New York Times Crossword Puzzle Table

I remember visiting my Granny in central Texas. She had just purchased a new shadow box coffee table. She had painted it a deep green and beneath the glass were antique strip puzzles. The puzzles were beautiful and all shades of yellow, red and green. They were remnants of her childhood protected beneath the glass, but visible for my enjoyment. I would often gaze at the puzzles and imagine I was one of the jockey's sitting a stride a fast moving horse. I think that is when I first developed my love for shadow box design.

A shadow box coffee table can be filled with many different treasures. It can hold any type of memorabilia, photographs, a jigsaw puzzle or even a crossword puzzle. To create a well-rounded design in a shadow box coffee table, choose items that have some sort of relationship to each other as well as a meaningful visual presence. To create a perfect display, pay close attention to color choice and item placement.

New York Times Crossword Puzzle Table

Materials:

Shadow box coffee table
Computer
Printable crossword puzzle
Printer
Copy paper
Scissors
Tape measure
Paper
Pencil
Cardstock
Clear tape
White wide mouthed coffee cup
Coffee beans
Black saucer
Four red wooden apples
Red decorative pen and pencil set
Hot glue gun

Select an online crossword puzzle. There are several printable crossword puzzles available online, including one of the most famous crossword puzzles, the New York Times crossword puzzle. Print the puzzle onto regular copy paper.

Cut the crossword puzzle game board out. Make sure to cut straight lines around the game board.

Fill in several of the word spaces. Use your imagination. You can use any word as long as it fits into the crossword puzzle space. Don't fill in the entire puzzle.

Remove the glass from the shadow box coffee table and set it aside. Measure the inside area of your shadow box coffee table and record the measurements onto a piece of paper.

Copy the semi-filled in crossword puzzle onto cardstock. Enlarge the crossword puzzle so it fits the needed dimensions. If necessary, divide the puzzle board into sections until you achieve the appropriate dimensions. Tape the puzzle together on the backside of the game board.

Place the copied crossword puzzle on the bottom surface inside your shadow box coffee table. It should fit snugly in place.

Fill a white wide mouthed coffee cup with coffee beans. Fill the coffee cup to at least its half waypoint. Set the filled coffee cup onto a black saucer and set it in the middle of the crossword puzzle game board. If desired, use hot glue to secure the saucer to the game board.

Set a red wooden apple into each corner of the shadow box space. Place a dab of hot glue onto the bottom of each apple to secure it in place.

Draw a line of hot glue down one side of the pen. Place the pen, glue side down on the left side of the coffee mug and saucer. Set it at a 45-degree angle from the saucer.

Place a line of hot glue down one side of the pencil. Lay the pencil on the right side of the coffee mug and saucer at a 45-degree angle. Make sure that the pencil is exactly opposite of the pen.

Return the glass to the top of the shadow box coffee table.