50 Years of Stories

50 Years of Stories

Victory or Defeat?

“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

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Dogs Love Puzzles Too!

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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!

Let's Get Personal!

I have to say you did it again! Everyone loves the puzzle but especially my wife and her mother. I gave the puzzle to her in a Christmas swap. Everyone but her knew the gift was a puzzle but not what picture or any of the other custom details. We made sure she got the last number and that no one would take that present. She saw the Stave Clown on the box and immediately new what it was. “This is a big one”, she said and asked many questions to which I would not answer. She likes a challenge and wouldn’t really want clues anyway. She did not get the reference to the title for which I was glad (if you remember it was supposed to be a veiled reference to the poem) but it really didn’t matter. It wasn’t until she saw some of the pieces and realized that they were from specific family pictures that she put it together. Very Fun!  Over the next three days off and on it was so fun watching her/them ooh and ah over the shapes, names, designs, and the personal memories of her dad. I think the puzzle was masterfully designed and brilliantly cut into shape. I love the apples spread around, the apple cores, the worm, and various other pieces. The kids’ names in the tree as if it were a family tree was brilliantly done. Blending/fading the pictures from one into another was done in such a way that it gets the essence of each one without losing its individual importance. 

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.

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Common Ground

We have always had a tradition of puzzling over the holidays - usually 1,000 piece puzzles. I’m a single mom of  three and years back a friend gifted me one of your puzzles. I did it with my three kids and the delight and joy they had and the unifying effect they experienced doing the puzzle made me a fan for life. My oldest daughter is pursuing a masters in physics, my son is an avid soccer player in his first year of college,  and my youngest daughter is an artsy theater kid who does well in math and goes to the gym. So to find a common ground is fantastic.   

This holiday they were insatiable with the puzzles I purchased and I can see how meaningful these gifts might be for them when they are in their own homes. One of the puzzles is Well-Suited and we haven’t solved it yet! I’m excited to receive the other puzzles. I may squirrel them away for this coming holiday season (pun intended).

      —A.B., Brooklyn, NY 

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Marry Me?

My boyfriend, who was 3,000 miles away at college, started sending me parts of a large puzzle that was painted and crafted especially for me. As the weeks went by, the puzzle began to take shape as a heart. As we got closer to Christmas, it was complete except for the center. Then my boyfriend came home for the holidays and took me on a moonlight drive. He stopped the car, look directly at me, and handed me a velvet box. I was, of course, expecting a ring as you can imagine my disappointment when I opened the lid and the remaining puzzle pieces fell into my lap! He helped me quickly assemble them (yes, in the car!) and there was his marriage proposal! My disappointment quickly turned into elation…and I said yes!

      —C.O., Park City, UT  

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The Party Has Started!
BE A PART OF OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION...HERE'S WHAT WE'VE COOKED UP!

50 piece upgrade on Traditional puzzles of 500 pieces or more

50% off select puzzles each month

Written by Jennifer

Jennifer runs the company with Paula and is proud to keep Steve's legacy of puzzle torment alive. Jennifer has been with Stave since 1987, making her Stave's most seasoned crafter! She told Steve many, many years ago that she didn't want his job, but today she is rocking it! Jennifer is a tried-and-true puzzlenut. Jennifer enjoys crosswords, sudoku, and word puzzles in addition to the Stave puzzles she has crafted for her family. She also enjoys a good mystery book like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Have you read them? Jennifer also loves a good concert; she hopes to see Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Adele, and Bruno Mars someday!