100+ Crafts to Make & Sell from Home

Making and selling crafts isn’t as simple as looking up an idea, learning how to make it and setting up a website or displaying it at a craft show to sell.

You must find a unique angle for your crafts if you want to stand out and sell more. There isn’t a craft that doesn’t have competition but finding a niche for your product will help you lessen the competition.

If you’re looking for a list of specific products (instead of ways to come up with new ideas for products), please visit:

THIS YEAR’S CRAFT TRENDS

 

KEYS TO FINDING A NICHE

Finding a niche isn’t about coming up with an idea that hasn’t been done; it’s about finding a focus for your crafts. When you find a profitable product that incorporates a pain point, passion, feature or combination of all three, your business should revolve around it…not it and 20 other products for different customers.

Here are a few areas to explore to find your niche:

 

1) Pain points

Consider the frustrations and problems related to your product that people may have and if you can offer a solution.

For each category, I’ve shared a few examples of pain points but try to come up with some on your own. A great way to brainstorm pain points is to imagine you’re asking your ideal customer the question: “Why haven’t you purchased ______________ yet?” 

For example, a vendor selling (or considering selling) gold hoops might work through the exercise as follows:

Why haven’t you purchased those gold hoops yet?

  • Because I already have a gold pair of hoops
  • Because I’m not sure if they’re worth $50
  • Because I’m worried they might irritate my ears

The imaginary answers may generate new product ideas.

Some answers may allow you to ask “why?” again to find another pain point or get to a deeper meaning. For example:

Why don’t you have art on your walls?

  • Because I haven’t found anything
  • Why?
  • Because I don’t know what to choose
  • Why?
  • Because I don’t understand most art

“Not getting art” is common yet every piece of art has meaning. An artist could create a niche by selling meaningful art that comes with an explanation of the story behind the piece and how that story came out as art. It could be communicated through a handwritten note attached to the art, written on the back of an unframed canvas or shared through a product’s description.

A niche can also be created by finding a segment of the market that’s under-served.

A nice pair of gold hoop earrings, a soft blue scarf, lavender-scented soap; all things I love. But they’re also products I can easily find and buy at any time, so there’s no sense of urgency when I happen to come across them. There must be something unique that makes me feel I need this pair of earrings, scarf or soap.

 

2) Passion

Think about the things people might be slightly obsessed with. It’s no secret; I love cats. I honestly didn’t even realize how much I was obsessed with them until my friends figured since I have a cat, I must be a crazy cat person and started buying me, tagging me and forwarding me anything cat related. And now anytime I see anything cat related, I feel as though I must have it. Billions of dollars are spent in the pet industry because people love their pets.

Brainstorm the different passions you have or ones your customer might have. It’s important you share the passion with your customers so you understand what exactly they’re passionate about. If you’ve never practiced yoga, you’d likely have a hard time continuously coming up with new product ideas and features that please a yoga fanatic.

Passions may be centred around:

  • Animals
  • The environment
  • Activities
  • Sports
  • Hobbies
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Family
  • Fashion
  • TV shows/movies/books
  • Interests
  • Etc.

*Note: be sure you do not infringe upon copyrights when it comes to sports, TV shows, movies, books, etc. (check out this article for more details). All those crocheted Disney characters, signs with quotes, pictures of celebrities turned into a painting, etc. are all likely breaking copyright laws.

 

3) Features

The following areas of product features may help you find a niche:

  • Color – we all have a favorite color that catches our eye. Offering your products in every color of the rainbow may seem as though it will increase sales but you make more of an impact when you focus on a specific color palette for all your products.
  • Style – we’re also drawn to certain styles. Modern, vintage, retro, goth, pinup, etc. Choose one you love and can carry through all your crafts and business.
  • Material/ingredients – you become an expert when you only work with one set of materials or ingredients and can create a niche when all of your products are made with it.
  • Purpose – your niche may be centered around one specific purpose or occasion. For example, art for the kitchen, wallets for organizing receipts, lotions that moisturize and tint to even out skin tone, etc.

 

4) Mix and Match

You can come up with ideas for each point mentioned above and then combine two or more to create a niche product. For example, cats painted in shades of blue and sold with an explanation as to why a giant picture of a blue cat is considered art would combine a passion (cats), feature (color) and pain point (not understanding art).

 

Tips for your niche

  • Be sure to test the market before you dive right in and change your entire business and product line up. Once a niche product has proven to be profitable, you can slowly add more versions or related products and phase out your old products.
  • Don’t go too niche and make the market your products appeal to too small. Get specific but be sure there are enough paying customers out there you’ll be able to reach.
  • Always be authentic and follow your passions and skills. Jumping on a trend you don’t have an interest in likely won’t be profitable in the long run.
  • You create a niche business by focusing on one type of product and becoming the expert and go-to person for it. These ideas are to tweak your product to find a niche, not to come up with 100+ crafts you can add to your product line.

 

Below are a few main categories and subcategories crafts are sold under. Have a look at the category of your products as well as those that are unrelated to your product, as the examples may help spark ideas.

And if you’re looking for more help on how to find your niche, build your brand and sell to more people, check out my new ebook HOW TO SELL HANDMADE BEYOND FRIENDS & FAMILY.

 

CRAFT CATEGORY: ART

Paintings

Pain points

  • Can’t decide on a piece of art
    • Rent-a-painting – offer a service where the customer pays for shipping and a fee each month to rent a print of a painting until they find one they love
  • Price points can make art a big commitment
    • Prints of original paintings to lower costs

 

Passions

  • Animals
    • An artist who only paints cows or birds or fish
  • Travel
    • Paintings of beach settings from around the world for people to escape right in their living room
  • Hobbies
    • Paintings for craft rooms (e.g. paintings of retro sewing tools)

 

Product Features

  • Color
    • Paintings that only use the color blue
  • Style
    • Pop art style paintings
  • Material
    • Paintings on reclaimed wood
    • Paintings on rocks
    • Paintings on household items (e.g. planters, dishes, etc.)
  • Purpose
    • Paintings to add art to a man-cave
    • Paintings to add beauty to an office or cubicle
    • Paintings for the kitchen

 

Mix and Match

 

Photographs

Pain Points

  • Aren’t sure how to fill a big wall with photos
    • Paintings/photos displayed and sold in groups to help shoppers see how to fill a bigger space and how pieces work together

 

Passions

  • Animals
    • Portraits of people’s pets
  • Travel
    • Photos of trains and train tracks
  • Food
    • Photos of food items for the kitchen

 

Product Features

  • Color
    • Black & white photos only
    • Photos of blue objects that are digitally altered to use different shades of the same tone of blue in all photos
  • Style
    • Eerie or moody-styled photos
    • long exposure photography
  • Material
    • Photos printed on household items (e.g. cutting boards, pillowcases, sheets, blankets, stationery, wrapping paper, etc.)
  • Purpose
    • Photographs for dental offices
    • Photographs for cabins or lake houses

 

Mix and Match

 

More inspiration:


CRAFT CATEGORY: ACCESSORIES

Scarves

Pain Points

  • Too bulky with their winter coat
    • Scarves that are lined to add warmth but use lightweight yarn (scarf and lining could snap together to be worn separately depending on the temperature)

 

Passions

  • Animals
    • Using cruelty-free wool
  • Activities
    • A scarf that covers the face and neck and will stay in place while bike riding
  • Fashion
    • Scarves that help customers get the looks worn in Hollywood

 

Product Features

  • Color
    • Scarves made in soft pastel colors
  • Style
    • Vintage handkerchief scarves
  • Material
    • Silk scarves
  • Purpose
    • Scarves to be worn in warmer climates
    • Scarves to be worn with a dress and to cover the shoulders
    • Headscarves

 

Mix and Match

  • Lined silk scarves that add warmth without too much bulk in soft pastel colors

 

 

Mittens/Gloves

Pain Points

  • Gloves aren’t warm enough but mittens look too casual
    • Merino wool lined gloves
    • Mittens sewed out of suiting material with fleece lining

 

Passions

  • Sports
    • Mittens that have grips on the palms to help throw and catch a ball
  • Gardening
    • Winter gardening gloves; there are many people who garden year-round and warmer garden gloves would be great for spring and fall
  • Food
    • Mittens that allow you to flip back the top and thumb to eat with your hands while outside

 

Product Features

  • Color
    • Offer mittens in every shade of blue
  • Style
    • Feminine gloves and mittens using bows and ruffles (e.g. https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/139119075970032199/ ) or fingerless gloves and mittens
    • Biker style gloves
  • Material
    • Faux leather and fur
    • Suede
    • Wool
  • Purpose
    • Mittens for outdoor activities such as shoveling snow
    • Gloves for fashion over function

 

Mix and Match

 

Hats

Pain Points

  • Too itchy on their forehead
    • Knitted hats lined with soft fleece or silk

 

