It’s hard to believe that we are saying goodbye to 2011 and welcoming 2012!! Wow…. where did the time go??? It feels like just yesterday I showed up on the puzzling scene to ramp up your fun and tell you all about the great happenings here in Staveland! So…. where shall we start? The Holidays were just

so magical, were’nt they? All that glitz, all that spirit and amazing family times! I hope all of my favorite puzzlers had a wonderful holiday! I don’t know about you but I’m sure in need of a vacation! It was a hopping December in Staveland thanks to all of you! The phones were just a ringin’ and our saws were just a buzzin’! I have to say that there is no better way to get in the holiday spirit than to see all of your gifty puzzles floating through Staveland! The glittery gift wrap and our fabby annual Staveornament to snazz up your puzzle gifts! I could tell we were going to have some super excited Holiday puzzlers come Christmas morning!! Wowza! On top of that, my gift wrapping skills improved tremendously! Which is always a bonus because I still needed to wrap my own gifts! We hope your puzzle table was filled to the brim with over the top quality family time! And… hopefully you were on Santa’s list to receive an extra special Stave puzzle yourself! There’s nothin’ like a place where family, friends and all those four legged critters gather ‘round. Especially at the Holidays! Oh my…. the memories!

My friends here at Stave are wicked excited to start 2012 off with a big bang! Another amazing puzzling year is coming up. You can be sure of that! Fabulous fun mixed with pure addicting torture is what my Stave pals are conjuring up behind the scenes. The question is, are you ready? Although the Holidays are behind us now there is another favorite Stave Holiday right around the corner. Valentine’s Day! Woohoo!! Don’t you just love, love, love pink?! It rates right up there with chocolate in my mind. Pink, chocolate and puzzles. Is there a better combination? Now way!!! So…. inside this amazing mailing that my good friends here at Stave have designed specifically for you, you will be stunned to find the sweetest collection of super duper Valentine ideas for your sweetie. Heck, I plan to get one for myself! There is plenty to choose from, that’s for sure. And, if you need even more romantic ideas (or pink for that matter) just let us know! We’ve been known to sweep sweethearts off their feet  with our drop dead goregous proposal puzzles—how romantic is that?!! If you want to really push the romance envelope Stave is hosting a puzzle weekend extravaganza at The Point this coming March. A sumptuous mountain retreat in the heart of the Adirondacks. Talk about bringin’ on the WOW factor! WOWZA!
For more details please go here.

Puzzles are fun anytime of the year but they are an extra fun winter time adventure. When the temps drop and the fire is blazing there’s nothing better than hunkering down on a snowy day with a nice hot cup of cocoa and hearing the pieces of my favorite puzzle click into place. Or, if the cold isn’t your scene, tropical vacations work for me and my favorite wooden puzzles. Just ask me! The perfect escape with “the ultimate escape!” Just don’t forget to send me my ticket!! Working a puzzle while sitting in the sun and sipping a tropical, breezy, colorful drink sounds dreamy to me !

Until the next time!

p.s. OMG! I almost forgot!! Don’t forget to check out these two new adorable TIDBITS below!!

I see so many great puzzles come out of our workshop and they never cease to amaze me. It seems to me I should be sharing them with you! I’m going to choose one special puzzle every week and I’m going to post it here, for you to see. So check in every week and see what makes a Stave a Stave!!

Bordeux, by artist Kathleen Parr McKenna, is my first Puzzle of the Week. What do I love about it? From a puzzling aspect I like the colors. I could sort them to help me get started but they’re not so crisp as to make the puzzle easy. I love the grapevine wrapping around the top, too. Doesn’t it just bring things to life? From a cutter’s perspective I love the color-line cutting opportunities. The wine glass and sign are just calling out to be color-line cut. I could also cut out that nice bunch of grapes with a leaf and stem.

So pour yourself a glass of your favorite wine and sit down with a puzzle tonight!

On StJohn testing Instagram. New to it today http://t.co/pblCDxcs

A Honolulu customer recently was asked to show some of her Stave puzzles in their high-rise lobby display creating quite a few questions from other residents. Show below are 3 of the photos she just sent.

The following quote came from a long-time Texas customer’s email after placing order for his 54th puzzle and I promised him Christmas delivery,

“Sounds great – this is puzzle #54 – and I calculate about 28,000 pieces to assemble.

When is enough enough?  Not quite yet.”