As we progress through our lives one thing becomes clear – the time we get to ourselves is precious time indeed, and after all of our daily obligations are taken care of, it always seems like there’s not much time for anything else.
It’s often baffling to watch others who are freed up to explore interests and hobbies, and you wonder how anyone can fit all that in with everything else that goes along with being a responsible adult!
However, once you reach that point where your career has settled into a smooth rhythm, or the kids have started school (or be old enough to leave home entirely); you may just find yourself with enough time to try something new.
With that in mind, how about getting stuck in to the world of arts and crafts? You never know, with a bit of creativity and some hard work you may even be in the position to make a little profit from these fantastic ideas.
We’d like to take this opportunity to offer up a few suggestions for our top ten craft ideas, some of which may just help to get you started.
DIY String Lantern
This relatively simple project allows you to create great looking and functional lanterns and lampshades. They really aren’t that difficult to make either, all you need to do is wrap cotton string around a ball or balloon, paint it in any colour you wish, and then simply pop or deflate what’s inside once the paint has dried, and then carefully remove it. Be sure to leave a large enough gap somewhere to allow the lantern to fit around a light bulb fixture.
Vintage Sign
This quirky craft idea is simple and versatile. Simply take a piece of wood (either new or salvaged) and paint over it using a whole host of colours, it doesn’t matter what as it’s only the first layer so the brighter the better. Then once that has dried, paint over it again with a single colour of your choice and allow it to dry fully.
Now you get to either stencil or freehand a design of your choice, and once that is dry, take a piece of sandpaper and sand down the whole piece, you’ll be amazed at how the colours come through and give the whole thing a weathered, vintage look.
Homemade Cards
Making your own cards can be a fulfilling (and profitable) craft hobby. Throughout the year there’s always a need for greeting cards, and not only that, there’s also a near limitless scope for design so you’ll never be short of ideas.
Clothing Accessories
Accessories are another craft idea with a very broad reach in terms of design and scope. Anything you can imagine can be actualised and made into a cute accessory. By using old clothing (or leftover material from other projects), bric-a-brac and more, you can create a whole range of items from bracelets and hairbands, to bows, belts, and more.
Jewellery
While you’re at it you could even look into creating your own jewellery. Once again, you can use pretty much anything to do this, and you’re only really limited by your imagination. Utilise anything you can get your hands on from seashells and beads, to old clothing.
Why not take old jewellery and give it a new lease of life? Old earrings (that are maybe missing the one for example) can be incorporated into other pieces such as broaches or necklaces.
Decorated Picture Frames
You could breathe new life into a simple plain frame and make something totally fresh and unique. Stock up on cheap frames at a discount store and start dreaming up ways to decorate them. Think colour and texture and what works with what. You could even decorate them by stencilling along the edges with your favourite inspirational quote or titbit of wisdom.
Customised Phone Cases
There’s no question that we’re a little bit inundated with phone case choices out there, but that’s not to say that the world couldn’t do with a few more! Once again, the scope here is limitless, and there’s no doubt that the right idea could end up being surprisingly popular.
Mason Jars
Old jars are a crafters best friend, they have so much potential and are perfect as the base for a whole host of craft projects. Get collecting and they can be reused for things such as soap dispensers, candleholders, vases and stationary holders. You can paint them or label them anyway you see fit, and can be hung up or placed anywhere around the home.
Tote Bag
Everybody needs a tote bag! And they make for a great gift. Should you get a knack for making them and have an eye for fashion, there’s no reason to think that you can’t take it to the next level and sell a few. All you need is some fabric, thread and some basic sewing skills and in no time you could be parading around with your very own, homemade custom tote bag.
Countless guides exist online in order to help you get the basics down, and with a little practice you’re bound to end up with something you’ll be proud of.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that crafting can be a great deal of fun, and done right could even lead to an exciting new business opportunity. Just remember to always keep in mind what people are likely to want or need, and use the seasons and upcoming holidays to your advantage.
