Weekly brainwaves: crafting ideas and inspiration

I was struggling to open a stubborn jar lid and needed something with more grip to help me. I looked around and found a hot-water bottle I no longer used. I cut a square out of it and used it to help me twist the lid off. Now, my handy bottle and jar opener lives in my kitchen drawer, ready for when I need to get a grip!Sam Chowdhury, Levenshulme, Manchester

I had some old bricks in my garden, so I decided to put them to good use. I sprayed the bricks with some metallic gold spray paint I had in my cupboard, then brought them inside to use as bookends. They keep my books neat and are very stable.Amy Hardcastle, Chorley, Lancs

I wanted to give my nieces Olivia, 12, and Isla, six, something crafty to do. I gathered together some paper plates, shapes made from foam, and googly eyes. Then we sat down and used the bits and pieces to make our very own unicorn paper plates! Isla used the leftover foam shapes to give one of her notebooks a revamp too. Debbie McCarthy, Eastbourne, E Sussex

My son Frazier, three, wanted to feed the birds, so we decided to get creative and make our own bird feed. We mixed together lard, seeds, nuts and dried mealworm, then pressed the mixture into a flower-shaped mould before turning it out. When we left our creation on the bird feeder, it was an instant hit with the birds in our garden. Amy Millinchip, Dudley, W Mids

I had some pieces of garden decking left over, so I decided to turn them it into a feeder for my garden. I painted the wood purple, then nailed it together to make a box. I covered the front with Perspex and made a hole in the top, then I filled it with nuts and attached it to a tree in my garden for the birds and squirrels to enjoy.Jeanette Littlejohn, Tillicoultry, Clacks

Whenever my box of tissues is nearing its end, I always struggle to pull out the last of the tissues because it's too light. I made a larger box out of cardboard and spray-painted it silver. Then, I glued a selection of grey buttons on the outside to jazz it up and give it some weight. Once all this had dried, I opened the box from the bottom and popped my new tissue box inside. Now I can always get my tissues out without a hitch. Sam Clare, Mossley, Gtr Manchester