 pieces on the market. As soon as the children's school holidays began, we bought a game with many pieces, we organized ourselves with auxiliary boxes to separate them by colors and shapes, each of us with a spoon in our hand - since the pot of hazelnut cream "Nutella " was part of the ritual - and there we spent about 2 hours a day. Yes, I do puzzles manually, using a knife system, in fact very manual. The passion for assembling puzzles led me to this, when around the year 2001 I wanted to buy one whose image was of a little boy in black and white, sitting on the floor, dressed in 20s clothes, but it no longer existed on the market. It was then that I had the idea of using old family photos to try to create one similar to that one. That's where it all started.

So I made my first puzzle, primitive but very efficient. I gave it to my sister Maria Olga who didn't know about the image. It was the first time that a handmade puzzle surprised anyone. She loved the gift and it was the stimulus I needed.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

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If you don't mind, do you have a cost price to create one? I price my puzzles based on the number of hours spent on the job, the amount of effort and difficulty involved in the making, and the rather intangible factors: innovation and artistry itself. I generally add 10% to that price to cover other expenses such as materials and tools. As I buy the materials wholesale – and therefore the materials bought to make one puzzle end up being used to make some others – and as the knives have to be replaced from time to time because they cannot be sharpened, it is very difficult to determine the exact cost price of a single puzzle. But I can give you an idea of how much I would charge for one letter-puzzle in Brazilian currency (reais). I’m asking R$75.00 for a 50 piece letterpuzzle. If you change that into Canadian dollars, as the Canadian dollar today is worth R$3.76 reais, it would be around $20.00 in your currency today. (values change everyday, so we have to check how much one Canadian dollar is worth at the date of purchase. It varies a few cents up or down, according to the markets, politics and tourism).

CLICK ON THE IMAGE HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

I should also add that shipping is a little costly. Depending on the weight and size of the puzzle, it may double its cost or may even be more expensive than the puzzle itself.

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About Antônia Sobral Brazilian born and having majored in Architecture and landscape Architecture, I was married and had 3 children and we were living in a place where we produced seedlings. Jigsaw puzzles became a regular hobby in my family but for someone like me, who saw so many trees spring up from my hands, there was still one more project: creating my own puzzles! For twenty years, I cut puzzles manually, using knives as tools. In fact, body stressing work. My passion for jigsaw puzzles led me to that when, around the year 2001, I wanted to buy a puzzle and realized it was no longer available in the market. The puzzle in question was black and white, and pictured a little boy sitting on the floor, wearing clothes from the 20s. I, then, had the idea of using old family photos to try and create something similar to that one. And that's when it all began. I made many experiments and had the help of several people until I could find the tools and supplies that became my current working materials and until I finally reached the level of quality I considered acceptable. I started gifting loved ones, then I made many custom puzzles and I was finally able to put two pleasures together: creating my own art and turning it into jigsaw puzzles.

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In 2017, I broke my right shoulder and tried to go on with my work after recovery. I started making small pieces, such as earrings; after that, I made some kids’ growth chart rulers and some other small puzzles, but I soon realized that I was pushing my body to the limit and it was time to stop. My last puzzle was drawn on special paper made of banana tree leaves, which a friend had given me many years ago. This last puzzle is called “The Hug.” I was finishing working on it just as COVID-19 broke out in my country and, consequently, confinement started. The lack of family life began hitting us harder and, at that point, I looked at “The Hug” and made up my mind: I am keeping this one! I’ve had it framed and it is hanging in my living room, right as you enter the house, welcoming all those who come visit us. All the other puzzles were given out. Some were handed to acquaintances who asked for them; some were kept by my children but most of them were offered through Facebook and I was happy with the demand. I entered a period of creative silence. I did not intend to go on with that work. Until one day, I got to see 3D objects being printed and wondered if that could be the path to enable a series of copies of my overlaying puzzles. It seems that 3D printing will make that possible. I have made a new project, but I am still dealing with manufacturing problem solving . I am looking forward to the conclusion of this challenging process.

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ANTÔNIA'S GALLERY The following Gallery of images displays Antônias beautiful artistry and extremely creative crafts such as shaped puzzles, earrings and growth charts.

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ANTÔNIA'S GALLERY

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ANTÔNIA'S GALLERY

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ANTÔNIA'S GALLERY

GR CH OW AR TS

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ANTÔNIA'S GALLERY

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ANTÔNIA'S GALLERY

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Roberta Shore Review Ice Cream Flavors Eurographics Ribbon cut 1000 pieces Finished size: 19.25” x 26.625” My Newbie difficulty - moderate to advanced

What did I say when I first saw this puzzle? “I still love ice cream!” Followed by asking myself “How would I sort this?” Easy, I replied, “by the rows of colored checks.” Well, I kept talking to myself through the entire process of this puzzle. Why are the yellows only slightly different? Why is there so little difference from the pink and purple? Why are the sundae labels so tiny? Is this a vanilla piece? Should I just bag this up? Yes, I thought that, but it’s really not my nature to give in to failure.

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Roberta Shore Review Reasons to dislike this puzzle: very loose piece fit, puzzle pieces darker than the box pic, (there was no poster). That led to a lot of frustration, starting with the sorting. My initial ideas wasn’t as easy as I hoped - too many pieces had no indication of their color background. So, my only option was to sort by the rows while constantly looking at the box. That was made even more difficult by tiny print and poor color match. It took forever! Also, there is a sheen on the pieces so any part of puzzling is best in daylight. The easiest part of the sorting was picking out the edge pieces, and sorting out the large title, and bottom swirls. Building the frame and completing the title and bottom swirl design was the most pleasant part of working this puzzle. After that I built up from the bottom. Because the piece fit was so loose, building entire sundaes and trying to move them into place was impossible (keeping even 3 pieces together was questionable). But I did it! It was fun to see it finished, but after seven days of looking at it, I just wanted it done. A well-made puzzle that is as challenging as this one is one thing, but when so much of the challenge, (more accurately here, time-consuming annoyance) had to do with the issues mentioned above, that’s something else. After all was said and done, the meticulous sorting basically left me with six small puzzles to complete; there really wasn’t much challenge to that. On the positive side, there were no broken, bent or splitting pieces, no missing or extra pieces, just a little puzzle dust, the box is sturdy (but large), a recipe for Strawberry Ice Cream was on the bottom....and I still love Ice Cream! This was the first Eurographics puzzle I tried. It was not a good first impression. I would have to absolutely fall in love with an illustration to purchase another. But, reviewers seem to love them, and the independent assessment I read was positive. So, along with the Lemon and Lime sundae in this puzzle, I may just have gotten a lemon. This puzzle grade, C+, fun factor B-

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JULY 22-24, STURBRIDGE MA Hello Puzzle Friends! How is the Spring weather treating you? Have you registered for the 2022 Puzzle Parley that will be held July 22-24th in Sturbridge, Massachusetts yet? In only three and a half weeks, we have had over 50 people register for the Puzzle Parley (more than 85% have been for the whole weekend!), 8 volunteer applications, 7 Pagey Elliot Puzzle Exchange sign ups, and 1 scholarship application! While we wait for July to get here, below are some fun details we would like to share with you: MORE FUN TRIVIA The Yankee Swap and the American Antiquarian Society Tour have been the most popular to sign up for, with the Artifact Speed Puzzling Contest and the Puzzle Cutting Workshops following extremely close behind! And don't forget your pocketbook, since about a third of attendees will be bringing puzzles to sell, some from as far away as France! HEADS UP! DEADLINES AND OPTIONS QUICKLY FILLING UP The Pagey Elliot Puzzle Exchange Signups are due March 31st! If you haven’t decided whether or not to play with us, let me tell you, we have some incredibly creative puzzle makers signed up! Early Bird pricing ends April 17th! Applications for the Armstrong Educational Grant are due on April 17th! The Puzzle Cutting Workshops are filling up! There are only these spots left: 4 spots @ 10 AM (the only one where you can also do the Tour!), 6 spots @ 12PM, and 7 spots @ 2 PM. The American Antiquarian Society Tour of their pre-1900’s jigsaw collection has 25 spots left! The Artifact Puzzles Speed Contest sign ups end June 1st! (You don’t need a team, we will match you up with 2 others, but you can list friends too!) Looking forward to seeing you in July – will you be there? Your Puzzle Parley Steering Committee: Bob Armstrong Anne Williams Melinda Shebell Roz Rea Chris Yates Janell Amely Deb Dana

raahna@oldpuzzles.com awilliam@bates.edu melinda@jardinpuzzles.com rozrea11@gmail.com superyates@gmail.com janell.amely@3catmax.com debdana@hotmail.com PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

WWW

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We caught up with the lovely Jamie Lane because we can see her puzzle accessories business is successfully expanding. Learn more about her Company in the following Q's & A's.

Q. For our Readers, where is your business located and how long has it been established? Grateful House is located in Cody, Wyoming, USA. However, our brand is established in both the USA and Australia as we live between the two countries. We were established early in 2018. Q. Why did you decide to start a jigsaw puzzle product business? We faced some hardships in Australia with the drought and had to make some tough decisions. Our lives changed dramatically as we left the land and business that we loved. I really wanted to stay home with our 5 children. I wasn’t sure how or what I was going to do, I just knew I was going to do something that allowed me to be with them. My son Jake had broken a few bones in a row from sporting accidents and he was doing a lot of puzzling. His younger sister Piper kept “helping” and losing his pieces. Grandma suggested a puzzle mat! This was news to me; I did not know such a thing existed. They were horrible quality, and I could see a business opportunity right away! I felt confident that people would want to safely store their puzzles after hours of working on them. Q. What was your first puzzle product? Our very first product was the roll up puzzle mat. After a lot of market research, we improved them substantially and continued to improve them as we learned more from our customers. We invented and patented a tube that helps secure the roll. Its very helpful for little hands and senior hands as it helps to grip the felt for a tight roll. 46

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GRATEFUL HOUSE Q & A's Q. How many products do you carry now? We currently have 18 products including colour variations. We have some very exciting products coming soon. It has been a challenge to develop products due to limitations on raw materials and the costs of freight. We are working hard to get through this. Our puzzle trays are one example of delays with production due to these issues. Q. How do you select your puzzle Artists? I spend hours and hours looking on the web, social channels, word of mouth, and puzzle groups! My aim is to find artists who have never been seen on a puzzle. It’s an honour to introduce their work to the puzzling niche. Q. It is stated on the back of the jigsaw puzzles box, "Made responsibly in China". Can you explain what that entails? We vet our factories to ensure they are manufactured by companies that have produced them in an ethical manner, focusing on fair working conditions and that they are not harmful to the environment or to society. Q. Do you plan to expand beyond jigsaw puzzle products? We are focused on providing puzzlers with the highest quality products that solve their problems. I have become very passionate about our customers’ needs and will stay true to the niche for now. In the future if we do expand our line it would be related to the category in terms of crafts & hobbies. Creating Grateful House has been the most rewarding and beautiful experience as its brought us closer to puzzlers all over the world. Q. What jigsaw puzzle products can we expect to see in the future? We are just about to launch a modern tilt table and a box lid holder. They will be available in a couple of weeks. We are also working on puzzle desks, chairs, lighting, glue, and of course puzzles! This is just to name a few! We want to give a special thanks to Jamie for providing us with the puzzle mats, trays and jigsaw puzzles. We take great pleasure to share reviews on products that are completely top quality, and has great customer service that over delivers. See the following pages for reviews on the puzzle items just mentioned. PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

GRATEFUL HOUSE MAT I first tried the Grateful House grey mat. Before I get into it, you should know that I have used the green Rollo puzzle mats - the Grateful House puzzle mats are comparable by product name only, being called puzzle mats. The thickness and quality of these Grateful House mats is the finest of all felts I have ever touched. Now, my puzzle table is smooth and shiny, but the weight of these mats have such minimal movement that it did not give a negative experience. The touch of the felt is that of luxury. After rolling out the mat and sorting the puzzle pieces, I started with the border of the first puzzle. None of the pieces move on the mat. The pieces are picked up individually and put into place. There is no slippage or sliding - again, that did not give a negative experience. When I was partially finished with the puzzle, I tested the 'Roll-away' process on the puzzle. The test was to see how well the Tube would work. Along with Hubby's assistance, we discovered the proper way to inflate the Tube as it is designed to hold the air as it is blown into, then seals instantly to hold the air - that makes for a quality airtight hold. When it is time to deflate the Tube, the air-intakenozzle must be pinched open. So pinch the air-intakenozzle to fill it with air and pinch the air-intake-nozzle to deflate it. Then I followed the instructions to easily roll the puzzle around the tube and conveniently wrapped the ties around the puzzle mat. Once that was completed, I packed it into the carrying case that provides the drawstring to seal it closed and easy to carry handles. Clearly, the puzzle pieces are VERY safe and still in the exact place when reopened. 48

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GRATEFUL HOUSE TRAYS I am using the Grateful House sorting trays. I have tried and tested to see IF all the pieces could be laid out flat into the 8 trays. It has been determined that if the lid is used to lay out the edge pieces, then yes, the other 8 trays will allow for the rest of the pieces to be laid out flat. The images to the left share my sorting process. I laid out all the trays around the box of pieces. See the image to the right. I took handfuls of pieces and laid each one face up and according to the colours or patterns I placed them onto the trays. I was quite pleased they all fit. I only needed to work from the one tray that had the edge pieces for the border, which meant I could hold it in my hand as it was not a large foam board like I have used in the past. Once the border was completed, I was able to pick pieces from the trays that had bulk-colour-patterns. Once again, I was able to hold the tray in my hands. At some point, I found myself, sifting through the trays and using the stacking method as a space savour tactic. That worked out quite well. PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

