The Comfy Crafting Cafe Challenge

wordsfan

Oo i got a kindle for my birthday. Covers for those and ipads a great idea.

Sugar_Coated_Owl

Do anyone of you sell your craft makes as a business or just do it as a hobby? x

Bev_B

I was wondering the same, up until now my crafting has been a hobby and I do it as & when suits but now I may be made redundant I'm thinking it may be time to go self employed and take it more seriously.

teeni

Hi,
I have a business selling my hand knits, Have a selling page on facebook, sell on ebay,etsy and folksy and craft fayre's. Also take orders directly for people. Whilst I could n't live on the takings alone as a second income it adds enough for holidays etc.

Recently I have started selling Yarn, needles and sets which can be given as gifts.

As someone said a bit earlier in this thread it is a case of finding a good seller and perfecting your craft, people will only pay for perfection and it has to wash well as legally items have to be fit for purpose.

If you have a skill it has to be worth the effort, I found getting the pricing right was the hardest . finding a price people were happy to pay and i was happy to accept for all the work involved.

Pennywise2012

psychopathbabble wrote: »

I was thinking about attempting those ruffle scarves for christmas presents for OH's mum and sister. Where is the best place to get patons pirouette yarn from? I was looking on fleabay and it's around £11... is this good?

I'm an utter amateur at knitting, but I did a ruffle scarf with Sempati Firfir and it turned out alright (IMHO haha). I got the ball for 50p in the reduced section of a wool shop, but on ebay they had them for a fiver. I used one 100g ball, did 6 stitches to a row, and it came out long enough. HTH xx

cazmanian_minx

Sugar_Coated_Owl wrote: »

Do anyone of you sell your craft makes as a business or just do it as a hobby? x

I started off with that intention, but quickly realised that nearly everybody else was better at it than I was So I started selling the components of what I made instead and now it's a full time business from home - it's a great way of being around things I love all day without the pressure of being creative all the time in a very crowded and competitive market.

Sugar_Coated_Owl

I've done so much research over the last month or so re: selling crafts online and I'm hoping I've found my niche (I think that's the right word lol).

I've researched those that sell similar craft items to what I will be selling so I am aware of the competition. I've also contacted many suppliers to try and get the best deal on supplies and postage and packaging (this can really be a real killer these days what with the recent price Royal Mail price hike).

To start with I'm just giving away a few things that I've made for free and then hopefully with word of mouth I will attract some paying customers.

I've registered with online shops such as Etsy, folksy, eBay, Art Fire, DaWanda and eCrafter. I have started making my own website with Create. I've bought both the .co.uk and .com domain.

This year I've started a blog with Blogger.com, I've only made 5 entries since January and only have 5 followers so it's early days yet. I know I need to blog more often so that my blog gets higher up in google. I've submited my blog to a couple of directories so I'm hoping that might drive a little traffic to it.

I'm also a member of a few different forums which I think helps especially those forums that permit links in your signature.

I've also got a couple of adverts out there, most have been free to list but there was one that I paid for just to test the water really.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. I hope that it helps someone that might be reading this thread. Any questions feel free to ask or send me a PM. I like receiving mail lol.

shadybrady

Just wondering if this thread is for all types of crafts, my wife and I are slowly getting into crafting but time is tight with 3 kids (5, 3 and 1) and trying to refurbish the house on evening and weekends !!

My wife started first doing sock cupcakes and hand made cards, and I will be soon doing some metalwork sculpture (recycled metal sculptures / bubble wands etc).

Not sure how much extra income it will generate as my wife tends to spend too much time making them perfect before selling !!

Adam

Sugar_Coated_Owl

I haven't been posting on this thread for long but you are very welcome here

I'm very much like your wife - a perfectionist.

fairyclicks

amancalledmartin wrote: »

Thanks ever so much, fairyclicks! Have posted on there. Also put some details on craftsforum.co.uk and stallfinder.co.uk. Had a couple of enquiries but absolutely no idea where from as they came in on my e-mail.

You guys are making some lovely things on here. I love browsing and seeing what everyone else is making. I love the sewn pieces especially because I can't sew for toffee and I always envy people who can.

I have a couple of enquiries for you from the page would you like to PM me your email and i can pass them on xxx