Pooh tray puzzle

[Big_red_S]

Here is another puzzle I made my daughter.

¼” oak with a 1/8” backing.

I printed a black & white picture to glue onto the backing. It made making the tray a bit harder but worth it - I think.

I’m very happy with the finish but since this is a learning process for me (it’s my third puzzle) here are some things I learned:

• This picture is waaaaaaay to hard for a 4 year old.
  
• One of the comments made by Carter on my last puzzle was that I should use ¼” wood and a puzzle blade, both wonderful suggestions and I loved the control I have with the puzzle blade.
  
• However on this type of puzzle the puzzle blade makes it too tight and it’s hard for my 4 year old daughter to fit the pieces together within the tray so next time I might go back to a thicker blade. I do see what he meant about having greater control with a thinner blade, I only wished I would have used that blade doing my quarters map.
  
• Still need to find a good glue / paper combination (next time I’ll try Bill’s method).

[Carter-Johnson]

Red.....Glad the 1/4" worked well for you. It holds up better, especially for young kids. You're right that a "puzzle" blade is a little thin. For puzzles for small children, I use an Olsen 2/0. A 3/0 might be even better for a 4-year-old.

I have found that there is a big difference between children at a very young age with regard to how they approach puzzles. Some have the right kind of mind set, love them and tackle them with enthusiasm. Others couldn't care less, and not necessarily because of a lack of ability. I have one grandson who's not very interested and one who would have solved your puzzle quickly at age two.

I hope you won't mind another suggestion. Kids that age like to play with characters, so why not make Tigger and Eyeore (sp?) one piece, cut right along their edges. The same for Pooh and Bunny Rabbit. The rest can remain the same, except I must admit that I would also make the upper two snowy trees into one or two pieces on their own. Now, in addition to having the puzzle to put together, she has some character pieces to play with. If this idea appeals to you, think about it when approaching another picture.

Keep at it. I'm sure they're a big hit!

Carter

[Big_red_S]

Hi Carter, thanks for the suggestions.

I agree about the characters, I tried to do that with Pooh, Eiore & Tigger (a bit hard to see in the picture). I cut Rabbit's ears off so she'll be able to somewhat distinguish between the snowy scenes.

I tried to make the picture look like it was printed on the wood instead of glued on, the effect came out good but muted the colors.

[utbva]

Hi Red. Great job on the puzzle. I really like the idea of putting a picture of the puzzle on the bottom of the tray so the child can see where to put each piece.

I agree with Carter that each child approches puzzles in a different way. My grandson just turned 3 and he has no problem with puzzles of this type. I am now making some with a few more pieces to see how he handels them.

[wood-n-things]

I really look forward to these discussions. It truly is a great way to become motivated and learn at the same time.

Thanks guys.

[KtownScroller]

Mr. Big_red_S - Your puzzle looks pretty good for the third one. I know I messed up a lot of stuff until I found set ups and combinations that worked. Eventually you will be an old pro at puzzle making. Keep on truckin and keep up the good work!

[Jim Finn]

[QUOTE....

I tried to make the picture look like it was printed on the wood instead of glued on, the effect came out good but muted the colors.....[/QUOTEI
I have not tried this on a puzzle but I have applied many images to wood so that it looks to be printed onto the wood. Leaving the grain to show a bit.
I print the image onto tissue paper ( I tape it to regular printer paper to run it through the printer). Then I decopage this onto wood using Deft brushing lacquer. A little practice and experimenting makes this process simple and looking good. I do not know how cutting the pieces after this process will work but it may be worth a try. Attached is an example:

[Big_red_S]

That looks great Jim.

I actually "cheated".

I scanned the wood into the computer and blended it into the image using Photoshop.

[lucky788scroller]

Originally Posted by Jim Finn

[QUOTE....

I tried to make the picture look like it was printed on the wood instead of glued on, the effect came out good but muted the colors.....[/QUOTEI
I have not tried this on a puzzle but I have applied many images to wood so that it looks to be printed onto the wood. Leaving the grain to show a bit.
I print the image onto tissue paper ( I tape it to regular printer paper to run it through the printer). Then I decopage this onto wood using Deft brushing lacquer. A little practice and experimenting makes this process simple and looking good. I do not know how cutting the pieces after this process will work but it may be worth a try. Attached is an example:

Wow, I really like that idea, thank you for sharing that!

[JohnB]

G'day Red,
Your puzzles are coming along nicely and your daughter is obviously enjoying the learning curve

A great idea using the same pic in the bottom of the tray.

Jim, That's a really neat idea, using tissue paper. I'd guess you use a coloured laser printer ??