Passions

  • Animals
    • Cat shaped hats
  • Family
    • Matching hats for the whole family, including pets
  • Sports
    • Baseball, soccer ball or football patterned hats
    • Color combos inspired by team colors

 

Product Features

  • Color
    • Neutrals (e.g. cream, white, beige, grey and black)
    • Bold colors for those who want to make a statement (e.g. neons or primary colors)
  • Style
    • Hooded scarves
    • Specific stitch (e.g. puff stitch)
    • Specific pattern (e.g. fair isle)
  • Material
    • Silk lined wool hats to keep hair smooth
  • Purpose
    • Hats for jogging
    • Hats to cover bed-head
    • Hats for “silly hat day” or themed parties

 

Mix and Match

  • Neutral colored wool hats lined with silk to avoid an itchy forehead offered in sizes for the whole family

 

 

CRAFT CATEGORY: BAGS

Pain Points

  • Hard to find a bag that’s stylish and functional
    • Professional and stylish backpacks, laptop bags or briefcases
  • Can never find anything in my bag
    • Bags with lots of organizational pockets

 

Passions

  • Animals
    • A bag suited for dog walking with a detachable, washable compartment for poop bags until they make it to a garbage can
  • Sports
    • Bags for specific sports or activities (e.g. a bag that rolls out and turns into a yoga mat, washable bag for dirty gym clothes that can go straight into the laundry)
  • Food
    • Bags specifically for carrying food (e.g. bags with a bottom sized for general casserole sizes that allow you to bring food to a guest in style, stylish and professional looking lunch bags, stylish reusable grocery bags, bag specifically for carrying wine and wine glasses)
  • Family
    • Bags for kids (e.g. matching mommy and me bags, kid-sized carry-on luggage, bags that organize kids toys for car rides)

Product Features

  • Color
    • Colors for each season (e.g. pastel pink for spring, yellow for summer, burgundy for fall, forest green for winter)
  • Style
    • Professional style of backpack
    • Feminine style of briefcase
  • Material
    • Faux leather
    • Heavy-duty washable canvas
  • Purpose
    • Bags for strollers
    • Laptop bags
    • Travel bags

Mix and Match

  • Travel bags for kids with lots of organizational pockets for toys, made out of bright colored heavy-duty washable canvas

 

More inspiration:

 

 

CRAFT CATEGORY: BATH & BODY

Soap

Pain Points

  • Scent doesn’t last through the whole use of the bar
    • Smaller bars of soap sold in sets so bars are finished quicker but keep their scent the full ay through
  • Scent is too strong for people with scent sensitivities
    • Scent-free soap
  • Skin feels dry after using
    • Moisturizing soap or cleansing lotion

Passion

  • Food
    • Food-scented and shaped soap (e.g. bacon, donut, oranges)
    • Drink scented soap (e.g. pina colada, coffee, cola, fruit juices)
    • Candy scented and shaped soap (e.g. gummy worms, chocolate bars of soap, candy cane)
  • Hobbies (Gardener)
    • Soap scented like flowers
    • Liquid soap that comes with a bristle brush or a bar of soap inside a sponge or loofah to help scrub dirt from underneath fingernails
  • Travel
    • Individual use soap bars or pellets or soap that comes in a travel case

Product Features

  • Color
    • Colors and shades that match home décor paint trends so the soap matches the décor of the bathroom
  • Style
    • Unique shapes (e.g. geo shaped soap)
    • Unique packaging (e.g. liquid soap that comes in beautiful vintage bottles)
  • Material/ingredients
    • Soap that uses uncommon and exotic ingredients (e.g. bee venom, superfoods, ingredients from the rainforest, etc.)
  • Purpose
    • Soap that moisturizes
    • Soap for kids’ bath time
    • Soap for shaving

 

Mix and match

  • Smaller bars of floral-scented soaps that keep their scent the full way through and are petal-shaped.

 More inspiration:

 

JEWELRY

Pain Points

  • Lots of jewelry that doesn’t get worn
    • Offering classic pieces that will last a lifetime
  • Exercising before work and worried about jewelry getting lost or broken being in a gym bag
    • Durable jewelry sets sold in travel cases
  • Silver or gold plated jewelry always tarnishes or the finish rubs off
    • Jewelry with thick, durable plating

 

Passions

  • Activities
    • Jewelry that is stylish but comfortable so it can be worn while being active (e.g. fabric or leather bracelets that bend and move with your wrist)
  • Family
    • Necklaces, charm bracelets or rings sold in sets for family members
  • Travel
    • Charm bracelets or necklaces with collectible travel themed charms (e.g. country shaped charms customers buy each country they’ve traveled to, airplane, suitcase, passport shaped charms or landmarks or iconic structures from around the world)

