Brainwaves weekly: creative crafts

Egg-cellent idea!
We’re all trying to save fuel these days, and I’ve found a new way to boil up eggs for my family’s sandwiches. I just pop them into the steamer when I’m cooking vegetables for dinner, leave them there for 15 minutes and they come out perfectly hard-boiled. Egg and cress sarnies with no eggs-tra fuel used. Cracking! 
Maggie Corbett, Ripon, N Yorks

Pretty can-ny!
After I’d enjoyed a fizzy drink, I wondered if there was anything I could do with the can. I decided to get creative with it. I carefully took the top off it using a can opener, then I covered it in some silver sequin mesh I had lying around, sticking it down with glue. To complete my creation, I applied three different coloured glitters to the adhesive on the can. Now it makes a super-sparkling vase, which sets off my flowers nicely!
Pamela Smith, Ashford, Surrey

Wall flowers
When I spotted a pallet at work that was going to be thrown away, I thought I’d rescue it and use it in my garden. I used the wood to create three troughs, which I attached together. Next, I lined each trough with a bag full of compost, then I got planting. I decided to attach it to the wall after my Labrador thought that pulling the plants out would be a fun game!
Debbie Butcher, Littleport, Cambs

Winging it!
I made these pretty butterfly wings for my five-year-old daughter Fleur. I drew two wing shapes on to thick cardboard from some large boxes, then cut them out. Next, I cut segments out of the wings to make a symmetrical pattern, then I put coloured cellophane over them. I glued it all together and painted the cardboard black to make the colours pop. Finally, I added ribbons as straps so Fleur could wear them. She loved them, especially when she realised her shadow had rainbow butterfly wings too!
Donna Gray, Billingham, Co Durham

Bird is the word
I had a bird bath, but it fell over on one of our windy days and broke. I really loved it, so instead of throwing it away, I decided to turn it into a planter. I cut some plastic from an empty bottle and pierced some holes in it, then used that to fill the gap where it had broken. Then I filled it with compost and popped in a plant. I think it looks fab.
Ellie Collins, Sea Mills, Bristol

Super-speedy seeds
We love our mushrooms, but it means we end up with lots of clear plastic containers. Rather than put them in the recycling, I try to reuse them. I use some to collect green kitchen waste, which I can then easily empty into the bin. But they also make great mini-greenhouses to start off seedlings. I pop them on the windowsill and the seeds sprout in no time!
Val Kellaway, Lapworth, Warwicks