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Screen cap of eBay listing: "RARE Vintage box of 13 3.5" Floppy Disk TANDY, MICROSOFT MS-DOS & Other Software" Photo shows clear colourless plastic box, pivot-to-open , with some used floppies inside it.

Strange to realize that things which were once quite common (basically throwaway packaging), like containers for film and floppy disks, are now hard to find.
These little boxes would be great for mini free seed banks -- easy to open and you can see exactly what's inside them.
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Photo showing a small book cabinet with a slanting roof, mounted on a post. A sign reads "Shelagh Rogers Lending Library". It's surrounded by grass and trees, on a sunny day.

Close-up of shelf inside the library. There's a see-through Sistema plastic lunchbox labelled "Seed Library".

Photo of seed library box lid lifted. There's one large and two small compartments inside the box, with seed envelopes and samples (small printed handouts with seeds stuck to them).

I didn't build this Little Free Library though I did bring fasteners and a screwdriver to fix the door when it came loose this winter. But I've been keeping the seed library box inside it stocked. Have already given away more than 100 seed samples this year -- box empty by the weekend.
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Photo of different brands of velcro tape in different colours (white, black, and orange). Most fabric places and even Canadian Tire stock velcro hook and loop, in widths like 0.75" and 1". Get the kind without adhesive on the back. The shop at Tillicum Mall even has a bunch of different colours. I got orange because I think it makes my British Army surplus backpack look less militaristic.

Photo of old-fashioned British Army desert camouflage backpack with PALS webbing grid. Some of the straps are rolled up and secured with orange and white velcro keepers. There are pieces of white 0.75" velcro, a 3" piece of hook and 2" piece of loop, resting on the backpack. (I happened to have leftover pieces that were different lengths.) Red text inserted: "Velcro pieces can be the same length or mismatched".

Photo of desert camouflage backpack with strap ends rolled up and secured by velcro. There's a complete white 0.75" velcro strap keeper laid out on the pack. Red labels explain that the loop/fuzzy side is up, and the hook side is face down. The pieces are overlapping so about 1" is stuck together.

Photo of a different part of the backpack, showing an orange 0.5" wide strap keeper is securing a smaller strap. It's possible to cut the velcro pieces to whichever width works for you.

Strap keepers. This is something that's cheap and easy to make yourself. My dad always said to avoid cutting cords or straps if possible, because you might need that extra length someday. This keeps them out of the way, an alternative to rubber bands or string ties.
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Photo of kitchen countertop showing a cardboard box, yellow with "Dish Block" in white letters, and the block of solid dish soap that came with it. There's a small white dish with a latticework of black plastic strips, interwoven in a grid (and tied together with black thread).

Photo of 2 L container of Chapman's Pistachios and Almonds Ice Cream. A red arrow is pointing to the black plastic strip that has to be removed, to release the lid.

A small thing I made this weekend. I wanted some kind of waterproof structure to let the soap bar dry out, so it doesn't end up sitting in a puddle of water. I had a couple long strips of plastic in the recycling bin, off an ice cream container -- so I tried to weave this little grid.
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Photo of clear plastic hinged Sistema lunch box (one large and two small compartments, pink snap-down catch in front). Made in New Zealand. There's a white cardboard sign taped on the lid, reading in black Sharpie marker "SEED LIBRARY -- take seeds or share them (please leave our box!" (I know, this barely counts as crafts, but I've been stocking a seed box at a Little Free Library for several years, and distributing seeds and seedlings for a couple of decades. So it's one of my things.)

Photo showing the seed box with the hinged lid opened, and samples of seeds (taped to small printed handouts using masking tape, or in small manila envelopes with instruction labels). Black lettering is visible on the box lid, seen from behind the white cardboard sign which is covering it. This is actually carved into the plastic with a sharp knife, and the channels inked. There's similar lettering on the bottom of the box. This is to make it a bit more obvious where the box belongs, which might discourage people from taking it.

