We are excited to share a new segment in our blog – “Lee and Heather’s Auction DIY”. Inspired by articles in Country Living, HGTV, and Real Simple Magazine, we decided to tackle a few DIY projects. Not only do they appear easy, but most of them can be accomplished with items that come through auction on a regular basis. One of the great elements of the auction experience is keeping items out of the landfill and reducing our carbon footprint; plus it’s a rush of pride and accomplishment to repurpose and transform something rather “ho-hum” into something unique and personalized. Getting creative and having a fun time was the added bonus!

The first project we decided to tackle came from HGTV magazine.
This easy DIY project is a great way to upcycle an old print or painting. You can easily find one at your local auction and repurpose it. The steps are fairly simple:
1. Acquire a print. We used canvases bought inexpensively from an auction.
2. Acquire supplies. Acrylic paint, vinyl letters, paint brushes, tape (We spent a total of $13.90 on supplies. Many of you will have some of these supplies on hand)
3. Remove the print/painting from the frame. Usually, pulling a few nails is all it takes or you can use the secret ninja option and paint the frame too!
4. Decide what word or phrase or graphic you want to use.

5. Arrange your letters/numbers/graphics on the print.

6. Use painter’s or masking tape as a guideline to place your letters level
7. Pull off backing of to reveal the sticky side then carefully place letters.
8. PAINT!9. Let dry slightly and peel the letters off with tweezers
10. Let dry completely and re-frame.

Voila, DIY success! It really was that easy. Although, HGTV makes the finished product look a lot cleaner. Perhaps we should have let them dry a little longer… but hey, we were impatient! Heather suggested that spray paint might provide a better and smoother coverage. With spray paint, you could also use lace to add some texture and really make it pop! Something tells me we will be revisiting this project again.
Let us know what you think and head over to our website and check out all the items in our upcoming auction, you might just be inspired to start a DIY project of your own. Like John always says, “If you don’t look, you’ll never know”!