My name is Carmen. I am 44 years old, mother of 2 wonderful young adults, dog lover, outdoors enthusiast, lover of coffee & fuzzy socks and all things beautiful… And owner and founder of Liminal Puzzle Co where we create unique handmade wooden jigsaw puzzles for adults! 

 The Back Story

I grew up near Innsbruck, Austria, spending my summers in Alaska, floating and fishing remote rivers for weeks at a time. For the past 25 years I have owned a niche travel agency specializing in Alaska sport fishing trips for European clients. Until March of 2020 - when life changed for all of us. As travel shut down, with it did my livelihood and only source of income. At that same time I was finishing up my degree in Graphic Design and was searching for ways to apply what I learned. I graduated in May 2020, my first college degree at the age of 43. 

 A sense of Purpose

As we were all suddenly thrown into this world of unknowns I contemplated my life, my purpose, my passions and explored creative ways to bring a new kind of joy and peace to people’s homes. Products which offer a fun and challenging way to stay engaged, bring household members together, encourage family time and conversation and offer hours of entertainment. Something that could be used, re-used, passed on to others or sent as a gift to someone special to make their days brighter. 

And from that the idea of Liminal Puzzles was born. 

 “Liminal” by definition is the space between no longer and not yet. I always thought that to be fitting for life as well as puzzling. With each piece you place in the puzzle you are no longer where you were but not yet where you will be. 

 It’s Personal 

Our puzzles are personal – I don’t set out to make the most popular, mass appeal puzzles. I create based on what speaks to me with the understanding that it may not appeal to everyone but it will speak to a select group, kindred spirits in a way, who share a certain love or appreciation for something. And that’s what it is about – a connection with others and bringing people together through common interests. “Orchids”, my first puzzle, for example is dedicated to my Mom who instilled in me a love for Orchids from a young age.

 “Moab” is dedicated to one of the most beautiful and special places in my heart. 

And “Corona Lisa” a DaVinci parody art piece, is dedicated to everyone affected by Covid. 

 Gratitude 

Today I am incredibly thankful for all the support I have received from friends and family over the past year. The countless hours of listening, suggestions, feedback and encouraging words were what kept me going when I was discouraged, opened my eyes to new ideas and ways to conquer. I started out not knowing how do I get this puzzle idea out of my head and turned into a tangible product. Months and months of reading, research, trial and error, failures and challenges overcome, here I am! It has been a truly humbling journey and I am grateful for every step along the way. The process of creating these wonderfully made wooden jigsaw puzzles from “scratch” and making them available to others fills me with a sense of accomplishment and pride. Offering a unique, high quality product to the discerning adult puzzler is extremely important to me, as is outstanding customer service.

 I am also tremendously grateful for the fantastic website and Etsy Shop reviews and the positive feedback from the puzzling community in general. I feel humble gratitude and true joy that I am able to spread the love of puzzling from my home to yours and beyond! 

 Please know that when you purchase a puzzle from Liminal Puzzle Co, it IS personal. You are supporting a small business and a big dream. 

 Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! 

     ~ Carmen