Memo Pad

Every so often I come across a puzzle box which happens to embody something inherently apropos for the central theme of this odd blog of mine, which attempts to pair puzzle boxes (and the occasional non-box puzzle) with craft cocktails. I call them “perfect” Boxes and Booze boxes, which is not to imply they are my absolute favorite boxes, but how can I not like them?

Boxes and Booze 7/20/19 Boxes and Booze 7/20/19

Tracy's Box of Tricks

It’s been a while since I featured something from Tracy Wood Clemons, an American woodworker who, when asked how she became so talented at designing intricate and complex wooden puzzle boxes, can honestly say, “well, that’s my middle name, after all”.

Boxes and Booze 7/13/19 Boxes and Booze 7/13/19

Bloom-Box

“Ignorance is like a delicate fruit; touch it, and the bloom is gone.” – Oscar Wilde

Boxes and Booze 7/6/19 Boxes and Booze 7/6/19

Plugged Well

“My formula for success? Rise early, work late, strike oil.” - John Paul Getty

Boxes and Booze 6/29/19 Boxes and Booze 6/29/19

Corkscrew

Perry, as many know, is a master woodworker who creates some of the most surprising and beautiful puzzle boxes featuring incredibly complex and elegant mechanisms.

Boxes and Booze 6/22/19 Boxes and Booze 6/22/19

Color-colo

“Life imitates art far more than art imitates life” – Oscar Wilde, 1891

Boxes and Booze 6/8/19 Boxes and Booze 6/8/19

Multiball

Eric Fuller has got some balls. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a new puzzle box design from the curator of finely crafted puzzles and master of mischief.

Boxes and Booze 5/25/19 Boxes and Booze 5/25/19

Present for You

Let’s start with a present, shall we? For me? Really? There can’t be many better puzzle boxes for this occasion than the “Present for you” box by Karakuri Creation Group artist Shou Sugimoto.

Boxes and Booze 5/18/19 Boxes and Booze 5/18/19

Toilet

I’m jumping on the pop culture bandwagon this week with a themed offering, although I’m doing it in my own special way. As everyone who has been paying even the tiniest fraction of attention in the world knows, Game of Thrones has become a global obsession.

Boxes and Booze 5/11/19 Boxes and Booze 5/11/19

Rose

Red roses have had the symbolic meaning of love for centuries, with the origins traced back to Greek mythology. Aphrodite is usually cited as the source, perhaps from her tears, and the red color from her blood or from the blood of her lover Adonis.

Boxes and Booze 5/4/19 Boxes and Booze 5/4/19

Little Game Hunter

Fancy going on an African safari, anyone? The allure of the classic game hunt is the stuff of novels by the likes of Isak Dinesen in my book, and the only shooting I’d be interested in is with my camera.

Boxes and Booze 4/27/19 Boxes and Booze 4/27/19

Hemlis Box

The “Hemlis Box” (a way of saying “secret” in Swedish) is the creation of Swedish carpenter and cabinet maker Gustav Nilsson.

Boxes and Booze 4/20/19 Boxes and Booze 4/20/19

The Donkey’s Tail

Haven’t we all felt like we are missing our tail, now and then? I suppose we have a choice in those situations, to see things like Eeyore, where everyone else is to blame, or like Pooh, who approaches life with a sunnier disposition.

Boxes and Booze 4/13/19 Boxes and Booze 4/13/19

Chubby Crocodile

When it comes right down to it, who really cares what the difference is between a crocodile and an alligator. I wouldn’t want to meet either one hiding in the water.

Boxes and Booze 4/6/19 Boxes and Booze 4/6/19

KO Box

The KOPA box (also known as the KO box) by Takeyuki Endo from Japan is actually meant to be a box. It says so in the name, it’s a box. But unlike most puzzle boxes, this one comes in pieces.

Boxes and Booze 3/23/19 Boxes and Booze 3/23/19

Spade Case

It’s time for a little detective work. I suppose discovering the secrets of a puzzle box is actually nothing like solving a real mystery, but it’s a nice analogy at any rate.

Boxes and Booze 3/16/19 Boxes and Booze 3/16/19

Dwemer Construct (Stickman 34)

This is a tale of a puzzle box, however, one that references an ancient lost race of craftspeople who built the most incredible and complex objects.

Boxes and Booze 3/2/19 Boxes and Booze 3/2/19

Club Case

It’s getting clubby here at Boxes and Booze this week as we continue the card suit case series from Juno with the Club Case, his second in the series.

Boxes and Booze 2/23/19 Boxes and Booze 2/23/19

The TAO

Let’s take a walk. The path for this is a bit unclear, but I have been assured that if we keep an open mind we will find our way.

Boxes and Booze 2/16/19 Boxes and Booze 2/16/19

Heart Case

The idea for this puzzle was in Juno’s mind for more than twenty years, fully formed, but was far too difficult and time consuming to produce even as a prototype.

A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles