Tutorial Time
over 6 years ago – Mon, Oct 02, 2017 at 04:47:52 PM

Hello Everyone,

Well, it's October 1st and we are officially finished fulfillment. Actually, we finished up over a week ago, but we held off on the Florida deliveries for a little longer. 

According to my records, all but one backer (who is in Florida) has received their rewards. If, for some reason, you have not received your puzzles, please let me know. 

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We want to say "THANK YOU!!!" to all of you who have sent us messages and comments letting us know that you received your puzzles and what you thought of them. We'd especially like to thank you all for posting your fabulous photography and posting it on social media and sharing with us, your friends and followers. It's a great feeling to see this little dream of ours come to life and see so many people as excited about it as we are.

Now, since so many of you asked about binding and framing your puzzles, Eric and I put together a little tutorial. This is the first in a two parter. Part 1 describes binding your puzzle, Part 2 will describe how to build your own frame.

Just a few notes:

• This video is rather long and boring. Sorry, just fast forward the boring parts;
• Remember, although it's redundant to say this, once you bind your puzzle there's no turning back. You'll have a beautiful piece of wall art, but you won't get to assemble it again.
• As many of you noticed, our puzzles (like most on the market) are not the EXACT same size as on the box. Thus, standard frames may not work so well;
• You can request custom frames from craft stores that do framing (for example, Micheals, A.C. Moore, etc...) and frame it yourself or spend the extra money and have it custom framed.
• If you're handy and want to save some money, we'll show you in Part 2 how to build your own puzzle frame;
• Of course, you could always just mount it to a board and hang it on the wall. We've done every method, and they all work well.

Whichever framing option you choose, have fun with it!

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About this video: Eric and I have spent years toying with the best ways to bind and mount our puzzles. We used puzzle glue, polyurethane (don't ask), masking tape, sticky sheets, you name it. What we found worked the best was blue painters tape. Yup, you read correctly. It's easy to work with, binds the pieces nice and tight, and still holds strong years later. 

What you'll need:

2 Puzzle Boards/ Pieces of cardboard at least 20" x 27"  (try art display boards from Staples - $10.99 plus tax

1 Roll Blue Painters Tape - Home Depot, Lowes or any hardware store - $6.58 plus tax

1 Pair of Sharp Scissors

Step 1: Slide your finished puzzle onto one of the puzzle boards, if not on one already.

Step 2: Place the other puzzle board on top to sandwich the puzzle. 

Step 3: (You'll probably need 2 people for this) Each person pick up one end of the "puzzle sandwich" holding it firmly so that the puzzle doesn't move around. Agree on which way to flip the puzzle, then quickly, but carefully flip it over setting it on the table.

Step 4: Remove the top piece of cardboard.

Step 5: Start taping a border around the entire back of the puzzle. Make sure to come close to, but not overlap, the edge of the puzzle. Press each strip of tape firmly onto the puzzle back removing any air bubbles. Small ridges are okay, but try to smooth them over as much as possible.

Step 6: Start to fill in the remainder of the puzzle by taping in one direction. Try to overlap each piece by about 1/4" to increase the strength of the backing. 

Step 7: Once the entire puzzle back is covered, you may tape an additional layer in the opposite direction. 

Step 8: Repeat step 7 until you are satisfied with the sturdiness of the binding. 

Step 9: Tamp down the entire tape layer.

Step 10: Pick up your puzzle, flip it over and voila! You're ready to frame it.!!

Part 2 coming soon! Stay tuned:)

All the Best,

Lara & Eric

It's September already?!!
over 6 years ago – Thu, Sep 07, 2017 at 10:34:42 PM

Hello Everyone, 

Is it just me, or did September come fast? 

Just a quick update. 

To Backers Outside of the US

All but two rewards have been shipped! Most, if not all, of you in the EU have already received your rewards. And according to your comments, messages, and posts, you are very happy. Which makes us happy. 

If you are still waiting for your rewards to arrive and you haven't received a tracking number (only double packs, triple packs and above are eligible for tracking), then let us know and we'll get that info to you ASAP.

 

A great big thanks to Happyshops for doing a fantastic job fulfilling and shipping orders quickly and carefully! Thus far, all rewards have been received in excellent condition!! 

If you've received your rewards and feel like dropping us a line or posting some photos, please do so. We'd love to hear what you think.

To Backers in the US

The puzzles have arrived! We received a call from the warehouse and picked them up Tuesday afternoon. We started fulfillment yesterday. It's just the two of us, but we're working hard to get your rewards shipped to you as quickly as possible. They'll all be shipped 2 -3 day USPS Priority Mail. So, assuming fulfillment goes smoothly, we should have them all shipped within the next 2 weeks (I'm being modest). I will email tracking numbers to each of you as they are shipped.

