Friday, February 4, 2011

valentine diy: sweet puzzle redo

I see these little wooden tanagram-style puzzles all the time in various dollar sections. While I am a sucker for wooden puzzles I am not too fond of the droll colors they exhibit. With a can of white spray paint and a couple of bottles of acrylic you can transform something a little dull to a lot of happy.
These pieces are very porous and soak up a lot of paint, we blasted them first with a can of white spray paint which only dulled the original colors a wee bit. Enough though to make the puzzle a little more intriguing.
Next up, while keeping the puzzle intact, remove your lightest colored pieces first. Give them a coat or two of your lightest paint and allow to dry. Return them to their happy positions.
Continue with your next lightest set and so on.
Once you approach your darker pieces, you may need to give them a white coast before applying color. Some paints cover better than others. Take your time and allow each coat to dry.
Don't forget to work in batches. The first puzzle I painted had fewer pieces and I thought it would be super easy to put them back. I was wrong. Take a picture of the puzzle before working in case you forget how to reassemble it. You may also wish to trace the outline of each shape on the puzzles bottom to help your kiddos (and you) put the pieces back together. Try writing "secret" messages on the puzzle backs for more fun.

Have fun, break out those paints and enjoy your Valentine's Day!

2 comments:

  1. No measurements on how to make this?

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  2. it's a refab. you are only painting a store bought puzzle which is listed in the directions.

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