Ideas for Money Making Projects

[savingdogs]

That kind of craft sounds too good to be true. I've participated in craft fairs and talked to people in other booths, there isn't too much that is easy to make, huge profit margin and sells fast, as well as not needing investment capital. The cost of the booth itself and the materials often negates much profit at all. Most people who sell in craft shows have a nice set up to display their crafts, tables, tablecloths, EZ up canopies, business cards, etc.

If someone has a suggestion for you, I'll be listening too.

 

[lurkergal]

You'll have to get inventive/creative fast to produce that kind of money at a craft fair, but it can be done.

My aim would be to sell lots of smaller things.

-what about salt cookie holiday decorations? You could start with basic cookie cutter images and decorate with natural items - lavender heads, wheat heads, dried Queen Anne's lace or whatever else you have on hand. Dye some of your weeds/flower heads with natural dyes like onion skins to enhance natural color or create contracting colors. Weave patterns with grasses or animal hair or feathers and glue them on. Use weed seeds as beads and so on. Use strong dried grasses or horse hair to hang them and you've saved more money by not buying string and made your product more appealing. Details count.

- sounds silly, but popcorn strings for the birds are cheap and easy (do not make too far in advance) some cranberries or other bird edible berries add all the color you need - sell in 6 foot lengths

- evergreen wreaths and or table top decorations are good sellers

 

[MetalSmitten]

That kind of craft sounds too good to be true.

x2 =/

i didn't start making "decent" money on crafts until i'd invested years and quite a bit of $$$ into it. if you can think of a good gimmick, use it. gimmicks are often where your short-lived bursts of high profit come from.

otherwise, if you want to sell crafts without a lot of effort on your part (and i don't mean that in a bad way or anything) - you'd maybe want to look at things like silpada, or whatever that other avon-of-the-jewelry-world is (sorry i can't remember the name) or avon itself, or any of those programs where you sell someone else's goods. i wouldn't recommend attending a craft fair if you go that route, but you can certainly do home parties or door-to-door or general fairs/flea markets/craigslist etc.

 

[Beekissed]

I used to sell jars of Fresh Mountain Air for $3 per pint jar. Great tourist gimmick and people bought it. I'd just dab a bit, and I do mean a bit, of pine EO in the jar mouth, create a cute old-timey label and watch as they flew off the shelf. You can even do Fall Air and Spring Air if you have an imagination, as well as Early Morning Air.

For the best craft sales, you need to have diversity at your booth, some more expensive items, some cheap. Some pretty and unusual, some gimmicky.

Apple head dolls are cheap to make and no one makes them around here anymore. Fleece neck muffs are easy and cheap to make and sell well at a fall craft sale. They go particularly well if sold at football games and are the school colors. Sometimes you can find iron ons of the school emblem and can charge more for these.

If you plan well, you can get into dried flower arranging using Borax to save money and these sell VERY well as Mussy Tussies or in wreaths, arrangements or even if you do weddings. You can incorporate them into candles, frame them as pressed flowers/art, etc.

You can make a bit of money selling melt and pour soaps if you take the time to make them look like cold-pressed. You have an initial investment for the scents, additives and soaps but these are fun to make and people never get tired of buying scented "homemade" soaps.

Just a few ideas that take only a little bit of time, little bit of money, and can yield good sales.

Also, remember....presentation is everything at craft sales.