The cardboard easels were purchased somewhere many years ago from the previous board. I will ask someone who has been around longer than me if they remember where they came from.
But they are great - they fold flat when stored. They fold out and down so they make a stand. Glue down the center to whatever you want and it turns it into a standing frame. We just rip them off at the end of the auction and fold flat again for the next year.
I'll try and find out where they got them from - probably an art supply store.
Well phooey. There are so many "dollar" stores these days. Can someone narrow down their success. My Dollar Tree has black frames but it's just a flat cardboard back - no leg to stand, per se. LOL - I didn't realize until just now how many *different* dollar type stores there are! The few that I called said they didn't have any.
Jenn, can you explain how to make a cardboard easel?
We just had our auction (huge success!) and displays are everything!! People like to have a visual of what the item is. If it doesn't "pop" out, then it's harder for potential buyers to stop and read the description.
We have cardboard easels that we reuse every year. We glue a heavy colored cardstock to the easel, then glue the computer printed description of the item onto the cardstock - it makes the description look framed. We color code our tables to make it easier for people to find items. We also have a very thick catalog of items that each family receives with the description and location of each item in our auction. Then after the auction, we peel off the cardstock and reuse the cardboard easels the next year.
If the item is a basket or an actual item of some sort, we put that by the description. We borrow jewelry displays from a jewelry store to display necklaces and earrings, etc. This makes them so attractive. We borrow wooden easels and tall metal easels from frame shops to display items that are framed or photography displays etc. Anything that makes the item stand out. We also wrap boxes of different sizes in plain white paper and place in the middle of the table. We place auction items on these boxes to lift them up and give our tables a more pleasant visual - items are different heights and stand out better.
For dinner or gift certificates - we do not place the actual certificate on tables. We ask for marketing materials such as a "to go" menu or any other type of visual from the establishment. If none is available, then we create our own on the computer using clip art and logos from their websites.
Then...we display these items on photo holders. We made our own this time because our theme involved wine bottles (long story - don't have time to type it now - but wine was not served at our auction). We asked for people to send in their empty wine bottles with corks if they had them. I purchased floral wire at Michaels - the heaviest they sell and clipped them in half. Then using needle nose pliers, I made a coil with the wire and we poked the straight end into the wine cork. This created the coolest photo holder. We simply slipped the marketing materials into the wire coil. They stood out and tall and everyone knew what was being auctioned. They were also easy for people to just pull off and read if they wanted and then put back on the coil.
Anyway...these are some of our ideas. Hope they help.
You could display the copies in a plastic standing frame-- they are about .50-1.00 at the dollar store-- we do this for several events and it works well- it doesn't get lost and everyone can see it easier.
Good luck with your event.
Okay... since the last time I posted on this subject in 2005 we've been doing this. I print off something eye catching, if I can copy & paste from their website, I do. If not, then I simply state what it is like "Lance Burton Tickets". We bought several cheap black frames. We place a sheet in each frame (if the item is a basket or something large, we just put that on the table with its bid sheet) and place the framed item/paper on the table with the bid sheet in front of it. We have our silent auction set up in a horseshoe shape with the lunch tables in the MP room. We then cover the tables with colored butcher paper that corresponds with the grouping of items. We divide our items into 3 groups/waves. The first group's bidding closes at 7:30 pm, the second at 7:45 and the last group at 8 pm. The bid sheets are also printed in similar colors to correspond. On our bid sheets (which I got the sample from this message board) clearly states the item, who donated it, what all is included (especially for basket items), value, opening bid, minimum bid raise, bid amounts are pre-printed, and a spot for bidder's name & number.
The black picture frames are just stored in a plastic tub until next year's auction. They help catch the bidder's eye since they are vertical and the black gives the paper a good border without taking away from the other items that are actually placed on the tables. We hold our raffle in the same area.
Hope this helps,
Holly This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