GRATEFUL HOUSE TRAYS

These trays are made of some pretty high grade plastic. As a matter of fact, they are heavier then I expected them to be. The bottom surface has a nice light grain surface and they all stack up to nicely with the lid sealing the top. The only thing missing is a sling around the eight trays that attach to the lid so they can be carried. 50

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GRATEFUL HOUSE PUZZLE REVIEW Brand: Grateful House Puzzle Title: Barn Quilts Artist: Julie Pace Hoff Pieces: 1000 size Size: 19.7" x 27.5" Overall Experience: Great Cut Quality: Great Board Quality: Firm Shape Cut: Grid-like Image Quality: Good Hardest Area: Red trees Puzzle Dust? next to none Finish Quality: Smooth linen Box Quality: Great Sealed Pieces Inside Box: Yes Was this purchased new? no Price: Picked for review Recommend Level: High Time: 9 hours The Grateful House puzzles come with a full size poster that is the same measurement of the assembled puzzle. See the image to the left.

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GRATEFUL HOUSE PUZZLE REVIEW The first image below to the left shows there is zero puzzle dust, indicating a nice clean cut of the pieces. Although, a nice clean cut does not indicate whether the pieces are going to be loose fitting or not. The back of the box shares a lot of information regarding the details of the jigsaw puzzle, such as the size and the artist. It also includes the Grateful House contact information and the fact that the product is "MADE RESPONSIBLY IN CHINA". We now know what that means.

The border was completed quickly enough by joining the blues at the top and the greys/people at the bottom. The image to the left share the high quality of the grey mat and more importantly, how flat it lays - it's very smooth to the table.

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GRATEFUL HOUSE PUZZLE REVIEW I included the image to the left to show how the puzzle border compares to the puzzle poster. A puzzler can easily build the puzzle right on top of the poster. That's a handy trick for puzzle images that are extremely difficult.

So my work in progress started with the blue sky and grey base at the bottom, then moved onto the yellow, purple, and darker blue buildings. Next I started working the patterns. That left the big fiery red trees, the roads between the buildings and the rooftop patterns. Again, you can see how the pieces are lying flat on the mat.

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GRATEFUL HOUSE PUZZLE REVIEW The following is an example of the 'color-match' between the puzzle pieces and the poster. This is common due to paper types used for posters. Often puzzlers will need to make this adjustment when assembling pieces according to the image. Notice the different color matches between the pieces and poster paper below, where the arrows are pointing. It may throw you off at first but once you identify the correct color, you can easily adjust.

Some puzzle cuts that are grid cut can be tricky if the tips and knobs are too similar. Sometimes, pieces even fit into other pieces which becomes daunting. To the right, you can see some variations in the way the pieces are cut for the puzzle piece knobs. Again, that's a small 'tip' that can make a big difference in solid dark colors. Plus I wanted you to see the closeup fibres on the puzzle mat.

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GRATEFUL HOUSE PUZZLE REVIEW The next section of images shares close up views of images, and you can see the clear image, the cut pattern and the quality of the pieces. These are important aspects of the puzzle and Grateful House passes as a winner!

The different shapes to the tips helps with the grid-like cut, so they are not too similar. Maybe it also helps with the interlocking as you can see to the right, I have been able to lift the entire puzzle without the pieces falling apart. A great big special thanks to Grateful House puzzles for giving me the opportunity to review their products. PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

wild west camp Reviewed by: Judithlynn

Buffalo Signature Collection 1000 pieces 26.75" x 19.75" 68 cm x 50 cm ARTIST: Jeff Haynie This puzzle comes with a generous size poster. There was zero puzzle dust in the box. The puzzle box is securely glued as the pieces are not in a bag.

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wild west camp

I was very excited to dive right into this puzzle because I fell in love with the vibrant colors and the images are just so fun to look at. The border went together easy enough. I also found the guitar and part of the 'Danger' sign as I was pulling the edge pieces. On my second round of sorting I decided I would pull blue and pink pieces as well as the cacti and wagon pieces.

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wild west camp

As you can see from the above and below images, this puzzle just 'took off'!! I became so immersed in that there was no time for 'extra' photos!!!

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wild west camp I just LOVE the images that this artist has added to his painting. The 'Spaceship' that is above the cacti, is it hovering to pick up or is it looking to land?

Jeff has used a lot of beautiful color tones that make this puzzle standout!! I will definitely be doing this one again and again.

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Do you know about this Association? We were doing research and came across their website. We found the USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association and contacted them for more information. Furthermore, we put together this Q & A. It's quite interesting to know how much contribution this organization provides to the jigsaw puzzle community.

Q. How did you come about to form the USAJPA? A few of the board members contacted the World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation to find out how to start a U.S. group and the WJPF encouraged us to connect with each other. A few Facebook messages later, we set up our first virtual meeting and started talking about launching the USAJPA. The advice we were given was to first create a community on Facebook to get a base of support and host a few events. Once we did that, we chose an online membership platform and started to recruit. It’s been a labor of love for the board members as we donate all of our time and fortunately, we clicked from the beginning and have formed great friendships as we’ve collaborated to bring the USAJPA to fruition. Q. What is the sole purpose of the membership? Our mission is to promote jigsaw puzzling as a hobby and provide a hub for people to share news and events related to jigsaw puzzling. We also provide guidelines and support for competitive jigsaw puzzling events to feed into a national championship and the World Jigsaw Puzzling Competition. We offer memberships to encourage a sense of belonging and community and to generate support for our efforts to become a nationally known resource for jigsaw puzzlers. 60

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Q. Since USAJPA has started in 2020 can you tell us how many members there are? At the time of this interview, we had 338 members. Q. What are the benefits and how much does it cost? The cost to join is $15 a year, and we offer many benefits. Members are invited to join a monthly virtual event to connect with other puzzlers casually. We also offer Zoom seminars where we, for example, interview top competitors, talk to collectors and connect with the World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation leaders. We host a few virtual competitions a year and members participate with a discounted rate and are given early bird registration access. Furthermore, we have a travelling puzzle program for members and do monthly puzzle giveaways by randomly drawing a name from our member pool. In January 2022, we hosted a free puzzle party for members and provided activities, lunch and door prizes. Members also have access to a private Facebook forum where they can organize swaps and connect with each other around their passion for puzzling. Q. Does the USAJPA put on any actual events or do sponsorships for events etc? We’re planning to host more in-person events now that COVID restrictions are less of an issue. At this time, we don’t have the resources to provide financial support for other organizations, but we freely offer our expertise and share resources with groups that contact us. We’re also beginning to envision how regional groups could form and become affiliates of the USAJPA to expand our reach.

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Q. How does one get involved in volunteering? Just contact us at contact@usajigsaw.org and let us know! We’d love for more people to be involved and there are so many ways that people can promote jigsaw puzzles in their communities. We have members that have created free jigsaw puzzle libraries in their neighborhoods, organized contests to raise money for charity, and provided workshops on speed puzzling. There are so many possibilities! Q. What is the purpose of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation? The World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation is largely responsible for hosting a World Competition in Spain every year. They also act as a resource for groups like the USAJPA. There is a group of English-speaking puzzle leaders from around the world that frequently communicate with each other to pose questions about competition ideas and other jigsaw topics. They help connect jigsaw enthusiasts from around the world! Q. What are the most successful events with good participation? Jigsaw puzzle speed competitions are definitely increasing in popularity. The pandemic introduced the concept of competing virtually via Zoom. This development has made speed puzzling much more accessible in that people don’t have to travel and can compete in their home with a setup that works well for them and can accommodate any physical limitations they may have. A few years ago, it was tough to find puzzle contests to participate in, but now, thanks to virtual events, competitors can do a contest nearly every weekend. Swaps are also popular as puzzling can be an expensive hobby. In our experience, whenever you get a bunch of jigsaw puzzlers in a room (either in person or online) it’s a lot of fun because everyone has something in common and can relate to each other about all topics around puzzling.

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Q. What events are coming up this year? We have a virtual competition happening on April 9, 2022 and we’re in the early planning stages for an in-person national championship event in San Diego, CA, this fall. With the championship event, we’re planning to designate a weekend where there will be contests, socializing and other activities for members’ to connect in person and enjoy a full weekend of fun events. Puzzle club happens monthly and we’ll be hosting a few online workshops yet this year, too. Q. What is the JPA ranking? In order to give speed puzzlers a sense of how they are measuring up to their fellow competitors, we have created a formula for developing a Jigsaw Puzzle Association Ranking (JPAR). It only applies to members that compete in individual competitions. The formula takes into account the difficulty level of a puzzle and recorded times from contests we have hosted. For more details on how the score is compiled, you can check out our JPAR webpage. Q. What goes on in the Puzzle Club? Puzzle Club uses an online space called Gather where participants create an avatar and enter a room (kind of like a video game). The room is divided up into different activity areas and you can just go wherever you like. When you approach other participants, your video and audio pops up so you can see and hear each other. There are spaces for casual competitions where everyone agrees on a puzzle from an assigned puzzle pack that people can order on their own ahead of time. They then start their timers together and race to finish. There are also digital puzzle spaces where you can collaborate on 500 piece online puzzles with people from across the country. And there are spaces where people work on puzzles they have going at home and just visit with each other.

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If you’d like to learn more about our organization, you can follow our Facebook page or Instagram, visit usajigsaw.org or reach out to us at contact@usajigsaw.org. Thanks!

