Brainwaves weekly: from furniture to dog treats

My grandchildren prefer different flavours of sponge cake — the boys like vanilla with a jam filling and the girls prefer chocolate. So, whenever we celebrate a birthday, I make one of each type, cut them in half and piece two different halves together. The two-tone treat looks really attractive — and it's the simplest way to make sure we have a delicious cake everyone enjoys!Angela Smith, Credenhill, Herefs

I always found it hard to keep my small fridge compartments clean and free from pieces of food. So I bought several plastic placemats and cut them down so they were the right size to line the compartments. Now, I can easily remove the mats for cleaning without having to dismantle my fridge. Aileen Evans, Larne, Co Antrim

I wanted to give my dog Riley a birthday treat. I used a dog birthday cake mix to make him several cupcakes. Once the icing had set, I decorated the cupcakes with Riley's favourite dog biscuits. He absolutely loved them. Now, I can make him a special cake whenever we have a family celebration.Donna Davies, Oswestry, Shrops

I had lots of old T-shirts, so I decided to make myself a rag rug. I cut the T-shirts into strips, then threaded the strips through the holes in a large piece of canvas until it was full. Now, I have a lovely rug which cost me next to nothing, and I've recycled some clothes that would have been thrown away.Anne Blondel, St Martin, Guernsey

I found a battered old shelving unit in a charity shop and knew it would make the perfect coat cubby for my son Finn. After giving it a good clean, I covered the inside of each shelf with brightly coloured vinyl stickers, and the outside with a wood-effect vinyl. Now Finn has somewhere to pop his coat, bag and shoes when he comes in.Sarah Bamforth, Stanley, Perth & Kinross

After my pop-up gazebo was damaged during a thunderstorm, I was left with just the frame. Instead of throwing it out, I turned it into an arbour for my garden. I used three of the legs to create a wigwam shape, fastening the top together with strong tape. Then I used the smaller poles to create a trellis for my jasmine plant to grow up.Sara Jones, Wrexham