Making a Puzzle Wall of Inspiration

Want to be inspired? Better yet…want to inspire others? That’s exactly what my mission was in creating my puzzle wall of inspiration. I work at a high school as a school counselor. One day I when I walked past the huge, blank wall in my office I had an idea. But, before I get to that, this is what my wall looked like.  

Bland, right?!?  I thought to myself that it would be a perfect canvas to send positive messages to all the students (and staff) who come to my office. It’s not very inspiring with nothing on the wall, is it?

Since there are a lot of kids who come to my office, I figured that creating a puzzle wall of inspiration would give them something meaningful to look at. Perhaps a mere glance of an inspiring phrase too, if not anything else, will bring a little joy, motivation to show kindness to others, or to get ideas of how-to self-care. It’s also a great way to share my puzzle-loving hobby.

One thing I’ve learned over the past two decades of working with teenagers and children of all ages is that they don’t want to feel like they’re being pressured to talk. Just having a small puzzle out that they can sort or put a couple of pieces in while talking, really helps to alleviate the pressure to talk. Games work pretty well, too.   But the great thing about puzzles is that they don’t inhibit talking. You can partake in many other things while puzzling (tv, books on tape, talking, etc.).

So here are the steps I took to create my wall of puzzle inspiration:

Step 1-Choose a Message

You don’t have to work at a school to have a puzzle wall of inspiration. They can be intended to self-inspire or inspire adults.  Think about the message you want to portray in your puzzle wall. For me, it was just different ways to show kindness and images that evoke cheerfulness. Collect your selected puzzles and put them together. (That’s the extra fun part!)

Step 2-Gather your supplies

All you need is tape-wide tape works best, binder clips, and thumb tacks.  3 supplies…that’s it!

I used masking tape and when I ran out, I switched to duct tape.

Both held up well. I’ve had my Be Kind puzzle (more info on this to come) taped with masking tape and hung up for over 2 years with no problems including a move from one office to another.  When I told you that this project is going to be inexpensive…I meant it. Alternately, you could use Buffalo’s  Peel & Stick Puzzle Saver. Another option isMasterPieces Peel & Stick Puzzle Glue Sheets. Both of which are inexpensive and frankly wayyyyy easier than using rolls of tape, but I used what I had on hand.  Of course, it probably goes without saying, but you could obviously frame them, too.

Here’s a pic of my Be Kind puzzle hanging in my old office.

Step 3-Tape the back of your puzzles

Flip 'em over and get to work. It may not be the most beautiful method (if you’re going the tape route), but it does the trick. Make sure you press the tape down well, so all of the pieces fully adhere to the tape or puzzle savers. Be sure to pay attention to the outer perimeter of the puzzle, too.

Step 4-Choose a Layout 

The first thing I did was think about which puzzle had the boldest design yet simple message. The obvious choice was Be Kind by Galison.  It’s a gorgeous, 1,000-piece panoramic puzzle. The letters are large and easy to read and for good reason, they are filled with people participating in activities that exhibit kindness. I knew that I wanted to make this the main message and focal point of my wall.

Now it’s not a “wall of puzzle inspiration” with just one puzzle, regardless of how inspiring it is, so I collected some other inspiring puzzles.  I even chose an abstract puzzle that gave me a cheery vibe.  These were harder than you think to choose. Just search for “inspire” on Puzzle Warehouse’s site and see all of these to choose from.  I choose a 1,000-piece Springbok puzzle, Crayola’s Colors of Kindness. Isn’t it sweet?!?

I also chose to add Josie Lewis’ Colorful Diamonds by Buffalo Games. This, to me, represents cheery. Besides that, I thought it went well with the overall theme. Also, I sponsor the puzzle club at my school and my students spent quite a while solving this one. They chose it themselves and it was a challenge, yet they persevered and finally completed it. Due to it being such an accomplishment for them, I thought it’d be the perfect addition to the wall.

Here's a pic of it while it was being completed.

Step 5- Hang them Up

Clip a binder clip on each side of the puzzle. Keep the metal thing flipped up. Then, push some thumbtacks in the wall.

I added some other puzzles and pictures, too. The wall in my office is long so I have more that I can continue to add. I put together Galison’s the High Street of Hope. I thought that it would be a great addition. There was one issue I encountered with this one. It has these adorable little cutout puzzles within it.

The cutouts made if fun to puzzle, but I didn’t want to tape them so they can’t be removed. So, I ended up not including it on my wall.

Step 6 Inspire

The puzzle wall will do all the inspiring for you. I’m totally eyeing this and this, and this.

Here’s some pics of my Wall of Puzzle Inspiration WIP.

Think of all the power you have to inspire yourself and others in a positive way through your love of puzzles. Whatever you choose to do, remember to make time to puzzle!

Jaime

@introvertedpuzzler