Okay, maybe that’s not quite right, because this gift idea is more like a no-brainer. haha

I first want to say that this is not a sponsored post. ;)

Less than two weeks ago I had puzzles on the brain and got to thinking how cool it would be to have a puzzle made from a photo I took. I began to do a little research and Shutterfly caught my eye and they were having a 40% off sale…or maybe it was 50%? I can’t remember now. haha  I asked the KBS peeps on my Instagram stories if they had any suggestions for making your own puzzle, and a few people Shutterfly.

I figured it was a good idea then.

I had a notion to do some kind of travel photo and chose Paris for a few reasons I needn’t bother you with. :) I had some picked out and asked my girls to help me pick the final one. We ended up going with this one of a bookstore…a photo that after I’d taken it, they said ‘no pictures.’ Oops. Didn’t notice the tiny sign above the cash register behind me. Duh. But I love this photo and it was a fun one to turn into a puzzle!

 

Here’s my thoughts on all this, starting with a couple of things I didn’t fancy first.

CONS

Pieces are loose fitting.
They connect fine, but if you put together a little section and want to move it into place, it pretty much falls apart. Wasn’t a fan of that. Wished that they could be more secure and locked together. I did like the weight and feel of them, although, I do feel like they aren’t quite as weighty as some puzzle pieces, which might account for the looseness. Still, they did feel good.

Box photo.
I don’t know if it was just mine, but the image on the box was a little cropped so it’s not quite as easy getting your edges done since part of that is gone on the photo. Plus, the image is small so it can be hard to see detail. It would be nice if the whole front of the box was the photo like most puzzles or perhaps they could include a folded printout. I’ve had those before too.

 

 

PROS

Super fast turn around.
I ordered on a Sunday and got it the following Sunday. Wow! Definitely wasn’t expecting it delivered via USPS on a Sunday.

Reasonably priced.
I’ve bought a few puzzles in my day and I think that with the sale price that it’s definitely in the right price range. And I think it’s awesome that you are making a one-of-a-kind puzzle.

Size options.
I love that you can do children’s sizes (60pc) up to a 1000 piece puzzle. I’d originally thought I’d do 1000 pieces, but since this was my first puzzle, I decided to keep it a little lighter and go with the 520 piece option, which is a 16×20 size. Perfect for a cardboard table puzzle. I think the 520 size made it more fun vs. challenging….although, it was a bit challenging too. ;) I’m really glad I went with 520 for this.

Great puzzle pieces.
In my research I’d seen some ordinary puzzle pieces. I like puzzles with funky pieces, and this one has some funky pieces! Check this out.

 

 

Use your own photo on your phone.
Since the box photo was small, I pulled out my phone to use the original and I could zoom in on an area, not to mention the photo was always well lit. ;)  Since this is photo is full of books, it came in quite handy.  That’s quite a perk, especially if you’re in your 50s, like me. haha And dang, I could have used my iPad. What was I thinking?

Image quality.
At first I was a little disenchanted with the image quality. Even when you upload it and look at the image presented to simulate the puzzle, it’s like it gives it this haze. Then I decided that was just my own huge expectation. It’s not a photograph. It’s not printed on photo paper. So then I decided it was alright. Look at this tiny lettering!

 

 

I couldn’t find anywhere on the Shutterfly site that stated photo size/dpi suggestions, but I know mine was originally 42×56″ at 72dpi to begin with and a file size around 3M. I could have resized it to the 16×20 size at 300 dpi, but didn’t.

Final thoughts.

I loved making my very own puzzle. I loved putting together my very own puzzle I know I will be doing it again! I think it’s a fabulous gift idea. We’ve been looking for more unique ideas and small businesses to shop with this year. I think this fits the ‘unique’ category.

When choosing your own photo, be sure to pick one that has lots of variation to the photo to make it all the more interesting and fun. Unless you like doing the super challenging puzzles. :)