Word Out 2014

People make amazing things, sometimes out of nearly nothing, or something that most others would look on as worthless junk. I love the creativity, and what it says about looking past the obvious to see the possibilities. Not to mention that recycling is always a good thing!

This has taken on the name “upcycling” in recent years, and it takes many forms. Reworking vintage clothes, furniture, or books into something with more modern appeal perhaps. Turning curbside finds into something new and fresh. Did anyone see the show The Junk Brothers, about two brothers who would grab something off a curb, turn it into something new, and return it to its former owner? That. 

One of my favourite forms is taking what is essentially trash and making it into something cool and covet-worthy. This clock from bicycle gears? So awesome. I’ve seen others made from the rims and spokes, as well, or old vinyl records, or plates, or books… And that’s just clocks, never mind home furnishings, art, jewelry, and anything else someone’s imagination might have come up with.

If you’ve ever browsed Pinterest, you’ve surely seen a hundred ways to use pallets or mason jars, as well. Furniture! Swings! Light fixtures! Gift packaging! Seriously, check it out, you’ll be gobsmacked. And look at these chairs made out of tires! Amazing stuff, people make. A quick search for “upcycled” on Etsy will show you a huge and inspiring range of ideas, too.I’m enjoying these bracelets made of forks and wine bottles, envelopes made of dictionary pages, and this very amusing dinosaur planter for little cactuses. Clever, right? 

So why do you want all this inspiration?   Because your creative contest this week is to be a transformer of things, an upcycler. Look around you for things with hidden potential – like pop tabs. You see this purse here? Pop tabs. Crazy. Use your imagination and various talents to turn them into something new and interesting. Take before and after photos. Submit them in the comments with a little description about what your item is, what it’s made from, and how you did it.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

And now, the (very few) rules:

• In order to qualify to win this contest, you have to live in the city of Toronto.
• You have to provide a valid email address – otherwise we can’t contact you to let you know you’ve won'the contest! We promise to keep your email confidential – for more information about this, see the privacy statement below.
• You have to have submitted your entry by Tuesday September 2nd at 11:59 PM

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Boring legal stuff:

Your name, your e-mail address, the books you read and your thoughts about them are your personal information. Why do we need your personal information here?  Well, we want to publish your reviews, and we need your name and e-mail address to help administer the contest.  The Public Libraries Act is the law that lets us do this.  We’ll be protecting your privacy every step of the way, but if you have any questions about how we’re going to do that, you can contact TPL’s Privacy & Records Management Officer, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M4W 2G8, 416-395-5658 or by e-mail at gnettlefold@torontopubliclibrary.ca