Has anyone Done More with there Hobbies

ember15 · **Has anyone Done More with there Hobbies**

Wow I just discoverd this forum was here.

So DH and I have thought of doing more with our hobbies as extra income. I knit and Scrapbook, DH makes chain Mail jewelry. I am considered several ways we could make money with our Hobbies but concerns with them

1. Design and Sell my own knitting patterns. (Not sure how to market them and about copyrights)
2. Teach Knitting lessons (not sure how to advertise)
3. Make hand knit items and Sell them (very time consuming and material costs are high)
4. Scrapbooking Selling Layouts (again not sure how and where to market them)
5. Selling digital Scrapbook Supplies (again need to learn on Copy writing images and am not sure where to start)
6. DH making up some jewelry and either taking orders or me selling it to friends. (The big problem with this is also cost of materials and pricing. High end material costs big)

Anyone have any experiance with making a hobby profitable

Chantelle · 05-30-2008, 01:07 PM

i have seen scrapbook layouts on etsy! they're pretty expensive too. I think you could do well there.

Pianolady · 05-30-2008, 01:58 PM

I can only comment on lessons, and have been a piano teacher since 1987. Word of mouth has been my best advertisement, print ads are usually worthless for me. I have also advertised on Craigslist (with limited success), and a few other local sites. Getting listed on any online directories you can find is also helpful. I use a website that lists all my policies, a P.O. Box, and a cell phone number in my directory listings. I wouldn't recommend using your home phone or address online.

Things that come to mind for knitting lessons are: a visit craft & fabric stores, asking if you can put up a flyer. We have community bulletin boards at grocery stores here, where a flyer might be able to be placed. Have a plan regarding cost of lessons and supplies before you advertise, as this is the first thing you'll be asked.

ember15 · 05-31-2008, 04:43 PM

Yeah one of the things I have looked into is starting out with teaching through the local Fabric store. I have some work to do this weekend to get it to go through. They pay $5 per student per hour so $15-30 per hour. Plus Store Discounts and modle discounts for supplies. I think it will be a good step for getting my name out. There class schedules would go out to more crafters then I as a single person with limmited resourse.

Missystuy · 05-31-2008, 05:36 PM

I was ebaying for a while for my hobby, but I lost interest in it. I'm SLOWLY gaining more interest and I think I'm going to start a ebay store for my consignment business. My goal is to quit my job by the fall, but I need to have an income equivalent to that first.