I need ideas from some domesticated crafty people

[HeatherLynn]

Ok I came up with a great idea. In my quest to make our finances ever more efficient I decided to earn all our Christmas money myself. My plan is to make little bags in wild fabrics with applique. Some will have a lining that is water resistent so you could use them as cute reusable fruit and veggie shopping bags or water resistent with zippers as make up bags. ( I sound all confident and craft but I have made a single bag ever) I have a ton of bright pink fabric that is being considered for making ballet bags.( my daughter needs a new one and I can sell the others) I am working on these really cute felt pins. AND I have 10 dozen blown EE eggs waiting in cartons to be painted. I need ideas First off I have painted eggs but only for easter. Nothing fancy. I want to do these as Christmas ornaments. Ideas? Pics?

When you guys go to craft fairs or even when your making something for yourself what are you looking for? I am not a crafty person but I really would like to try this.

I am also getting a part time job but that money has to go toward getting us debt free. I am working like mad to get us to the point we can survive on unemployment if my husband loses his job. I have 4 kids at home all day so my working more is sorta out. I need something I can do to earn money at home and this seems to be the only option.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Where do you plan to sell your goods? Is there a fairly local regular craft market somewhere nearby to you?. When raising my daughter I did a lot of craftwork to sell so that I could stay home to care of her and still earn some income. As well as craftwork- I did cooking as well. I was lucky to have a few recipies that were certain sellers and I always ran out each market and took orders for the next. If there is a local market you could sell at- go for a look and try to get your own ideas- something different that will stand out amongst everyone elses wares.
Decorated photo frames are popular any time of year. You could even look into offering a personalized line for people wanting a name added to the frame. I was recently at the right place at the right time and picked up a load of assorted photo frame for next to nothing. I have decorated some as gifts - and others I have for sale at poultry functions. I took a few pics of different breeds of poultry and a heap of cute little fluffy duckling and chicken photos.

Finding something small that will appeal to kids as well is great- they are great at conning parents into small purchases at markets. Good luck with your venture.

 

[KansasBoy]

I have a friend in Cali that kind of does the same thing... She buys differen clothing from second hand stores, good will, etc. And recycles the fabrics into personalized shopping bags! Very cool and green thing to do!

 

[dmccann]

It is a tough market selling crafts,look for your fabrics on sale at flea markets,garage sells,etc.Good luck..............i am still trying,lol

 

[HeatherLynn]

I had not even considered those options for getting fabric. We have a hospice shop that does a bag sale where you get a bag of clothing for $5. I will go by there today and check it out.

 

[emvickrey]

You can use feed bags for the water-proof liners. You can also use them to make reusable grocery bags and eliminate the plastic bags you get form the store. You can sell those also. I've seen on the "Everything Else" thread where somebody is making purses out of them. I saw an article in one of the poultry magazines on how to make them. I started seeing them everywhere after that. They really would be handy to have and if you sold them for cheap they would sell.

As far as the eggs, you can paint poinsettas, santa's, and wrap a ribbon around them and add a bow and you've got a presant to hang form the tree. You can use colored construction paper and cut out a beak, comb and waddles. glue some wiggly eyes on and you've got a chicken. Glue on a few feathers. You have chickens, you have feathers around. When mine moult I gather the best feathers for future use. You can also sell the feathers if you collect enough. If you have rabbits you can sell the poo. People around here use it in worm beds.

A few years ago I went around to all the yard sales I could find and bought every terra cotta flower pot I could find. And painted them, added flowers and other decorations. I made 2 sets that I painted red and painted black dots using a piece of cardboard that had a perfect circle in it as a template. I then glued those puffy balls thingy's ? on the outerside of the top edge and glued wiggly eyes on them. I used a black pipe cleaner to make antennas and glued them in place. They looked like lady bugs. I also did some with black and yellow stripes use a black puffy thingy for the head, cut a small yellow strip to put on the forhead of the black poofy head and added wiggly eyes and black antenna. I had bumble bees. They where so cute. And took very little to make. You don't want to paint the inside of the pots though. Just clean them up real good and let dry before you paint them. I also make wind spinners out of plastic canvas. I just love them and still make them. They are time consuming and don't sell for alot but I make mine for myself and sometimes somebody will want some. I make all sizes and use different color canvas and beads and use that spiderwire fishing line to string it all together. I use swivels from the tackle box and round key chains to hang them from. They are time consuming and compared to the time that is in them, it's not worth what you may be able to get out of them but they're pretty to have in your yard. Wooden ones would sell at a higher price.

