| Audubon hummingbird puzzle | $10 |
| Sticky backing for puzzle - 2 boxes so I can do this again for the next puzzle (ruined a few sheets) | $12 |
| Clear contact paper - why use glass for a cheap puzzle? (unusable) | $10 |
| Frame - 6 hours to find the "right" one | $22 |
| Mylar - 3 colors to use as a mat, bought at art scraps store (unusable; 2 sheets hopelessly ruined) | $8 |
| Mat - incorrectly measurements taken by me (probably unusable) | $21 |
| Total | $83 |
The backing worked fine, though I had to flip over the puzzle (quickly and with great competence) to glue it on. The contact paper effort was a near disaster that wrinkled too much to use, and I had a hard time getting it off the puzzle without ruining the picture.
I used up so much time finding a frame that I could have made one (maybe) in less time. The mylar was intended as a mat substitute, but to my surprise it was much like the sticky contact paper and my first attempt resulted in a sticky mess on the back of my puzzle. I ruined one sheet, saved a nice gold one for a future project, and had to use the bright pink. It was totally wrong for the puzzle and I ended up ruining it when I ripped it off.
I don't know how on earth I under-measured the height of the puzzle. Must have been battle fatigue. I had it cut at Frameworks in Highland Village and ended with the perfect shade of dusty green (ironically named "wise green"), so the final product is almost right. Unfortunately, the space above the mat at the top looks like hell.
Bob asked me if it was a hundred dollar puzzle yet. "Yes", I answered, but I guess it's only $83, plus gas. My time is free.
