It seems that everyone is building their side hustle. If you love to be creative, consider setting up an Etsy shop to share your gifts and make extra money. You do not have to be able to create a craft from start to finish to find ways to make money on Etsy. In fact, selling kits can be quite lucrative.
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1. Jewelry Made By You
If you love to fiddle with tools, consider taking a class to learn how to polish stones, bend wire, and create your own pendants and gemstones. Depending on where you live, you can also create jewelry from leaves, flowers, and seeds, though you may need to treat them with lacquer or paint to stabilize them. As you build skills, you may want to learn other methods of customization, such as electroforming.
Start simple with your jewelry collection. If your budget is very tight, you can begin with basic chains and simple pendants of one stone. Over time, as you build skills and improve your beading skills, you may be able to create more involved piece. Additionally, make sure you check out:
- thrift stores
- garage sales
- estate sales
- moving sales
At the end of the sale, you may find boxes of stuff that people do not want to have to look at anymore. Large or clunky costume jewelry pieces may not be popular at this time, but these pieces can yield many beads.
2. Jewelry Kits that Others Can Make
If you have an eye for design, consider putting together kits that other can use. Make sure you write out detailed instructions for each project. For DIY kits for children, consider starting with a piece of cardboard or poster board and laying out the project step by step.
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Many people are looking for ways to express their own creativity. If you enjoy creating clay forms or polishing rocks, offer instructions and a small kit of tools to make these individual items. If tools are needed, include them on a list as well.
3. Accessories
The pod wardrobe trend has been around long enough that folks may be tired of those same garments. Selling accessories to folks who just need a splash of color or something different can be quite lucrative.
Create fabric-trimmed barrettes, scrunchies, or scarves to dress up a plain blacktop. Turn a necklace into a purse strap or make custom pocket scarves for the gents headed back to the office.
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Again, hit those thrift stores and yard sales. One single silky scarf can yield the raw goods for many projects. Study up on simple embroidery stitches and create a custom border to add a unique definition.
4. Wall Art
Wall art has changed radically from framed prints, paintings, and posters. If you have a stash of yarn and know how to macramé, consider creating simple hangings in a variety of soft colors. Thanks to the white walls of the minimalist movement, a pastel macramé piece can look amazing on your Etsy shop page. Get a photo of it in natural light.
Consider doing these in pink and blue for baby rooms and in yellow and green for older children. If your skills lead to bigger projects, consider creating heavy-duty pet nets or fruit hangers for home use.
5. Printable Items
For those with an eye for design or calligraphy skills, printable items are an ideal selling tool. Consider designing custom planners for folks headed back to the office. Make sure to include time each day for a bit of creativity, and look for fun quotes to include on a weekly basis to inspire your customers.
Stationary is also a terrific printable that you can turn into a selling point. From custom cards to a simple thinking of you letterhead, your customer can buy your images and print what they need, no shipping fees necessary!
6. Stickers
Stickers are more than just toys and kid stuff. In fact, your Etsy shop can feature stickers that look like stained glass or exotic ceramic tile. In addition to stickers that never come off, consider creating custom sticky notes that share a sentiment that you love. From Have an amazing day! to I am here for you, love… you can share lovely sentiments that your customers will put to use every day.
7. Vintage Items
Vintage is all the rage, and your vintage offerings can feature some one-of-a-kind things. If you have a source for pallet wood and a few tools, you can create barn wood frames for simple sayings, or for your customer to fill as they wish.
For those who do not have the space for barn wood, consider picking up some raw wood items to dye. Brew up a pot of tea and put steel wool in the bottom. As the steel wool rusts, you will create a custom aging dye that is unique to your store.
Brush on gently with a cheap brush and allow it to dry. Stir up the tea as the steel wool rusts for deeper color. Once you get the saturation you want, clear coat the item and fill it with a fabric liner or a clear plastic bin so your customer can fill it as they like.
8. Wedding Items
Rather than trying to match the colors of a wedding far away, consider making custom items for the bachelor and bachelorette party. Group tees, featuring the title of the party goer, are quite popular. Add some sparkle to the bride tee, or pack it with a white headband that features a lacy veil.
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If tees are out of your skillset, create a set of sparkly wine glasses and matching sunglasses loaded with dazzle. Let the wedding planner focus on the big day while you create fun items for the big party.
9. Toys
Custom toys that include the name or initials of a child are big sellers right now. A focus on experiences and coziness in the post-pandemic world means that many parents and grandparents really want something stitched with love.
If you do not have a sewing machine, do your best to find a simple one that does not have a lot of add ons. A machine that will do a simple straight stitch, zig-zag, and reverse can sew up many adorable things that your store can feature.
Once you have a pattern and have done some practice sewing, visit that thrift store again. There are a lot of stuffed toys that can be made from a single bedsheet or even a male dress shirt. Even better, there are many toys that can be made from fleece, which does not ravel.
10. Gift Items
Consider creating custom gift bags and baskets. The legs of old jeans can easily be stitched into a gift bag, and with bandanas from a dollar store, you have a handle. These projects can be hand-stitched quickly and do not require a lot of prewashing. From wine bags to shorter items, the denim gift bag goes together quickly.
A wicker basket in passable shape can be painted and decorated with ribbon or yarn for a custom gift basket. Consider shipping this item with folded tissue so your customer can finish the customization on their own. Add a package of heavy-duty glue dots and a carefully cut cardboard base so whatever gift they choose to give in your basket can be secured to the bottom.
Many people have been feeling lonely and isolated for a while now. They want to give a special gift to their loved ones as they return to the world. Selling kits, empty gift bags, and baskets that can be customized is a terrific way to extend the creative experience. Even if you do not do a lot of sewing just yet, the ability to do a basic flat stitch will improve your Etsy offerings and make ordinary life much easier.
