• Using your supplies to make crafts to sell can help you to profit from your favorite pastime.craft a card! image by Shirley Hirst from Fotolia.com
  
  If you're especially crafty and love to create homemade items in your spare time, you may be able to turn your hobby into a money-making venture. There are a number of crafts that you can make and sell, and you may be able to use your craft expertise to start a business that you enjoy.
  
  

Jewelry and Beaded Crafts

• Original jewelry pieces are sure to attract fashion-conscious customers in your neighborhood, and you can arrange to sell your products online as well. Use feathers or pearls to fashion earrings and brooches to make the pieces especially eye-catching, and use nickel-free or stainless steel hooks and earring backs to make the jewelry more appealing. Necklaces that showcase certain birthstones or precious stones will help to attract more customers to your crafts, and you can even take personalized orders and create necklaces and bracelets with lettered beads spelling the customer's name.
  
  Beaded crafts can be simple and fun to create as well, and will complement the jewelry you've created. For instance, you can sell items like keychains made from the same stones you used for a pair of earrings, or cell phone covers in the color of pearls you used for a customer's necklace.
  
  

Knitted and Crocheted Crafts

• If you are a skilled knitter or know how to crochet, you can come up with a number of crafts to sell. Since knowing how to crochet means that you can provide several gifts to different types of customers, you may want to focus your attention on providing crafts for a specific group. For instance, you can market your craft business by making hats and booties for babies, or crocheting pot holders and coasters for homemakers. In the fall and winter months, you can also market scarves and hats for individuals looking for one-of-a-kind outdoor gear that can't be found in stores. Use reasonable pricing for your items to help attract a constant stream of consumers.
  
  

Seasonal Items

• If you love the holidays, and have been putting together specialty crafts for your friends and family for years, you may want to start selling seasonal items in order to make some extra cash. For instance, you can put together specialty Easter eggs that are designed with the colors or jewel accents that customers request. Put together designer Easter eggs for families of children who are celebrating their first Easter by painting the name of the child and images such as Easter bunnies or flowers on large plastic or porcelain eggs. You can also customize Christmas ornaments by asking customers to give you family portraits that you can turn into centerpieces for holiday bulbs or framed tree ornaments. By only offering these crafts during the appropriate seasons, you can increase the demand for your crafts each year.