A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles
Pairing craft cocktails with crafty puzzles
Humpty Egg
Let’s start simply, by mentioning the fact that the talented Dr. Stephen Chin, diabolical dentist by day and wily woodturner by weekend, is rather fond of making puzzle eggs.
Ursa Major
“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”
― Philip Pullman
Skunk Attack!
“Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.” - Henry David Thoreau
Zipp Chack
First you forget names, then you forget faces. Next you forget to pull your zipper up and finally, you forget to pull it down. – George Burns
Escalating Box
In light of the escalating global pandemic I instead strongly advise everyone to stay home with this apropos puzzle box from the doctor of devious designs, the original Raleigh renegade, Eric Fuller.
Celestial Box
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. – Galileo Galilei
Sequential Discovery Board Burr Box
This particular “six piece” board burr, which is actually nothing of the sort, is handsomely crafted from American Rock Maple and Utile “plywood”.
The Fairy’s Door
We are here to celebrate the original fairy door this time, finally, the one that inspired the rest. Mike Toulouzas is a highly talented woodworker from Greece whose hobby has earned him tremendous accolades in the puzzle world.
Dark Fairy Door
“Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame!” - William Butler Yeats
Ripple Out
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa
55-Move Box (Stickman No. 2)
The first Stickman box, the Oak Wood Slide Box, was not truly “No. 1” in the series until there was a second, naturally. I wrote about that one, another favorite, a few years ago as a nice year end tribute, so let’s focus on No. 2 now, a box that launched an empire.
Art Deco Clock Box
Reflecting on time has been a preoccupation since at least the ancient Greeks, whose original god of time, Chronos, personified the concept.
Santa’s Workshop
St. Nicholas was a Greek monk from the third century, born near modern day Turkey. He was famed for his generosity and kindness, especially to children, and his life was celebrated.
Moulin Rouge
With a stroke of his pencil and paintbrush, the famous French painter Toulouse-Lautrec released his art on the world so that it might live. His philosophy might also give insight into the driving force behind the desire to solve a puzzle box – as an inherent act of life itself, perhaps.