Continuing along let’s move past the arts and crafty talents involving paint brushes and paint and move along to ideas for those who aren’t quite so good with a paint brush, after all not everyone can paint a Picasso style painting.
Job #7
Enjoy working with wood and your hands? Consider making custom pieces of furniture, I have an Uncle who does this very thing and sells pieces for a minimum of $1,000 apiece. He currently has a 2-year long waiting list, with people paying a 50% deposit on most pieces when they order it, just to wait approximately 2 years to actually receive the piece. As you can tell, he is highly successful and makes his entire living off of this. This is something that he loves to do with every fiber of his being and I am sure he is not the only person who is like this. If my Uncle reminds you of yourself, consider the custom furniture business.
While not all aspiring artists are going to enjoy a 2-year long waiting list, it is possible to build up this type of business over years of hard work. My Uncle has done everything from Charity donations, to Arts and Craft Shows, and Furniture contests to help build up his name recognition. No, it has not been easy but he loves it, and greatly loves being able to be quite free and artistic.
Job #8
Enjoy some decorating and sewing all at the same time? Homeowners are always looking for once again unique ideas to customize their home at reasonable prices and quick response time. Enter the custom drapery business. Meet with clients in their home to see their color preferences, discuss different fabric options, and create a plan. Sew the drapes up, install, and then bask in a job well done. Something like this costs relatively little money to get started in, only real equipment needed is a sewing machine.
Worried that your machine is not good enough, simply use a basic machine until business starts to build up, once sales increase and you are making more money add more advanced and professional equipment. Newly purchased homes make a great place to focus your advertising efforts since most newly purchased homes need some redecorating to make the new owners happy. Being able to be open minded, creative and work well with quick turn around time are going to be essential to making this business work. Being able to have a large array of fabrics and colors to choose from will help this business really spark. To market you can work with local real estate agents to locate newly purchased houses, and drop off a small housewarming gift, along with a business card describing your business.
Job #9
Quilt Makers are also highly treasured. The more varied your skills are the more likely you are to stay busy. I personally paid almost $100 for a crib-sized quilt that would match the decorating theme we were doing for my oldest daughter when I was pregnant with her. We still to this day have that quilt and it is still treasured by my daughter. If you are making even more unique pieces that include special sentimental clothing for the client then you are able to charge even more. Many people highly cherish quilts that hold a very sentimental value to them.
As long as you are, open-minded and willing to think from the clients perspective and make a quilt that will leave them with a happy tear in their eye you are quite likely to remain very busy. Once again, craft shows are great ways to market. Another idea, check with local hospitals and see if you can include a business card for your services inside one of the numerous diaper bags they hand out to new parents when they are delivering their babies. Often new parents want to have a great way to symbolize their child’s first outfits and a great quilt is a wonderful way of doing that.
Job #10
Enjoy the latest fashion trends, perhaps designing purses and tote bags is your idea of a great time. I attended the Arts and Craft show in Bell Buckle, TN recently and left with both of my kids clinging to adorable handmade purses. One was a Care Bear design, the other a princess design. The bags themselves only cost me $8.00 each and I paid an extra $2.00 to have their names stitched onto them to make them more unique. My kids are still happy with the bags and carry them everywhere they go. While waiting on my kids bags to be stitched, the woman running the booth literally sold 30 other bags! I was thoroughly impressed with the volume of business she was doing. She said that at the rate sells were going she would be sold out of stock after just the first day of the fair!
That is incredible volume for anyone to accomplish, and if you are good at sewing and have access to a great variety of fabrics, then this could well be your little niche. Purse’s, diaper bags, and tote bags are just a small variety of the endless possibilities that you can offer. Sell at flea markets, craft shows, and even online in the online auctions to help spread the word.
Job #11
This fits into Job #10 a bit, but monogramming is a hot trend. People love having their initials or even their name monogrammed onto that special item. Whether it is a towel, jacket or shirt it is something that is highly popular. Whether you do just standard and basic designs, or get elaborate and go all out depends upon your experience level and the abilities of your machine. Each monogram should not take long at all to complete, which means you should be able to work through some serious business.
Job #12
Most people enjoy Halloween for various reasons; if you also enjoy Halloween then some great seasonal work could include sewing handmade costumes. A lot of time and creativity will be necessary; however, I personally dislike strongly the cheaply made plastic costumes that keep appearing in my local stores. For a bit of extra money I would prefer something that is made of real material and fabric and will help protect my child from the elements in the event that the night is cold and windy. Inspiration for new costumes can be reached by just watching television for hot cartoons and actors each season. If you dislike the idea of spending lots of money with no guarantees, then you can always accept orders for specific costumes and only make what is actually ordered.
Check back in the next installment for even more great work from home ideas.
Continue looking around seeking sources of inspiration and look for what makes you happy to set yourself free from stress and working for someone else.
