Hobbies that make money are the best hobbies. So if you have a talent for arts, crafts, or DIY in general, you can turn your skills into a profitable business – here’s how.
If you spend your free time doing crafts and other creative pursuits, you probably already have what it takes to make money making and selling things on the internet.
The key to making money from your crafts is to focus on selling things that are quick and easy to make but are also really beautiful and people can buy. You need to be able to duplicate your homemade products in time to keep up with online orders and ensure quality remains consistently high.
Want to make something to sell but don’t know where to start? We have a lot of ideas for things that you can craft easily and quickly and that can make you a lot of extra money.
The best craft ideas for sale
Table of Contents
Here are the best and easiest things to make and sell from home:
1 .bookmark
Handmade bookmarks are really easy to make and great for selling online.
It may be small, but there is so much creativity packed into one bookmark. As long as it fits between the pages of a book, the style of your bookmark is entirely up to you.
For example, depending on your skills, you could draw a design on a piece of paper, embroider a piece of fabric, or even make a thin piece of metal if you have the right tools and experience.
You can set a price for your bookmarks depending on how complicated they are and how long it takes to make them, but they’re probably worth under £10.
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2 . Pompom Garlands
Pom garlands look amazing and are incredibly easy to make – the perfect combination for any handmade decoration you’re looking to sell.
To make your own, there are £5 to £10 pom kits that should last you for quite a while. Individual garlands can be sold for slightly less money, but don’t sell too many before you start making your money back.
Headbands, barrettes, ties, rubber bands, barrettes, ribbons: the selection of hair accessories is wide, fun, and easy to make and sell.
3 . Hair ornaments
The easiest way to make hair accessories is to buy things like barrettes and simple headbands in bulk and then process them into really awesome pieces you can sell.
However, if you want to make your hair accessories entirely yourself, fabric hair ties are an excellent place to start. There are many handy guides on the internet to help you make them.
While the prices of the different types and styles of hair accessories vary, in general, you can expect to get around £5 (or maybe less) for them, but quality products can also cost more.
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4 . Rolls of fabric jewelry
Looking for more things to make and sell on Etsy? Fabric jewelry rolls are incredibly cheap and easy to make and can be sold for a good price. We’ve seen some for sale for £15 to £20.
The design is up to you, but make sure the pieces of fabric are wide enough to wrap comfortably.
On the inside you could add padded strips to hold the rings: make sure they can be attached with velcro or buttons so people can put the rings on and off.
You could also add zippered pockets and compartments for bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and watches to allow consumers to keep each type of jewelry separate and well-organized.
Then add a ribbon so the jewelry roll can be tied up neatly and neatly.
5 . Pincushion
Any sewing enthusiast knows that a good pincushion is essential. If you have the skills (and we’re sure you have), you could make them and sell them online to other seamstresses.
The prices in the online shops vary greatly but can be sold for €10 and more.
It is important that the pin cushions are of high quality. They need to be stuffed and sewn tightly together. So make sure the seams are tight and no filling leaks out.
To sell your pincushions at a higher price, you could make them into intricate shapes like cakes, cacti, and whatever else you can think of—the more unusual and eye-catching the better.
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6 . Gift Baskets
To successfully make and sell gift baskets, presentation is key. Shoppers will pay for well-packaged baskets that look neater and more professional than they would on their own.
Once you’ve decided on a theme for your gift baskets – maybe chocolate, cocktail ingredients, soaps, or candles – you can start putting pretty things together, along with a basket, tissue paper, and a bow to enclose it all.
You can then snap sharp photos of an example of a finished basket and post it for sale on sites like Etsy, eBay, and/or your own website.
While the easiest way to make baskets is to buy the items elsewhere if you can make everything in the basket yourself that would be perfect.
Selling homemade items in a gift basket should make them cheaper to make but also more valuable as it would be one of a kind.
The price of your gift baskets will depend on what items are included, but you may be able to sell them for £20+ each.
7 . Custom-designed cards
Handcrafted cards are one of the easiest to sell. They are relatively easy to design, cheap to manufacture, and quick to reproduce.
To create cards and sell them for money, you need to have good drawing skills. You can draw and paint directly on paper by hand, or design them digitally and print them out, whichever is easier for you.
If you offer your customers the opportunity to customize their cards, you can make a little more money because you can charge a little more for this service.
Keep in mind that it can take a while to customize each card, especially if you’re making them by hand. So consider whether it’s worth spending more money, or would you rather charge less and keep the designs generic.
Overall you should be able to sell handmade cards for around £5 if they are of high quality.
