What to do with 20,000 puzzle pieces sent from all over the world, collected over 20+ years?

Back in 1999 Janice MacLean of Callander, Ont., had a big idea: create the world's largest jigsaw puzzle.

More than two decades later, after collecting 20,000 pieces from all over the world she has a problem: What to do with those pieces?

When the idea first came to MacLean and her husband all those years ago there had been millennium funding available from the federal government for projects that showcased Canada. MacLean applied for some of it.

The couple set up a website which included a blank puzzle piece to be printed off. Users could create their own artwork on each piece and mail it to her.

It was called the World Peace Puzzle.

MacLean collected boxes of puzzle pieces from all over Canada, and then she started getting pieces from Indonesia, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.

"The ones from Japan were so beautiful, they were origami," she said.

"I didn't know the power of the internet; I thought it was just going to Canadians." She added that about 80 percent of the puzzle pieces were submitted by children and teens.

"Their artwork was just incredible."

Originally, the plan was to assemble the giant puzzle at a vacant hangar at CFB North Bay, but MacLean was not successful at getting the federal funding for the project.

"But we continued on anyway with the puzzle, cause it was just so neat to see how it was evolving," she said.

They did take down the website due to lack of resources. But MacLean estimates she has collected about 20,000 puzzle pieces since 1999. They were all stored in large plastic containers in her basement, until recently.

MacLean just sold her house, and now has to figure out what to do with the puzzle pieces. 

"I'm at a little bit at a loss for what to do. I think I need a director."