Upcycled Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces - How to make photo keyrings

I buy lots of vintage jigsaw puzzles from car boots and charity shops, but sometimes I buy a dud and there are pieces missing.  So, what to do with odd bits of puzzles?  I'm sure you all have them - random little bits lying around missing the rest of the picture, or maybe like me an almost complete puzzle, rendered useless by one or two missing bits.

Red Ted Art challenged some bloggers on her latest craft hangout to come up with some repurposed makes, and I have to say, they are inspired. Scroll down to the video and links below to see them all.

I've made some interconnecting photo keyrings.  Pick the right image and you've got yourself a great Fathers Day; Mother's Day; Grandparent's Christmas; Anniversary etc etc handmade gift.  Imagine doing these over a complete puzzle with a large group photo - wouldn't that be lovely for an end of term gift for school friends using a class photo.  Or use a snap from a birthday gathering as a 'thank you for coming to my party' keepsake.  When the photo subjects get together, maybe in years to come, they can join up their puzzle to make a whole again.

For this craft you will need:

Interconnecting wooden puzzle pieces

Printout of a photo cropped and scaled to size

Mod Podge or watered down PVA

Keyring finding

Select your photo and scale it to size.  I just used my home printer and bog-standard copier paper and it turned out just fine.  The original puzzle image was already peeling from my old pieces, so with the aid of a steam kettle, I removed it completely.  But if yours are intact, just glue your photo over the top.  Position your puzzle pieces over the section of the image you want to use.  Trace the outline of the shape onto the photo.

Carefully cut out the separate photo pieces (tip: cut inside the lines, but don't worry too much as you can always trim off any excess with a craft knife later).

Glue your image in place on the wooden pieces, carefully sliding into position.  Then varnish over with Mod Podge (or use a PVA and water solution).  Varnish several times for durability allowing to dry between coats.

Once totally dry, trim off any excess paper from the edges with a craft knife.  Use strong glue such as epoxy resin to glue on a jewellery bail to the back of the wooden piece and add a keyring chain.  Alternatively, you could drill a hole and add the keyring with a jump ring.

The keyrings are completed - one for Daddy of his daughter for Father's Day, and one for Ruby of her Daddy for her book bag.

Take a look at the hangout video for more great ideas on how to repurpose jigsaw puzzles.

           

Red Ted Art's puzzle snowflake decorations, coasters and fridge magnets
Kid's Chaos printable greetings cards
Zing Zing Tree's aliens and fab resin creations
Crystal's Tiny Treasures brooches
Domestic Goddesque's stick puppets

Last ditch plea... The Blogging in Brilliance Awards close for voting on 10th May.  If you enjoy my crafty capers I'd really appreciate your vote for Me and My Shadow in the Craft category.  You can submit your vote here. Thank you x