Invent It! Puzzle Kit Save 56% off

• Create puzzles using your computer, ink-jet printer, and favorite software
• 2 30-piece felt puzzles and 2 iron-on transfers included
• Use images from your scanner, digital camera, or Internet downloads
• Designed for excellent performance on ink-jet printers
• Easy-to-use step-by-step instructions enclosed

I wanted a fun way to present a trip to my brother as a birthday present, so I used this kit to make puzzles revealing the two different adventures the trip includes. I used PowerPoint to create the images, instead of downloading templates from the company. Then I printed the images on the transfer paper. These steps are fairly easy--just make sure you print the image in reverse, if it includes words.

The hard part was ironing the transfer onto the felt side of each puzzle. (Make sure the steam is off!) The directions for ironing are kind of complicated, and despite following them exactly, I got two different results and had a little trouble with each puzzle. The first one had a matte finish. The transfer didn''t stick on one edge, so there were white spots. For the second puzzle, I made sure to press harder on the edges, and the decal backing peeled off smoothly, but for some reason the surface was shiny. It seemed like the transfer didn''t melt into the felt all the way, and it was hard to get the pieces apart. The plastic surface of the decal tore in a few places.

Despite both puzzles'' little imperfections, they looked great, and my brother enjoyed putting them together and discovering what I planned for his trip. He was impressed by the presentation.

I think these would also make wonderful personalized puzzles for young children; they''re not complex enough to entertain older kids or adults. (My brother put each one together in a matter of minutes.) However, as a craft project, this would a good challenge for older and very patient (and supervised) kids or teens.

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I tried several times to transfer an image to the puzzle surface and it neve did adhere. I really wanted this too.