I just had to share these sweet squirrels that now reside in my living room.

In December I visited a new shop just ten minutes from my home called LaValley Home & Garden. They used to own a second-hand shop in a nearby city, but made the decision to go in a new direction. Lucky us!

It is such an adorable shop, with a mix of upcycled items, artisans, and other treasures. Their motto: Cultivating a world where home, garden, natural habitat and community come together. They are a non-profit and proceeds benefit animal welfare and nature conversation. Love that!

And this is where I bought this sweet squirrel puzzle. Not assembled, of course.

During the holiday season I thought it would be a fun thing John and I could do together.

Until I found out he has a “system” for putting puzzles together. And in all honesty, I didn’t have the patience.

But I re-arranged the living room to accommodate a table so John could work on bringing the 1,000 pieces together.

What a joy it was to see the progress as John had time to work on it.

Once complete, we carefully prepared it for gluing.

Then it was time for a frame.

Found at a second-hand store. Originally $35, but marked at $1.06. With a 20% coupon to boot! ha! So a whole $.90 cents was spent on the frame.

That was too large, but John cut it down.

So in essence, in the end, it was a project we did do together! Each adding to the completion.

Of these adorable squirrels that brought me so much joy during the puzzling process.

And will now bring me endless joy each time I look at them hanging out in our living room.

XO

Barb