We’ve had an email from Vicky, saying:

I live in Southport and the Open Golf Championship here the other week made everyone golf crazy. I walk my dog on the beach and every day since then she’s brought me golf balls that she’s found on the sands. I don’t play so I don’t know what to do with them but I don’t just want to leave them on the beach to get washed away. Any ideas?

First things first, let me wave excitedly at you, Vicky and request that you give my fondest regards to my hometown. I lived in Southport for the first 18 years of my life – my mum and dad still live there – and remember two Opens (I worked at the last one in 1998; watched, utterly bored, at the one before that in 1991) so know what an impact it makes on the town.

As for the golf ball situation, I guess the most obvious solution is pass them along to someone who will use them – but after time on the beach/in a dog’s mouth, they might not be pristine enough for Royal Birkdale.

Any other ideas?

(Photo by myles)

We’ve had an email from Cathy:

Please give me ideas about how to recycle a bird cage. I don’t have childen though I think it could be used to store stuffed animals? Now it is holding old video tapes. Thank you for your help.

I saw a pretty ornate one going cheap (unintentional bird pun, sorry) in a charity shop last year and was tempted to buy it to use as a “hanging basket” type thing for my growing collection of spider plants. I thought it would look nice in our turquoise bathroom – the white of the cage, the green of the plant and the plantlet shoots hanging down. I didn’t buy it in the end but I still think it would have been cute.

If it had been a bigger, less ornate one, I might have been tempted to buy it for the garden for, say, sweet peas or beans or the like. A clear plastic sheet over it would make an impromptu greenhouse to start with and when the plants had got big enough, take that off then the plants can use the wire sides for support as grow.

Any other ideas?

(Photo by bradimarte)

Renee, from Friday’s glue/tape cartridge question, also asked about bottle cap liners.

Again, I wasn’t sure what she meant but thankfully she included a picture —>

I don’t see them used that much over here (or at least not in the things I buy) but I think they’re basically a washer to help the seal between the cap and the top of the bottle (??).

I think I’ve seen some waxed card ones (which usually get soggy so are good for little else after their intended task) but these ones that Renee are asking about look to be circles of plastic.

In searching for more information about them, I found this very cool bowl made out of 100 of them and I guess they could be used for oversizedtiddlywinks too. But what else can be done with them?

(If you’re interested in other bottle cap related stuff – we’ve covered plastic screw-tops and metal caps elsewhere on the site.)

We’ve had an email from Renee, saying:

I use a lot of glue runner, and I want to know how I can reuse the cartridges/tape.

I’m more of a textile-based crafter than a paper one so I didn’t know what “glue runner” is – but after looking at the picture Renee sent over and a little of investigation around the web, I think it’s double-sided sticky tape on a cartridge for easy use (because double-sided tape is usually a right pain to work with) — please correct me if I’m wrong.

(I also wonder if this is what Jen was asking about back in February…)

So any suggestions?

We had an email from Lori the other day about the bags and things she makes out of old jeans.

You can be a “jeanius” like me, too!! RECYCLE!

As lover of both recycling and puns, how could I resist? ;)

Her range includes bags and accessories just using the fabric and items more obviously a former pair of jeans/denim skirt – ready-made pockets = win!

She also has some random fun things for sale – like this cheque book sleeve made using an old M&Ms wrapper. I think this is very cute and fun but unfortunately now have an insatiable desire for sugar-coated chocolate treats. Thanks Lori, thaaaaanks. :)

Anyway, you can find Lori’s things at http://loriforney.etsy.com

• How can I reuse or recycle old jeans?
• How can I make a bag out using recycled things?