Recycled Fall Puzzle

I enjoyed the challenge of making my last geometric puzzle so much that I just had to design another. Maybe this blog will just be all DIY puzzles all the time. Hello, Wild Puzzles.

This beautiful puzzle is fall inspired, and it's kinda tricky to put together. But it's not impossible, which is the level of difficulty I like for my puzzles. Not impossible. 

Supplies:

Cardboard

Ruler

Exacto Knife

Paint

Template (not required)

The first thing I did was measure out my puzzle. My original template was 5"x7", but I wanted it to be a bit bigger so I cut my cardboard to be 7.5"x10.5". After that, I drew a line down the center (at 3.75"), and then drew a 1.5" grid. The grid isn't necessary but it helps me line up the ruler to make drawing easier. All of this can be skipped if you decide to use the template.

After I drew all of my lines and had the look I was going for I label my pieces by the colors I wanted to paint them (DT for dark teal, etc.) and used my Exacto to cut it out.

Next step was paint! I made my browns by mixing orange, a bit of green, and a bit of red. The teals were made with blue, green, and a bit of red to tone it down. It can take a lot of mixing to get the color just right, and if that sounds daunting you can always go to a craft store and buy the exact colors you need!

Let your pieces dry and you have a puzzle!

I am kind of in love with the texture using corrugated cardboard gives these puzzles. If you prefer a sleeker look try using foam core board. 

Here is a template if you want to attempt making this puzzle on your own. Or, you can skip all of the complicated steps and just cut up the template to be your puzzle!