Home Business Ideas - Arts and Crafts

Part one:

However, although most crafts are made to look like individual, ‘antique’ like
goods they are usually nothing of the sort. A considerable industry has grown up
to produce crafts on a huge basis - such is the vast demand.

You too can exploit this business. Craft making usually doesn’t need
sophisticated equipment or skills - indeed, hand made things are an advantage.
You can produce them individually as and when you need the money!

If you don’t feel offering a ‘useful’ product or service is interesting enough
for you then try crafts. The successful products that have no good use
whatsoever!

Profit Potential

When entering the crafts business it is important to realize, and abide by, the
unique profit potential built into crafts.

Quite simply, most crafts are made from ultra cheap parts. In some cases you can
get these free! Many crafts are often made from rubbish. This makes your
products very, very low in production cost - there are no expensive machines or
overheads either.

The crafts business is not a chance to sell anything in the form of a craft!
Successful items must have certain characteristics that make them attractive to
customers, and hence benefit from the price advantages. When lining up crafts
for manufacture/selling, try and incorporate these advantages:

• Attractiveness. Must look ‘nice’!

• Curiosity. Ideal crafts are often a conversation piece.

• Hand made. No mass production techniques.

• Natural ingredients. Wherever possible, no plastics etc!

• Compact sized. Crafts are rarely large items as they must be suited to impulse
sale.

• Original. Should be unique for each customer, even if in a small way.

• Standard/Recognizable. Must be obviously a craft or curio, and obviously for
display purposes.

• Price - Not high, not too low. Probably about $5 - $15 is optimum.

You may be able to think of many more points. Just remember that crafts are
usually bought because they are ‘interesting’ or ‘nice’. Let that be a guide to
what customers want.

How To Make Crafts

If you are going to deal in crafts it is probably best to actually have them
made especially for you. This way you can ensure they meet the necessary
criteria, and benefit from the enormous mark ups! One viable alternative is to
import them from low wage countries.

Most crafts don’t need specialized skills or equipment. The production processes
necessary can often be picked up from crafts books at the local library. Crafts
don’t have to be consistent in quality!

You may decide to produce them yourself - and most can be made safely at home in
a garage or garden shed. Employ members of your family for a successful ‘cottage
industry’!

Do remember though that self production limits your output. So, a lucrative
alternative is to use home workers to do all the work for you. They can work at
home, thus cutting costs to the bone. You just deliver/collect crafts and tell
them what to do. Pay could be by commission, and even as little as 10% might be
adequate.

At all times produce crafts efficiently at absolute minimum cost. Prices may be
high but efficient production makes your profits sky high!

How To Sell

Selling is actually the easy part with crafts. Because, they literally sell
themselves! Everyone likes to buy little ‘odds and ends’! And, retailers know
the inherent attraction and profitability of craft products. You only need to
build a handful of sales contacts for a regular income.

Look mainly to sell crafts in country, coastal, resort and ‘tourist’ areas.
Though, crafts sell well in all places nowadays.

One excellent way of selling is on your own stall – either at a crafts fair or
perhaps a road or market pitch where allowed. You may sell only a few items, but
margins are high.

One lucrative possibility is to sell direct to crafts and other shops - means a
regular income. For big business you could sell to wholesalers who sell to such
shops. Maybe even start your own craft shop!

If you want the ideal home business consider that some craft products are ideal
for mail order selling - in appropriate newspapers and magazines. An interesting
alternative is to export your products. Quality British crafts might sell well
in some countries, especially the USA!

The potential for selling your crafts is truly enormous. But, part of the fun is
seeking out your own lucrative demand. People want crafts - it’s up to you to
just find them!

 

Some Suggestions

Up until now the term ‘crafts’ has been used very generally. But, it can be used
to cover thousands of attractive, interesting products. Anything with a certain
novelty or curiosity value might bea ‘craft’. Keep an open mind.

Following, you will find a list of proven crafts. And, There’s no reason why you
can’t copy the general ideas. Also - it is quite up to you whether you produce
just one line, or many for much more money!

Candles. One of the all time successes! Scented and decorated candles sell fast
at high prices. Candles can be produced at home with basic safety precautions -
consult a specialist supplier.

Food. This can be a great craft line, though note food regulations. ‘Old
fashioned’ sweets are one possibility!

