I’m sure you’re familiar with the African proverb that begins, “It takes a village…” Well, the same applies here at Stave Puzzles. We aren’t raising children, but it still takes each and every one of us to create the magic. From Susan, who procures the amazing artwork we use, to Channa out in Shipping and everyone in-between, we work as a team and rely heavily on each other. We recently welcomed some new faces to the shop and we would love it if you would take a few minutes to get to know them. I think you’ll really like them. We sure do!
Continue reading “New Faces Around the Stave Shop”
Category: Blog Menu
The Benefits of Doing Puzzles – The Jigsaw & The Brain
Did you know puzzling improves our use of the trial and error method, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and visual/spatial reasoning skills? Particularly challenging puzzles can even change the patterns of brain activity. Most brain activity follows certain specific pathways, including when you’re puzzling. However, if you begin a jigsaw, crossword, or Sudoku that’s above your usual skill level, you will probably have to activate some new parts of your brain in order to solve it.
Continue reading “The Benefits of Doing Puzzles – The Jigsaw & The Brain”
Love is in the Air!
The Pressure is ON
It really is. Seriously, you gotta do it now. No procrastinating. No waiting for a quiet afternoon. No twiddling your thumbs and no dilly-dallying. If you want to make someone’s holiday really, really special, then you must choose their puzzles now. Not on December 1st, not the day after Thanksgiving and maybe not even on Halloween. If you wait until then, you may not have their puzzles in hand to place under the tree. You may have to wait for delivery in January. Yikes!
A Little Puzzling Etiquette
Have you ever wished you could have a complete ‘do-over’? Well, that’s how I feel right now. I want to go back to last weekend when we hosted our annual puzzling weekend at The Point, in Saranac, NY. We spent the entire weekend surrounded by the beautiful Adirondack mountains and shimmering waters of Upper Saranac Lake while enjoying the gracious hospitality, fabulous food and wine, and amazing views of one of the most memorable places you could ever visit.
Precious Moments
Sometimes we need a little something to remind us of what’s really important in our lives. Is it having a spotless house or taking an amazing vacation? Losing the extra 10 pounds you’ve been hanging onto?
That Old Puzzle Magic
Whenever I meet new people and they ask what I do for work I always get the “You do WHAT?” reaction. I get it. Have you ever heard a kid say they want to be a puzzle cutter when they grow up? Me either. I didn’t even know I wanted to be a puzzle cutter until that first time I sat at the saw. It’s so cool!
Feel The Magic
As puzzle crafters, there are times when we feel a special connection to the puzzles we are cutting. We may be drawn to the subject matter, the colors in the image, or maybe it’s the custom silhouettes you’ve asked to have cut into it. No matter the reason, there are some we really feel a connection to. It’s as if there’s some sort of magic that slips from our fingertips, is absorbed into the puzzle, and then comes back to us.
Continue reading “Feel The Magic”
Checking It Once, Checking It Twice
We have lots of quality checkpoints for our puzzles during the crafting process. I won’t bore you with the details of every step, but to give you an idea of the care we take, here’s a quick synopsis of the process.
Time With Friends
Can you believe the sun is already leaving us earlier each day? Summer is going by much too fast for me. I feel like I’ve barely had a chance to get out and enjoy it. I know, I know. I have to make it a priority. And I will. Next year.