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REDEFINE launches national creative competition to op-shopping

A new creative wave ‘REDEFINE’ is takingop-shopping to a whole new level, with hundreds entries expected for this year’s first New Zealand-wide Presbyterian Support East Coast (PSEC) Redefine – love your op shop competition.

PSEC first launched the competition in Hawke’s Bay two years ago to inspire people to shop at their local charity stores and after huge public interest have launched Redefine nationwide.

Redefine entries are open and the competition rules are simple – entrants must turn a pre-loved charity store item into something fresh, new and ultimately unrecognisable from what it was before.

PSEC head of marketing Shirley Collins said Redefine is about giving new meaning and use to something that someone else no longer needed or wanted.

“The transformations are outstanding and people are amazed with what something can be turned into.

“We’re giving people of all ages the chance to work together to re-purpose items. You can purchase an item from any charity shop across New Zealand, and challenge yourself to give it a new lease of life through using your own imagination, ingenuity and talent.

The 2016 Redefine winner Carla Allen, a self-named furniture hunter from Hastings, says she loves the redefine challenge which makes her think “outside the square”.

“It’s a great opportunity to get creative and to share my creation with others. The best part about the competition is seeing what everyone else is coming up with – leading to new ideas and inspiration,” she said.

The competition has six fun categories: Book Worm, Surprise Us, Shabby Chic It, Rework it, Domestic Goddess and Hat Trick.

‘Book Worm’ (liberate a book from the shelf), ‘Surprise Us’ (transformed from its original purpose), ‘Shabby Chic it’ (a refurbished interior item), ‘Rework It’ (transform a piece of clothing), ‘Domestic Goddess’ (whip your kitchen gadgets into whimsical creations), ‘Hat Trick’ (open to children creating an astonishing hat).

Winners will be announced at a Redefine – Love your Op Shop day at PSEC’s Napier charity store on September 9 where all entries will be on display along with a range of family activities; shopping, demonstrations and workshops for adults and children.

All funds raised from Redefine go to supporting vital Presbyterian Support East Coast social services – Enliven and Family Works.

Entries are open until 1 September 2017. Competition entries are just $10. Entry forms are online here or from any PSEC Charity-shop.

Tickets for the event are $10 per person with a gold coin on the day for children under 15.

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Carla Allen with her the overall winning entry Multi-purpose mobile module and winner of Shabby Chic It category from 2015’s Redefine competition