Colorado Gives Way to Help #2: Share on Social Media

Tuesday, December 5th is Colorado Gives Day!

Share why you support the Denver Tool Library on social media and tag us (don't forget to tag!) from now until the end of Tuesday and you'll have a chance to win a free Tool Library Annual Membership.

Some ideas for your post or story while mentioning our CO Gives Fundraiser...

  • How the Denver Tool Library has helped you personally

  • Photos of a project you've made with our tools

  • A photo of the worst thing you've ever built

  • What a cool concept we are

  • Any embarrassing video of yourself doing karaoke at at a DTL First Friday

  • Something you just really want to say to a few thousand people that vaguely has to do with the Denver Tool Library (remember though, we don't HAVE to repost, so like, don't go too hard - you gotta pander at least a bit).

Thank you for being a part of our team! Now let’s raise some resources for the Denver Tool Library! 🥳

Colorado Gives Way to Help #1: Donate

Tuesday, December 5th is Colorado Gives Day!

Colorado Gives Day is a fantastic time to make donation because there's lots of great perks and prizes for both you AND us.

Make a small donation: $5 from 100 people means we now have $500. This could buy us a new high demand tool, give out memberships to families who need it, or make sure our staff are able to focus on what they need to. Any size donation is entered to win an official DTL Superfan Merch Bundle - we’re talking shirt, koozie, bandana, stickers, the whole deal.

Make a big donation: If you give $100 or more on Colorado Gives Day, you will automatically be entered into an hourly prize from the Colorado Gives Foundation. One winner each hour will win a Southwest Airlines voucher good for round trip airfare up to $400! The Colorado Gives Foundation will also award a bonus round trip ticket after midnight from all donors who give $100 or more.

Ask your company to match your donation: A lot of companies have a matching program. Reach out to your employer to see if they will match your donation to double your impact!

Thank you for being a part of our team! Now let’s raise some resources for the Denver Tool Library! 🥳

Pictured: the original crew minus Garrett who is great.

🏆Colorado Gives Day GIVEAWAYS!🏆

Free Annual Membership?? Free shirts n’ merch?? free feeling of love, warmth, and embrace by my fellow community members - and i don’t even (necessarily) need to donate??

We’ve had Giving Tuesday but it’s now time for Coloradans to show everyone how we give! On Tuesday, December 5th, people around the country are giving to Colorado nonprofits, including Denver Tool Library. And YOU can make the biggest impact for tool access in Denver! 

I love the Denver Tool Library, but how could i, a person with a social media account and/or job and/or a tiny bit of extra cash, make an impact?

I’m so glad you asked! The Denver Tool Library is a grassroots organization which means that every dollar, post share, and volunteer hour makes a huge impact. For this Colorado Gives Day, we’re asking for you to do one, two, or all of the actions listed below. 

  1. Share why you support the Denver Tool Library on social media and tag us! The more people who know about us, the more we are able to increase tool access. 

  2. Make a donation! The greatest part of Colorado Gives Day is that our community comes together to make donations that add up to make a HUGE impact! $5 from 100 people means we now have $500. This could buy us a new high demand tool, give out memberships to families who need it, or make sure our staff are able to focus on what they need to. 

  3. Ask your company to match your donation! A lot of companies have a matching program. Reach out to your employer to see if they will match your donation to double your impact! 

This seems easy, but my brain needs things to be gamified for me to actually do it. What did you say earlier about the free prizes?

We understand that! Not only will you be making an impact for tool access in Denver, but you will also have a chance to win fun prizes! 

For every social media post you make (and tag us in) between now and the end of Colorado Gives Day, you will be entered to win an Annual Membership! If we share any of your posts, that will count as an extra entry so make sure to use your best pictures and most heart! 

Some ideas for posts to make while mentioning our CO Gives Fundraiser on 12/5:

  • How the Denver Tool Library has helped you personally

  • Photos of a project you've made with our tools

  • A photo of the worst thing you've ever built

  • What a cool concept we are

  • Something you just really want to say to a few thousand people that vaguely has to do with the Denver Tool Library (remember though, we don't HAVE to repost, so like, don't go too hard - you gotta pander at least a bit).

Also make sure to follow us on Instagram because on Colorado Gives Day there will be some fun surprises and chances to win some more Denver Tool Library swag. 

Thank you for being a part of our team! Now let’s raise some resources for the Denver Tool Library! 🥳

December is BATTERY AWARENESS MONTH brought to you by Craftsman™

December is BATTERY AWARENESS MONTH brought to you by Craftsman™

So you may have heard that we got $20,000 worth of tools donated by our new best friend @Craftsman! But shhhh, guess what, come in close because we have some hot gossip and a secret to tell you….

A ton of the tools we got donated are cordless. That’s right - no more getting tangled in a web of extension cords and air compressor hoses while comically hanging from your gutter after falling off a ladder. “Wow convenience is finally here, all of my problems are solved, I never need to worry about accidently unplugging my drill ever again!” Well listen here, we’re here to burst that bubble and give you something to worry about.

DON’T LEAVE THESE LITHIUM BATTERIES OUTSIDE, IN THE GARAGE, IN THE SHED, ETC WHEN IT’S BELOW FREEZING. THEY WILL EASILY DIE FOREVER AND THEY ARE REALLY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE, NOT TO MENTION BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

Ok we just had to shout and finger wag for a moment. You can come back in close now while we finally reveal this secret hot goss.

Psst, here’s some pointers on how to care for your lithium battery portable tools…

  1. Avoid Extreme Temperatures. Store your batteries inside to protect them from cold & heat.

  2. Keep away from moisture. A wet battery is an unhappy battery

  3. Don’t let heat build up in battery. Allow it to cool off after caring & when using if getting hot

  4. Don’t completely drain the battery. Re-charge before it gets below 20%. Swap it with another when running slow.

  5. Don’t let the battery sit on the charger for too long. Once your battery is fully charged, remove it from charging.

  6. Don’t forget to bring back your batteries & charger! There’s more pieces to return now, make sure you bring back both batteries, charger, and tool.

That’s it! As long as you follow those rules, you, your batteries, and our tool librarians will skip hand and hand into the sunset together. Hm? That’s not a secret or hot goss you say? Well ok we may have lied a bit just to get you to read about proper battery care, but it’s your fault for being so nosey and obsessed with gossip. Let this and everything we just said about batteries be a lesson to you.

It's Giving Tuesday! Repent!

It’s #GivingTuesday, which means that most of y’all need to repent for your consumerist sins of spending all that money over #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday by giving even more money to non-profits like us today. “But DTL, I didn’t buy anything over the weekend because I don’t have any money, and I don’t have any money to give you!” Sit down Timmy, thou hast not sinned and thus you need not repent. But as for the rest of you….

Colorado Gives Day is a day that as Coloradans, we get to celebrate the impact of coming together and lifting up our local communities! Early giving is already underway so you can donate today, or if you prefer you can donate on the big day of December 5th, 2023. Best of all, there’s little bonuses for us non-profits with stuff like an extra $100 if you set up a recurring donation or a $4,000 prize.

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.