Just about anything you find at a yard sale or a good will can be made into something very nice to sell or to use as gifts. I know I would rather have something somebody made for me than something store bought. It means more.

You can buy up a bunch of old necklaces at yard sales and thrift shops that are made with beads and break them down and use the beads to decorate your purses with. If somebody you know is wanting to clean out a room or get rid of things ask if you can have it. Never know what you will find you can use. I got a bunch of old wreaths and took all the old stuff off of them and put new flowers and decorations on them. You can decorate a wreath for every holiday. A dab of hot glue on each piece to make it stay and your done. Those are fast to make and cheap. You can decorate old cigar boxes with material or beads or both and have a treasure box for somebody to keep their keepsakes in. If somebody has chickens you can make a pretty apron with wing guards on it for their favorite chicken or a decorated frame.

You can save alot of money by making most of the gifts yourself out of what ever you find. Then using the money you made off of the things you sold for the harder to gift people. (we all have them)

I had an order for a chicken apron with a wing guard and with all the storms I was nothing but nerves so I concentrated on making this item and by the tme I finished it, it was sooo cute I didn't want to let it go. But I did and the person that bought it was so pleased with it. I decided to make some more like it. I used material I already have. I cut pieces out of a piece of felt to resemble flowers and some as dots and hand sewen them on the wing guard and the apron. The apron is versitile becauses I had sewn snaps under the wing guard so it could be removed when not used and it had a saying under it.

Old wicker baskets can be converted to useful baskets with a material lining and beaded along the seam at the top or flowers weaved into the wicker at the top add some pine cones or decorated foam eggs. The ideas are endless.

 

[emvickrey]

If your looking for something that will bring in a bit more cash try refurbishing old furniture. It's amazing what sanding and a coat of varnish and polyurathan will do. Re-upholsture some old chairs with some of that material you find. I'm not talking the entire piece. Something that has a seat that is worn out and the rest of it is wood or wicker. Just replace the seat with cushion you can find using an old pillow works great and stable a nice pattern material to that and put the seat in place. Paint the wood parts before you replace the seat or varnish it. It's really easy to do. I did a wooden stool and used material that was meant to make a pillow out of that had a wolf scene on it. I did it 12 years ago and I still have it and in tack. It's been thru 3 grandsons.

Redo Lamp shades and lamps, trunks. You can even paint door knobs. Walmart has the scrap book section you can find different paper and stickers you can use to decorate. I used some for my flower pots.

I painted one white and put little dog foot prints around it then sealed it with a polyurathane spray. I sealed all of the ones I did to keep the weather from ruining them. I got a bunch of bushel and 1/2 bushel baskets from a closed fruit market and decorated them, wrapped ribbon on the wire handles added a bow.

 

[areyoumymother]

Quote:
I don't know about you...but....all of the unused/outdated/doesn't fit anymore clothing in my own closets would be a great source for material and don't forget the buttons to decorate and accesorize.

I really love purses that you find at craft fairs/ street markets that are made of old jeans and corduroys. they take a pair of jeans, cut off the legs, sew up the sides and across the bottom add a strap made from the legs and add a zipper or a denim flap with a chunky button.

Also a great gift idea for young adults is to take some of their favorite clothing from when they were younger and make pillows and blanket/quilts for their dorm room beds.

 

[sheaviance1]

Here is an idea of mine that you may gladly steal and use since i haven't used it yet, argh!

I recently made a bread bag. It is three layers, sandwiched together, the size of a store-bought loaf of bread. The layers are muslin, repurposed plastic - from a comforter bag i bought for my bed - and an outer covering of some pretty calico. The purpose of the plastic was to keep homemade bread fresh, longer. It works too. However, I have run across a free source of beeswax. I asked a few very wise people what you could do with it, and one suggested melting it into fabric to keep food fresh longer. Beeswax has antimicrobial properties. I was going to make another bag and skip the plastic liner. I plan to melt the beeswax into the muslin. I have had so many people want to buy my original bread bag, and have been offered quite a bit of money for it. I use a braided leather tie for it, and it just pulls it together at the top. If you were to make some of these, along with some fresh, homebaked bread, I believe you would be a hit at the farmer's market. Not only does it have a nice, country look to display your home baking, but it also works to keep homebaked bread fresh for a lot longer.