Trying this again with the Little Free Library at my workplace. My 6th attempt -- I'd look around for a nice-sized hinged plastic container, then someone would take it. (I had to sub in a Glad sandwich box, so cheap that people turn their noses up at it.) Not super crafty but still
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I tried the toaster oven sourdough pizza again. I think I've cracked it -- spread the batter thin (0.5 cm) and pre-bake in an oiled 8" pan (scatter flax seeds for easier removal). Then add toppings and re-bake. Batter is starter, flour (let sit for a day), and mix in olive oil.
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Photo of pepper plants with clusters of small chili-type red peppers, pointing upwards. Text: Pepper Seeds, Hot - Matchbox $3.99 (Capsicum annuum) 75 days. Matchbox is a very adaptable pepper! Rich soil, poor soil, drought, dampness; this pepper can not only handle it all but thrive! Matchbox weighs in around 30,000-50,000 Scovilles. This is the shining star outcome of a breeding project taken on by Roberta Bailey, over at Fedco Seeds, Maine. Matchbox is a perfect example of how, through selection, we can reclaim hybrid varieties and bring them back into the accessible realm of open pollinated seed production!

Very limited space this year, so I'm going to focus on miniature hot peppers that will fit in containers. Shout-out to The Incredible Seed Company in Nova Scotia -- they do indeed have an incredible selection of hot and sweet peppers.
www.incredibleseeds.ca
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I thought it would be fun to use old British and Australian coins for the buttons. I got a fine drill bit and drilled 4 holes in each (careful to buy a batch of very worn, high mint year ones that won't be a loss to collectors). What I had forgotten was that I needed 2x the buttons.
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Photo of 8" x 1" round metal baking pan, on a white cotton dish towel with blue grid lines. A circle of sourdough flatbread is in the pan, pulled up and propped on the side -- some of the pan bottom is visible, with flax seed scattered (prevents sticking). The bread (intended to be a pizza shell) is slightly browned. This is just regular sourdough with some bread flour added, set out to proof for a day before I poured it into the pan (baked in a small toaster oven). I was inspired by this report on a USDA pizza recipe which used "pourable crust/dough". Mine uses sourdough starter not instant dry yeast like in the recipe, but similar idea. It seems to work, at least on this small scale. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40MvjFaTVzE

Attempted pre-baked pizza shell. Used a 8" round pan because it fit in the toaster oven. Didn't have to be 1" deep but still worked. Brushed on olive oil and scattered some flax seeds which helped avoid sticking. Poured in 1 cm of sourdough/flour mix which I'd let sit out a day.
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Photo of medieval-style red cloth padded jacket (gambeson), with convex steel arm protection (jack chain) fitted to the left arm. It consists of a shoulder protector, an elongated splint, a rounded slightly convex elbow piece, and another splint. The pieces are joined together with steel rings. Label on photo: therionarms.com

photos of illustrations from two different medieval manuscripts, of soldiers wearing jack chains. The first soldier is wearing a long-sleeved dark green garment with the jack chains, , a breastplate (metal covered with reddish leather?) , and a visored steel helmet (close helmet type since the neck is enclosed) with mail aventail. The second soldier is wearing an open face celesta or archer's helmet, a long-sleeved mail shirt with a padded white canvas gambeson over it, and jack chains. Neither illustration appears to show a large dished shoulder cop like the modern-day example, but another of the metal splints instead.

Photo from ArmoryReplicas, labelled "Ideal for Protecting the Arms from Slashing Cuts". A male model wearing a white arming shirt with a pair of Gothic fluted Jack chains attached to it. He is holding his arms folded protectively in front of him, and is hiding his face in the crook of his right arm, while presenting the jack chains as protection.