Product Features

  • Color
    • Focusing on one color of stone/gem/bead (e.g. turquoise stone)
    • Offering one color of metal (e.g. rose gold)
  • Style
    • Bohemian style jewelry
  • Material
    • Leather jewelry
    • Surgical steel
    • Concrete jewelry

 

Mix and match

  • Travel themed rose gold jewelry that is thickly plated so the finish lasts

 


Let me know in the comments if this article sparked new ideas for you or if you’re stuck on how to turn your craft into a niche product

 

 



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24 Comments

  1. Diane Otis says:

    I love reading about your ideas. You always make me see the world, the items I design, and the how I sell them from a new perspective. Keep ’em coming! So glad I found you and your books. I’ve learned so much.

    Reply
  2. Marieka Diepenveen says:

    I just wanted to say this was a great read! I am an artist and sell at craft shows all the time. I was pleasantly surprised you included the painting category in this post. It definitely sparked some ideas for me. Thank you so much for all the info!

    Reply

  3. I have been wanting to find a niche for a while. I do primitive decor items. I was just wondering if I narrowed my focus to Americana pieces is that considered a niche? Or would I need to narrow even further to just one type of decor item ie primitive wreaths or snowmen or signs?

    Reply
  4. Made Urban says:

    What a great compliment, thanks Diane! I’m so glad you’re finding my article and ebooks helpful. I’ll definitely keep the ideas coming:)
    Erin

    Reply

  5. I love seeing new ideas and definitely got some from this article! I make crocheted items. I was pleasantly surprised to see the hooded scarf on your list. Since I just made one and am getting ready to make another for a different customer. I can’t wait to try some of these ideas out and see how they go!

    Reply
  6. Made Urban says:

    Hi Marieka! Thanks so much for reading. Painting is a fun one to explore because I find every artist has such a unique perspective and style that’s really apparent in art. Even when people are painting the same pictures, following the same instructions (like at paint nights), the paintings all come out so differently. It’s all about embracing that perspective and style 🙂
    Erin

    Reply
  7. Made Urban says:

    Hi Sage! There isn’t really a hard rule to follow when finding your niche; it’s more about what works best for your business and boosts sales. Finding your niche is easier when you look at who you want to serve instead of what you want to make. Really think about your customers and what their wants and needs might be and then form your niche around them.

    It may be your customer likes to decorate for the holidays using primitive art so your niche might be offering holiday (e.g. Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, etc.) primitive art decorations in wreaths, centrepieces and mantle decor.

    Don’t try to serve all of your customers wants and needs (e.g. primitive art for every room of the home) but rather zero in on one, become and expert and authority and then you can expand your product offering as your business grows. The more you try to offer the less clear your brand and message becomes and the harder it is to keep up with other areas of your business.

    Of course, always test a few products to see how the market responds and slowly add more of the best sellers and weed out the low performers until you have a niche product line.

    Reply
  8. Made Urban says:

    Hey Jessica, that’s awesome! Hooded scarves could definitely turn into a profitable niche for you. Try making a few more to add to your shop or craft fair table. If they do well, continue to add more and explore the different styles of hooded scarves you can make (e.g. infinity style hooded scarves, hooded scarves with pockets on the scarf ends, etc.)

    Reply

  9. A lot to think about. Thanks for taking the time to put it all together.

    Reply

  10. I am trying the “cat lover” niche this year. I’ve created tons of catnip toys (basic design with a variety of fabric prints), but have also made cat-themed earrings, cat-themed note cards, and some cat treat ornaments. A little more variety than I had hoped for, but since it’s all geared towards my fellow cat lovers, I’m hoping it will work!

    Reply

  11. This article was very helpful. It has given me some great ideas and made me think more carefully about my goals. Thank you!

    Reply

  12. This was a great article – thank you!

    Reply
  13. Made Urban says:

    Thanks for reading Linda!

    Hi Tonya, I love the “cat lover” niche…one of the best in my opinion 😉 You can always refine your offering as you see what your popular products are. The 80/20 principle suggests that 80% of your revenue will come from 20% of your products. Find those top sellers and focus your efforts there!

    Glad you found it helpful Lynn!

