The 42-year-old grant writer and novelist has more than 150 puzzles in her collection at home in Portland, Maine, approximately 50 of which are hand-cut hardwood. She has one in progress at all times, ...

But a bulletin board isn’t quite as smooth as cardboard, making the puzzle pieces stay put. On top of that—and this is key—bulletin boards usually come with some sort of built-in frame.

Those 456 puzzle pieces sparked something inside the husband and wife. One Guinness World Record later and the basement of their Carmel home is filled with thousands of jigsaw puzzles.