50 Years of Stories

“My brother and his wife were visiting from Florida for our annual family reunion. They usually stay with one of my other siblings since they are closer in age. On this trip they decided to visit my house, which they had never done. After a few hours of showing them around and chatting, I pulled out a Stave puzzle. From the moment we spilled the puzzle pieces onto my kitchen island, all conversation ended! Well, other than the usual, “There must be pieces missing,” or “Hmmm, I didn’t see that coming.” Based on the way my brother and his wife drew the puzzle close to them and surrounded it on the edge of the table, it was obvious they were unwilling to share!

Wanting to help, I first stood beside my brother suggesting that he match some color pieces. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ve got this.” Next, I circled his wife trying to help find pieces that fit into the clown. No go! I knew it was a losing battle as she edged her body in front of me hoping to distance me further from the puzzle pieces. I even tried to give her more wine so I could sneak around her shoulder. Again, no! I retreated to the other end of the table and enviously watched as they slipped the pieces into place. In the end, even though I felt slightly defeated, I knew that I was experiencing the sweet taste of victory! Was I now the new favorite sister?”

Paula T.
Stave Employee

If you have a furry friend, you likely already know that dogs love wood. We’ve yet to meet a dog that doesn’t love a good stick to play fetch or just to drag around the yard. Over the years, we’ve heard plenty of stories of beloved canines munching on a few puzzle pieces….and this beauty is no exception. Meet Coco! At just over a year old, Coco has already indulged in her fair share of Stave puzzle pieces. In an attempt to curb her appetite, her owners started placing a plexiglass cover over their table. When Coco nudged the cover to the side, they placed a mountain of books on top of the cover. Coco somehow managed to scoop a few piecesfrom under the edge of thecover and her munching continued.

 Their new tactic? Unintended redirection!

“I sent Kitchen Chaos (aka Puppy Chaos) to your in-house hospital for some help. Is it still in Intensive Care? By the way….part of our training for Coco is “redirection”.  Not a puzzle piece, a puzzle calendar! It seems to be working…”

Oh, Coco! We’ll include some dog biscuits with your owner’s next puzzle.

Woof!

The puzzle’s fame has spread far and wide. Family and friends are asking to see it. ‘How do they do that?’ is the most common comment. Some say lasers (I love how quality and technology get blended into a science fiction know it all expression from people who don’t really understand how something works. I think it seems to take away from the achievement). Others say computers.  I tell them it is cut by one person on a saw. I had a carpenter friend say that’s not possible. I told him to check out your website.