Advent Calendar of the Week:
Seeking Santa
Item Code: BB739
A fun and new Advent Calendar concept!
Can you find Santa? Count down to Christmas with this fun Advent calendar. On December 1st, open the window marked “Start” to find a fun holiday picture and a related clue. Use that clue to find the next window. Repeat each day to reveal Santa Claus on Christmas Eve!
Check it out here!
Find a good place to do it! Look for a flat space with plenty of extra room. It is often frustrating to start a puzzle only to find you don’t have enough room to finish it. Lighting is also very important. Make sure the space you have chosen is bright enough to distinguish different colors and allows you to 
concentrate on small details. If you may have to move it, or don’t plan on finishing it in a timely fashion(some of us are over ambitious 🙂 ) you might want to do it on a backer board. This is a board commercially available for doing puzzles that can be lifted and moved. some have edges to keep pieces from follow off, some don’t. If you’re handy, one can easily be made by going to your local home store and getting some hardboard, mdf, or the like(see right–>). They’ll often cut it to size for you to, and edges are not completely necessary.
Here comes the fun part, open the box and dump it out on your work space, WOO HOO! Ok, enough fun, time to get to work and to sort the pieces. Look at the box top and pick out things that are easily noted. Concentrating on color, pattern, object, and edges generally gets you going in the right direction.
Now for the first step in actual assembly. We start with the edges to make up a frame. This gives you an idea of scale, and reference points for the rest of the objects and parts of the puzzle.
Assemble what would be considered the “easy” sections of the puzzle. These are the parts that have really distinct colors or objects and the pieces are easier to make out. Below are a few circled for example. Repeat this until you have several components of the puzzle made. 
Now we’re getting somewhere! Take the assembled pieces and arrange them within the “frame” made by the edges. Position them as they appear in the picture on the cover of the puzzle box.
Continue to assemble small segments of the puzzle and position them in the scene you are creating. The objects will get harder and harder, but the puzzle will really start coming to life! When you get towards the end, all you will have left are dark shadows and “fill”. These can sometimes be tough depending on the puzzle, but stick with it and it will all come together… Taa Daa!!!!
The countdown to Halloween starts today! It’s time to open the first window on your countdown calendar. Don’t have one? It’s not too late to get in on the fun – Orders ship the same business day or next. Tons of fun for the whole family!
Freelance illustrator and designer Randy Wollenmann has been working in the decorative arts for over 30 years developing artwork for a broad range of markets; from tabletop gift-ware, dinnerware, and glass designs, to greeting cards, gift wrap, puzzles, books, and children’s learning materials. With his first years spent at Abbey Press (close to 10), owned by the Benedictine Monks of the St. Meinrad Archabbey, Randy set the direction his creative energy would take. Over the years he has developed a diverse collection of artwork for many companies, with many images coming back time and again to the inspiring design and vivid color of stained glass.
“It’s a constant source of joy, to think back on my first experiences of looking at grand and intricate stained glass at the monastery church. The light piercing through all that colorful, textured glass, and the stories that came to life as the light danced around the many biblical scenes continues to inspire me today.”
We are lucky to have Randy and his diverse imagination as one of our Signature Artists and hope you enjoy our new products created with his images as much as we do!
You can learn more about Rany Wollenmann and his work at his website: http://www.randywollenmann.com/
Art has always been a way of life for me. Even though at times I wish I had been destined to invent a world famous iPhone app, I love being an artist and part of the art scene in Colorado. I started my art career in 1972 and since that time I have illustrated over 100 children’s books for every major publisher. When I’m not working on children’s books, I love painting the scenery, wildlife, and people that I find in Colorado.
In 2014, my paintings will be exhibited in The 39th Annual Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Show, The 23rd Annual State Watercolor Exhibit, The Watermedia Show at the Center for the Arts in Evergreen, and the 2014 Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Show.
I have a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Awards include: Garden State Children’s Book Cover Award, Moms Choice Book Award, Honorable Mention at Evergreen Plein Air
Show, Cover award by Mountain Connection, second place in the Members show at the Evergreen Center for the Arts in 2013, and Best of Show at the Watermedia Show at the Evergreen Center for the Arts in 2014.
Working withVermont Christmas Company is such a joy! Illustrating Halloween and Christmas scenes is like focusing on the fun times of life, and it always brings smiles!
Carol Newsom
carol@newsomart.com
Jigsaw puzzles certainly do have a wide appeal. Putting together a jigsaw puzzle is fun activity that somebody can do by themselves or with a group of family and friends. Some choose it as an outlet to tune out the world and relax, while others enjoy it as a chance to socialize with loved ones.
And, choosing the correct puzzle is important. How much time do you want to spend on the puzzle? Is it something you want to complete in an evening, a weekend or over an extended period of time?
The first consideration is the piece count. Generally, the fewer pieces a puzzles has, the easier it is to complete. However not all puzzles of same piece count are created equal! Puzzles that feature a lot of repeating colors and designs like our Candy Canes! puzzle tend to be more difficult than those with more differentiation like our Halloween Cupcakes puzzle.
It is also important to make sure you choose a jigsaw puzzle design that you find interesting or fun. It’s much easier to focus when you enjoy the picture that is evolving in front of you! Puzzle Collages currently represent the most popular designs that we offer at Vermont Christmas Company. However many people prefer landscapes, maps, fine art and so on. With more than 1,000 jigsaw puzzle designs to choose from, we really do offer something for every taste!
Vermont Christmas Company 