Easy Summer Crafts to Sell in 2024

INSIDE: Get tons of great ideas with these DIY summer crafts to sell. Engage your kids and make it a family affair. Just 5 steps to get started!

Are you looking for a summer craft project to keep your kids busy? How about a family craft business?

Launch a craft business and earn extra cash. Folks love buying handmade goods. If you can create easy home décor essentials and sell those homemade items in a vendor booth at a local craft fair, you’ll enjoy the satisfaction of running your own successful craft business and putting extra money in your pocket. 

What would you do with an extra hundred dollars each weekend? 

You could pay down high-interest credit card debt, add a buffer to your savings account, or even treat your family to a vacation. 

All it takes is choosing a few DIY crafts, putting together your inventory from great craft ideas, and selling your craft at an art fair or craft festival, online on your own website, or in an Etsy shop that you promote on social media. 

Also see: How to get started on Etsy

DIY Summer Crafts to Sell: 5 Easy Steps

An easy place to get started with selling crafts is at craft shows and outdoor markets. Not only do you get to connect with others who love art, buy you can also earn some extra money. Start your craft business in just five easy steps: 

1. Decide what DIY crafts you want to build and sell
2. Reference an online tutorial to learn how to make bestselling DIY craft ideas – or use your imagination to create truly unique handmade items
3. Set up a website or Etsy store and promote it on social media to jumpstart your craft business
4. Look into attending a local craft fair as a vendor
5. Watch your craft business grow as you become known online and within your community

Launch Your Side Hustle: Choosing the Right Crafts

When determining what DIY summer crafts to sell, you’ll often find inspiration for bestselling items when you think about the crafts and hobbies you love.

You don’t want to put time into promoting a craft project you wouldn’t enjoy creating or wouldn’t be proud to display as part of your home decor. 

Find great craft ideas by thinking about the items you buy and use. From handmade chalkboards and whiteboards to rustic farmhouse decor to mason jar candles or tissue holders, these items sell year-round. 

For summer, you may also consider the following themes and then find easy crafts that showcase these fun summer items: 

• Seashells
• Flip-flops
• Wide-brimmed hats

You can also customize t-shirts and water bottles with cute sayings using a vinyl cutting machine for fun summer gift ideas to sell. 

For the best summer crafts, consider combining practical and fun items—from bracelets to tie-dyed t-shirts. Mask holders promise to be a back-to-school trend for students and teachers alike; simply attach a beaded string to both sides of the mask so it can hang around your neck when you don’t have to wear it. 

Bath bombs and soaps appeal to online shoppers and craft show attendees of all ages. People will buy these thoughtful handmade products to give as back-to-school teacher gifts.

If you’re still stuck, talk with your kids to see what they are interested in.

Here Are Some Craft Ideas To Try

Many of the crafts you’d like to sell as a vendor at farmer’s markets, at a local craft fair, or even on your Etsy store are easy enough for your kid to help you make. That’s why making DIY summer crafts to sell is the perfect family business.

Share your love of art and turn your craft business into a family affair with these easy kids’ craft ideas you can make and sell at an event. 

Lanyards

You and your kids can make useful handmade products with nothing but inexpensive lanyard string (usually less than $10 for a 100-yard spool), keyrings or hooks, and a scissor to cut the lanyard when you’re done. 

You can weave lanyards into keychains, bracelets, zipper pulls, holders for ID badges, and even mask holders that go around your neck.   One year, my kid wove lanyards for the whole family in our choice of colors, and we attached them to our reusable drink bottles that we carried to theme parks so we wouldn’t get our bottles mixed up. 

Lanyards can also be handy for marking your luggage so you can spot it easily on the airport carousel. Attach a plastic tag and it also makes a great luggage tag. 

Bracelets

Your imagination is the limit when it comes to bracelets. Your kid can show off their creativity with this great DIY project. You can sell a lot of casual bracelets and ankle bracelets in the summer when people like to wear short sleeves, shorts or dresses and want jewelry to show off on their wrists or ankles. 

Turtle rope bracelets made with rope and turtle beads set the tone for a fun summer. You can also make bracelets from seashells, sea glass, or beads. These handmade products will sell at a local craft show or farmer’s market event.   If you live in a tourist area or near the beach, vacationers will love to bring a fun reminder of their trip made by a local artist. 

Bath Bombs

What better way to relax after a day in the sun on vacation than with bath bombs? These popular handmade products appeal to women of all ages and some guys, too. You can purchase a kid’s craft kit to make bath bombs in many different shapes and sizes. 

But bath bombs are also an easy DIY idea without a kit. The secret lies in using silicone molds to craft bath bombs in any shape you wish and adding essential oil for a relaxing or invigorating scent. Bath bombs combine art and science, making them a great kids craft that you can also sell at a high profit margin. 

Package your bath bombs creatively in tulle or place a collection of coordinating bath bombs in a mason jar and adorn with ribbon for a great craft idea. 

