Boxes and Booze 8/6/16 Boxes and Booze 8/6/16

SMS Telephone Box

Brian is at it again with the “SMS Telephone” puzzle. I thought I would feature it this week in honor of that gathering I mentioned. You know, those “interesting, polite pals” of mine. It seems like as good a time as any to mention it, since it’s an “impossible, painful piece”.

Boxes and Booze 7/30/16 Boxes and Booze 7/30/16

Pachinko Box

Like pinball, with many tiny metal balls cascading their way down the playing field, pachinko is part arcade game, part casino game, and wildly popular in Japan.

Boxes and Booze 7/16/16 Boxes and Booze 7/16/16

First Box

At last we get to the first. The First Box, by Dutch puzzle designer William Strijbos, that is. Wil’s Streetwise puzzle company produces beautiful anodized aluminum mechanical puzzles. He travels the world looking for design ideas and inspiration.

Boxes and Booze 4/16/16 Boxes and Booze 4/16/16

How? Box

How? does one describe the results of a seasoned puzzler teaming up with an expert craftsman to produce a new puzzle box? Exactly. The How? Box is a collaborative effort hatched in the deviously puzzling mind of Englishman Peter Hajek.

Boxes and Booze 3/13/16 Boxes and Booze 3/13/16

A Chance Meeting

This perfectly Patrick’s Day worthy puzzle box is one of Japanese master craftsman Tatsuo Miyamoto’s most famous works. His “A Chance Meeting” is truly elegant.

Boxes and Booze 1/16/16 Boxes and Booze 1/16/16

Matchbox

Let's take a little excursion off the beaten path this time. In fact, it will be more like ducking under the roped off barrier and wandering in the off-limits area where we aren't necessarily supposed to go, only to find something very interesting.

Boxes and Booze 11/14/15 Boxes and Booze 11/14/15

Writer's Block

At the risk of becoming boxed in, I present a box which turns things inside out for me, as I find myself inside of it. The creative woodworker Tracy Woods Clemons, from Rochester, New York, has been making her designs in wood for many years.

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 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 5/10/15 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