What to do with a finished puzzle

As puzzle lovers, we all know that feeling of finally completing a puzzle, then sitting back and admiring your work. But there’s always that question: ‘What do I do with it now?’

It almost feels wrong to just break a puzzle up and put it back in the box right away, so you might leave it out for a few days or weeks to enjoy the finished jigsaw. But, of course, that can only last so long. Here are five fun ideas for what to do with your completed puzzle!

IDEA ONE: Frame your puzzle

After you’ve spent hours (and hours and hours) putting together a complex work of art, you may not want to ever box it up again!

One option for your finished puzzle is to frame and display it in your home or office. Cloudberries puzzles are designed by amazing artists from all over the world so it’s no wonder many puzzlers choose to frame them and show them off.

Our puzzle DOODLE is a bright piece of kaleidoscopic wonderfulness that can take time to fully appreciate. Frame and display it in a hallway or living room and you’ll find that guests love commenting on all of the fun details – there are crazy contours, vibrant vegetables and, erm… a fish with a moon for an eye. Need tips on how to get started with framing a jigsaw puzzle? Check out this great tutorial from Wikihow!

IDEA TWO: Get crafty

Want to show the world how much you love puzzles? Why not make your jigsaw into something completely different?

A quick Pinterest search will show you tons of puzzle craft ideas from picture frames to holiday ornaments to housewares to gift tags! Many puzzle crafts require painting the pieces to achieve a new look, so, if you’re not attached to the art, this is a great way to recycle it and make it something new to enjoy – and it can even open up opportunities for craft work at home!

If you do like the images or colour scheme of a certain puzzle and want a way to keep it, there are several jigsaw puzzle crafts that keep the integrity of the art. Use your favourite pieces for a card for a loved one or matching necklaces or earrings, or even choose sections and make it into magnets! Our bright and colourful CANVAS puzzle is full of geometric vintage colour theory illustrations that will make your fridge door look awesome.

IDEA THREE: Make a donation

If you have puzzles sitting on your shelf and have no plans to break them out of the box again, consider donating to a charity. As jigsaw puzzles are great for improving memory, increasing dopamine levels and providing stress relief*, there are always people out there who could benefit from a bit of mindful puzzling.

Contact local charities, schools, homeless shelters, churches, libraries and prisons to see if they could use your pre-loved puzzles!

There will always be local charities that could use your donation. In the USA, Puzzles To Remember is a non-profit organisation that provides puzzles to facilities that care for people with Alzheimer’s disease.

No matter where you donate, you can send your used puzzle off knowing it will be used again by someone who will appreciate it.

IDEA FOUR: Share the love

Keep the puzzle love alive by sharing your used jigsaw with a friend or family member! Invite them over and take another go at a puzzle you love with them, or let a friend take it home to enjoy it with their family. BOTANY and CELESTIAL are both perfect puzzles for a night in with loved ones.

Puzzle clubs are another great way to connect with other local puzzle geeks! Find other puzzlers in your area using sites like meetup.com or join a Facebook group where you can trade used puzzles, get excited for new releases, share tips and tricks, and host puzzle parties!

IDEA FIVE: Do a puzzle challenge

If you’ve completed a puzzle but aren’t ready to say goodbye just yet, give it another go using a different technique! You can easily make an old favourite feel brand new by tackling it with a different approach.

Time yourself and see how long it takes you to finish POOLSIDE again or see how well you know MOUNTAIN by completing it upside down! You can find more fun challenge ideas in our recent blog post Six fun ways to make a jigsaw puzzle more challenging!

We all have used jigsaw puzzle boxes sitting on our bookcases (or stacked in a corner, if we’re being honest). So why not break one out and breathe new life into it? Let us know what you do with your completed jigsaw puzzles, either here in the comments below or Instagram and Facebook.

*Source: USA Today

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