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8 . Canvas bags
It may take a bit of practice at first, but once you get more experience making it you should be able to sew the bags together fairly quickly.
You will need a sewing machine and fabric for the front, back, and handles of the bag. You can play with different fabrics and also decorate the bags with appliqués, embroidery, sequins, or whatever you like.
Tote bags are one of the best things to make and sell for a profit as they are easy to make but are generally very popular with online shoppers looking for sustainable fashion products. They often sell for around £5 to £10 each.
If you are a seasoned sewing professional, you can design your own sewing patterns for the bags depending on the size and shape you want.
But if you’re new to sewing and don’t know how to get started, don’t worry: check out the online tutorials and you’ll soon get the hang of it.
9 . pillowcases
Once you get comfortable with a sewing machine, you have even more options. Some of the best ideas for making and selling fabrics are pillows and pillowcases.
For a standard pillowcase, you will likely need two pieces of fabric: one for the front and one for the back. You could also add a zipper, but if you’d rather avoid that, consider choosing a pillowcase with an envelope instead.
There are numerous tutorials online to help you make a pillowcase. Check YouTube and creative blogs for step-by-step instructions.
And to sell your handmade pillowcases online, we recommend that you also buy pillow pads to put inside. They shouldn’t cost too much and will help market your products better.
You may be able to sell a full-filled pillow online for £10-£20.
10. art prints
Selling fine art prints is an ideal way to make money if you have an artistic eye and are talented in drawing, painting, printing, photography, or any other form of image creation. These are all great hobbies that can make money!
If you have already created artwork that you would like to digitally scan and sell online as prints, you could be making money very quickly.
To increase the price of your art, you could create a series of prints that you would like to sell as limited edition, handmade pieces.
For example, if you have the skills and resources to produce high-quality prints (e.g. screenprints, woodcuts, lithographs, etc.), you can try to produce limited series, where each individual piece is hand-signed and marked with its number in the series.
Our guide to selling artwork is full of useful tips to get you started and maximize your profits.
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11. cross stitch kit
Cross stitch is not only a great way to relax but also a way to make money.
Once you’ve mastered cross-stitch, you can start designing your own kits.
To do this, sew a sample version of your design so buyers can see what the final version will look like. To do this, create a color pattern in which you explain where each stitch should go and write down instructions.
Then you still need a stitched fabric, embroidery thread in each required color, an upholstery needle, and a cross-stitch frame.
You should be able to save money by getting each item in bulk. And depending on how much each item costs, you can price the kit accordingly so you can still make a profit (taking shipping costs into account).
Get inspired by these cross stitch kits on Etsy, which can often cost around £5 for smaller, simpler kits and up to £20 for more complex kits.
12 . jewelry
There will always be a market for handmade jewelry and the best part is that there is so much flexibility in terms of design, materials used, and jewelry shapes. You can be as creative as you want and maybe you can sell your items for £10-20 each.
In order to start crafting and selling jewelry, you need to get materials and tools. And once you’ve started building your jewelry collection, consider opening an online store on Etsy, Amazon, or eBay.
13. ties and bow ties
Whether you go for something simple and elegant or something silly and extravagant, ties and bow ties are some of the best things to make and sell.
This is especially true because the pattern pieces are quite simple. So once you’ve chosen the fabric and decided on the design, you can recreate it faithfully every time.
Just make sure the quality of your sewing is as clean as possible and that your pattern is aligned correctly (wobbly patterns don’t look good on ties) then you should be ready to start selling your items online!
If they are of good quality, ties and bow ties can sell for £10+ each.
14. keychain
Keyrings come in all shapes and sizes and can be made from virtually any material and in any style you desire: the only requirement is that they stick to your keyring.
With so much room for creativity, keychains are a brilliant craft idea for sale. It shouldn’t cost much to make, and depending on the style, handmade examples can be sold online for £5 to £10 each.
Sure, the market is pretty crowded, but making quality keychains that are attractive and unique can set you apart from the rest of the products on sites like eBay and Etsy and hopefully make a good profit.
15. candles
Making and selling candles is a great business idea for artisans. You can buy wax, wicks, and scented oils in bulk and then make money and a profit by selling lots of high-quality, visually appealing candles.
Be careful not to overdo it with the scented oils: you should choose a scent that is subtle and strong enough to be noticed when you light the candles. If you add too much, the smell can be overpowering and a little sweet.
The presentation of your candles is also very important to sell them. Check out the Wilko website for nice mason jars to use and consider decorating them with ribbons and hand-painted designs.
Candles sell for around £5 to £10 each. So try to spend a little less on materials, glasses, and decorative items so that you still make a profit.
