Bright Ideas!

Spare Tyre

Ask any garage for their old tyres and friends for any paint they have (everyone has old tins with just enough in for small jobs). Add compost and plants once you have painted tyres. What a gorgeous display. Gerry Smith, Sunderland

Spider Catcher

I’ve used this tip for years. To catch a spider or any crawly, take a feather duster like ken Dodd uses, put it over the spider and turn it around, it always latches on, then right out of the window. I don’t like killing anything – this always works. Mrs Shirley Francis, Yorkshire

Quick Fix

It will save much time and mess if you grate a whole block of cheese and store in a plastic container. Place in the freezer. It is so simple to get a handful or a teaspoonful when needed. Jean Brindle, Wiltshire

Pot Of Fun

I wanted something colourful to hold my stationery. Armed with an empty hot chocolate tub and PVA glue, I cut strips from a comic and glued them onto the tub using watered down PVA glue as varnish. Miss Linda Keen

Beautiful Box

This box is made from a tea bag box. I cut lolly sticks to size, glued all around the box and painted it green. Next I put green material in and glued it around and stuck on a butterfly. I now have somewhere to put my hair rollers and brushes and it looks attractive at a low cost. Susan MacDonald, Catford

Autumn Leaves

When sweeping up autumn leaves, keep a dustbin lid nearby to pop over them. It stops them blowing away before you’re ready to compost them. Janet Lucas, Exmouth