Handmade Handicraft Ideas for Your Online Store

Following up from my last hub on how to make money online by selling handmade products on websites like Etsy, Folksy and DaWanda, here I am to give you some interesting ideas on what to create with your own hands that will attract people and make your new estore flourish on the virtual market of the internet.

However, before we get creative, we must remember to think about the business side of it all, first, and have that organized to ensure that nothing goes wrong. My first advice to you would be, yes, when you start off looking at all those craft ideas, and you realize that nothing is as difficult as it first seemed, you want to get on with everything once. But you mustn't let yourself do that. The best shops are those that have clear what niche they are in and also have a unique selling point. Your niche could be craft-based, like needlework or woodcrafting, or crocheting, or it could be product-based, like women's fashion or pet goods, or even raw crafting materials and tools. Be sure to choose one, or a few that are closely interconnected, so as not to confuse your potential customers with what you offer. Try and make the niche what you're best at, and remember that USP!

Unique Selling Point: The unique selling point of your shop will be some feature of its products or of the way you sell/create them that is unique, and no, or at least very little, other shops have, too. Here is an example of a USP, which, in fact, has been exaggeratedly overused in the recent years: eco-friendly products.

And now... onto the crafting ideas!

Have you ever experienced the craving to carve something out of wood? A chair? A chest of drawers? Or maybe your little cousin asked you for a doll house, and you made one for her, and you decorated it with lots of miniature furniture? Some people make wooden dolls from wood! This crafting is called woodworking.

I wouldn't say this craft is one for a beginner, and it's best when you had your uncle or father in your childhood who taught you a little bit about this and that in this craft, so you have an idea of what it's all about. However, in life, it's never too late, so take a look at these website if you're interested to learn about woodworking from the beginning:

• http://www.finewoodworking.com/getting-started/
• Ted's Woodworking #1 Resource

Crocheting, sewing, knitting and stitching are all forms of needlework. This hobby is much more popular amongst women but a long time ago men used to participate in this craft as well. Most of all, this hobby requires and trains patience, meaning that it is a great way to learn to calmly relieve stress. Plus, of course, the main asset of this is: looking for a gift for your friend or family member? Why don't you just use your talent and create them any beautiful present from a piece of clothing to an accessory or even a piece of art!

Here are a few websites for beginners:

• Learn Cross-Stitch in Five Minutes
• Everything Cross Stitch
• Learn to Crochet
• Crochet Me magazine
• Learn to Knit
• Ravelry - community for knitters and chrocheters

How about baking cakes? You know, it's a type of craft, too. But it's not just the art of baking a cake, but the art of decorating that cake and making it look like the most beautiful cake in the world. Why don't you learn to create cakes like works of art, which people wouldn't even want to destroy by eating them? Wedding cakes, birthday cakes, cupcakes or even pastries and cookies. Everything edible can be decorated.

The only trouble here is the fact that food can go off and it's also a very fragile thing to be sending it anywhere. You would benefit more from connecting yourself with a delivery service and selling your cakes locally. You could even set up a physical "store" at home, and meanwhile, you could give lessons to those who wish to learn this wonderful art.

Here are some brilliant cake decorating ideas and tips.

Soap making may sound like an incredibly complicated, intimidating process to a mere beginner. Nevertheless, it really isn't as difficult as it sounds (if you've done chemistry at school, you'll know that this science of making organic soaps is related to organic chemistry, and you should feel more secure knowing this). With a book and some great tips and methods of creating soap, with lye or with an initial classic bar of soap, you'll soon feel the craving to buy all sorts of soap molds, bases, fragrances, dyes and other additives which will just make your soap look magical.

By the way, apparently, the best thing about making soaps at home is the smell after you've completed the procedure that drags all around your house!

Here is a craft I wouldn't recommend if all you're looking to do with it is sell your goods. If you're considering learning it just for the sake of business, I don't imagine you'd have the patience to complete your "course" before you are able to actually create anything worth selling. However, if you really are excited about trying to make something out of leather, buy the books, try detailed tutorials, trial and error, but maybe it'd be best to get someone to teach you.

This patience would be rewarding, for sure! You could make beautiful shoes and bags, and leather cases and purses and wallets! Who wouldn't love that? And you could sell them for brilliant prices.

Try getting an idea of what leathercraft is all about here.

Jewelry nowadays can be made of so many different materials. You can weave necklaces and bracelets, make them from beads, or use gemstones and valuable metals to create serious, sophisticated, expensive qualified jewelry.

Depending on which type of jewelry-making you choose, it will be easy or hard at first, before you get the hang of it. Nevertheless, I believe that if you really enjoy it, you won't know how to stop yourself from creating more and more and more, and you will most definitely benefit in terms of profits in your online store!

Here are a few links to guide you through the creation of your jewelry:

• Beadage.net
• Home Based Jewelry Business and Design Guide
• 25 Easy Homemade Jewelry Ideas Ebook

There are many other potential unique selling points you could have for your particular store. Make sure you are aware that the USP doesn't have to be exactly what kind of craft you do. In fact, most likely it won't be! Your store could be based on pet goods or packaging, or furniture, or doll goods from the dolls themselves to doll furniture and clothing! You could set up your store to only be one that sells goods based on nothing but special occasions - birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's Day...

Remember, that with these hobbies, people enjoy more doing things themselves, so why don't you consider writing a short ebook on your craft for beginners, or create special kits like you saw being advertised on my hub? There are also people who sell the raw materials. There are many ways you could go in this business.

Good luck!