I've been thinking of getting back into armour-making. Starting with a small project -- minimalist arm protection ("jack chains"). This means scaling down existing examples since my arms are short. Luckily @therionarms.bsky.social had a single sample that'll make a great study piece.
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Photo of a pair of flannel pyjama pants, displayed on a wooden table. The flannel fabric has a red background, with a black grid of stripes creating a checked red-and-black pattern. There are little yellow diamond shapes like minature animal crossing signs scattered over the pattern facing in random orientations, with a black moose silhouette. The crotch area of the pants is a different-coloured striped flannel (had to be inserted because the main piece of fabric was a bit too small).

Three-step diagram showing how to cut out and assemble a simple pair of braccae (short Roman trousers). There are two identical components, each made by folding cloth along the long axis and cutting to shape. Then the halves are sewn together. How to adjust the size of the two components for your individual size is described (e.g. the length along the fold should equal the distance from your waist to your knee, plus 3-4 inches). I made the legs a bit longer than in the diagram. Source: Matthew Amt's Legio XX reference page (thanks Matthew!) https://www.larp.com/legioxx/coldcloth.html

One of the things that makes me really happy in the cooler months is being able to sew my own pair of flannel pyjama bottoms (I just wear an oversized t-shirt on top). I'm using this pattern for Roman legionary braccae, with elastic around the waist instead of a drawstring.
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I've been seeing crocuses and dandelions coming out, for the past couple of weeks. At this rate I'll be able to wear this lightweight pants pretty soon. I need to do more embroidery on the knee patches though.
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Finished sewing 3 pairs of suspender buttons (back, and right/left front) inside my salvaged jeans. I thought about plastic but found these coconut-shell ones instead. They're about 2 mm thick and smooth-topped -- comfortable to wear.
Suspenders are European vintage military surplus.
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This is not ready for prime time, but the pre-bake step turned out to be helpful, so I'll tag it for future reference. It's not the pourable dough (link is in the comments) but a similar concept. Wish I'd known that at field camp up north, in the 1980s.
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Photo of green plastic cutting board with a "golden beet" (yellow not purple" cut in half. One half is the top of the board, and the other has been chopped up, showing the yellow inside (with dark and light rings visible). A Nessmuk-shaped carbon steel knife with a wooden handle is shown to the right (knife maker is Larry L). There's a steel bowl further to the right, with chopped carrots inside it.

Photo of large white china soup/noodle bowl, with a soup spoon handle protruding. The soup in the bowl is yellowish-toned, with pieces of carrot, golden beet, red bell pepper, white kidney beans, and green leaves of parsley visible. (I added some chopped red cabbage when I heated up some leftover soup, but it ended up making the broth purple. I might try pre-cooking the cabbage in the microwave next time, and adding it just before serving so it doesn't overwhelm the soup.)

I guess this counts -- cooking is a type of craft, right?
Tried out some of the "golden beets" the grocer has started stocking. I made a "stealth" borscht (onions, carrots, tomato, red pepper, white kidney beans, parsley) -- the beets are more subtle but they're in there.
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Tool roll sewn from cotton print fabric. An olive-coloured rectangular piece, hemmed and then the bottom edge is folded partway up. Vertical lines of stitching separate a half-dozen pockets. Several whistles (bosun's/boatswain's, an Acme double-barrelled two-tone whistle, yellow/red/green plastic samba whistle with coloured cord, cylindrical British police whistle) are protruding from the open pockets. The cloth flap at the top is open, but can be folded closed over the pockets, and the whole thing can be rolled up to secure the items inside. Roll is about 50 cm long, 22 cm tall (flap open), or 15 cm tall (flap closed).

If you've got a bunch of smallish objects you want to keep together, a cloth tool roll is pretty easy to make. Hem the edges of a square or rectangular piece of cloth (you can even skip the hem if you're in a hurry). Fold up the bottom edge partway, and sew along lines to make pockets.