Handmade Soaps

Like bath bombs, handmade soaps combine art and science into handmade products people love. How about putting together a gift basket of bath bombs and soaps and selling it at a local art fair or craft show as the ultimate back-to-school gift? 

Choose scents like coconut and pineapple for summery flair. Whether your region is returning to the classroom or doing distance learning, teachers will appreciate a warm welcome back to school with a gift that reminds them of the scents of summer. 

Dog Toys

If you’re a pet lover looking for a unique twist on summer crafts, consider making DIY dog toys. Not only will you have fun creating these toys, but you’ll also make lots of furry friends happy! Handmade dog toys are a great addition to your craft business, as many pet owners are always searching for special treats for their four-legged companions.

To get started, think about the different types of toys dogs enjoy, such as chew toys, plush toys, or interactive puzzles. You can create braided rope toys using colorful, durable rope or repurpose old t-shirts and fabric scraps to make soft, knotted toys. For a crinkly, sensory experience, sew together fabric pieces with a noisy material inside, like crinkly paper or plastic. If you’re feeling extra creative, try making treat-dispensing toys that challenge dogs mentally and physically.

When crafting dog toys, always prioritize safety. Use pet-friendly materials and avoid small parts that could be swallowed. You can showcase your DIY dog toys at pet-related events, farmers’ markets, or even partner with local pet stores to reach a wider audience. By offering these unique, handmade items, you’ll show that your craft business has something special for every member of the family, including the furry ones!

How to Market Your Summer Crafts

Now that you got some great products in mind, the next step is to figure out where to start selling them.

Start an Etsy Store

With a little bit of tech-savvy and a computer (or even your smartphone), you can turn your crafts and hobbies into a lucrative business with an online Etsy store. 

Etsy is one of the most popular sites for selling handmade products, and setting up a store is free.

Be aware that Etsy takes a steep 5% transaction fee, plus 3% + 0.25 payment processing fee, plus they have a .20 cent listing fee for each item.

However, if your craft businesses waxes and wanes or you aren’t sure how many listings you’ll want to do per month, you could end up paying less on Etsy than opening a store on Shopify or somewhere else with a monthly fee.  

Plus, as a way to market your handmade products and DIY crafts, Etsy is an industry leader. That means consumers often make Etsy their first stop when they’re looking for DIY crafts and homemade products. Try these hot craft ideas to sell on Etsy.

Create a compelling listing that: 

• Describes your products
• Shows how they are unique
• Indicates how they can help those who buy them
• Provides all the details of your product, keeping in mind your customers can’t touch or hold the item
• Appeals to readers’ emotions

Sell Cheap Crafts at the Beach

As vacationers and locals alike gather on beaches, you can sell your easy DIY craft products. Items like jewelry, bracelets, ankle bracelets, and decorated flip-flops will do well for beach sales.

You might also consider decorative hats to keep people’s faces out of the sun and beach umbrellas. 

If you enjoy quilting, consider making beach blankets.

Check with the regulations at your local beach before you begin selling your handmade goods. You don’t want to break any rules, and beaches may not want competition with their tourist shops or concession areas. 

Become a Vendor at a Farmer’s Market

Farmer’s markets take place from spring through fall in most regions and year-round in warmer climates. For a small fee, you can set up a vendor booth at your local farmer’s market and sell your crafts alongside fresh vegetables and home-baked goods. 

To save money, consider teaming up with a friend who sells complementary items. For instance, if you make wreaths and candles, a friend who makes other home decor goods like trivets and dish towels could help you beef up your booth presence. 

Also See: How to sell at a farmer’s market

Showcase Your Art at a Craft Fair or Festival

Like farmer’s markets, a craft fair or festival provides an excellent opportunity to sell your items without spending too much time in front of your computer. Those who like socializing and want to connect with other crafty people will gravitate toward local craft shows and festivals to sell their items. 

Plus, if you have kids who craft, getting them involved helps teach them about customer service, sales, and even math. You can teach kids how to take inventory, add prices when a customer purchases multiple items, and give correct change. 

To attract attention at your craft fair booth, consider choosing a theme for your DIY summer crafts to sell. You can color coordinate items and cluster them on your table or decide to sell items that match home decor for a beach house, sunflower-themed rooms, farmhouse style, shabby chic, or any other home decor style you can imagine.  

Promote Your Side Hustle Year Round

You don’t have to stick to just DIY summer crafts to sell. You may have launched your craft business during the long days of summer, but you can keep your business running year-round.

People need homemade home décor items for every season. Craft festivals don’t stop when it gets cold; they just move indoors. 

Shift your merchandise to seasonal items for the holidays to promote your side hustle year round and earn extra cash for holiday gifts, entertaining, or just to stay ahead of those holiday bills. 

If you start your side hustle selling DIY crafts now, you may be surprised about your profitability before the new year rolls around.

Conclusion

Launching a summer craft business is a fun and rewarding way to supplement your income while exploring your artistic side. By carefully selecting your crafts, establishing an online presence, and participating in local events, you’ll be able to showcase your talents and connect with potential customers.

Take the first step today and watch your business grow, one handmade item at a time!