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Peter Christensen

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Peter Christensen Let me introduce a long time puzzle connection I have with Peter Christensen. He has been in the Jigsaw Puzzle Connections Facebook Group for a few years now. He has a unique way with this hobby. You will understand more in the comments below.

"I have now completed each of my 40 puzzles 9 times or more. As I was learning to enjoy jigsaw puzzles I was excited to be buying new ones. But as my collection grew, I discovered I enjoyed doing the same ones again even more than doing new ones. So I simply stopped collecting them at 40 puzzles. Fortunately, we all enjoy different things else the world would be a boring place! I find it fun to recognize pieces and know where they go. I get to know my puzzles better every time I do them, and enjoy them that much more. And they get easier, too. For example, the first couple of times I do a puzzle I might struggle to find a particular piece that doesn't look like you'd think it would. After that, it's fun to remember where it goes as soon as I see it. I got into the habit in the 70s when I travelled on business. It was before we had the web, and I'd always take a couple 100-piece puzzles along to work on while watching whatever was on TV. I found that I enjoyed them more as I got to know them. It used to take 3 to 4 days to do a 1000-piece puzzle; now I do them in 2 to 3. All that said, I can certainly understand why others might get more enjoyment out of the challenge of doing a new puzzle every time. But I even like to watch my favorite movies again and again! "To each his own," said the old lady as she kissed the cow."

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SUCCULENT SPECTRUM

Puzzle details: Galison, Succulent Spectrum by Troy Litten 500 pieces, 2020. The pieces are made from 90% recycled paper and the sturdy box is made from 70% recycled paper. They also use nontoxic ink in the printing. I appreciate their efforts to be environmentally responsible.

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SUCCULENT SPECTRUM

My mom really liked this new release puzzle in the store, so I am not surprised that she picked this one to do next.

This one was a lot of fun, but again, I wanted to use a more planned approach, while Mom was perfectly happy to bounce all over the place.

When it comes to puzzling, my mom is more of a free spirit than I am! I love watching her intently putting her little sections together , so I am content to puzzle around her. PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

SUCCULENT SPECTRUM Right from the start, though, my sadly neglected Yorkie let me know that she was not happy that we were starting another puzzle! She made her displeasure known but was willing to accept the obvious for now.

I was able to get about 18 of the little squares done before my pup had had enough. She wriggled her way onto my arms and refused to budge. My puzzling time was at an end. However, she allowed me to get one arm free and I started sorting the loose pieces into little piles for my mom to do. Mom did an excellent job finishing the puzzle on her own while Lexie waited for bedtime.

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SUCCULENT SPECTRUM

Galison puzzles always seem to take me a minute to get into. It seems like their puzzle pieces are on the thin side, yet they are sturdy. They seem to have a sharp cut to the pieces, and I always fear that I will get a paper cut if I am not careful, yet this has never happened. The grid cut pieces have two basic versions of the basic knob-holeknob-hole shape (long and skinny vs short and wide) that alternate with each other. They have a glossy finish that shows off the crisp images and colors very well. I didn’t have any bent or missing pieces, nor were there any cut issues. There’s almost no puzzle dust, for those who care about this. The box has the image completely covering the front, with a small sticker hiding a small part of the puzzle. The back of the box has a smaller image of the puzzle and they include a handy small poster that I used, especially when I was sorting. The poster had some details about the various succulents and identified each one. All in all, this was a fun puzzle to do and it was done rather quickly, which my pup was happy about.

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Mari's New Puzzle Library You know you're addicted to your hobby when you convert the back porch to accommodate living arrangements just for your jigsaw puzzles! The project started around November 15, 2021 and ended around March 15, 2022, after many decisions, plans, and even a change in contractors. The only purpose of the new room is to store puzzles and display puzzles. Nothing else will be done in the room.

Before - the puzzles were taking over the house and I just had no place to put them.

The back porch - was not getting used in the Florida heat, just collecting dust.

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Mari's New Puzzle Library The finished room! The room is approximately 9 feet x 12 feet. The shelves are wall to wall, the full length of the room on both sides. On the left side the shelves are 15 inches wide (will be used mostly for 1000 piece puzzles in the big boxes)

On the right side the shelves are 9 inches wide (will be used mostly for odd shaped puzzle boxes or containers)

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Mari's New Puzzle Library This is during construction, the photos below show the construction stages

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Mari's New Puzzle Library The room has blue rope lights all around and it looks very cool at night but it’s hard to take a good picture.

