Studies show that working with your hands offers many mental health benefits. Crafting diversifies your brain activity, especially for those who do computer work, helping to increase creativity. And the sense of accomplishment in creating something from scratch can decrease stress and anxiety.
Better yet, exploring your creativity may even spark a business idea. If you’re looking for a hobby you can monetize, let’s get crafting! Ahead, explore trending crafts to make and sell, with ideas for every skill level. Learn how to diversify your income and turn your passion into products to sell online, at craft fairs, and everywhere in between.
12 crafts to make and sell
- Tufted rugs and mats
- Paper flowers
- Textile dyeing
- Home fragrance products
- Ceramic or clay plant pots
- Needle felted goods
- Vintage upcycle
- Tote bags
- Woven and knotted home décor
- Handmade beauty products
- Resin and polymer clay jewelry
- Disco ball art
This list of crafts to make and sell is based on popular products sold by online retailers, predictions from crafting sources, and trending craft topics on social media. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Browse craft fairs and social media for DIY crafts that may spark an idea for something completely new. Anyone can sell crafts online once you find the right idea.
Build the handcrafts business you’ve always wanted. Get the training, tools and support you need to help you succeed.
1. Tufted rugs and mats
One trend that’s still going strong is rug making, using a hooking or tufting method. Whether you hook by hand with a punch needle or use a mechanical/electric tufting gun, you can create unique rugs, mats, or textile wall art based on your own designs. The top creators are often fetching hundreds of dollars for one two-by-three-foot rug. It can be a lucrative business if you find your niche.
One brand that rode the wave of this trend when it first surged was Mush Studios. Founder Jacob Winter picked up tufting as a hobby during the pandemic, documenting his process on TikTok. When those videos went viral, he launched his successful brand.
🧶 Tips:
- Offer a custom or made-to-order service, creating tufted rugs to your customers’ specs.
- Starting out in this space will cost you a few hundred dollars for materials, especially if you opt for the tufting gun method. Try a class, if one is offered in your area, to see if you enjoy it before investing.
2. Paper flowers
Paper flowers are simple crafts to make and sell, and potentially can be a fruitful small business idea. The wedding services market is expected to be worth upward of $420 billion by 2030.
Marketing paper flowers as statement-making décor for weddings and events could score you a piece of that very big pie. Tons of free online paper flower tutorials and templates make it easy to get started. Better yet, paper flowers are among the easiest crafts to make and require very little upfront cost to get started.
Brittany Watson Jepsen built her career as a blogger and content creator for a decade before scaling her brand, The House That Lars Built, to include an ecommerce business. Brittany’s handmade paper flower tutorials were a particularly big hit among her followers. Now, she sells kits to help others easily make them from home.
🧶 Tips:
- Find or create designs that can fold down and be unfurled by your customer to save on shipping costs.
- Why not try making and selling craft kits for kids or adults, assembling and cutting elements of paper flowers that customers can assemble at home?
3. Textile dyeing
Tie-dye cycled back into popularity in ’90s, popping up in fashion retailer collections on everything from sneakers to underwear. Tie-dyed goods are easy crafts to make and sell from home, requiring very few materials and skills.You can buy and dye bulk blank t-shirts or tie-dye fabric to sew into one-of-a-kind products, depending on your skill level. Also try traditional Japanese shibori, a trending method of resist-dyeing using natural indigo dye.
Or, make your own fabrics to sew onto one-of-a-kind DIY crafts or handmade clothing—another trending craft for 2024.
🧶 Tips:
- Fabric dye, both synthetic and natural, can be purchased commercially. You can also experiment with making your own dyes with ingredients from your pantry, like avocado skins, turmeric, or teas.
- Tie-dyeing typically can be done using string or elastic to resist dye. But anything can be used for this purpose—try bulldog clips, clothespins, or a wax-resist method like batik.
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4. Home fragrance products
One of the easiest crafts to make and sell online, home fragrance products like candles require no prior crafting experience. And, they’re in demand. Candle making continues to trend and the home fragrance market is expected to reach $38.41 billion by 2032.
