Explore trending crafts to make and sell, with ideas for every skill level. Diversify your income and turn your passion into a profitable business.
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.
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.
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.
Needle felted goods
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.
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.
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?
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 silk screening, 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.
Woven and knotted home décor
The Citizenry
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.
Handmade beauty products
Handmade Heroes
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.
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.
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.
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:
