Dab Hand

Handy Jigsaws – spreading the news…..

16 October 2021 16 October 2021 / Handy Jigsaws / By Dab Hand

Do you live in Kelsall and love jigsaws? Or perhaps you know someone in the village who loves to puzzle – maybe a friend, family member or neighbour? Did you know that Kelsall has its very own completely free jigsaw lending library? We’d love your help spreading the news.

We’ve been collecting jigsaws for many years and wanted to share them with our fellow villagers. Handy Jigsaws starting running in April 2020 and offers a regularly changing collection of up to 100 jigsaws in a variety of piece counts and sizes. We provide free doorstep delivery and collection in Kelsall.

Handy Jigsaws has exceeded our expectations but it’s likely we have not reached all Kelsall residents who may be interested, including those who lack internet access or who are new to our growing village. We use public noticeboards as well as social media posts to spread the news but the best way to reach people is at events or via good old-fashioned word of mouth! Whether you are an existing Handy Jigsaws puzzler or interested in finding out more, we hope to see you at the Societies, Clubs & Activities afternoon at Kelsall Community Centre, Sunday 17 October, 2pm-5pm.

We were thrilled to take part in the recent ‘Life in Kelsall During Lockdown’ exhibition of art, photography and craft at St. Philip’s Church. We contributed a hand-framed extract of a very special puzzle which was our “most wanted” title during lockdown. Maybe it was because it featured Cadbury’s chocolate! It was borrowed numerous times but was eventually “retired hurt”. No problem – we give incomplete jigsaws another life by using them for craft!

Handy Jigsaws Life in Lockdown Exhibition Kelsall St Philips Church October 2021

Lots of people tried jigsaws for the first time during lockdown and enjoyed the sense of calm and satisfaction that comes from completing them. Jigsaws have multiple physical and social benefits and are scientifically proven to be good for you – see this journal articl e. That’s why Handy Jigsaws is a long-term initiative for the village. We’d love to hear from you if you are interested in becoming one of our puzzlers or can help us spread the word.

See our Handy Jigsaws page for full information, including all our titles and ways to contact us.

Pre-Christmas Special Offer

29 September 2021 12 October 2021 / Offers, Topical / By Dab Hand

Planning ahead? We have a pre-Christmas offer on selected brand new jigsaws. These prices are exclusively for customers in our local free delivery area – anywhere within 10 miles of our home village Kelsall, Cheshire. Contact us quickly as this offer ends at midnight on Wednesday 20th October.

£5 off selected 1000/500XL piece jigsaws – now just £8.50!
There’s something for everyone here, including Christmas crafts, toys, purr-fect cats, happy holidays, retail therapy and bingo.

Dolls House Memories – 1000 pieces

Product on sale

£8.50
Famous Felines – 1000 pieces

Product on sale

£8.50
Nearly New – 500XL pieces

Product on sale

£8.50
Taste of Christmas – 1000 pieces

Product on sale

£8.50
The Beautiful North – 1000 pieces

Product on sale

£8.50
The Bingo Hall – 1000 pieces

Product on sale

£8.50
The Toy Shop – 1000 pieces

Product on sale

£8.50

Note: The “Mevagissey Harbour” jigsaw, featured in some social media posts, has now sold out.

£2.50 off selected 636 piece and 500 piece jigsaws – now just £8 and £7 respectively!
Dogs, birds and butterflies – these titles are perfect gifts for animal lovers.

Fido’s Coffee Bar – 636 pieces

Product on sale

£8.00
I Like Birds – Waterlands – 500 pieces

Product on sale

£7.00
World of Butterflies – 500 pieces

Product on sale

£7.00

£5 off selected 2×500 piece jigsaws – now just £10.50!
These great value titles are ideal for transport lovers. And for the ultimate present, how about adding a Puzzle Sorter – a perfect accessory for any jigsaw enthusiast.

The Motorcycle Show – 2×500 pieces

Product on sale

£10.50
Up Main & Down Loop – 2×500 pieces

Product on sale

£10.50
Puzzle Sorter – 6 Sorting Trays

£10.00

Contact us for orders and enquiries.
Our local free delivery area is anywhere within 10 miles of our home village Kelsall (Cheshire) – read more. This limited time offer is subject to availability and cannot be combined with any other offer. It does not apply to our national customers but we offer low cost post & packaging – read more.

Latest Additions: August 2021

5 August 2021 5 August 2021 / Latest Additions / By Dab Hand

We’ve added eight new 1000 piece Ravensburger jigsaws for your enjoyment over the summer. The first three titles are beautifully designed illustrations of plays by Shakespeare and classic fairy tales.

Windsor Wives – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Romeo & Juliet – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Midnight at the Library – 1000 pieces

£13.50

We also have jigsaws for those who love art, flowers, world travel and stately homes. Additionally, you’ll find a new 2×500 Christmas set – perhaps it’s worth planning ahead??

The Artist’s Cabinet – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Art Gallery – 1000 pieces

£13.50
World Landmarks by Night – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Upstairs, Downstairs – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Amsterdam Flower Market – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Christmas Collection No. 1 – The Christmas Market & Santa’s Christmas Supper – 2×500 pieces

£15.50

We were delighted to add Ravensburger to our suite of top brands recently. We are also official stockists of new puzzles and accessories from Gibsons and Jumbo (including the Falcon and Wasgij brands). In addition, we offer checked & complete used jigsaws from other leading brands.

Summer Holidays 2021

13 July 2021 2 August 2021 / Latest Additions, Topical / By Dab Hand

The school summer holidays are here – you’ll find lots of ideas on our website, whether you are going away for the first time in a while or staying local. We’ve just added some Ravensburger titles to our range of jigsaws for younger puzzlers – see below.

Underwater Wonders – 100XXL pieces

£9.50
The Planets – 100XXL pieces

£9.50
Underwater Discovery – 200XXL pieces

£9.50
Dino Dictionary – 300XXL pieces

£9.50
Wonderful Wildlife – 100XXL pieces

£9.50
Jig-Map – Our World – 250 pieces

£9.50
Snoozing on the Ted – 250XL pieces

£9.50
Running Repairs – 100XXL pieces

£9.50

You’ll also find some very unusual children’s puzzles in our range of checked & complete used jigsaws. Children 10 years and over can enjoy 500 piece puzzles (12+ for a 1000 piece puzzle). The trick is to select an image that suits their interests or pick one together to complete as a family. Teenagers may enjoy one of our new “Escape Puzzles”. There’s lots of inspiration on our website or feel free to contact us. Just call 07803 203617 to talk through our range.

Disney Vintage Movie Posters – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Escape Puzzle – The Observatory – 759 pieces

£13.50
Fido’s Coffee Bar – 636 pieces

Product on sale

£8.00
Punimals – 500 pieces

£9.50

Accessories are worth considering – how about taking a foldaway puzzle board or a puzzle roll to a holiday cottage or hotel? A set of sorter trays will also make life easier – click here for our full range.

If you’re planning a camping holiday, we offer travel-sized games and quirky playing cards. It’s worth packing a pocket-sized card games instruction book too. Here are just a few examples – click here for all our new and used games.

After a day’s walking or cycling in the sunshine, we at Dab Hand love to unwind with a jigsaw or traditional game. It’s a great rainy day option too! Whatever you plan to do, we wish you a very relaxing summer.

Latest Additions: Ravensburger – July 2021

8 July 2021 8 July 2021 / Latest Additions, Services / By Dab Hand

We’re thrilled to announce that we are Ravensburger’s newest official stockist! This top quality brand offers a diverse mix of jigsaw styles and piece counts, there really is something for everyone. Our first selection of titles is especially for anyone who loves birds and butterflies.

I Like Birds – Birdie Seasons – 1000 pieces

£13.50
I Like Birds – Waterlands – 500 pieces

Product on sale

£7.00
Our British Birds – 500 pieces

£9.50
Our Feathered Friends – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Puffinry! – 500 pieces

£9.50
World of Butterflies – 500 pieces

Product on sale

£7.00

We are delighted to add Ravensburger to our suite of top brands – look out for a selection of their children’s titles coming to our website very soon. We are also official stockists of new puzzles and accessories from Gibsons and Jumbo (including the Falcon and Wasgij brands).

Latest Additions – Used Jigsaws: June 2021

24 June 2021 24 June 2021 / Latest Additions / By Dab Hand

We’ve added a batch of quality checked & complete used jigsaws – why not grab yourself a bargain? Jigsaws are eco-friendly too – as well as modern titles we have some that are over 40 years old but still with plenty of life in them yet! If you are in our free delivery area we will drop them off on foot or by bike. When we post parcels we use recycled materials as far as possible.

Here’s a small selection of some of our titles or browse all used jigsaws.

First Catch – 1000 pieces

£6.00
Globetrotter – Castles & Palaces – 1000 pieces

£6.00
Summer Fun on the Farm – 500 pieces

£4.50
The Winery – 1000 pieces

£6.00
Magic of the Seasons – 4×500 pieces

£10.50
Harry Potter in Hogwarts – 500 pieces

£4.50

Buy with confidence, knowing that our approved used puzzles have met our stringent quality standards.

Each puzzle is checked for piece count. This is not always the number stated on the box, e.g. Ravensburger’s 1000 piece jigsaws usually have 1008 pieces! We also check piece quality and we bag the main pieces and edge pieces in strong re-usable grip seal bags to keep the puzzle safe.
Choose your challenge:
Puzzle Dabbler – complete the border first
Puzzle Regular – mix both bags
Puzzle Master – hide the picture!

Contact us for orders and enquiries
Browse all New Jigsaws | Used Jigsaws | New Games | Used Games | Emporium

If you live in our home village Kelsall you may be interested to know that we’ve added some used jigsaws to our local lending library too – see Handy Jigsaws for more information.

Introducing Dissectology – the science of jigsaws

17 June 2021 17 June 2021 / Dissectology / By Dab Hand

Are you a Dissectologist? You’re probably one if you’re reading this! And in the immortal words of Maureen Lipman in BT’s 1988 TV commercial – “If you’ve got an ‘ology’, you’re a scientist!” – watch it on Youtube

Welcome to a new series of bite-sized articles on the wonderful world of dissectology. Jigsaw puzzles, or Dissections as they were originally called, were invented by British cartographer John Spilsbury in the 1760s. He attached a map to wood and carved out the countries. These “dissected maps” were used to help teach geography. Jigsaw puzzles are now available in a huge range of materials and styles and are mainly completed for fun or for the satisfaction of a mission accomplished. If you have ever stayed up late in the night to put in “just one more piece”, you are probably a dissectologist!

John Spilsbury jigsaw "Europe divided into its kingdoms, etc." London, 1766, British Library (Creative Commons collection) — John Spilsbury “Europe divided into its kingdoms, etc.”, London, 1766 (British Library)

You may have seen our recent article on the various Wasgij puzzle styles. Our next article will be on the joys of circular puzzles and also look out for a review of puzzle piece terminology, including some of our own preferred terms for impressive manoeuvres when completing a tricky puzzle!

In a personal capacity as dedicated puzzlers, we are proud members of the Benevolent Confraternity of Dissectologists, a UK based society for jigsaw followers. This friendly club holds regular meetings (Zoom presentations & Flickr groups in recent times). It’s a great way to see examples of fabulous wooden jigsaws from yesteryear as well as modern creations. Membership is just £12 per household per annum (at the time of writing) – well worth it!

We welcome your views on all things related to Dissectology – please don’t hesitate to email us or call 07803 203617 or 01829 458259. We’d also love to see you on Facebook or Instagram.

Browse all New Jigsaws | Used Jigsaws | New Games | Used Games | Emporium

Father’s Day Gift Ideas 2021

10 June 2021 17 June 2021 / Topical / By Dab Hand

It’s Father’s Day on Sunday 20th June. We have lots of gift ideas for every kind of father figure in your life — dads, grandads, step-dads, or anyone who has taken on that role. We offer free local delivery (within 10 miles of our home village Kelsall) or we can post your present along with your special message.

Searching for the perfect puzzle? 1000 piece jigsaws are always popular but some new puzzlers or older dads may prefer smaller piece counts. 636 piece panoramic format jigsaws mean less stretching. Extra large piece jigsaws are ideal for those with sight or handling difficulties. See more tips on choosing a jigsaw.

