A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles
Pairing craft cocktails with crafty puzzles
Tile A While
Thomas Cummings is at it again with a new design based on an old classic. Cumming’s clever creations to date have featured many varying styles of puzzle incorporated into the lid of each detailed box.
Bear Gets Ready
Yoh Kakuda makes wonderfully whimsical creations for the group, with boxes which almost always take the form of animals. For the travel theme, Yoh chose a bear who is getting ready for a trip of his own.
Bon Bons
Perry McDaniel, the premier purveyor of puzzling pastries, is one of the most precise craftsman I know who can create incredibly complex mechanism in the tiniest pieces of wood. He has outdone himself with his Bon Bon series, scaling things down to a diminutive box which resembles a bite sized bon bon.
Silver City
Self described French “Visionary Architect” Luc Schuiten penned a series of groundbreaking and provocative graphic novellas in the early two thousands, which formed the “Hollow Grounds” trilogy.
Lighthouse (Stickman No 20)
The West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec, Maine served as the real world inspiration for the Stickman No. 20 Puzzlebox, a detailed reproduction rendered in purpleheart, maple, walnut and padauk woods and imbued with Robert Yarger’s own flair and imagination.
Makishi Box (40 Move)
I’ve always loved lighthouses since I was a boy, which is admittedly not very unique. There’s something about the combination of a tower, a spiral staircase, a room with a hatch, the sea, the rocks, and just the height of it all which appeals to children in general.
Kuchinashi (Gardenia)
Shogi, often referred to as “Japanese Chess”, dates from over five hundred years ago, around the same time that Western chess was invented.
Unlocked Drawer
For this April Fool’s Day I’m turning to one of my favorite groups of fine folks, the local Texas talents of Kathleen Malcolmson, Perry McDaniel, and Robert Sandfield. Together they produced a classic little conundrum which purports to be nothing of the sort.
Spring Night
In Japan, the frog is a common symbol of spring, perhaps due to the many species which erupt in song all throughout the rice fields this time of year.
The Kidnapped Crossworder
“The Kidnapped Crossworder” is a self-contained mystery puzzle in a box, delivered to your door by the “Armchair Detective Company”, the brainchild of three interactive media artists who have teamed up to create a fabulous experience.
Yin Yang Master
The Yin Yang Master Puzzlebox by Randal Gatewood completes a cycle of its own, and represents a celebration of a life and a tribute for a death.
Double Box
What’s better than a single puzzle box? Why, a double dose, of course. And who better that Akio Kamei to provide this double delight.
Petit Four Puzzle Boxes
Perry McDaniel hails from Midlothian Texas, just shy of Dallas. He is a master joiner, precision woodworker and Incra magician. He is also a brilliant puzzle box designer.
Secret Heart
I’ve got a broken heart this year for Valentine’s Day. Don’t feel too bad for me, though - I’m only talking about a puzzle box.
