Making Things to Make Money
Making things to make money doesn't have to mean difficult
crafts. Sometimes it can be just simple assembly, not artistry
or craftsmanship. Here are some examples:
Make Money Making Jewelry
I have friends who make and sell elaborate, expensive jewelry.
We are not as artistic, or our tastes aren't as rich, but my
wife and I used to regularly make and sell pendants at flea markets
and craft shows. Our jewelry only involved tying a string to
a pewter figurine or to a coin with a hole in it. There's probably
more money to be made in the well-crafted, fancier jewelry, but
there is a market for all types.
Selling Pewter Figurines
You can buy pewter wolves, dragons, turtles, lighthouses etc.,
from several companies online. Smaller pieces can be bought for
about 20 cents each. My wife puts these on rocks, shells (the
mermaids) and glass gems with E-6000 glue. We sell them for 2
to 10 dollars at craft shows and flea markets. The kids in particular
love the dragons on glass gems or agates.
Pewter Lighthouse on Rock
Walking Sticks
Find a friend who wants his property cleared of the weedy
young poplar trees. Bring a saw and knife. I can make about forty
walking sticks in a day with the easy woods, like poplar, for
example. I buy old leather coats at thrift stores, cut them into
strips and use this to put handgrips on the sticks (after they
dry for a few weeks). The addition of wood burning, feathers,
inset rocks, etc., makes some pricier, but I've had best luck
with the $14-and-under sticks. I've sold them for up to $22 and
wholesaled them for as little as $4 (very basic ones). We sell
them at craft shows and flea markets and have wholesaled them
to buyers who sell them at pow-wows and gun-and-knife shows.
PVC Bow and Arrows
Cut a piece of half-inch plastic pipe to about 3 feet long,
put a slit in each end and put a piece of nylon twine on it.
It is now a bow. I know a man who sells these for $6 at pow-wows
and flea markets. He dresses them with colored tape and includes
one arrow made from a dowel and pointed pencil eraser.
Sandstone Coasters
I don't bother to make things to sell any longer (other than
my ebooks), but I do still like to create things from natural
resources from time to time. Recently I found that I could collect
sandstone pieces while out hiking, and grinding them down to
flat coasters for setting drinks on. I glue cheap felt to the
bottom. I'm not sure what they would sell for, but I imagine
that if someone used the right tools (I just grind them manually
on a cement block), and lived near a good supply of sandstone
like I do, these could be made quickly and easily. They're attractive,
and the stone soaks up perspiration from the glass, so it doesn't
run over the edge and onto the table.
I'll include more ways to make money making things in the
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