Give the Gift of Making Stuff!

It’s that time of year where we rack our brains scrolling through Amazon and read unnecessarily long intros to blogs titled “Gifts for Dad” and go into a mini existential crisis wondering if we’re all just consumerist cogs for the elite. Well we’re gonna make it easy on yah this year. Get your partner/daughter/mail person the gift of a skill, the gift of creativity, the gift of just finally being able to fix your leaky sink (if it really is just a leaky sink, they might only need our One Time Project Checkout - it’s only $40, and if they like us, they can put that $40 toward their annual membership).

Here’s our cheat sheet of DTL Gift Ideas:

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Give an Annual Membership, Household Membership, or One Time Project Checkout

Purchase

Give some bucks that can be spent on any of our classes.

Purchase

Give a ten hour punch card to our Open Workshop Hours.

Purchase

Update: Handmade Holiday Gift Guide

Update: Our Handmade Holiday Gift Guide Classes are running low on seats! Sign up soon to make a one of a kind gift this year.

Don’t wait until last minute and get stuck picking out some Amazon junk just to find out that you already bought your Dad fancy nuts three years before (true story). Instead, We’ve compiled a list of classes where you produce a piece of art made with 100% genuine love that you can give to someone on your holiday list. Best of all, it’s sort of a selfish gift because while they get whatever you make, you get the skills to build another during our Open Workshop Hours.

Peruse the classes below and if one suits your fancy be sure to sign up for it soon before they sell out!

Copper Pine Tree Ornament Metalsmithing
Monday, November 27th // 5:30pm - 8pm

Cutting Boards (2 spots left!)
Saturday, December 2nd // 3:30pm - 8:30pm

Moss Box Wall Art
Saturday, December 2nd // 4pm - 6pm

Woodturning II: Bowl Turning
Sunday, December 3rd // 10am - 5pm

Knitting I: Scarves
Friday, December 8th // 5:30p - 8p

Picture Frame Building (1 spot left!)
Sunday, December 10th // 10am - 3pm

Mosaic Pendant Jewelry (1 spot left!)
Monday, December 11th // 5:30pm - 8pm

Silver Stacking Rings Metalsmithing
Friday, December 15th // 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Floating Shelves (1 spot left!)
Saturday, December 16th // 3:30pm - 8:30pm

Woodturning I: Lathes, Spindles & Vases
Sunday, December 17th // 9:30am - 4:00pm

Block Printing on Paper Holiday Cards (New Date!)
Sunday, December 17th // 3:30p - 8:30p

Feather Hoop Earrings Metalsmithing
Monday, December 18th // 5:30pm - 8pm

HUGE Donation from Craftsman!

Holy moly! @Craftsman donated $20,000 worth of power tools to the Denver Tool Library! That’s so many tools that we had to shutdown the shop on Saturday last week with an army of volunteers just to process them (THANK YOU SO MUCH VOLUNTEERS). That’s so many tools that if you’re a bull, please be careful walking into our noticeably more Craftsman Red shop because you might start charging at all these tools. Speaking of charging, did you know a lot of the tools that Craftsman donated are CORDLESS - including cordless drills, nailers, and sanders? Yah we know, so cool (btw PLEASE don’t leave those batteries out in the cold. More on that later - finger wagging after celebrating).

What?? You’re not a Tool Library member yet so you can’t borrow all these new cool tools?? Well you better pick up your Tool Library Membership today - it’s only $150 for a whole flippin’ year. Ohhhh excuse me I misheard, you said your daughter/neighbor/mail person doesn’t have a membership? Well you’re in luck because it’s just about December so you can buy them a Gift Membership.

Get pumped by the following provocative video by the @aprilfrankenstein and a whole lot of photos from the day!

Scarf Knitting is Back!

With the cold comes benefits, like showing off a cozy handmade scarf that you knitted yourself. On December 8th and 5:30pm we’ll have our first Knitting class back since last winter. Learn a new skill and walk away with a warm soft scarf for yourself or someone on your holiday list. Once you make one scarf, you’ll be able to make one for everyone on your holiday gift list!

Learn the fundamentals of knitting while making a basic scarf that you can start in class and take home to finish. Become familiar with basic techniques including casting on, casting off, and basic knitting stitches. Understand the language of knitting patterns, get yarn and needle recommendations, and gain the confidence to continue your knitting journey. All skill levels are welcome from total beginner to advanced.

New Date! Holiday Card Block Printing

Our special holiday version of Paper Block Printing sold out quick, so we added another date - Sunday, December 10 at 3:30pm.

Don’t give them another boring Hallmark card - make them a card out of 100% genuine love and learn a new skill while also crossing names off your holiday list. Once you make your custom block you’ll be able to print as many of these cards as you want so you’ll have enough for everyone!

New Class! Mosaic Pendant Jewelry

Famed Tool Librarian Coordinator @jessierodriguez.art has a brand new mosaics class just in time for the holidays! Mosaic Pendant Jewelry. The first class will be December 11th at 5:30pm.

In this class we will design and make unique mosaic pendant jewelry. In the spirit of mixed media mosaics, we will work with a variety of source materials to include; glass, beads, buttons and more! All skill levels are welcome.

Students will select a jewelry base and learn how to cut glass using wheeled-tile nippers. We will discuss the best materials for use and where to source objects that can be turned into unique pieces of jewelry. Students will mix and use epoxy-sculpt and inlay materials to create their piece. Everyone will leave with a completed pendant necklace, with choices of chain or cord fitting to make it ready to wear. If desired, students can bring a small bead or object they wish to inlay.

Handmade Holiday Gift Guide

Throw the Halloween costumes in the attic and que up the Mariah Carey because our Handmade Holiday Gift Classes sell out quick!

Don’t wait until last minute and get stuck picking out some Amazon junk just to find out that you already bought your Dad fancy nuts three years before (true story). Instead, We’ve compiled a list of classes where you produce a piece of art made with 100% genuine love that you can give to someone on your holiday list. Best of all, it’s sort of a selfish gift because while they get whatever you make, you get the skills to build another during our Open Workshop Hours.

Peruse the classes below and if one suits your fancy be sure to sign up for it soon before they sell out!

Copper Pine Tree Ornament Metalsmithing
Monday, November 27th // 5:30pm - 8pm

Cutting Boards
Saturday, December 2nd // 3:30pm - 8:30pm

Moss Box Wall Art
Saturday, December 2nd // 4pm - 6pm

Woodturning II: Bowl Turning
Sunday, December 3rd // 10am - 5pm

Knitting I: Scarves
Friday, December 8th // 5:30p - 8p

Picture Frame Building
Sunday, December 10th // 10am - 3pm

Block Printing on Paper Holiday Cards
Sunday, December 10th // 3:30p - 8:30p

Mosaic Pendant Jewelry
Monday, December 11th // 5:30pm - 8pm

Silver Stacking Rings Metalsmithing
Friday, December 15th // 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Floating Shelves
Saturday, December 16th // 3:30pm - 8:30pm

Woodturning I: Lathes, Spindles & Vases
Sunday, December 17th // 9:30am - 4:00pm

Feather Hoop Earrings Metalsmithing
Monday, December 18th // 5:30pm - 8pm

Upcoming Tool Library & Workshop Closure Dates

Mark it on your calendar! We have some Tool Library & Workshop closures happening soon. Don’t be the person locked out of the Tool Library on a snowy Santa Fe Drive holding a frozen table saw. Oh no no no.

Upcoming Tool Library & Workshop Closures

  • Donation Inventory Day (Sat Nov 18th) CLOSED

  • Fall Break (Thurs-Sun Nov 23rd-26th) CLOSED

  • Winter Break (Sun-Sun Dec 24th-31st) CLOSED

*Don’t forget - if your borrowed tools are due back on a day that we are closed, that’s an extra free bonus day to keep them! Yay bonus days!

Colorado Gives Day is easily the best day to give!

Colorado Gives Day is easily the best day to give! Every year, the state of Colorado comes together to uplift the organizations that mean the most to them. The Denver Tool Library is part of that movement and are so thankful for all of our followers who join us every year to make a bigger impact.

This year, we are hoping to make a huge impact and we need your help!

First, what could we do with extra financial support:

  1. General Tool Maintenance - We want everyone to have the opportunity to utilize tools that are at their best performance so we are constantly making sure they are their best selves for you, as well as replacing the ones that are ready for retirement.

  2. Staff!!! - Our staff take care of our tools, as well as our community, so we want to make sure we take care of them.

  3. Scholarships - Having access to a Denver Tool Library membership is important for so many reasons, including self reliance and personal wellbeing. We want to make sure that everyone who needs one, has access to one so extra funds helps us to increase that access.

Now here is the fun part! How can you help?

  1. Donate! There will be so many different ways you can give between now and December 5th. Every dollar counts.

  2. Share! Tell your friends why the Denver Tool Library is important to you and ask them to give anytime between now and December 5th. Make sure to tag us if you post it on social media so we can share it with our followers, too.

  3. Join us! On December 5th, we will be celebrating all the great work the Denver Tool Library does at the Town Hall Collaborative from 4-9 pm. We will have giveaways, highlight our work, as well as get to know more about our community, while watching to see if we hit our Colorado Gives Day goals. If you are interested in getting more updates about the event, please RSVP here. You don’t have to RSVP to attend.