You can purchase a basic candle-making kit to experiment with the process of adding essential oils to melted wax. But the possibilities are endless: Get creative and stand out with unique containers/shapes like those by Yui Brooklyn, great branding like Boy Smells, a niche audience like Scent & Fire, or unusual scent combinations like Frostbeard candles.
In a crowded market, what’s your unique selling proposition?
Young brothers Austin, Collin, and Ryan Gill started their candle brand as a home-schooling activity with the help of their mom, Celena. Frères Branchiaux started out selling at craft fairs and is now a seven-figure business with products sold in Macy’s and Whole Foods.
🧶 Tips:
- Other home fragrance crafts to make and sell include room and linen sprays, custom essential oil blends, and natural diffusers.
- If you plan to make and sell candles online, be mindful that they are products susceptible to breakage and melting. Factor this into your packing and shipping strategy.
🎨 Learn more: How To Start a Candle Business (Guide and Examples)
5. Ceramic or clay plant pots
The plant-parent population grew like a weed at the onset of the pandemic, and businesses selling plants and plant accessories harvested the benefits. And, with plant care being a long-term commitment, tangential businesses will see benefits for years to come.There is often a higher barrier to entry to pottery due to the need for specialized ovens (called kilns) to fire the clay. These are often cost- and space-prohibitive, but you can generally find community centers or clay studios that rent kiln time.
Pottery-like plant pots can also be made from air clay or cement (poured into molds) and do not require firing.
Rachel Acosta made a “radical career change” when she quit her job as a data scientist to pursue her pottery hobby as a career. Her brand Glaze Me Pretty sells ceramic plant pots and vases alongside a number of fired goods like dinnerware and soap dishes.
🧶 Tips:
- Take a pottery workshop or class to learn how to work with clay and get access to a kiln.
- Consider other plant accessories like garden markers, hanging planters, watering spikes, or window boxes that can be made from a variety of materials.
- Since pottery is one of the more challenging crafts to make and sell, it’s less saturated than some of the other DIY ideas. It’s still important to find your own aesthetic to stand out from the crowd.
🎨 Learn more: The Ultimate Guide To Selling Plants Online
6. Needle felted goods
Martha Stewart magazine named needle felting as a trending craft to make and sell for 2024. Needle felting is a sculptural wool craft made using a long, thin needle with a series of notches at the tip. This needle is poked into the wool, tangling it as it’s extracted. As the crafter continues this process, the wool becomes more dense and can be shaped into a number of finished products.
Once you get a hang of the technique, this is one of the many easy crafts on this list. Consider making and selling anything from felted wool dryer balls like those in the example from The General Bean above, felted soap casings, ornaments, pet toys, and more.
🧶 Tips:
- With trending crafts, you’ll find a ton of competition in the market. Consider what you can create that differs from what you see from competitors.
- Felted goods make great gifts. Create product collections around gifting holidays like Mother’s Day or graduation and attend local craft fairs during busy shopping seasons.
7. Vintage upcycle
If you’re looking for a sustainable idea for a craft you can do from home, vintage upcycling might be for you. The process involves sourcing vintage or used clothing—maybe pieces that have rips, stains, or dated shapes—and repurposing parts into new products.Upcycled materials from a torn maxi-skirt could become a tote bag; a faded vintage sweatshirt could be cropped and re-dyed; an old t-shirt could be reimagined as a baby hat. The possibilities are endless for this DIY trend.
Frankie Collective upcycles vintage sports jerseys and other goods, mostly from the ’80s and ’90s, into other clothing, like shorts and crop tops.
🧶 Tips:
- You don’t need to have sewing skills or even a sewing machine to upcycle vintage clothing. Try distressing denim or cropping and dyeing tees.
- Consider what’s in demand. Which fashion trends from the past have cycled back? How can you convert less-desirable cuts into modern silhouettes?
