If puzzles are your thing, you’re gonna love this creative little puzzle mat! It’s a way to store small mini puzzles and it’s an upcycle project, meaning it uses some things you most likely already have in your home! The only thing you might need to grab is the large sheet of felt. It’s small enough to take and store anywhere.
We put ours in our “Mini Toy Box in a Drawer for Adults and Kids.” So get your puzzle and make one or two or five of these awesome little puzzle mats. Great for inexpensive gifts too! For another great portable activity, idea check out our DIY Portable Lego Table.
Puzzle Mat Supplies
- Sturdy paper towel tube
- Paper egg carton
- 12" x 18" felt sheet (soft)
- String
- Ribbon
- Hot glue gun
- Paint
- Mini puzzle Completed size no more than 10.5"x 11"
Instructions
Gather your supplies. Make sure your paper towel roll is not bent or squished. Make sure you get soft felt. The thin, stiffer kind will not roll up the puzzle well.
The area for the puzzle will be 11"x 12" approximately. Make sure your puzzle will fit on the mat and that the puzzle pieces will fit into the tube.
For the bottom end cap, trim a single egg carton section as shown, then glue it in. 
For the top open ended cap, trim another egg carton section as shown. Add holes to attach it with string. Paint it before attaching. We added a coat of Mod Podge. (Optional)
After painting, attach your top cap as shown. We added some glue to the inside to secure the string. Glue on a small piece of ribbon as the pull tab. 
Your felt will be a small amount taller than your tube. Measure it and trim the felt down to fit. Glue your felt around the tube as shown. Glue two pieces of ribbon as shown to tie the mat up when not in use. 
11 responses
I bought one of these for $25.00 I am a huge puzzle fan so I will be making these from now on. Thank you for this post. I usually have two or three going so I might attach a label to identify the puzzle. I also tend to lose pieces so I love the storage for pieces!!!
Is it necessary to use felt or can I use an old t shirt or something like that?
Hi Mia! Sorry for the late reply. Thinner fabric would not work. It needs to be firm and stiffer to hold the puzzle in place.
Just so I understand, you can also roll it up for storage while working on it, correct? Of course the extra unused pieces would go back into the tube but the together part can stay and be rolled?
This is a great idea. My grandbabies don’t always get to finish their puzzles before it’s time to go home. They’ll be happy to see we can save what they’ve done and finish when they are back. No starting over.
THANKS!
Yep that’s the way it should work if its rolled tightly. Good luck Tina!
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Make sure you stop by Diana Rambles tomorrow because you are being featured!
Great idea! How clever. I love projects that use recycled materials like this. I think I will make one for both of my girls. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Christina. Thank you so much for stopping by!
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