    Thanks Chris! I appreciate you taking the time to read it 🙂

    Reply

  14. Another great read! I always find your newsletters and articles so easy to read and your tips and advice so easy to apply. With so much talk on the internet and Facebook groups about how entrepreneurs and artists need to find their “idea customers” and some many ways and versions on “how to write a product descriptions”, it’s easy to get confused and lost. Your advice and tips cut out the extra wording and gets straight to the point which I love. Easy to read, easy to understand, easy to apply. Thank you for taking the time to put it out there for all of us to benefit from.

    Reply

  15. I have a passion for making children’s clothes. I can’t seem to find a niche for making clothes for boys and girls from birth to size 8. I don’t know if this is the type of craft that would sell at a craft fair. Nor do I know how to write a product description. Please help me.

    Reply
  16. Made Urban says:

    Hi Margaret!
    What an amazing comment to read, thank you so much for taking the time to write it! There’s definitely a lot to juggle as a handmade business owner and I really want to simplify the aspects that are important to success. Glad everything is coming across as intended 🙂 Thanks again!
    Erin

    Hi Sandra,
    Thanks for reading! What did you come up with in terms of ideas from the article? What are your customer’s pain points, passions and the product features they’re most interested in? You may enjoy this series on writing product descriptions: https://www.madeurban.com/blog/product-descriptions-sell-reasons-people-buy/
    Erin

    Reply

  17. Inspiring. I have really been thinking of having twists or amplifying the pieces I already make to create need and gain that purchase. 🙂

    This helps in giving me some inspiration on how to move ahead in doing so..Thanks

    Reply
  18. Made Urban says:

    Hi Uta,

    Thanks so much for reading! I’m so glad it sparked some inspiration. Stay in touch and let me know the changes you make and how they go!

    Erin

    Reply

  19. You offer such insightful information. I love that you go beyond the standard few lines or pictures by offering a variety of colorful, descriptive variations of what you are explaining. Thank you for all of your articles!

    Reply

  20. Our craft is DIY in minutes Gourmet soups and seasonings. After 20+ years we now make over 40 products, need new strategies to display at events. We sample 2-4 soups, depending on electricity available, 7-12 seasonings, 2 of which are not only best sellers but “show stoppers” the rest are sampled in dips, though all are for use in cooking. Our value, both quality and quantity has become unsurpassed. Any strategy suggestions surely appreciated. Thank you.

    Reply
  21. Made Urban says:

    Thanks Karen! I’m so glad you find them helpful. And thank YOU for reading 🙂

    Hi Don, sounds like a great product line and that you were smart about growing it over the years. Have you gone through my free email challenge: 5 Days to a Standout Display? It may spark some ideas for your display. You can check out the details and sign up here if you’re interested: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/168295?v=7

    ~Erin

    Reply

  22. I am definitely stuck. I make junk journals, which is not a widely known thing, especially in where I live. I don’t know if it’s at all possible to make it into a business and not just a hobby.

    Reply

  23. I am starting my craft business. The problem I am having is finding my Nitch I enjoy making several different items. I love to crochet, and I love to make several different items that I can’t choose one over the others. I am very passionate about working with thread but don’t know if they will sell very well at craft shows. I am not planning on selling online except maybe a Facebook for my business. Which I don’t even have a personal Facebook page myself. I also love to sew and make tote bags and several other things. I am that person who likes to stand behind the tree and watch the ants go up and down. I love nature and learning new things about it. I am a cat lover, and we share our home with several (6) of these wonderful fur babies. Can you please guide me to finding my Nitch I am having such a hard time with this. Little about me: I live in the Deep South, I love animals especially cats, my favorite color is Kelly Green (like most shades of green too), I am a retired teacher, my husband and I have been married for over 35 years we have two children and two grandchildren.

    Reply

    1. Hi Dixie,

      Thanks for commenting! I think one thing to remember (that we all tend to forget;) is that your business should incorporate parts of you, but it can’t be all about you.

      If you want to make sales, you have to consider who you want to target (your target market) and what they want to buy.

      So my suggestion is to start there. Who’s the target market you want to serve, what do they want, and how can you connect with them?

      Again, YOU will SHAPE your business, but your target market will dictate what you should make and sell.
      -Your love for nature may lead you to target environmentalists/eco-friendly consumers and choosing a product to make based on their wants/needs (which you understand).
      -Or your love for cats may have you targeting cat owners and developing a product for them.
      -Your knowledge of teachers/being a teacher may enable you to create the perfect product for other teachers.

      This article may help get you started: https://www.madeurban.com/blog/how-to-find-the-correct-target-market-for-your-craft-business/

      I hope that helps!

      ~Erin

      Reply

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