Special thanks to Mari for sharing this wonderful story with us. Mari also runs the Puzzle Olympics on Facebook

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Flower Still Life My Jigsaw Journal

Artifact Puzzles Severin Roesen Laser Cut Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle 330 pieces 11''x 13.5'' Made in the U.S.A. 76

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Flower Still Life My Jigsaw Journal This was a very dark, very challenging wooden puzzle. I bought this for my mom for Christmas last year and we finally got around to assembling it. Isn't it gorgeous? She picked it out herself. The background color was a little too dark for my taste, but it was still a fun puzzle to assemble, especially since mom and I worked it together. They were pretty tricky not to include a picture on the box of the irregular edge, so we had to figure that out for ourselves. It was quite the brain teaser, but we older ladies still have our wits about us (most of the time) and we were able to get it done. Artifact Puzzles are excellent quality with a wonderfully diverse catalog to choose from. They have many different puzzle designers who come up with amazingly intricate and complex piece cuts. I love that you're able to see pictures of the cuts for each puzzle, so you have that information before you buy. The puzzles are made from plywood and are laser cut; they are beautifully made! They have the most affordable prices I've found for wooden puzzle companies, starting at just $18; and also some of the most unique and interesting piece cuts I've ever seen! There were almost no whimsies but the cut was excellent and you can see the pieces formed a beautiful symmetrical pattern....

We are very pleased with our Feature Writer Stacey for doing the Artifacts Flower Still Life jigsaw puzzle because now we can share some of the other images produced by this brand. If you have never tried a wooden jigsaw puzzle you might like to know that it is slightly a different experience than the traditional board puzzles we do. PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

Flower Still Life My Jigsaw Journal

Mom and I really enjoyed this assembly; it was quite a challenge and we even said that it was "deviously cut" a couple of times. Still, it helps keep the brain cells firing and even if it takes more time than we'd planned on we enjoy the extra time spent together. I've done several Wentworths and a couple of Artifact puzzles in the past couple of months, so I'm hoping to get my hands on a new Liberty puzzle soon. If I don't, no worries - I can spend an afternoon reassembling the amazing Dr. Suess puzzle from Liberty I bought myself last year. Want to see more of my reviews and comments on puzzles? Check out My Jigsaw Journal, there are new puzzles and posts every day! I received this puzzle at no cost to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

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It'sEaster Time!!

Here are a few puzzles from our Easter Collection that we have had the pleasure of reviewing. Click on the puzzle image and read how these puzzles came together.

Easter Eggs

Easter Bunnies

Country Truck In Spring

Eggs In Frames

Pink Flowers

Busy Blooms

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Jigsaw Puzzle International Convention This is your opportunity to socialize again and share your passion by attending the Prestigious Jigsaw Puzzle International Convention, on July 8, 9 & 10, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the LVCC. Events taking place during the convention: Meet the manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, artists & authors Jigsaw Puzzle Competition Arts & Crafts Collaborative Mural Large piece count puzzle competition (+50k) Jigsaw Puzzle Exchange for Charity Discussion panels Chill & Relax puzzling zone B2B ViP Networking Lounge ViP Lounge for guests and celebrities Jigsaw Puzzle Awards Ceremony Art Gallery Exhibitors -> Book an online meeting with us today!

Buy Tickets Tickets to the Jigsaw Puzzle International Convention. Adults (3 day event) : $49.95 online / $99.95 door 12 years and under : $14.95 online / $29.95 door 3 years and under : Free Online Ticket Sales Ends March 31st, 2022. For more information see the following links; JPiC Home Page Tickets Events, Competitions, Activities JPiC Directory JPiC Facebook Page

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Jigsaw Puzzle International Convention

E T DA

Aside from our two Guiness World Record holders, Jill Walterbach and The Enigma, JPIC welcomes the Hamilton family from Dallas, Texas: Randy, his wife Kay and their three sons, Randy, Blane and Ross. The Hamiltons completed a Christmas jigsaw puzzle in 1978 and, since then, made it a tradition to puzzle together during Christmas. Today, the family has completed over 200 Christmas puzzles. They will be showcasing their full collection and sharing their story on our center stage. JPIC welcomes artist and puzzler Tim Klein. Tim combines portions from two or more jigsaw puzzles to make a surreal puzzle montage. He will share with us some of his artwork and talk about his adventures. JPiC's five competitions and Ultimate Challenge spots are filling up fast. Space is limited, so we suggest speed puzzlers register early. For your information, JPiC is an ecosystem comprised of the Jigsaw Puzzle International Convention (2022 edition in Las Vegas and 2023 edition in Europe), JPiC Marketplace, jigsaw puzzle NFTs, PUZL Coin and the development of a fully immersive jigsaw puzzle experience in the metaverse (a major upgrade to today's online jigsaw puzzles ), all this to cater to all types of puzzlers.

