PINNED AND DONE: PUZZLE VALENTINE

My in-laws and my own parents love to do puzzles, crosswords, Sudoku–basically any type of mind challenging exercise. So, when I saw this idea on Pinterest I immediately was inspired to create something similar as a fun Valentine's Day card for them from my girls.

If you have a puzzle your kids have outgrown, like we did, then you don't have to buy anything and makes this a great recycling project. Otherwise you can find blank puzzles at the craft store.

Start by painting all the puzzle pieces.  We used an old 24-piece puzzle. We didn't paint the puzzle as a whole (put together) because I was afraid of the pieces sticking together.

Once they're all done, check to see if you need a second coat.  If everything looks okay wait a while until they are nice and dry. Then put the puzzle together. Make sure it all fits together okay.

Then let your child have fun drawing his/her message.  We used colored Sharpies and regular markers to draw our message "LOVE YOU TO PIECES."  I tried to encourage Renee and Siena to use up the whole puzzle for their message, but I think they found it tricky writing over several pieces.  But they did have fun with it.  They can't wait to see if their grandparents can put it together!

Use this idea for birthdays or as a congratulations wish, too!