At this time each autumn, we eat apples with honey to symbolize the sweetness in life and of our hopes for another sweet year. It sounds like the makings of a great cocktail as well if you ask me. After all, an auspicious year should start with a great toast.

Akio Kamei of the Karakuri Creation Group (inspirer of many fine boxes and booze) made a series of special book puzzles with differing designs. Some have geometric patterns with classic Yosegi marquetry wood inlay, some have cute stripes in alternating colors, and some have a beautiful “Zougan” style wooden inlay depicting lovely cranes.

If you look to the heavens this time of year, in the north - northeastern sky at sundown, you may be able to find a bright constellation in the shape of a “W” or “M” depending on your perspective. You would be looking at Cassiopeia, the Queen of Ethiopia and mother of Andromeda (who floats nearby along with her hero Perseus).

Isn't it ironic when a coin operated machine has a quarter stuck in the slot? It taunts you with false gifts. You can’t get the money out, and you can’t seem to use it either.

It was recently “National Book Lover’s Day” (Aug 9), which surely deserves a mention. Reading and sharing good books is a big part of what we love in the boxes and booze household. Here’s a book which might keep you up at night, just trying to open it!

It’s time for another Canadian theme, at least in part, due to a group of intriguing, playful people who shall otherwise remain incognito, perchance preferably. In keeping with that spirit, this post is a bit of a puzzle itself.

What happens when a fine furniture maker decides to make a puzzle box? The “Woodwink” puzzle box is a beautiful piece of woodwork designed and crafted by Australian artisan Peter Cook in his shop, Scarab Wood Studio.

The “Tequila” box is a whimsical creation by Japanese puzzle box maker Osamu Kasho. Kasho is a member of the Karakuri Creation Group, and fond of playful, cartoon-like creations.

We need to spend a little time discussing the daiquiri. I'm sure everyone realizes that today, July 19, is National Daiquiri Day. You've had it marked on your calendar for months.

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.

The Washington Monument is a sequential discovery type puzzle designed, crafted and presented at the 2012 International Puzzle Party in Washington, D.C. by Brian Young, aka “Mr. Puzzle”.

Today I present a box which at first appears to conform to the “standard” moves found in traditional Japanese puzzle boxes, but holds a secret (!) which turns the convention inside out.

In the very first post of this blog I suggested that there were many metaphors to be had at the expense of boxes and booze, and that we would explore them all. There may be a few in this post, so you have been warned.

The Japanese puzzle box has its origins in the Hakone – Odawara mountain region of Japan over 100 years ago. The region is home to numerous species of colorful hard woods, and has been a center for woodwork in Japan for centuries.

The “duet” box is a lovely puzzle composed of two interdependent cubes which are fused together, and which require one another for each to open and reveal their individual secret compartments.

A triskele is an ancient Celtic symbol with three interlocking spirals. The box has lovely raised panels on each face, which alternate directions in a spiral fashion, and overlap the corresponding edges of each side thereby locking the panels in place.

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.

Sometimes the box begets the cocktail, and sometimes it’s the other way around. The Old Cuban Cocktail is a modern classic, and is also one of my wife’s all-time favorite drinks.

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.

I decided to combine my two recent pass times, making craft cocktails and collecting puzzle boxes.