Christmas cards that you unscramble

Sunset, Dec, 1990

"Who-or what-is that?" friends or relatives may utter when they receive one of these cards. The scrambled image creates a greeting that will garner more than just a glance. To see the whole picture, recipients must remove the cut-up picture from its frame and reassemble it. For each card here, we started with a color photocopy enlargement of a color snapshot (about $3), although you could just use the original snapshot.

You can make photocopies up to 8- by 10-inch size; we kept ours smaller so cards could fit into 6- by 9-inch manila envelopes. For each card, you'll also need 1/8-inch-thick foam-core board, sturdy colored art paper, spray-mount adhesive, and an appropriate-size mailing envelope. Also have on hand a pencil, sharp craft knife, ruler, and plastic wrap. Making the frame. Start by cutting a rectangle of foam-core board to fit inside your envelope. Next, cut a same-size paper rectangle and glue it to the board. Position the photocopied picture on the board, then trace around it. Cut along the outline to form a frame. Making the puzzle. Glue the picture onto the piece of foam-core removed from the middle of the frame. Cut the image into anything from boxy rectangles to thin strips, then slip puzzle pieces willy-nilly into the frame fit will be tight; trim slightly if needed). Cut a second paper rectangle the same size as the frame's outer dimensions; glue to back of frame. Let dry, cover the frame tightly with plastic wrap, then slip the card into the envelope.