I need ideas.

**Jaded** · 04-19-2007, 11:09 AM

I have a number of things I could do at home to make money, mostly on my days off, but I need ideas. I used to be very artsy-crafty, but I got out of it over the years. I bought a nice Dremel set, but have never even opened it.

I have access to lots of free materials like tile, wood scraps, etc. from construction sites around here (houses going up every day). I'd like some ideas of things that I could make quickly, rather small things, that might sell in local consignment shops. I have a friend who owns one, and she says she will rent me a space there if I can gather enough stuff. In the meantime, I have a TON of stuff I could sell there just by clearing out my clutter.

Any ideas? I'm open to all suggestions that don't involve lifting heavy objects. LOL I actually thought about doing stepping stones, because that would be big around here, but I don't want to mess with the concrete. It's still a possibility, though. You know, those ones that look like leaves? I have a lot of elephant ears that I could use to make them.

**julieb** · 04-19-2007, 11:23 AM

What do you enjoy doing?? My mom would always tell me to do what I love and the rest will fall into place. She has been right so far.

**FrugalMomof3** · 04-19-2007, 11:33 AM

Since you have access to wood stuff, what about birdhouses, or painted wood items such as house number signs or just house signs with the families last name on it, etc...

I agree that what you find something you love to do it will work itself out in the end.

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 04-19-2007, 03:02 PM

We do birdhouses and make a ton of extra money at craft fairs and plant sales. DH gets the scrape wood off job sites (always ask first) then he paints them with leftover paint, adds tile and other dodads and sells them for $10.00 a piece. At the last sale he sold 400.00 worth in one day. We also get the kids involved with the painting and they love it. Uses up the leftover paints from jobs. He also has taken to making hose guards. 1x1 sticks that go in the ground to keep garden hoses off plants. Again made up from freebies. We've used leftover shingles and tin as roofs also license plates. As I go throught magazines and see pictures of different birdhouses I cut them out for our idea book.
We've also picked up old endtables off the side of the road and recovered them with tile and painted for garden use. Sold at the right price these move too.
Laurie in Bradenton

**julieb** · 04-19-2007, 08:21 PM

WOW I didn't realize you could make that kind of money at craft fairs. (see what I learn on frugal village) I remember one craft fair I went to and a lady had a variety of x-mas ornaments she had made out of dough then baked and painted. She was individualizing each ornament with a name. This lady had a really long line of people waiting. She charged 6.00 an ornament. I thought that was a cool idea and she had to have made alot of money that day because when I went back later her line of customers hadn't decreased at all.

**WigWamChic** · 04-19-2007, 08:29 PM

I make all kinds of beaded things , I also like making clay beads.

**wanderlusting** · 04-19-2007, 08:57 PM

I like the idea of birdfeeders. Have you thought about little garden signs? If you do craft fairs, you can have little signs and then have them personalized with the customer's family name.

Or little wooden plaques with cute sayings like "The cleanest thing in this house is the cat" or "marriage is finding that special someone you want to annoy for the rest of your life" And yes-these are plaques that are hanging in my house

Or maybe you could do personalized wooden plaques that can hang off of children's doors that you can personalize with the child's name??

Good luck with your soon-to-be business!

**Jaded** · 04-19-2007, 09:16 PM

I was somewhere today and was noticing some of those little laminated cards with sayings on them. I bought a couple, and asked where they got them. She said a lady in town makes them on her computer, and laminates them herself. She sells about 100 a month there at that little shop, and she says the lady has about 5 shops in the area that she sells too, and she also sells them online to gifts stores and stuff. Wow! That can't be a really big overhead, you think? I was thinking of gardening quotes with gardening tips on the back. Whatcha think?

**mommy4ever** · 04-19-2007, 09:25 PM

Jaded that's an interesting idea, the cards, that's something I'll have to look into for myself around here(in canada..lol), can you share more on that? I do sewing crafts. Embroidery, applique, etc. Anything personalized is a HUGE hit. I too did a sale with personalized ornaments, and while everyone else around me did nothing, I made $1200 that day. So, it a matter of finding the right thing. I'm currently trying to find something that isn't "just" Christmas, something that can go year round.

**Jaded** · 04-19-2007, 09:38 PM

Actually, it's pretty simple. You can buy the laminating machines at any office supply store, and they're not that expensive. The laminating plastic would probably be your highest cost, that and the colored ink for the printer. But I was thinking I would just print them on green paper in black and white print, so that would save money. They paper cards themselves are about the size of a business card, so you could either cut them, or use that business card paper to print them. I was looking at them, and it seems they use a good grade of paper for them.

I'm thinking maybe a little design on them that I could trace or fill in with markers while I watch t.v. at night. That would save on the color ink, which is pretty expensive, right?

So you'd probably get ten out of a sheet of paper, and you'd have to come up with maybe 25 sayings to make them interesting to everyone. The ones I bought said "A messy kitchen is a happy kitchen, and this kitchen is delirious!" and then there was one with "JUST SAY NO" in the middle, and all around the outside, it said stuff like "dishwashing, yard work, laundry", etc.

These had magnets on them, so maybe the garden tip ones could too, so you could put them up on a frig or something. Maybe even some with little in the top so you could hang them on a chain? Maybe even sell some on a chain, and the extras below? The possibilities are endless, but I'd think it would be cool to have something with tiny little cards with garden tips and recipes on it. I'd buy them!

**sunshine** · 04-19-2007, 10:49 PM

For the wood scraps . . my son has a jig saw and he makes "chunky" puzzles for toddlers. He uses coloring book pages to cut out shapes (typically farm animals, since we're in farm country), then cuts the shapes into puzzle pieces. Sometimes he paints them with non-toxic paints, sometimes he just leaves them plain. He generally gets over $5 for each 3-5 piece puzzle.