🎨 Learn more: How to Sell Vintage Clothing Online: The Ultimate Guide
8. Tote bags
This is one of the most versatile craft ideas on our list, with options for every level of skill and creativity. At the low end, you can buy blank cotton tote bags and personalize them with silkscreening, beading, hand painting, textile dyeing, or embroidering.
For more advanced crafters, sew tote bags from scratch from your own pattern—add pockets, closures, and other details to make yours unique.
Also consider other types of bags you can make. Take this example from upcycle brand Psychic Outlaw. The team turns vintage quilts into a number of accessories, from cosmetic pouches to fanny packs.
🧶 Tips:
- As a sustainable option, upcycle vintage clothing or fabric into a usable tote bag. Consumer trends continue to tip toward brands with sustainable business practices.
- Consider finding a niche in this crowded market. What about tote bags just for wine bottles, totes that convert to backpacks, bags that fold up to fit in a pocket, or totes screen printed with memes and pop-culture references?
- If you truly don’t have a knack for crafting, consider uploading your designs to a print-on-demand partner and have them shipped directly to your customer.
9. Woven and knotted home décor
Woven and knotted textile art has made a big comeback in tandem with midcentury home trends. These home décor crafts have a range of options for every skill set. Macramé is a knotted technique popularized in the Victorian era and revived in the 1970s that can be used to make belts, textile art, and hanging planters.
Searches for “hanging planter” spiked in 2020 and have had sustained interest since, peaking during each spring gardening season. Even better, if you’re looking for easy crafts to make and sell, this craft is perfect for beginners.
Other textile crafts like hanging wall art can be made with a weaving technique using a loom—these can range from a simple wooden frame or hand loom to large electrical power looms.
Obakki works with artisans in Mexico to produce handcrafted home décor like this textile wall hanging, made to order in custom sizes.
🧶 Tips:
- A beginner weaving kit can cost as little at $30 and contains all of the supplies you need to weave a trial project.
- What other woven crafts can you make and sell? Consider placemats, bathmats, soft baskets, throw pillows, DIY rope bowls, or jewelry.
- Follow trends in home and décor when planning your collections. Etsy identified curved shapes, boho details, and wiggle patterns as décor trends for 2024.
10. Handmade beauty products
DIY beauty products can be easy crafts to make and sell—even if you’re not very creative. Dabble with testing simple products (like DIY bath bombs) in your spare time before progressing to more complicated craft ideas like nail polish or lotions.
Once you’ve perfected your product and start to see some success with your business, consider upgrading to working with a lab or factory to produce your products.
That’s what Melissa Butler did when her handmade lipstick line—created in her kitchen—started to take off. Now The Lip Bar products are sold in Walmart, CVS, and in the brand’s own flagship store.
🧶 Tips:
- As handmade beauty products make great gifts, consider building your collections around gift-giving occasions. Gift sets are a great way to bundle products and make shopping simpler for your customers.
- When you’re just starting your craft business, you can save on overhead costs by using upcycled materials like Mason jars for product packaging. Local thrift stores are often good sources for these ideas.
🎨 Learn more: How To Start a Makeup Line in 5 Steps
11. Resin and polymer clay jewelry
Both resin and polymer clay jewelry creations began trending a couple of years ago but are still popping up all over the web because of their versatility and appeal as DIY crafts. Martha Stewart magazine names resin art as one of 2024’s trending crafts.Resin jewelry is often characterized by items like dried flowers “preserved” in a hard, clear substance, while most common polymer clay jewelry is composed of opaque geometric shapes in bold colors.
Both require some upfront investment for materials but have a low learning curve with plenty of online tutorials. Great as a hobby, jewelry is also an easy craft to scale into a side gig, as you can produce multiple pieces in each batch.
🧶 Tips:
- Resin jewelry is slightly more complicated, since it involves mixing chemicals and can be messy. Trial and error will help you avoid bubbles in your creations.
- Polymer clay jewelry can be made by cutting freehand shapes or using mini cookie cutters, then assembling the pieces with jump rings. Invest in a rolling pin designed for this purpose for a more professional finish.
