We Have Liftoff!

We are going live today. After a solid 2 months of work, loads of glitches, wracking of the memory to make sure all the pieces of our business is accurately reflected in our new home, we are finally going live. But that doesn't mean the site is done. No way! There are still some elements to add in after we are sure of how we want them to be. The homepage is being designed but is not quite there yet but we didn't want that to prevent our debut the day before Thanksgiving as we planned. So our temporary homepage is doing the job brilliantly. I hope all of you who find your way here take the time to leave a word or two about what you think, want to see, and what you are dying to create!


And in your travels on this site, if you do happen across a snafu, do let us know. And being the writer that I am, I am also open to help such as mispellings and missing words. We want to make this as easy to use and fun to look at as possible. Just give us time. ;-)

Another Step Closer

Got our homepage under construction page live today. We've been doing a lot of work to get things just right and there is still much to do but we won't have you waiting too long. We think you'll enjoy just checking it all out. Actually, it was even interesting for us going back down memory lane, thinking about past puzzle jobs and thinking about the development of our business. This site is the culmination of all that. We know you're going to love it!

Coming Soon!

The revamp of the website is under way. You wanted to be able to see all we do and have done. You will. You wanted to be able to shop. You will. You wanted to be able to get information about our customization. You will. You wanted to know about selling our puzzles. You will. Now, it's going to take some time to get all the new images in and get it all flowing like it needs to be but step by step, change is coming. The foundation is there, the frame is there and we're starting with the face - the homepage - which will tell you a large part of what we do but not everything! You'll have to go beyond the homepage to see it all. For a little while, you may only see the homepage as we get the inside ready for you. But even on the homepage, you'll be able to get a lot of information yet you won't be overwhelmed. It's been a year of planning and decision making, picture taking and rewriting, waiting and debating, but it's going to be worth the wait. And together we're going to take Village Works to the next level.

Thanks for sticking with us so far.

Women's Expo 2009

Village Works Enterprises LLC did its first 2-day expo in Hartford and it was fun, tiring, enlightening and even painful at times. We'll get some pictures posted as soon as they come in but for now, here are a few of Felicia, of Ethnic Expressions, who was given a puzzle by her sister, Carmen, that was created on the spot by Jerry Craft, an award-winning cartoonist. This was the introduction of handdrawn puzzles. It's still a work in progress but if YOU want to have a special message done up on just one puzzle, just let us know. These were 8x10s on special for $15. The regular price is $25 but price is subject to change as level of artistry rises. Stay tuned for more on this.










The finished product!



Can you can see the resemblance?

Spending Time With Dad for the Jigsaw Hour

What's the news world saying about puzzles these days? Take a read!

Dan Verner

Published: June 21, 2009

My dad moved to a local retirement facility over a year ago. We had become concerned about him living alone after my mom’s death and he had several stays in the hospital in the months following. We looked at several and settled on one, and it has worked out well for him. It reminds me of a very quiet upscale hotel. Someone wrote about the silence in such places and found it sad: I think people at that point in their lives don’t need a lot of noise. It’s a very calm place to visit. The people are nice and he has made some friends.

I usually go over to see him once a day. We used to watch Nationals baseball in season, but this year that’s too depressing. Instead, he always has a jigsaw puzzle going. I don’t know if you enjoy jigsaw puzzles or not. I have worked them at various times in my life, usually during holidays when there always seemed to be one spread out on a table. I know this activity doesn’t rank up there with bungee jumping for sheer excitement, but there is something to be said for it. It’s
relaxing and challenging and offers mental stimulation. We tend not to talk much and things move at a slow pace, so the jigsaw puzzle helps occupy us and keeps us out of trouble.

My dad says any visitor has to put in at least 10 pieces before they leave, and most do. We favor manly pictures of airplanes, trains and cars, but have been known to work puzzles featuring flowers and puppies from time to time.

We joke that we are professional puzzle workers and have numerous strategies to assemble the pictures. We were amused that one puzzle came with directions:
Assemble frame pieces. Then fill in the picture. That’s what we try to do, and then go for the images that are apparent. After that, we try to match colors, then we try to match shapes. Most of the puzzles are difficult enough that usually we’re reduced to trying every piece in every available space to see what fits.

We also have evolved several guidelines for our puzzling: No fair dropping a piece on the floor if it doesn’t seem to fit anywhere. No trimming pieces off with a knife to make them fit. No forcing pieces by pressing on them several times. And no knocking a table leg out when the puzzle seems hopeless. (This actually happened once, but it was an accident. Really.)

Some of the puzzles are more difficult than others, and even with the pictures, it is difficult to find where the pieces go. The image just looks different when it’s cut
into an odd shape and so much larger than the picture on the box. But once it’s fitted into the puzzle, it makes sense. That bit of blue is part of the reflection off a
windshield or the red stripe goes right across a uniform sleeve. And when the whole puzzle is done, the picture comes alive in a way that is striking and startling.

Usually when we’re done with a puzzle we take a picture of it and leave it assembled on the table for a few days so anyone who worked on it can see it if they come by. We start on a new one immediately and have an ample supply. I think he got seven puzzles for Christmas, and when we run through those, the place has a nice supply in the dining room.

My dad was quite the jack-of-all trades when he was stronger, constantly engaged in some building project. Just a few years ago we added an extension onto the deck at his house so my mom could get out in her wheelchair. We also put up a shed that had about 10,000 screws involved in its assembly. As time has gone on he has become less able to do projects, and so we work on jigsaw puzzles.

As someone who experienced the Great Depression and World War II (China-Burma-India theater at the end of the very long supply line), my dad has remarkable adaptability. Even when he was in rehab for a week following his bouts with pneumonia, he did not complain but instead found something positive in the stay. I am not half so adaptable and so, on this Father’s Day, I salute you, Dad, for who you are and what you’ve done. I’ll be over this afternoon to work some more on the puzzle.

Dan Verner is a Manassas resident. He contributes his thoughts and stories to the Perspective page on Sundays.

Around the Blogosphere - May 2009

Doing a little blog hopping, I came across this piece on Peterman's Eye about the educational value of jigsaw puzzles.

It's not just about how U.S. students stack up in math and science compared with peers in India, China, Singapore and elsewhere.

It's also about how many children could find those places on a globe.

Such speculation is the driving force behind a bill called Teaching Geography is a Fundamental Act that would provide funds for teacher training, research and development of instructional materials.

I hope some of those “instructional materials” include the simple genius of the jigsaw puzzle.

Since London engraver and mapmaker John Spillsbury in 1767 created the first jigsaw puzzle to teach geography there's been no better teacher.

Spillsbury mounted one of his maps on a sheet of hardwood and cut around the borders of the countries with a fine-bladed jigsaw.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the popularity of jigsaw puzzles, now cardboard, grew to astonishing levels. With sales reaching about 10 million per week.
Puzzle enthusiasts could rent a puzzle from their local store, just as DVDs are rented today.

Meanwhile, there were puzzle parties among high society. They would pick up puzzles in the fall and spend all winter working on them.

Horses gamboling in the fields. Famous Mansions. Castles. A Rembrandt. Something to remind them they hadn't lost all their money in the stock market.

Famous British novelist Margaret Drabble, who’s managed to fit writing her memoirs and her fascination with jigsaw puzzles in one book, says the Duke and Duchess of Windsor first met over a jigsaw puzzle, called "whimsies.”

(Specially shaped pieces cut "on a whim.")

Which could account for his whimsical decision to give up the crown.

Drabble also deplores the fact that some U.S. manufactures have put the average time for completion on the box. She’d be happy to work at the same picture for months on end.

Most jigsaw enthusiasts know the most common approach to building a puzzle is to start by separating the edges from the inside pieces. Once the edges are built it can become easier to move to the center.

Technology has changed the landscape and we now have more sophisticated games.

But there’s still nothing that can teach patience (and geography) to children and adults (who don't know where anything is either) like a good 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle.

Getting the right pieces to fit.

Sort of like life.

Children's Puzzles

More of our newest products fresh off the press.



It may not be easy to see these puzzles in the box but I assure you they are even more beautiful in person than on screen. The interesting thing is we loved the image when we saw it. We were thrilled to see the final prints but the puzzles themselves were simply spectacular. I wish I could explain it. We are so excited to offer them. And I don't know know if you can see the Dream Big puzzles on the table above (the five hugging kids on the right) but it too is a thing of beauty.

Both puzzles are 11x17, 30 pieces. The pieces are big and easy for smaller hands to manipulate. "Dream Big" and "Yes! I Can...Be President" are now available for just $14.99!

What's Up with Your Website?!

Yeah, we know. It doesn't show everything. It doesn't have that same flava. We've grown and it's time for our website to grow too. But it can't be just any old thing. After all, it's Village Works and we want to love everything we do. So just FYI, our new website IS being planned and we are going to get it updated this year. It's a lot of work because new pictures need to be taken and a new developer had to be acquired. We almost settled on one and then learned of another potential one that might work out better. So we're investigating that option but we don't plan to ponder too long. We really want to get this done. We need to make ordering from us easier and give you all an easy place to see everything we've done and can do. Our Facebook fan page is serving the place of keeping you updated right now, along with this blog. And trust me, I am grateful to have these platforms. But it's nothing like having a proper website.

So please bear with us. It's coming. We promise. And if we love it, you will too!

Puzzle Pails

You gotta love it! We do. Remember our recent sale on 11x17 puzzles for $19.99? These are what we created and packaged. Our customers didn't know they would be packaged this way and neither did we. For us, every job is unique and has it's own vibe. We go with whatever we feel will enhance it the best. You just never know what that will be!