Clothes. These are a larger, but high potential line. Cotton prints and ‘hand
knits’ are the major areas to explore. Study designs very carefully - could lead
to something big!

Shells & Rocks. Articles made with or decorated with sea shells are popular.
Otherwise consider polished stones and semi-previous minerals. Some of these
items can be carefully prepared and turned into quite valuable jewelry.

Junk. Many things you might term ‘junk’ can be turned into unique, interesting
crafts. One possibility heard of concerned the sale of pieces of wood from an
old church attractively polished and shaped into a crucifix.

Pottery. One of the most interesting craft lines, and could turn into a
considerable business! Some investment would be needed in equipment though.

Wickerwork. Anything woven is attractive making a pleasant alternative to
plastics. Possibilities range from baskets to place mats!

Scented items. Potpourri and lavender products have always been a big seller.
There is also the chance to produce natural cosmetics (check for safety).

Photographs/Prints. Original framed photos or sketches/watercolors, even oil
paintings make good craft lines. If you are not talented it is amazing how many
good amateurs there are.

Semi-Antiques/Reproductions. Anything that looks like an antique can sell fast.
For example brass work, jewelry, small wooden items are good. Don’t sell as
genuine antiques though.

Really, this is just a selection of craft lines you could succeed with. There
are so many, and you only need one to start.

A Final Note

You are sure to agree that most of the craft products considered are completely
useless. And, it is that which makes them successful. People don’t buy crafts
for their functional use - they buy them to look nice - to enjoy. It’s a basic
human need and one reason why crafts can succeed.

Sheer proof that not all business successes have to be up to the minute!

#2. Shadow Box Art

Just about everyone has a collection of keepsakes that they would like to have
organized and attractively displayed. You can set up a business in which you
take your client’s memorabilia and organize it in a shadow box for display.

Making shadow box art is easy. You can buy the shadow boxes from any craft
store. In addition, you will need fabric (for the background), scissors, glue
gun, glue sticks and, of course, the items to be displayed.

1. Remove the existing backboard and fabric from the shadow box and use as a
guide for cutting the new background piece.

2. Place the cardboard insert in the center of the coordinating fabric. Cut
around the edge, leaving the excess to be folded over each edge. Pull one long
side of the fabric tight around the insert, and secure that side with the glue
gun. Take an adjoining side, and bring it on top. Tuck the fabric at the corner
like you are wrapping a package, and glue down. Take the other adjoining side
and repeat the process. Before gluing the last side, check for wrinkles on the
front and smooth before tucking the corner and securing with glue.

3. Position the items on the background. Before securing, put the frame over the
fabric to see if you like the placement. Adjust as necessary.

4. Remove the frame, and attach the items to the fabric with a glue gun in the
desired arrangement. Place the insert in the frame, secure the back, and hang.

#3. Manufacturing Lap Desks

Have you ever heard of a lap desk? They are devices — usually made of light
weight wood or foam board — that fit over your lap and give you a hard surface
to write correspondence on. They usually have a lid lift to hold pens, stamps,
letters, envelopes, etc.

During the days prior to telephones, faxes, voice and e-mail, letter writing was
a necessary art form. Lap Desks were popular because full size desks were
expensive.

Now, lap desks are making a comeback. They are a great for setting in front of
the TV or out on the patio and writing or addressing envelopes, paying bills,
etc. They are sort of like a low tech lap top computer!

You can build lap desks in your home and sell them locally at craft shows or
through consignment.

#4. The Business Of Candle (And Soap) Making

Basic Requirements for Candle Making

• A place to work (it is too dangerous and messy for the kitchen),

• Adequate storage space for materials,

• A relatively cool place to put finished candles (they will sag in hot
temperatures),

• Utensils to melt and blend the waxes, molds and wax additives.

• Startup supplies should include wax (sold in sheets or slabs), colors, stearic
acid, temperature gauge, double broiler, a heating medium, molds and mold
accessories (wick, lead, clay, etc.).

Equipment and supplies to get started at the crafts level should run in
neighborhood of $200 from a professional supplier.

The candle making process is not complicated, but does require time and
attention to detail for safety reasons as well as product quality.

