Make a container

The lists of things you can make containers for is exhausting. Here are just a few.

1. War chest...hand carved wooden chests are popular for reinactments to stash all your gear in. Whether you are a pirate of a viking, you have to stash that booty somewhere.

2. Purses/Pouches
The options are limitless. You can make these out of fabric, leather, gourds, chainmaile, wood, metal, or found objects. Sporran pouches have even been made out of badgers.

3. Needle cases
Make them out of felt to hold needles, or make wooden tubes to hold needles. Or buy the tubes already made from the needlepoint shop and paint them yourself with cool designs.

4. Knit or crochet containers. This includes purses, pouches, bowls, boxes, and roll-up jewelry cases.

5. Needlepoint is famous for adding a decorative touch to containers, whether they hold a tennis racket or eyeglasses.

6. Use clay to make a container. You can make a vase, or a wall sconce, or a bowl out of clay. There are many clays on the market from the kind needing a kiln to the kind you let dry in the sun.

7. Make little containers to hold jewelry, cards, dice, pet rocks, ID cards, buttons, beads, or touchstones. All those cool things you don't want to break but you need to keep in a safe dark spot until you need them.

8. Make giant containers to hold books, tripods, sleeping bags, bows, guitars or laundry. We bought a roll of canvas at a good price a few years ago and out of it we've made bow socks for archery, a pavilion, banners, tool caddies, and many other things. The beauty of canvas is you can paint right on it or dye it. It helps to have a serger to keep edges from raveling.

9. Make the container part of the gift. Instead of giving someone a deck of tarot cards, give them the cards in a personalized beaded pouch. Instead of giving your gamer a handful of dice, make a leather pouch just for them. Embroider a dragon or their favorite animal on it.

10. Stores abound with things you can turn into cool containers. You can buy little paper boxes to decorate with paint, beads or decoupage. You can get little tins at any of the bargain stores. Just eat the mints and the container is basically free. Many people pitch their gift boxes after a holiday. If you ask people to save them for you, you'll soon have more than you could ever use.
Sometimes tea comes in great little wooden boxes. My first choice is wood, then metal, then cardboard, then plastic. Get in the habit of reading paint and glue containers to make sure all the items are compatible. Then craft away.