Here's one a little closer up.



Our 11x17 custom photo puzzles are regularly priced at $24.99.

We are working on some new product photos. What do you think? Tantalizing, eh? Yeah, you know you want it.

Seen in the News - April 2009

Here's an interesting little article to help you see the myrid of ways jigsaw puzzles are used in the world:

Truancy judge uses array of punishments - including jigsaw puzzles
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
metro@dallasnews.com

Starling Jennings looks peeved to be in truancy court. She is there for the first time after racking up 12 unexcused absences from a Mesquite middle school."Why are you missing school?" Judge John Sholden asks.

The 15-year-old sheepishly answers in a barely audible voice.

After a few minutes of questioning, Sholden deftly doles out her punishment – a $195 fine, counseling sessions and a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

So how do jigsaw puzzles fit in with preventing truancy?

According to Sholden, they leave students and parents no choice but to sit down and talk with each other.

"The rules are a parent can't put in a puzzle piece without the child being present, and the child can't put in a piece without the parent being present," said Sholden, whose courtroom and chambers are lined with jigsaw puzzles of students past.

In Texas, a student is truant after missing 10 or more days or partial days within six months, or three or more days or partial days within four weeks.

Punishments in truancy court vary wildly. In addition to Sholden's jigsaw puzzles, students can face up to $500 for every day missed in violation of state law. Parents can be fined for contributing to their child's truancy. The judge can order community service, tutoring, anger management programs or one-year driver's license suspensions.

Sholden assigns puzzles in about 10 percent of the cases he hears. Typically, they involve younger students unsuitable for other punishments or those who are dealing with problems at home as well as at school.

"A lot of times, [students] are upset with rules the parents have made," he said. "The way to get back at parents is by not going to school." For example, some students skip class to hang out with friends that their parents forbid them to see.

The puzzles have other benefits, too.

"So many kids don't think they can accomplish anything, so they don't go to school," the judge said. "When you open [a puzzle] up, it's a mess. But you get it in your head that you can solve the problem. Once [students] have a sense of accomplishment, that transfers to accomplishment at school also."

He said few of the students he assigns jigsaw puzzles reappear as repeat offenders.

Starling and her mother, Lea Jennings, were upset about the stiff fine Sholden administered. But Jennings said she thought the 1,000-piece puzzle was a good idea.

"Honestly, that's probably the best thing – quality time with the parent," she said.

The judge's unusual approach has been well received in a court that is bursting with case filings.

Sholden presides over Dallas County's East Truancy Court in Garland, which handles the Richardson, Garland and Mesquite school districts. Dallas County's other three other truancy courts handle DISD cases.

Since opening in 2007, the east court has received about 34,000 truancy case filings. That's three times the caseload of each of the county's three other truancy courts.

Last week, the Dallas County Commissioners Court approved funding for a fifth truancy court, to be housed in the same building as the existing East court.

"We're looking at having it set up pretty soon, in the next few weeks," said Steve Griggs, executive assistant to Dallas County Judge Jim Foster. "We're moving forward pretty quickly as far as hiring staff."

The new court will cost about $350,000 for its first full year. That includes costs for a judge, a bailiff, two clerks, construction and furniture.

Duane Steele, Dallas County truancy courts manager, said he hopes to start hearing cases in the new court by the beginning of the next school year.

Sholden says he looks forward to the new court because it would allow him to spend more time with each case and follow-up with students when they report back to court.

"I could really use some help," he said.

In a typical day, Sholden hears more than 70 cases. Sholden said he thinks the court's high caseload is due in part to better enforcement, not necessarily more truant students.

"Does truancy court work? Absolutely," he said.

Parents and students who sat in court for hours agreed.

"This is too much of a hassle to come here," said Minnie Akhtar, whose daughter Amber Galvan attends West Mesquite High School.

"Lesson learned," Amber said.

Inspired? Order a puzzle today!

Welcome!

Welcome to Village Works, Piece by Piece! Now we weren't planning to blog because we already have a lot on our plates creating wonderful things for our wonderful customers. But in an effort to keep you all in the loop about what we do and about the puzzle world in general, we felt this might be needed. So here we are. If you stumbled across us, you should know a little about us.

We are Ramona and Monica. We are Village Works Enterprises LLC, a woman-owned jigsaw puzzles and greeting card business. We have been in business officially since 2005 but we've been working on our craft for longer than that. I assure you, we've got some time put in so we can have something to offer you.

All our artwork and greeting card copy is original to us. We create it. We write it. Everything is made in the U.S.A. and we customize! We love what we do and we know you will love it too. Feel free to comment here on anything we've done for you or you wish we would do. Talk. We listen.

Thanks for visiting and please come back again!