A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles
Pairing craft cocktails with crafty puzzles
See a star and think
The stars evoke a universal feeling of wonder and awe, and provide a common global reference point reminding us all of our humble place in the universe.
Ze Super Pen
Stephen Chin, the madman wood turner well known for making tippy tops, whistles, eggs and spheres out of beautiful wood has set his considerable talent to fine writing implements as well.
Three Penny Box
Penny for your thoughts? In fact, here’s three, in case you have a few. To prepare ourselves for this payment let’s travel back to the year 1728 and listen to the “Beggar’s Opera” for some puzzling inspiration.
Oak Wood Slide Box
The original run of “Oak Wood Slide” boxes (what would become The Stickman No. 1 Puzzle Box) were fashioned from scrap wood Robert had about his shop and as such were rustic in appearance and varied in shape and size.
Snowflake Box
The Snowflake Box (Stickman No. 9) was designed with the idea of making a puzzle box tree ornament. It’s a lovely little box attached to a loop and would look nice on anyone’s tree.
Blackjack Cake
Blackjack Cake is an innocent and tempting looking treat. It appears to be a chocolate layer cake with a splash of chocolatey sauce drizzled over top and oozing down the sides.
The Turing Chest
Art Deco meets Japanese tradition in this masterpiece by Nicholas Phillips. Nicholas is an American furniture maker and woodworker, who holds a PhD in theoretical physics and worked as a mathematician with NASA for much of his life.
3-Lock Box
I lived in New York at one point in my life. Everyone had a triple lock on their apartment. There was the regular lock, for the key, but inside there was also the deadbolt, and the chain. Some people had even more elaborate affairs.
Yosegi Pattern Box
Jesse Born is a talented young fellow from Rome, New York with the knack for making great puzzles, the skill for making beautiful woodwork, and the desire to perfectly merge the two together.
The Wolf from Grimm
Ready for a spooky tale of harrowing horror, just in time for Halloween? Well, I suppose this tale won’t terrify, but it is from a collection of one of the original horror stories – Grimm’s Fairytales.
Box with a Key
Let’s step back and admire our old friend and champion of the modern day puzzle box, Japanese master Akio Kamei.
The Apothecary Chest
Robert Yarger is a modern day puzzle box apothecary, producing the equivalent of such enrichment in wood.
Knight vs. Dragon
The internal mechanism is a brilliantly executed marvel to behold, but the action all plays out on the top of the box, enacted by the main characters, the Knight and the Dragon.
Abracadabra
Without giving too much away I’ll just say that you’ll need to do a little magic to make this box reveal its secrets. It really lives up to its name.
Super-Cubi (Trinary Box)
Hiroshi Iwahara is one of the well-known and highly respected artisans from the Karakuri Creation Group who has designed and produced well over fifty individual puzzle boxes with the group.
A Twist of Fate
This is A Twist of Fate, a very special, bittersweet puzzle box, from the incredibly talented Aussie Dave Cooper.
Spinomotto
Stephen Chin puzzles often carry a few of his hallmarks, including tiny electronic lights and sounds which are triggered when the puzzle has been solved. He is also quite fond of whistles and spinning tops. And his puzzles are often wrapped up in a cute sock. Odd?