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SeaStar
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| Posted: Jan 22 2011 at 6:56am | IP Logged
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As my dc get older, my puzzle-loving dd is advancing to bigger puzzles.
We are about to attempt our first 500 piece puzzle (found some cool ones at the Dollar Tree for $1- they had tropical fish, hot air ballons, castles and more. Same puzzles at Walmart were $9!!!. Thanks for the Dollar Tree tip, Lacy  ).
So now- where to set it up? I'm in need of creative solutions, as I am short of table space that isn't already in use. I don't know if the roll up puzzle mat is the right answer for us.... little hands are not always the most careful doing this....
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Jan 22 2011 at 7:17am | IP Logged
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In the table cloth thread that was a spin off from "pretty little ways" someone (???) spoke of how their grandmother works on puzzles on the kitchen (or dining room?) table and puts some of that rubber shelf liner over it before covering it with a liner and table cloth for eating.
I thought it was brilliant  , and it seems a bit less of a mess issue than little hands rolling up a mat.
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Lindsay
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Jan 22 2011 at 7:46am | IP Logged
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What a great idea! We have a table in our living room that is perfect for puzzles, but the little people tend to mess them up and cause a huge amount of frustration for the puzzle builders. The rubber shelf liner and then a table cloth will do a good job hiding them until the littles go to bed!
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Becky
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Jan 22 2011 at 8:34am | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
In the table cloth thread that was a spin off from "pretty little ways" someone (???) spoke of how their grandmother works on puzzles on the kitchen (or dining room?) table and puts some of that rubber shelf liner over it before covering it with a liner and table cloth for eating.
I thought it was brilliant , and it seems a bit less of a mess issue than little hands rolling up a mat. |
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That was my grandma  Yeah - she's clever! She also loves puzzles so she'll do what it takes to be efficient with them 
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Jan 22 2011 at 9:23am | IP Logged
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SeaStar wrote:
| I don't know if the roll up puzzle mat is the right answer for us.... little hands are not always the most careful doing this.... |
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Oh well...I rushed right over to tell you how much we love ours...and then I read more closely.  Since I'm here...I'll just share a bit about ours.
I got the large Roll-O-Puzzle for the big kids for Christmas because they have to be SUPER-mobile with their puzzles because once the little kids find them they tend to "help"...and pieces end up missing. The last puzzle (a fun 1000 pc. baseball puzzle) now has one piece forever missing.  My kids love Modge Podge-ing their puzzles and hanging them when they're done...so missing pieces are VERY aggravating.
The kids like that they can unroll their puzzle mat anywhere - table, floor upstairs, floor downstairs, bed - and the felt keeps the pieces in place so they can get right to work (this means that during quiet time, they can unroll wherever the little kids aren't). They also like the large border around the edges so they can keep their "groupings" together for the roll up process.
Of course, all this is moot since this isn't the solution you were looking for. But...file it away...it might work for you one day! We love ours! Good luck finding something that works for your crew, Melinda! We sure love puzzles here!
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Jen Mackintosh
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JennGM
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| Posted: Jan 22 2011 at 1:23pm | IP Logged
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My MIL has something like this Puzzle Buddy. It works really well...we transported a puzzle from PA to VA without losing pieces. Having the felt makes the puzzle pieces not move around as much when they are rolled up in the felt.
Also, we put up a card table to work on puzzles. My family did this, and we do this here.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Jan 22 2011 at 5:54pm | IP Logged
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These are all great ideas- thanks! When I was young we used to have a giant puzzle board that we kept puzzles on and then slid it under a bed when we weren't working on it. But the pieces would slide off, and we'd have to go hunting under the bed
Do the mats roll out flat, or do the edges curl up?
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Jan 22 2011 at 6:17pm | IP Logged
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If it's the felt that helps with the mats.. you could put felt on your slide under the bed board.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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Servant2theKing
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| Posted: Jan 24 2011 at 7:48am | IP Logged
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For those who like to mod podge puzzles, but find a piece or two missing....you might try thinking of those as windows into a place like Narnia!!!
I love the idea of covering the puzzle with shelf liner and a tablecloth. If you happen to have a dining table with old-fashioned folding felted protectors, you could just work the puzzle on the regular table surface, put the table covers over the puzzle, then cover with a tablecloth.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Jan 24 2011 at 9:25am | IP Logged
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SeaStar wrote:
| Do the mats roll out flat, or do the edges curl up? |
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Our mat rolls out flat. When we're done, we roll it up around the large cardboard tube (provided) and secure it with the provided elastic bands. Then, just unroll and work on the puzzle. When the mat first arrived, it was a little wrinkly and I was worried it wouldn't lay flat, but the first time the kids rolled it up and unrolled it it came out flat.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Grace&Chaos
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| Posted: Jan 24 2011 at 10:09am | IP Logged
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SeaStar wrote:
| These are all great ideas- thanks! When I was young we used to have a giant puzzle board that we kept puzzles on and then slid it under a bed when we weren't working on it. But the pieces would slide off, and we'd have to go hunting under the bed |
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I recently "inhereted" several dry erase boards from a family friend. I'm wondering if you have an extra one if this could work as a portable puzzle board. I'm going to give it a try .
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Dec 28 2011 at 7:10am | IP Logged
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Bumping this up.... have tried several puzzle solutions.
I was lucky to find a puzzle mat in mint condition at a yard sale... had the cardboard tube and the straps and was in fine working order. However,
it was not my favorite to use. I found the pieces still slipped around, and I didn't like the feel of the felt.
Then I tried setting up a puzzle on our former train table in the playroom. But it didn't get much action in there, and I wound up putting the puzzle away.
This morning, though, I saw this this post which I think may be the answer for us. I like that the bulletin board has a raised edge, and yet it is still fairly light weight and portable. And the feel of cork is better (for me) than felt. I am definitely going to give this a shot!
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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leanne maree
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| Posted: Dec 29 2011 at 3:26am | IP Logged
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Thanks for bumping.
We always do puzzles on the dining room table.
all i do is place the table cloth over it, when we need to use the table for eating or learning purposes, and no-one knows the difference.
This is the way we have done it for years. But just recently A friend noticed the bumps on the table- first time in 10 years- but maybe I has a very thin table cloth covering our developing work of art.
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Finding room for puzzles
