A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles
Pairing craft cocktails with crafty puzzles
![What’s in a Name?](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/25456b76-1a10-41c5-9dbe-2c0b5035cac7/Box+1+angled.jpg)
What’s in a Name?
I’m thrilled to welcome another designer to these pages, Phil Wigfield. He has recently dipped his toes into the world of trick boxes, with a phenomenal debut he promises is just the first of many.
![Year of the Snache](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/141e7627-bfeb-45fc-91a0-410f3747c8e3/Cigar+Box+angled.jpg)
Year of the Snache
Goodbye Year of the Dragon, hello Year of the Snake! It’s an opportune time to celebrate the uniquely puzzling and creative mind of master puzzle maker Kelly Snache.
![Planetary Motion](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/8d156e29-52f0-4af0-b9a8-fced53372dbd/Solar+Box+angled.jpg)
Planetary Motion
Artificial Intelligence can be harnessed to create incredibly fantastical images that look eye catching but also look unreal, or at least, unrealistic. Then again, sometimes it falls to the individual to decide what is out of reach, and what can actually be realized.
![Dragon Slayer](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/dd1c204a-cebd-4eed-aca3-ec10c63ad7bf/Fafnir%27s+Fortress+front.jpg)
Dragon Slayer
Luke Waier, a mechanical engineer from Houston, Texas, is the master storyteller behind the sensational new creation Fafnir’s Fortress.
![Fly Me to the Moon](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/22437441-a6a6-4ac5-922f-301d64c5f96f/Moonage+perspective.jpg)
Fly Me to the Moon
Austrian puzzle maker Stephan Baumegger is having a blast. His complex interlocking puzzle designs are celebrated by enthusiasts the world over.
Jailhouse Rock
Let’s start the new year off on a positive note and break someone out of jail!
![Chestnuts Roasting](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/9ff38745-d0ec-4c71-9ef2-918d6eb014c5/Christmas+Spirit+angled.jpg)
Chestnuts Roasting
The story unfolds by a cozy fireplace and hearth, complete with a little chimney. The fireplace is empty, as is the mantle. Some preparations are clearly in order to set the scene properly and welcome the Christmas Spirit!
Snake Charmer
According to legend, a vast treasure in gold lies waiting to be discovered, hidden somewhere in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.
![Dying to Meet You](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/acc787e3-3165-408a-a845-d35a35807478/Vampire+Slayer+Kit+front+angled.jpg)
Dying to Meet You
Bram’s Stoker’s classic horror story about the undead ghoul with a serious blood lust, published in 1897, was inspired by a history of Wallachia, a region in what is now modern day Transylvania, and one of its most famous rulers, Vlad the Impaler - better known as Dracula.
![Velvet Underground](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/05d8d125-e8b4-497d-87ec-8423e9fc4a6e/Red+Velvet+Cake+angled.jpg)
Velvet Underground
I’m sharing a wonderful gift with everyone this week, on the heels of the American holiday grounded on giving and gratefulness. The gift is the story of another wonderful puzzle box created by one of the world’s true masters of the art, Perry McDaniel.
![Double Feature](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/83db73f6-1173-4163-8e43-f8c431c874c0/Double+Trouble+angled+front+long.jpg)
Double Feature
Close friends of Doog Menzies, a ship builder, engineer and craftsman, among other things, know Double Trouble is the name of one of his best puzzle boxes.
Blind Faith
Dee Dixon did the puzzle world a favor when he decided to dedicate himself fully to designing and crafting his beautiful, delightful puzzles.
![Fuller Feelings](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/9b119d63-164c-44ef-87d5-4c4734c36ef7/Eric+Fuller+collection.jpg)
Fuller Feelings
Eric Fuller was a master craftsman beloved for his meticulously curated, well made mechanical puzzles and puzzle boxes.
![Boxes and Boos](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/0d9b6dbe-d34d-4c18-827d-8fda62bbf673/Thinking+Bat+angled.jpg)
Boxes and Boos
Spooky season is upon us again! I love a well themed offering for both the Boxes and the Booze so I’m getting in the scary spirit and breaking out the scary spirits.
![Fundamental Lee](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/003d2bd0-c5c6-4c41-8205-b6cc3c3f16b2/Piston+Box+angle+tilted.jpg)
![Young at Heart](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/41c4a702-3c7d-4a7c-a785-786f73b8d4d1/Houston+We+Had+a+Problem+Here+angled.jpg)
Young at Heart
There’s always something abuzz at an International Puzzle Party (IPP), which often has to do with, no surprise, an interesting puzzle, perhaps spied passing hands here and there, and utterly unfamiliar.
Military Brass
Who Dares Wins is a British television show named after the SAS (Special Air Squadron) motto. It is also now a collaborative puzzle lock box from a bunch of brilliant Dare Devils....
![Batter Up](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/ed43b582-335a-448b-aceb-6b3483d6ddb0/Pancake+House+angled.jpg)
There and Back Again
I’m celebrating Hobbit Day with the perfect puzzle. Hobbits are well known to prize their pantries, which are full of palatable provisions and delectable vittles. Surely a Hobbit would absolutely love a puzzle box shaped like a petit four cake, as long as he didn’t attempt to eat it for elevenses.
![Golden Ticket](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb580b091db0704dc270739/663c6d7f-4829-41b7-8a9b-67bbabf286ed/Wonka+Scion+1.jpg)
Golden Ticket
I recently received a mysterious package. The return label identified the sender as “The Source”. I suspect it may have come from the CIA, as the address listed Arlington, Virginia. It was also not addressed to me, but rather one “WSW” ...