 

We are aware that a great deal of the US is being hit hard by storms and wildfires. If you have been or will be evacuated and you want us to postpone your shipment, please message us ASAP! We're more than happy to wait until you are resettled. Just keep us posted.

 

Most of all, BE SAFE!!!

That's all for now. We'll post another update once we're finished fulfillment on our end.

Until then, take care All, and enjoy your puzzles =)

All the Best,

Lara, Eric & Mike

This just in... Important to backers Outside the United States!!
over 6 years ago – Sat, Aug 19, 2017 at 02:11:17 PM

It has come to our attention from a good friend, that those of you outside the United States have received confirmation from happyshops our fulfillment service in Europe that your rewards are, or have been prepared for shipping.

So if you haven't recognized, or perhaps this email is in your spam folder, here is the gist. happyshops is confirming the above statement and to only contact them if your corresponding (mailing) address is incorrect.

NOTE: This is only for backers who got puzzles!! 

The principal language is German. The message confirms your rewards and mailing address are correct. 

I would suggest that if you haven't seen this email to check your spam or inbox incase it's there. If you feel you have deleted it, send us a note and we will check to see if "happyshops" would send you another confirmation. 

That's all for now, enjoy your weekend,

Eric, Lara and Mike

vv scroll down for English vv

Die Spiele wurden noch nicht versendet, lediglich deine Daten wurden zur Vorbereitung des Versandes ins System übernommen. Es ist nicht unüblich, dass die Ware für den Versand erst viel später bei uns eintrifft. Bitte sieh daher von Rückfragen zur Lieferung ab und melde dich nur bei uns, sollte deine Adresse einen Fehler enthalten. Sobald wir die Artikel versenden, erhältst du eine weitere Email mit Trackinginformationen, sofern der Versand mit Tracking erfolgt.  

--- We did not send the games yet. So far we just received your shipping information and imported it into our systems to prepare the shipment. It is normal, that the actual goods are not here yet. This may take up to some weeks, depending on the project. 

So please do not send emails asking regarding the actual status of the shipment, except there is an error with your address. As soon as we ship the parcels you will get an email. This will include tracking information, if the shipment is trackable.  

Viele Grüße, dein Happyshops-Team --- Mehr tolle Spiele-Crowdfundings:

http://www.Spieleschmiede.com more cool boardgame crowdfundings : http://www.Spieleschmiede.com

A Little Something to Wet your Palette!!
over 6 years ago – Sat, Aug 12, 2017 at 10:47:02 PM

Hi Everyone,

Making a Splash

Quenching your thirst, for puzzles. In our last update we shared with you the very first puzzle production photos that we received, still in the original wrapping. Now that we’ve peeled that off and opened the box we thought we’d give you a peek at what’s in store for you.

 

We decided to start off with Dragon King’s Daughter, since it’s been rather hot and humid these past couple of weeks. With its cool blue serene scene we imagine becoming enveloped in this underwater kingdom beneath the sea.

 

In these close-up shots of Dragon King's Daughter, you can see all the delightful little details and vast array of colors that Fuzichoco puts on her pallette. Quite a refreshing arrangement!! 

They’re on the Way

Don’t get too excited, the shipment hasn’t arrived, but it’s left the factory. What does that mean? To break things down, for all backers outside of the US, your puzzles have arrived at our fulfillment center, Happyshops, in Europe, and they will be responsible for getting all the rewards to our international backers.

 

For all of you backers in the US, the puzzles left the factory and arrived at the port last Thursday. Since the puzzles are shipping from Europe you’re looking about half the distance of China, so approximately 10-15 days before they reach the mainland and then off to us. From that point we’ll prep, pack and ship them off to you. Still within the window of September provided there are no unforeseen events which we’ll try to ignore at the moment = )

 

So, sit back, and before you know it they’ll be waiting at your door. Till then, enjoy the photos we’ll be posting regularly on our social media outlets.

Stay Cool,

Eric, Lara and Mike

Seeing is Believing!!
almost 7 years ago – Sun, Jul 30, 2017 at 12:31:08 AM

Hello Puzzle Fans,

We have some good news, our puzzle production was completed as of Tuesday of this past week, and the first puzzle production samples arrived at our door yesterday. They look pretty spectacular if we do say so.

 

We managed to pop off a few shots of the puzzles still in the shrink wrap so you can see how your puzzles will appear when you first open your packages.

 

In these close-ups you get to see all the crisp, colorful and vibrant imagery that you should expect with your puzzles through the hazy glare of the shrink-wrap. We can assure you once you peel that plastic away, you’ll be hit with a double barrel blast of artistic awesomeness as you take in all of the detail.

 

Seeing is believing, and you’ll be finding that out for yourself soon enough!!

That’s all for now, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Eric, Lara and Mike