1/15/2008

Feeling crafty...

I'm almost at the tail-end of some mass-production card making. Done: Moose Day, Holiday/New Year's (72 this year!), Hogmanay thank-you's. To come: Valentines. Pictures to come when I get the whole scanning thing down. Note to self - scanner from Freecycle?

Having just got off the phone with the mortgage person, though I've thought this for a while, I am now certain I need to have other sources of income. And since the marrying well thing is not working as quickly as it might, I've been wondering if it's feasible/sensible to turn any of my craft activities into an income supplement

Pros: 1) This would be something to fill my nights at home to supplement my ramen-eating, going nowhere existence. 2) Heck, I would be doing crafts more often with this kind of incentive. 3) I would use up some of the craft supplies I have. 4) When I'm slightly out of my ramen-eating days, lets say, in 5-10 years, I will be able to buy more craft supplies!!!!

Cons: 1) Woking for other people means you have to provide what they want to buy, which might not be what I want to make, or the style I want to make it in. 2) Many rubber stamp images are copyrighted, which means I can't sell anything with that image without permission (many images are also not copyrighted, but I would have to be careful with that). 3) Making mass amounts of things of the same design for sets or paopular appeal, or whatnot might get boring real fast and make me not love crafts so much.

One thought is to diversify what I make/sell. Etsy is really a viable option these days, as are local craft fairs and street festivals. Jennifer and I have been talking about getting a table at the Ambler fair this Fall. She would sell books and I would sell book plates etc. This would be a reasonable testing ground, and give me enough time to amass enough stock.


What are your thoughts?


From my notebook: Possible crafts to make and sell
  • Greeting cards (obviously)
  • Book plates/bookmarks (great use for scraps)
  • Stationary sets
  • Earrings (simple charms on wires)
  • Beaded flower things (barettes, jewelry)
  • Crocheted scarves/boas
  • Susiemoose line of products (see, I think the Susiemoose pictures would be great rubber stamps, mug and t-shirt designs, greeting card covers, anything. Susie would be a famous millionaire overnight!!!!!!!)

Do you recognize the beautiful moose at right?

Any guesses?

Look at that fine hippychick dress she's wearing...








5 comments:

Anonymous said...

ummm.... not for nothing, Ms. Social Butterfly, but how many nights are you actually sitting at home eating ramen? I mean, doing crafts to supplement your income is a fine idea, but won't you be doing them between dances?!?

Anonymous said...

I can make moose, but would anyone buy them? I guess we could try...

Don't make earrings: the Charlottesville farmer's market is jam-packed with earring-sellers and one person I know who sells them almost never gets a bite. There's too much supply and not enough demand out there.

Anonymous said...

Hey I know: we can do a series of cards with various archaeological images on them. "Cards Inspired by the Past, designed by a REAL archaeologist", etc etc etc. People eat that stuff up.

Anonymous said...

...And obviously you need to make AND SELL cards for certain Bryn Mawr holidays that ought to be coming up soon...They'll love them, especially if they don't have to make their own and you're an alum...

Joanna said...

I'm trying the card-on-demand route. Someone bit! I'm going to make 4 valentines and earn a week's worth of lunch!