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Cher Finver Jigsaw PuzzleMaster April 2020. The mail stacked on my desk contains a flyer from Washington, D.C., advising me to stay home and stop the spread. The country is on edge. Refrigerated trucks are being brought into N.Y.C. to store bodies. The number of those infected with COVID-19 rises daily, as does the number of the deceased. I await every news conference, and the uncertainty of this virus keeps me up at night. I have nothing left to clean or organize and desperately need something to keep me busy. I click “add to cart” and wait for my 100-piece puzzle to arrive. I have only done one other puzzle in my life. At seventeen years old, I attempted a heart-shaped puzzle of a celebrity crush. It was twenty-five pieces and took me a day to complete. Puzzles were never my thing - in school or on an I.Q. Test. I will never solve a Rubik’s Cube either. In my mid-forties now, I’ve done many things out of my comfort zone throughout my life. For example, once weighing almost three hundred pounds and walking into a gym for the first time wasn’t easy. I would go on to lose over a hundred and twenty-five pounds. Writing my memoir, telling my truth, and getting it published wasn’t easy. Neither was the first time I stood in front of strangers to share my struggles and triumphs, having multiple sclerosis. I’ve done this countless times now. I scatter my smiling 2012 official portrait of Barack Obama puzzle on our coffee table. I remind myself that I will not let any puzzle have this much power over me any longer. My mother had taught me to start a puzzle by picking out the edge pieces first. I had to go back through my pile of puzzle pieces two more times, but before I knew it, the border to my puzzle was done, and over the next few days, the entire puzzle was completed. 82

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Cher Finver Jigsaw PuzzleMaster My then nineteen-year-old daughter and quarantine buddy showed some interest in my puzzle, so I told her we could try a 500 piece-puzzle next. I figured with some help, we could get it done, and we did. That feeling of accomplishment was quickly followed by horror with the discovery that our puzzle (the cast of FRIENDS) was missing a piece - Jennifer Aniston’s elbow. My daughter was so disappointed she vowed never to do another jigsaw puzzle again. I knew I needed more room to work on my jigsaw puzzles as I was now hooked. I dug out our old card table from the garage and wiped it down. The 500-piece puzzles were a challenge for this newbie, but my O.C.D. found it relaxing and soothing to separate the border pieces and group the other pieces by subject or color. I mentioned earlier that I live with multiple sclerosis. Brain fog is a term (and description) I wish I knew nothing about. These puzzles kept my mind sharp, kept me away from the depressing news, and gave me better dexterity in a world where I often drop things. During 2020 alone, I completed over fifteen 500-piece and 1,000-pieces puzzles. Some I put together and then re-sold online. Many of them have been preserved with puzzle glue and are displayed in my garage. I focused on subjects I found fun (favorite films, cute animals) and many I learned from as I put them together, such as puzzles of all the American Indian tribes and International Space Rockets. PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

Cher Finver Jigsaw PuzzleMaster The most challenging 1,000-piece puzzles were my favorites. They include a detailed curved border map of Disneyland (my happy place) and a panoramic shot of a fan-packed Citifield. Let’s go, Mets! I needed extra light and a magnifying glass for these, and they will go down in history as two of my greatest personal accomplishments.

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Cher Finver Jigsaw PuzzleMaster The pandemic has been a lonely place for someone like me with a compromised immune system. Jigsaw puzzles have been a great distraction. And seeing how far I have come with my ability to finish a puzzle relatively quickly has boosted my self-confidence. I usually find all the edge pieces on my first try and can complete a puzzle within a matter of hours if uninterrupted. My husband and daughter joke now when they see the card table come out. “Another puzzle?” they cry. “Yep. When I die, please have Cher Finver, Jigsaw Puzzle Master engraved on my urn.” I tease them right back. My daughter looks at the cellphone she is permanently attached to. “Mom, some guy in Dorest did a 1,000-piece puzzle in two hours, twenty-six minutes, and forty-five seconds.” Brat. “Okay, so I may not be the official puzzle master, but you go ahead and put that on my urn anyway.”

Cher Finver is a mother, wife, writer, and New York Mets fan living in Las Vegas, Nevada. She's the author of the 2017 memoir, But You Look So Good and Other Lies, and has several other published works in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. When not wishing she was at Disneyland, Cher enjoys lunch at the Olive Garden, her aqua aerobics classes, and spending time with her three rescue dogs. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000 and is often told she "looks good," which is the perfect opportunity to remind everyone that not every disability is always visible. We would like to give a special thanks to Cher for sending us her well written article about how jigsaw puzzles have helped her deal with COVID during one of the world's most trying times, especially her being autoimmune. We expect there are many puzzlers who can relate to a similar situation, however we are pleased to be able to have it presented here so enthusiastically. PUZZLE HOBBY MAGAZINE

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