Here’s a small selection or browse all new jigsaws

Beautiful Britain Gift Box – 500 pieces

£9.50
Caravan Outings – 2×500 pieces

£15.50
Going for the Line – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Pigeons of Britain – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Running Repairs – 100XXL pieces

£9.50
Seagulls at Staithes – 636 pieces

£10.50
Spotters at Doncaster – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Summer Music Festival – 1000 pieces

£13.50
Trip to the Tip! – Wasgij Destiny 22 – 1000 pieces

£13.50

Dads love to have all the right kit – a jigsaw accessory may be just the ticket!

Portapuzzle Board – up to 1000 piece puzzles

£10.00
The Puzzle Roll

£10.00
Puzzle Sorter – 6 Sorting Trays

£10.00

Our 3 in 1 Games Set is the ultimate luxury travel accessory for the Great British Staycation. Or how about Dominoes 6×6 or one of our sets of quirky playing cards – you may want to add a little card games book. We also stock checked & complete used games, including some vintage ones!

3 in 1 Games Set – Travel Edition – Chess, Backgammon, Draughts

£29.00
Dominoes 6×6

£22.50
Playing Cards – Football Legends

£4.50
Playing Cards – Movie Posters

£4.50
Slapstick! (1975)

£16.00
Under Arrest (c1970s)

£32.00

Contact us for orders and enquiries.
Browse all New Jigsaws | Used Jigsaws | New Games | Used Games | Emporium

Handy Jigsaws is One!

29 April 2021 29 April 2021 / Handy Jigsaws / By Dab Hand

Handy Jigsaws – Kelsall’s completely free jigsaw lending library – is one year old!

Our loan jigsaws are delivered on foot – we’ve covered 232 miles around the village over the last year!

The library stocks up to 100 jigsaws from quality manufacturers. As well as adding Dab Hand stock, we have received a number of kind donations over the year which has helped us keep the library fresh and updated with new titles.

About 80% of loans were for 1000 piece jigsaws, by far our most popular piece count, although 500 and 636 piece jigsaws were appreciated by borrowers new to puzzling or with limited space. Smaller piece counts (often with extra large pieces) have helped those with sight, handling or cognitive difficulties.

Here are some examples of our most wanted themes and titles from our first year:

We offer a wide variety of images and themes – from toys and trains to Shakespeare and sushi!

Along with other humorous jigsaws, Wasgijs have proved extremely popular. We have added more of these titles recently and have others waiting in the wings. If you have yet to discover the joys of Wasgijs, see our article here.

Falcon’s Up & Away is our most requested title of the year.

Gibsons’ Albert Dock, Liverpool and Happy Holidays have also been popular, perhaps reminding us of trips past and to come…

Happy Holidays is also a good example of popular montage style jigsaws – lots of images in one puzzle!

Ravensburger’s Retro Revelry is one of our top titles of the year, ideal for puzzlers who like a challenge. One borrower commented: “Great!! Talk about nostalgia!”

Nostalgia Toys remains a favourite choice but don’t forget that we add stock frequently – click here to see our latest additions, including The World of Shakespeare, a very striking puzzle.

A few comments from our borrowers:
“Great library of puzzles”
“Such a kind service to provide in these difficult times. Thank you!”
“This is a great initiative for the village…the puzzles have been a great mental exercise and talking point for my 93 year old mother who has dementia. I would highly recommend!”

Would you like a Handy Jigsaw delivered to your door? Find out more and browse titles.

If you know someone without internet access please ask them to call Delia on 07803 203617 or 01829 458259. We can talk through our range and/or take along a few for them to choose from.

Our Markets & Fairs are Back!

14 April 2021 14 April 2021 / Events, Services / By Dab Hand

Our real traditional village markets & fairs are back! Jigsaws, jam, cakes, crafts and more – what’s not to like?! Join us on Saturday 17th April 2021 at the Barbour Institute, Tattenhall, for our first post-lockdown village market – click here for full details and future dates.

Join our mailing list or follow us on Facebook or Instagram for updates including (fingers crossed!) news on summer & autumn fetes. If you cannot attend our events we also offer free delivery to your doorstep within 10 miles of our home village Kelsall or we post orders nationwide.

Contact us for orders and enquiries
Browse all New Jigsaws | Used Jigsaws | New Games | Used Games | Emporium