I used to be in the arts and crafts business. I made and sold all kinds of things. I’ve always been creative, but it took me a couple of years to discover that there was a market for such items. Then it took me a couple of more years to learn how to make money with arts and crafts.

My first “store” was a yard sale at my mom’s home. She lived in a suburban neighborhood with lots of neighbors, and since she lived just a block from a shopping mall, I knew we’d get a lot of traffic if we advertised. We had lots of prospective buyers that day, and we sold tons of stuff! Even better, the sale was right after Thanksgiving, so we got a lot of orders for Christmas. I was very encouraged.

I continued selling my crafts to regulars. I also continued coming up with new ideas and new products. I began taking wooden cheese boxes, sanding them, and painting the lids with deer, quail, ducks, lighthouses, geese, and other designs. Whenever I went to town shopping, I carried a finished box with me. I don’t know how many of these I sold!

That February, I came up with a design for wooden bunny baskets. I made three for my kids and personalized them with the kids’ names. I sent a couple to school with my teacher friends and immediately began getting orders.

Meanwhile, I was scouting arts and crafts fairs and festivals. I looked for ideas, and I noted which booths were the most successful. Why were people drawn to certain booths? What kinds of items were the best sellers?

Back to the bunnies. Orders for these Easter baskets were coming in so fast that I had to actually hire some help in order for me to keep up. I finally managed to make a few extras to take to craft fairs.

I set up my tent at the fair in an attractive manner – one that was customer friendly. Prices were plainly marked, and I held back a few items for display only. Customers could place orders for these items. They paid a deposit, game me their name and number, and I, in turn, gave them a receipt and my card. I called them when the item was ready. By this time, I was making wooden rabbit baskets in my sleep!

After Easter was over and the bunny basket craze had calmed down, I continued doing craft fairs. I always tried to do a lot of seasonal items and to have my booth attractively decorated according to the season. This definitely drew in more customers.

About this time, I began to place a few items in gift shops and boutiques on consignment. I named my price, and the store added 15% for their cut. A few stores wanted a much higher percentage, which I refused to go along with. The resulting price would be too much to charge consumers. I looked around until I found reasonable rates.

Another way to market your wares is to print some simple flyers. Have a pic of the items, a brief description, and your phone number. Pass them out to friends and ask them to post the flyers on community bulletin boards at work. Leave no stone unturned!

Of course, now, with the ubiquitous computer and internet, you have the world at your finger tips. Place your items on Ebay or start your own website. Just remember that if you have something different and unique to offer, along with a reasonable price, you’ll do well. Make sure your site is attractive and user-friendly, too.

To make more profit, order supplies online in bulk. If you don’t need a large quantity of supplies, try to find someone to half an order with you. You might be surprised how many people are into arts and crafts!