Framing a Puzzle

Putting together puzzles is something I’ve always loved to do! Some puzzles are just too awesome to put back into the box and they become art in my house. Framing a puzzle is not too difficult, but this time I’m repurposing a thrifted art frame which took a little more work.

I’ve framed puzzles before, but I used a poster frame I got on sale at Michaels. This one was used as an office inspiration board at one time. Now it hangs over the dresser in my bedroom.

My dog ate the missing pieces! Good thing she was so cuddly! This time, I’m framing this fabulous mushroom puzzle my son gave me one Mother’s Day. I love just about anything with mushrooms on it!

Before I frame the puzzle, I need to glue it together. I’m using a glue made for puzzles because it is thinner and dries clear. I always coat the front and the back of the puzzle to make it really secure.

The Frame

One year while traveling the 100 Mile Yard Sale, I visited a barn filled with decorator items. The lady was a professional decorator and she was selling off older items, including some very 80s styled art frames.

I got a steal on them because I bought a lot, so they were even less than the $3 tag in the photo. These frames were professionally mounted. That meant lots of layers to get to the actual picture inside.

It was interesting to read the little bio on the back of the frame. This artist, A. Renee Dollar, is from Georgia! I looked her up online and her prints are still being sold on eBay. The price was around $40 for a much smaller print.

I was a little surprised since this print just looked like typical 80s decor to me. Apparently that’s still popular with some people! I did keep the print inside, but only because it’s on really nice chip board and I can reuse it.

Framing the Puzzle

I’m using the mat board to help keep the puzzle stable except I’m going to glue it on top of it, not behind it.

I used e6000 glue around the edges and clamped it down with some big plastic clothes pins. This helped flatten everything out.

The frame got a coat of spray paint but I neglected to tape off the glass – oops! This turned out not to be so bad in the long run.

I started scraping off the paint with a razor blade, but then I noticed it kind of looked like grass.

So, I decided not to remove all of the paint. I used this Soak Off to wipe of any excess I didn’t want to keep. This is for removing nail polish, but it worked great for removing spray paint too!

I also added a little purple paint I had on hand to add a little detail. It makes me think of looking through the forest at a patch of mushrooms.

Maybe a fantastical forest, but still the feeling it’s giving me!

Matches my dark blue, velvety couch covers perfectly!

It’s gonna blend in perfectly with some of my other me-made wall decor!

Although I will have to change the hanger to the long end first. That is a project for another day!