Sell Crafts for the Holidays {Make Money Monday}

If you enjoy making crafts, you have an opportunity in the next two months to make some extra income selling crafts for the holidays at local fairs and bazaars. No need to start a business, make an Etsy store, etc.–just ramp up your hobby a bit to have some items to sell to family, friends, or community members at these events.

Image from Pretty Little Polka Dot Boutique

What can you sell?

Keep it simple, so that you continue to have fun crafting even when making multiples of the same item. Years ago, when I was an elementary school teacher, I got together with a friend to make holiday pins. We had a fun afternoon crafting together, then we set up a little display and an envelope in the teachers' lounge. Each pin was only $1, but many bought them in bunches to use as gift tie-ons, stocking stuffers, or to wear themselves. Here are more ideas:

• Use your embroidery machine to personalize items that others give you (onesies, hats, towels, etc.).
• Rubber stamp some card sets–holiday cards or thank you cards sell well this time of year.
• Jewelry makes a great gift–one of my friends enjoys making jewelry and does a table at our mothers of multiples club's holiday fair every year to make a little money to pay for her hobby the rest of the year.
• I know it's not hard to make hair bows, but I still never find the time or inclination, and I'm not alone! Offer hairbows with the colors of your local high school teams, pro sports teams, and more.

Image from Ritzee Rebel at Flickr

Can I sell food?
I know a number of moms who make and sell candy around the holiday season, one who bakes pies (since she loves to bake and many don't), and families who make hundreds of Christmas tamales as tradition and sell them to other families. Use your word-of-mouth connections, like your moms club or church, to let others know what you're cooking. Be careful, though, because some areas have very strict health department laws. It's not the same as hobby-selling your crafts, because food is involved.

What should I charge?
Since this is hobby selling, keep your expenses low. You should charge enough to make a little profit, and make it worth your time. I chose crafts with inexpensive materials and didn't mind having leftover supplies. Plus, I didn't mind having leftover pins and other holidays crafts if they didn't sell, since I could give them as gifts myself. You may find that you can sell more at a fair/bazaar with low-cost goodies (like $1-2) than higher-end items.

Have you sold crafty items around the holidays? What worked for you?

Read through the rest of the Make Money Monday series.

Original image from 401Kcalculator.org