Melting wax is highly volatile and can catch fire easily (this is why double
broilers are used) if one isn’t very careful. In the standard molding process,
raw wax is melted and brought to about 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

During this time, certain additives such as stearic acid, colors and scents are
added. Meanwhile, the mold is cleaned and sprayed with release (silicon). A wick
inserted from the bottom and tied to a stick across the top and the hole in the
bottom sealed with clay.

Note that the top of the mold equates to the bottom of the candle, and vice
versa! Heavy lead wires (weights) are wrapped around the bottom of the mold.

The mold placed in a convenient position to receive the hot wax. When the wax is
ready it is slowly and carefully poured down the side of the mold to prevent
bubbles from forming. The mold is filled to the top.

The remaining wax is kept at ready temperature and used to refill the hollow
that forms as the wax shrinks a natural result of the cooling process.

During this process the mold is frequently placed in cool water to speed the
cooling process (the reason for the lead wire). If the candles is meant to be
hollow (like hurricane candle) the still molten center is poured back as soon as
the sides cool to the desired thickness (about 1/2 inch). When cool, the candle
is removed from the mold, the wick trimmed and any final touches made.

Molds can be solid plaster of pairs, metal or metal shells, or flexible plastic.
The flexible plastic and metal molds are the most popular. It is difficult to
make your own molds for many projects. Most anything can be used for a mold –
from hollowed out wet sand to paper cones.

To make a flexible rubber mold, coat the subject with the commercial silicon
formula and paint on successive coats (after each coat dries) of compound until
the desired thickness is reached.

Allow your mold to cure and then simply peel it off and start making casts. The
procedure for using most molds is similar except that some need to be fastened
together (2 or more parts and some need to be supported (in sand, plaster or
even water).

There are unlimited variations that can result in strikingly different and very
impressive candles.

One is dipping a partially formed candle into vats of different colored wax, and
then peeling back layers with a knife to reveal the contrasting colors and
textures.

Another is filling a cavity in damp sand with wax, which yields a candle with a
sandy surface.

One “secret” technique was discovered by accident. A rubber mold was made of a
wooden statue purchased in the Philippines. The statue had been made by
aborigines who used shoe polish for a “stained” finish.

The heat from the mold curing process caused the shoe polish to break away from
the wood and mar the smooth finish. The resulting mold imparted a pitted or
frosted type surface to the molded candle — not desired (and expected) smooth
shiny surface.

The candle maker made several black candles and applied bronze. “rub and Buff”
and the results were fantastic. The candles looked like they were made of solid
bronze and sold like wildfire!

The way to get started is to order supplies and begin as a craft or hobby. Get
your wax from as close to home as possible to save on freight (you will need
about 50lbs. to start). When you feel confident of your ability and have a
pretty good idea of the market, you are ready to consider becoming a business.
Make up some samples, take some pictures and sell.

The difficult part is marketing (due to competition from commercial, import and
hobby candle makers). Some suggested techniques are:

• Concentrate initially on a few items that you can produce expertly on a fairly
large scale for wholesaling to gift stores. Examples: Anniversary or hurricane
candles.

• Develop an “original” candle or series and market them as exclusives, either
wholesale or retail. Examples: Statue of local hero, school emblem.

• Visit local retailers and ask what they could use at what price; plan your
production with their responses in mind.

• Set up a display (rent a window in a vacant store) to show candles you have to
offer; include a sign with your number or address.

• Organize candle making classes, charge a fee and sell not only the finished
products but supplies as well.

• Rent a booth at a good flea market each holiday season and “test” the market
and sell of any remaining stock.

• Have professional pictures taken of your best work, make up a catalog or send
the pictures and descriptions (of candles you can mass produce) to catalog
houses.

One candle may be highly profitable if it is a work of art. Note that candle
making does not restrict you to wax only. You can sell other items that are
decorated or complimented by candles, such as driftwood centerpieces with
candles.

Soap making is very similar to candle making in that they are both molded,
colored, and scented.

In fact, many of the molds and ingredients are interchangeable. Plaster craft is
also related (the same molds can be used, so long as they are thoroughly
cleaned).

For ceramics you use totally different and much more expensive equipment, though
many of the artistic skills are very similar.

The most glaring potential problem area in candle making is the danger of fire
from the wax. Don’t even THINK of melting wax without a good double broiler and
fire extinguisher handy.