Turning your crafts into cash is tricky yet very easy. If you enjoy creating and you constantly hear people telling you that you should sell your creations, it may be time to venture into the world of selling your crafts for money. Like all things, entering the world of selling crafts should be carefully planned out. There are many websites and venues where you can sell your crafts both online and off.
Online venues are a great way to reach customers all over the world. Popular websites like Etsy are great tools that help to reach your targeted customers. Before taking the plunge into selling your crafts, be sure to take the time and do some research beforehand. Keep the following questions in mind as you consider the prospect of selling your creations:

Do I have a product that people would want to buy?
This is the most important question you have to ask yourself. If there is no target market for your products, you will have a hard time selling your creations and not because your items are not nice, but they may not be in demand.

Who is my potential target market?
This is a continuation of the question above because you need to know who to advertise to and how to successfully draw your target market to your items. It would be a waste of time trying to sell baby clothes, for example, to those who do not have children.

What will I charge for my creations?
Pricing is an important strategy. All too often, people undercharge for their creations forgetting to take into consideration the time and materials that go into a product. Make sure you account for both the cost of the materials as well as the time and effort you put forth to create your goods. Also, be sure not to overcharge. You may find that your items do not sell because they are overpriced.

Where will I sell my craft items?
Online websites are plentiful when it comes to selling handmade goods. There are websites such as Etsy who only allow the sales of handmade goods, along with supplies. eBay is also another popular venue to sell handmade goods. Be aware though, that you will be competing with the other goods that are not handmade and may be cheaper. A good description of the item and its benefits is always a good idea.

If you choose to sell locally, try finding a store that will sell your items on consignment or sign up to exhibit at a local craft show. Both will be good for exposure. If you choose to go the consignment route, be sure to get all terms in writing. Otherwise, you run the risk of having your items kept and not paid for.
It is very possible in the current day and age to make some spending money selling your crafts. Be sure to do your research and follow through your plan by keeping the above questions in mind. Once you have your plan in mind, go ahead and take the plunge. But remember, like anything else, you will get in return what you put forth so make it worth your while.
Be sure to leave your questions and comments below.

We all use soap. In the old days, most people made their own. Today, we are much more likely to buy it from the store. There are lots of brands to choose from, and each brand has various formulations and scents.

But making your own soap has some definite advantages. One of the most significant is the price. We can make soap much cheaper than we can buy it. Making it ourselves also gives us complete control over the ingredients, so we can create a soap that’s perfect for our skin type in a scent of our choice.

Making soap is much easier than you might think. It is, however, important to take certain safety precautions. Here’s a basic recipe:
Ingredients
* 12 cups lye crystals
* 5 cups softened water
* 6 pounds lard

Instructions
1. Put water in a glass or plastic bowl. Carefully pour lye into water, stirring constantly with a plastic or wooden spoon. This should be done outdoors or in a well-ventilated area because it produces caustic fumes.
2. Mixing lye and water produces heat. When the lye is completely dissolved, set the mixture aside to cool.
3. Place lard in a stainless steel or enamel pan. Melt over low heat.
4. Allow both the lye solution and the lard to cool to room temperature.
5. Slowly pour the lye solution into the lard, stirring slowly and constantly with the plastic or wooden spoon.
6. Continue stirring after all of the lye solutions has been added. Drizzle a small amount of the mixture into the pot periodically. When the soap keeps its shape for a moment before sinking into the mixture, you can add scent, color, and herbs.
7. Pour the soap into a mold greased with Crisco. Wrap in a towel, and let sit for about 18 hours or until completely cooled. Uncover and let sit for 12 more hours.
8. The soap may now be unmolded and cut into bars. Let the bars cure for 3 to 4 weeks before using.
Customizing Your Soap

There are lots of different ways you can customize your soap. To make the best soap for your skin type, you may want to use different oils. Some that are commonly used include olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and shea butter. The correct amount varies depending on which oil you use, so look for recipes online or in books until you get the hang of it.

Essential oils have therapeutic properties and add fragrance. Oatmeal, cornmeal and other grains can be added as exfoliants. And skin-safe colorants may be used to produce the desired color. These ingredients should be mixed together and added to a cup of the soap mixture, then stirred into the rest of the soap mixture immediately before pouring into the mold.

Making your own soap is easy, and it can be lots of fun. Coming up with the perfect concoction for your skin is rewarding, and sweetly scented homemade soaps make wonderful gifts for any occasion.
Please leave your questions and comments below.

Starting a shop on Etsy is very easy. The hardest aspect of starting an Etsy shop is coming up with the kind of crafts you are comfortable creating, in order to supply the market you are targeting. If you don’t want to build your own crafts, you may source vintage items and sell them at reasonable rates.

There are upsides and downsides to everything in life, the same can be said about the kind of products you supply. I personally think it is best to create your own crafts for sale, in fact, no one knows about your creations as you do, hence you stand a better chance at selling your products just to mention one of the advantages.

A disadvantage is that the going rate for your crafts needs to be very competitive as lots of other vendors may already be selling the same or similar crafts. As for vintage items, one advantage is that the going rates are mostly high which is a good thing and the disadvantage is locating and gathering vintage items for your store which can be tedious and costly most times but if you like what you do you will find a way, not an excuse.

After coming up with your products, locate a supplier for your raw materials. I personally purchase all my supplies from the Etsy Club, I get a wide range of quality materials at reasonable rates and they are shipped right to my doorstep. Here is a link I added for your convenience.
Once you are through coming up with the kind of products you are comfortable with, Go to Etsy.com, click on the link “Sell” then click on Open Esty Shop and follow through with the process. Signing up is very easy but we will make a separate post with a total walkthrough on Etsy’s sign up process and product listings.

Once you are through signing up and verifying your Etsy store you may start listing the products you will be selling. Each product lists attract a small cost. Try to use professionally taken photos for all product listings.

Now, Simply purchase all raw materials needed from start to finish of your product depending on the kind of products you are creating. At first, you may not need to purchase a mass amount of supplies as it is best to supply on-demand but purchase enough to have materials left over for a few more finished products. Sometimes you may get deals of which if you purchase a certain amount of materials you get discounts, try to maximize on all opportunities when it comes on to business.

In some cases, you may need to wait until an order is placed before purchasing your raw materials as it is totally dependent on the product you are supplying.
This is a general outline of starting an Etsy Shop. Please leave your comments below if I missed anything if you have a question, concerns.

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