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Close-up of worn blue jeans, right thigh as seen by viewer. Japanese sashiko mending -- rough 20 x 10 cm grid of 6-pointed stars, vertically on the leg. The outer rows of stars are sky blue embroidery thread. On each side, two inner vertical rows of stars have one ultramarine diagonal stroke, all oriented in the same direction. Then another sky blue row, and the central row has one diagonal navy stroke.

View of the side of the right leg of the blue jeans, showing the seam joining the front and back of the pants together (they were assembled from two worn-out pairs). A side-leg pocket added afterwards is visible. It's the recycled back pocket of a disassembled pair of blue jeans.

A less successful project was sewing the front side of one pair of blue jeans onto the back side of another (those were the less-damaged parts). Sewing left and right sides together would have been a lot easier! It took me awhile to do. Then I tried some sashiko repairs on the legs.
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Photo of a pair of black denim jeans. They have Japanese sashiko visible mending on the left front thigh (viewer's perspective). Grid of 6-pointed green stars in thread (actually cotton string used to tie Chinese zongzi dumplings made in Vancouver), with river-like meandering lines between them in dark, ultramarine, and sky blue embroidery thread. There are black zippers installed in the up-down direction on the inside legs, an inch or so forward of the seams. Jeans are "Natural Resources" brand, internal label Made in Canada, model 262501-287, button fly. Waist button has an unusual 5-pointed star inlaid on it.

Closer view of the black denim jeans, upper left side. The green 6-pointed star rough sashiko stitching is visible in a roughly 15 x 20 cm grid, with the meandering sky/ultramarine/dark blue embroidered lines. An attached matching black denim pocket (salvaged from the back of another pair of jeans) has been sewn onto the side of the thigh, over the outside seam.

View of the black denim jeans from the front, with the two black leg zippers opened and the flaps turned back.

View of the black denim jeans from the left side. The additional cargo pocket (salvaged back pocket from another pair of black jeans) is clearly visible, with the remains of an orange tab visible. It's evident that the side of the jeans were cut, from the waistband down about 30 cm, about a centimetre behind the side-seam. A triangular piece of black denim was sewn in on both sides to expand the waistline by about 10 cm,, and a homemade extra belt loop sewn on.

What I did last summer. Clearing out a cupboard, I found a stash of my old jeans from a couple of decades ago. Some were so far gone I cut them up and saved the less-holey bits for patching. I salvaged the back pockets.
I made work pants from one pair.
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Blurry photo of a fully opened Milwaukee Fastback Hawkbill folding knife on a white cloth background, with an uncoated stainless steel blade (pointing to the left, sharp edge down) and red plastic handle. The knife's seen considerable wear. Tip is squared off (arrived broken). A red arrow points to a V-shaped notch in the edge of the curved blade.

Screen cap of fully opened red-handled Milwaukee Fastback Hawkbill folding knife 48-22-1525 from the company website. There are three thumbnail photos visible on the left. One shows the backside of the knife with the black wire belt clip, another shows the knife being held one-handed and flicked open while pressing the black handle button, and the third shows the curved blade being used to cut a cord one-handed.

Another secondhand Milwaukee Fastback I found on eBay. I heard about them on the Victorinox subreddit as an example of durable and fairly inexpensive utility knives.
They have several models, including one that uses standard boxcutter blades.
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Blurry photo of a Milwaukee Fastback 5-in-1 folding knife (model 48-22-1540) with a red plastic handle. It has one large silver blade and a black-coated folding screwdriver bit holder on the backside of the handle (it opens from the other end). Next to it is a red silicone rubber box-like holder for 32 single-ended screwdriver bits and a shaft extension. The tools on the knife are partially opened.

Photo of Milwaukee Fastback 5-in-1 folding knife, model 48-22-1540, with the parts labelled.

This is a secondhand Milwaukee Fastback folder I modified slightly. I rounded the tip into a sheepsfoot shape. (Some sailing knives have been made like this -- legend has it that some British Navy captains wanted to reduce knife fight casualties in their crews.)
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