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Check Out These Artist Designed Puzzles

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We were recently sent a 300 piece puzzle from Werkshoppe to review and it came in a moderately sized cylinder tub (see below), and contained a nice little pamphlet that thanked you for buying the product and a bit of information. 

There was a picture of the completed puzzle so you know how to build it, and then the actual puzzle and the pieces were all well-made and the same with the packaging. 

Completing it was extremely satisfying as puzzles regularly are, and 300 pieces is that nice balance of big enough to make you feel like you accomplished something, and not too small. I completed the puzzle in a day, and the different colours made it slightly challenging but doable. 

Now you may be thinking the 300 is too small, but for our family, it worked well, it was a start to finish project on a single day. My family struggle with large jigsaws as they lose interest. This puzzle was actually pulled apart and re-done a few times by different family members during the week.   These puzzles come in different sizes too.

Our puzzle was a picture of a house with a pool and a tiger sitting at the pool, and it was called ‘The Oasis.’ This burst of colours was incredibly satisfying, so much that once we completed it we destroyed it and finished it once again. 

The box contains the artist who drew the picture – ‘Hebe Studio’, and gave a background of the artist. To sum it up, Hebe Studio was a company created after an inspiring tour of India, which explains the image – a tiger sitting at an Indian-style house. This was a very nice puzzle to complete in lockdown, and I feel like a few more of these will be ordered by our family to fill our boredom.

Werkshoppe themselves are a great company. They support emerging artists, ensure their puzzles are sustainable and ethically made, give back to art education, and much much more to support the art and puzzle community. It’s a nice balance between supporting people in their early art careers and supporting Werkshoppe all while completing a puzzle. These puzzles aren’t expensive, either. 

The 300 piece puzzles sell for $26 USD each, which may be more than your average Walmart puzzle, but when you realise that it supports artists, it immediately becomes worth it. A great art collection piece for your games cupboard. 

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Make This Rustic Patriotic Flag Wreath for Your Front Door

There are plenty of shiny red, white, and blue decorations out there, but every now and then a patriotic project comes along that feels a little more heartfelt. This 4th of July Patriotic Flag Wreath from CraftBits is one of those projects.

Instead of being overly fussy or store-bought looking, this wreath has that lovely rustic Americana feel — a grapevine wreath base, a flag draped diagonally, and a large star layered over the top. It is simple, bold, and just handmade enough to feel special without turning into an all-weekend project.

You can find the full tutorial here: 4th Of July Patriotic Flag Wreath on CraftBits.

What I really like about this wreath is the story behind it. The original CraftBits tutorial explains that the project was made using a damaged flag brought home by a veteran, and his wife, Marsha, turned it into this beautiful wreath for her family to enjoy. That gives the project a little more meaning than a standard seasonal door decoration.

The supplies are very simple: a grapevine wreath, an American flag, a large metal star, and glue. The flag is folded lengthwise to create a sash, then secured diagonally across the wreath. The star is layered on the side to cover the gathered section and give the whole piece a finished focal point.

This would look beautiful on a covered front porch, garden gate, entryway wall, mantel, or even as part of a Memorial Day or Veterans Day display. It is not just for the 4th of July either — with the right styling, this is the kind of patriotic wreath you could bring out for several red, white, and blue occasions throughout the year.

If you’re planning more handmade patriotic decorating, you might also like our 10 DIY 4th of July wreaths to dress up your front door roundup, where this CraftBits wreath is already included as a classic front-door option. For a bigger porch refresh, pair it with our 15 DIY 4th of July porch decor ideas and add planters, lanterns, bunting, or painted rocks for a full summer entryway look.

One helpful note from the tutorial is that you can glue the flag in place, or stitch it to the back of the wreath if you want the option of removing it later. That is especially worth considering if you are using a sentimental flag, a vintage flag, or one with family meaning. Stitching gives you a bit more flexibility and avoids permanently attaching something you may want to preserve.

You could also soften the look with a few extra details. Add raffia for a farmhouse feel, tuck in cream or red faux roses, use denim ribbon, or add smaller stars around the grapevine base. I’d keep the extras fairly restrained though, because the flag and star are already doing the heavy lifting. This is one of those projects where too much “more” can tip it from rustic to crowded very quickly.

For supplies, Amazon is a handy option for grapevine wreath forms, metal star accents, glue, and mini flags. Etsy can also be useful if you want a handmade metal star, rustic Americana embellishments, or vintage-style patriotic trim, but I’d keep it simple so the wreath still feels meaningful rather than overly decorated.

This is a lovely beginner-friendly patriotic craft because there is no complicated measuring, no sewing machine required, and no special tools beyond basic craft supplies. It is also a good project for using a flag that may not be suitable to fly outdoors anymore but still holds meaning. As always, if you’re using an actual American flag with sentimental or ceremonial value, take care with how it is handled and displayed.

The finished wreath has that warm front-porch welcome feel — festive enough for the 4th of July, but classic enough to suit a farmhouse, cottage, or rustic summer decorating style.