Get Lost in the Fun: Gift Items for Maze Lovers

So you know somebody who loves mazes or labyrinths and you want to give them the perfect gift. That would be one of my maze books (or three) !!! Ok, ok so maybe there are other options. Today let’s take a look at some items I found on Etsy that would make a great gift for a maze lover that are not books. Items change often on Etsy, but they always seem to have a great selection of maze and labyrinth items for sale. Use these for inspiration !

1. Fleece Marble Maze by itsthesmallthings

If you aren’t familiar with textile marble mazes (this one is made from fleece), they are mazes sewn into a fabric that has just enough space to allow a marble to be guided thru it. Perfect for young maze enthusiasts. This particular fleece maze comes in 11 solid colors. Makes a nice stocking stuffer.

2. Puzzle Box Maze (Russian Doll Puzzle) by Backcorner3D

A really cool maze that has a dual purpose - you solve it and you get access to the inner part of the maze - a great place to give a small gift like money money money (or a note on a piece of paper). Or a scavenger hunt, or (lots of things). Come in a variety of colors, 17 by my count, and with 2 difficult levels, Easy or Hard. Also has a TON of 5 start reviews !!! Stocking stuffer ?

3. Wooden Maze Toy by DrapelaWoodworks

Made with red oak and measures 12.75 inches long by 9 inches wide. This seller is very large and is known for their high quality products. You can customize the item with a name on the back. Looks like a fun item for people of all ages.

4. Maze themed jewelry - assorted vendors

If you know someone who likes handmade jewelry and also are a maze enthusiast this might be the gift for them ! There are hundreds of items to choose from and they go out of stock quickly because of the low number of pieces available. Here is an example of what was available when I searched. Lots of labyrinths and always Native American themed Man in the maze. Rings, necklaces, broches, pendants; they have them all.

5. A Wooden Finger Labyrinth by Westlandco

Looks wonderful and can be inscribed on the back with a personal message. Perfect for those that use labyrinths for more spiritual uses rather than a puzzles/games. Finger labyrinths are used for meditation, relaxation, prayer, and concentration.

Hope you enjoyed this quick look at some possible maze gifts for that special puzzle solver in your life !

In The Tall Grass (2019) Movie Review

In The Tall Grass (2019) Movie Review) IMDB Amazon Book

By Netflix - Google, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61796066

Stephen King has written some great stories through the years, many of them have been made into movies, but not all of them successfully. How did Netflix do with their adaption of he and his son’s novella ? Let’s find out.

A man and woman are driving down the road in the middle of a vast sea of fields in Kansas. The woman is visibly pregnant. They need to stop on the side of the road because she has become nauseous. During the stop they hear a cry for help from a young boy who says he is lost in the tall grass beside the road. Can they save him from the grass ? You hear his mother yell at them to not come in. They go in after him. And so it begins.

While there is no maze per say in this movie, the tall grass is difficult to walk through and continually makes the characters lost no matter which direction they move. Well, there are a few points in the maze like tall grass that work as anchor points - you can find that out in the movie. The couple finds out they are not alone in the tall grass, but they are having trouble leaving it no matter what methods they try.

The acting is good enough. The story is interesting. The feeling of being lost is conveyed well with the cinematography. But, overall it does not quite land in the must see category.

I give it an 6.3/10 for having a great premise that was entertaining. I bet the book is better though.

Here is the trailer for the movie:

Additional posts and sections you may like:

Reviews of over 80 Maze and labyrinth movies

How to make over 40 different mazes

Want to know which maze movies are the best ?

Grave Encounters (2011) Movie Review

Grave Encounters (2011) Movie Review) IMDB Amazon

We can thank Blair Witch Project (1999) for an entire genre of found footage movies. This allowed movie makers to make movies where the camera work is shaky to add to the realism, and people always have their cameras pointed in just the right direction. This found footage movie is about a ghost hunting reality tv show that spends the night in an abandoned mental hospital. Now, although these are television professionals they STILL have terrible camerawork as they film this mental hospital. If this was real found footage (spoiler?) there would need to be a lot of editing.

Now about the movie. It has some nice scares along the way, starting slow and with a nice buildup of a scenario where a tv production crew locks themselves in an abandoned mental hospital overnight. What could possibly go wrong ? Well, you could have trouble getting out …and the hospital could be changing, with new hallways existing where one wasn’t before….creating a maze-like trap that must be escaped from. At the end of the day - this movie works. It isn’t great, but it is worth seeing !

I give it an 6/10 for having some good scares and a nice premise.

Here is the trailer for the movie:

Additional posts and sections you may like:

Reviews of 80 Maze and labyrinth movies

How to make over 40 different mazes

Want to know which maze movies are the best ?

Hidden Message Maze Letter Design templates

So you want to design your own hidden message maze, but you want a little extra help. Today I show you 4 different mazed alphabet sets that I have made. Each was a grid background that will help you make the letters on your own. Some letters are consistently difficult to make into a maze form….I think B, K, G, N, X and Z always seem to be difficult. Every once in awhile if you have an odd letter size you will have trouble with an E.

Mazed Alphabet #1:

A collection of standard “mazed” letters. I will say that these letters are actually labyrinths because there are no choices to be made once you enter a letter (vs. the choices you would find in a maze). To give these a maze feel add some gaps in the letters that lead into false pathways. You may also add gaps inside letters that have closed sections (A,B,D,O,P,Q, and R).

And here is a few examples of alternative constructions that can be used if you prefer how they look ! They also give different alignments if you are spelling something and want a different exit/entrance combination.

Click below to download the template as an svg file. Available for personal use ONLY, no commercial use without prior consent.

Mazed Alphabet #2

And here is a larger size template at 15x19. Notice that I did include gaps for false pathways in the letters A, B, D, O, and Q. Just like my example above of alternative letter alignments, many of these letters can be re-configured.

Click below to download the template as an svg file. Available for personal use ONLY, no commercial use without prior consent.

Mazed Alphabet #3

And with my third template I have made an even larger group of letters. It includes multiple versions of L, T and Y. Almost all letters have entrances and exits that align for easy combining.

Click below to download the template as an svg file. Available for personal use ONLY, no commercial use without prior consent.

Mazed Alphabet #4

The fourth template uses Alphabet #1 and puts it into an Axonometric grid to give it a dimensional effect. I also added a few false exits in some of the letters if you want to make the hidden messages more hidden ! For stand alone mazes (non-hidden words) you could add a depth to these letters to give them a 3D look.

Click below to download the template as an svg file. Available for personal use ONLY, no commercial use without prior consent.

If you get stuck making your own letters, use these as reference.

You could use these letters to make a maze of your name. I have 5 different How-to make a maze of your name versions that would might interest you. And if you just want to print out your name as a maze, I probably have it done already in my name maze section, and if I do not you can request it !