- Consider how this medium can be used beyond jewelry. Think: holiday décor like Christmas ornaments or picture frames.
🎨 Learn more: How to Start a Jewelry Making Business: The Ultimate Guide
12. Disco ball art
One of the trendiest crafts to make and sell in 2024 is disco ball art or mirrored mosaic art goods. This mirrored effect is showing up on everything from bar carts to holiday ornaments.
You can find mosaic tile mirror sheets through many craft and online retailers to create the effect on goods to sell. This trend is especially popular for home décor crafts but can be applied to almost everything. Your imagination is the limit!
Manifestie is a festival wear brand that has gone wild with the trend, bedazzling hats and even decorative helmets with a mirrored exterior.
The disco ball trend has even made its may into makeup trends, with TikTok creators like Miryssa using peel and stick mirror sheets to create this look:
How to find trending craft ideas
When you’re looking for crafts to make and sell, the best place to start is with market research. This includes following trends in the industry. The niche craft communities on TikTok, Pinterest, and Instagram can be a goldmine for DIY ideas. As you engage with content, the algorithms will start showing you similar content, including viral trends within those areas.
Also consider investigating trends through the following sources:
- Etsy Marketplace Insights
- Pinterest Trends
- Google Trends
- TikTok Trend Discovery
- Shopify Trending Products
Get creative and sell crafts online today
Arm yourself with a glue gun and your winning DIY ideas. It’s time to upgrade your skills from a side hobby to selling crafts with your own business. Before you jump into the craft world, though, remember to build a solid brand, write a business plan, and identify your target customer.
Remember to follow trends in DIY crafts and consider seasonality. You’re ready to make and sell crafts from home via an online marketplace or your own branded ecommerce store. Or, meet your customers in person and start selling your crafts through retail stores and craft fairs.
Illustrations by Sophie Gullbrants
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Crafts to make and sell FAQ
How do I learn to make crafts?
Good news: You don’t have to spend years in formal art school to learn how to make DIY crafts. There are several free sources for craft ideas and craft tutorials on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and craft blogs. Many even share links to where to buy materials. Local community centers and colleges may also offer individual courses or workshops to help you start selling crafts quickly.
How do I price DIY crafts that I make to sell?
Pricing your crafts for retail or wholesale can follow simple pricing formulas that factor in cost of materials, fixed costs like rent or utilities, the value of your time and expertise, and your profit margin. Profitable crafts to make and sell are those that can be sold at market value while still covering costs and profit margin. Remember that one-of-a-kind goods inherently have value because of their uniqueness. Look to others selling crafts who make similar products and ensure that you are priced within a reasonable range for the market.
What are easy crafts to make and sell?
Crafts to make and sell can run the gamut from fairly simple to extremely complex, but it’s entirely personal based on your unique skill set and artistic ability. Dabble in multiple types of crafts to see what comes naturally to you. Candles, beaded jewelry, and tie-dying are all craft ideas that can be made by the creatively challenged and without the need to learn to use specialized equipment.
What can I make and sell from home?
You can make and sell almost anything from home. Aside from crafts like pottery or large-scale woodworking projects that require bulky or expensive equipment, you can easily start a home-based business making crafts today. Consider the requirements of each craft and the properties of your space to see if they are compatible. For example, some crafts may require proper ventilation (paints, solvents), a laundry sink or tub (dyeing), a large working space (loom work or rugs), or a stove or oven (candles, polymer clay).
The best craft ideas are handmade items that you can produce with what you have on hand and skills that are easily learned from home. You can sell DIY crafts online from home through your own store or an online marketplace like an Etsy shop.
Where do I sell my crafts?
There are a number of places where you can sell your crafts and market your craft business to make extra money. The best way to build your DIY brand is through your own ecommerce store, where you can sell online directly to your customers. Diversifying your sales channels, however, can help you reach a wider audience. Many crafters opt to sell through an online marketplace like an Etsy shop alongside their online store. You can also start selling crafts at craft fairs or local farmers markets that accept craft vendors.
