Boxes and Booze 10/4/15 Boxes and Booze 10/4/15

16 Move Puzzle Box

I’m very fortunate to live near one of the best American puzzle makers to have done so in recent years. Kathleen Malcolmson now resides in Houston, Texas, the home of Boxes and Booze as well. A few years ago she produced a series of beautiful Japanese style puzzle boxes with a twist in her workshop in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains outside Cotopaxi, Colorado, where she used to reside.

Boxes and Booze 9/26/15 Boxes and Booze 9/26/15

The Mysterious Wood Puzzle Box

Nestled in the dangerous shadows deep inside one of America’s secret spy enclaves, Quakertown, Pennsylvania, lives Stephen Kirk, who describes himself as a former “technology guy” in the corporate world who specialized in “data visualization / analytics”.

Boxes and Booze 9/19/15 Boxes and Booze 9/19/15

Pirate Box

Lest I be made to walk the plank for insubordination, I present the Pirates Box by Tatsuo Miyamoto of the Karakuri Creation Group. He explains that a pirate ship wharf mural on the wall of the new Sekisyo Karakuri Art Museum in Hakone Japan, the home of the Karakuri group, inspired him to create this puzzle box.

Boxes and Booze 9/13/15 Boxes and Booze 9/13/15

Honey Bee

At this time each autumn, we eat apples with honey to symbolize the sweetness in life and of our hopes for another sweet year. It sounds like the makings of a great cocktail as well if you ask me. After all, an auspicious year should start with a great toast.

Boxes and Booze 9/5/15 Boxes and Booze 9/5/15

Zougan Book

Akio Kamei of the Karakuri Creation Group (inspirer of many fine boxes and booze) made a series of special book puzzles with differing designs. Some have geometric patterns with classic Yosegi marquetry wood inlay, some have cute stripes in alternating colors, and some have a beautiful “Zougan” style wooden inlay depicting lovely cranes.

Boxes and Booze 8/30/15 Boxes and Booze 8/30/15

Cassiopeia

If you look to the heavens this time of year, in the north - northeastern sky at sundown, you may be able to find a bright constellation in the shape of a “W” or “M” depending on your perspective. You would be looking at Cassiopeia, the Queen of Ethiopia and mother of Andromeda (who floats nearby along with her hero Perseus).

Boxes and Booze 8/16/15 Boxes and Booze 8/16/15

Book I

It was recently “National Book Lover’s Day” (Aug 9), which surely deserves a mention. Reading and sharing good books is a big part of what we love in the boxes and booze household. Here’s a book which might keep you up at night, just trying to open it!

Boxes and Booze 8/8/15 Boxes and Booze 8/8/15

Crypsis

It’s time for another Canadian theme, at least in part, due to a group of intriguing, playful people who shall otherwise remain incognito, perchance preferably. In keeping with that spirit, this post is a bit of a puzzle itself.

Boxes and Booze 8/1/15 Boxes and Booze 8/1/15

Woodwink

What happens when a fine furniture maker decides to make a puzzle box? The “Woodwink” puzzle box is a beautiful piece of woodwork designed and crafted by Australian artisan Peter Cook in his shop, Scarab Wood Studio.

Boxes and Booze 7/25/15 Boxes and Booze 7/25/15

Tequila

The “Tequila” box is a whimsical creation by Japanese puzzle box maker Osamu Kasho. Kasho is a member of the Karakuri Creation Group, and fond of playful, cartoon-like creations.

Boxes and Booze 7/19/15 Boxes and Booze 7/19/15

Havana’s Box #3

We need to spend a little time discussing the daiquiri. I'm sure everyone realizes that today, July 19, is National Daiquiri Day. You've had it marked on your calendar for months.

Boxes and Booze 7/12/15 Boxes and Booze 7/12/15

Big Ben

Today I am thinking fondly of our friends across the pond for a double dose of British themed entertainment. One of the greatest sequential discovery puzzles of all time, and certainly one of my personal favorites, is the Big Ben puzzle.

Boxes and Booze 6/28/15 Boxes and Booze 6/28/15

Byways Secret

Today I present a box which at first appears to conform to the “standard” moves found in traditional Japanese puzzle boxes, but holds a secret (!) which turns the convention inside out.

Boxes and Booze 6/21/15 Boxes and Booze 6/21/15

Electric Circuit

In the very first post of this blog I suggested that there were many metaphors to be had at the expense of boxes and booze, and that we would explore them all. There may be a few in this post, so you have been warned.

Boxes and Booze 6/15/15 Boxes and Booze 6/15/15

New Secret Box

The Japanese puzzle box has its origins in the Hakone – Odawara mountain region of Japan over 100 years ago. The region is home to numerous species of colorful hard woods, and has been a center for woodwork in Japan for centuries.

Boxes and Booze 6/7/15 Boxes and Booze 6/7/15

Duet Box

The “duet” box is a lovely puzzle composed of two interdependent cubes which are fused together, and which require one another for each to open and reveal their individual secret compartments.

Boxes and Booze 5/31/15 Boxes and Booze 5/31/15

Triskele

A triskele is an ancient Celtic symbol with three interlocking spirals. The box has lovely raised panels on each face, which alternate directions in a spiral fashion, and overlap the corresponding edges of each side thereby locking the panels in place.

Boxes and Booze 5/24/15 Boxes and Booze 5/24/15

The Lost Treasure of One Tin Soldier

Inspiration comes in many ways. In this case, it was from a song, “One Tin Soldier”. The song was first recorded in 1969, sung by the Canadian group The Original Caste and subsequently covered by a number of different artists.

Boxes and Booze 5/17/15 Boxes and Booze 5/17/15

Havanas Box #2

Sometimes the box begets the cocktail, and sometimes it’s the other way around. The Old Cuban Cocktail is a modern classic, and is also one of my wife’s all-time favorite drinks.

Boxes and Booze 5/10/15 Boxes and Booze 5/10/15

Pandora

The Pandora secret box is a clever puzzle. Made of laser cut panels and metal bolts, it has a solid and satisfying feel in your hands and the distinctive smell of laser cut wood.

A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles