How to make your very own Christmas hamster jigsaw puzzle

Today I am going to tell you how to make a Christmas hamster jigsaw!

There are 7 steps, and I would say it is pretty simple, though if you are under 10 you may want an adults help cutting the jigsaw out, as that part can be pretty tricky.

You will need:

1 x sheet of cardboard
1 x photo or picture (A Christmas hamster perhaps?)
1 x scalpel or craft knife
1 x cutting board/protective surface
1 x glue stick (the bigger, the better)
1 x 30cm ruler or rule
1 x roll of book film
1 x pencil



If you don’t have a craft knife/scalpel, you can use scissors, but with more difficulty.

Click read more to get the instructions!

 Step 1 

Get your photo or picture, and trim the edges if it has a border around it. You can do this accurately by holding down a ruler and cutting along the edge of it with your scalpel or craft knife.

 Step 2 

Stick your picture onto the piece of card. You can cut the card to the same size as the picture before or after you stick it on, though it is easiest to cut it to exactly the same size if you stick them together first.

 Step 3 

Once trimmed and stuck together, you need to think about drawing on your puzzle shapes. Measure how long and wide your picture is. What number goes into both your sides?

e.g. my picture measured 23.5 x 15.8cm 
I wanted my jigsaw pieces to be 3 x 3cm each, so I thought 21 x 15cm would be
best, as 3 divides into each of these.

When you have decided how big your puzzle needs to be, draw a margin around the edge of the cardboard, then cut along it using a ruler and a scalpel, like you did with the border of the picture.

 Step 4 

Once you have decided the size each of your puzzle pieces will be, measure out square pieces of that size, using a ruler and a sharp pencil.

 Step 5 

.

Now you want to start drawing little pieces which join the squares together.

You should make these joints as simple as you can, so that it will be easier to cut out. An example of a good shape to draw is on the left.

Draw these joints so that all of the pieces are connected on all sides. (except the edges!)

Don’t worry if you miss any joints off, as long as when you cut them out you make up a joint for that edge and cut it out, even without a pencil guideline.

 Step 6   -optional, though advised that you do-
.
Place the book-film over the front of the jigsaw, and on the back if you want to. This strengthens the puzzle, makes the puzzle look more professional, and makes it shiny and nice to look at.

This step can be skipped if you don't have any book film, though it does make the puzzle look nicer overall.

Once you have put the book-film on, trim it around the edges so that it is the same size as the rest of the puzzle, leaving no border. You can do this with your craft knife/scalpel and ruler like before.

 Step 7 

Using your scalpel or craft knife, cut along the puzzle pieces outline you drew earlier. Keep going until you have cut out all the pieces, and voila – you've finished!

Be patient during this bit, as it takes quite a long time. You can always have breaks! 

If you are under 10, you may need to ask your parents to help you with this part – it is quite tricky!

 FINISHED 

Hope you liked this little craft project! Comment on what you think and if you want me to do more!