INSIDE: Looking for the best holiday crafts to sell? There are plenty of simple DIY crafts you can make and sell, and we’ve compiled the best ones right here! From Christmas cards and stockings to jewelry and metallic decor, you’ll love these ideas.
Crafting for fun is much different than crafting for profit. Finding what’s popular, can be made in bulk, how to price, and how to make enough to make it worth your time, are just a few considerations when looking for the best holiday crafts to sell.
So we’ve compiled some examples of Christmas crafts that fit that bill to inspire and encourage you to make extra money around the holidays.
Personalized Holiday Crafts to Sell on Social Media
The best personalized handmade crafts to sell around Christmas are ornaments and other holiday decor either monogrammed or with some kind of unique local touch shoppers may not be able to find online or in big box stores.
Christmas cards
Christmas cards are a great physical or digital craft to make and sell. If you’re savvy with Canva or Photoshop you can sell a premade template that customers can personalize. If you’re selling at a holiday market, design Christmas cards with a distinct local flair.
Make some cards themed by state, alma mater, favorite pets, or anything else someone might be proud to show off. Memes can serve for some inspiration just make sure you’re not selling any copyrighted material.
Stockings
Personalized doesn’t have to mean engraved or embroidered. You can sell crafts that customers can personalize at home. This is very easy to do with stockings. Choose a simple pattern with lots of room for customization, like this stocking pattern, and include instructions with each purchase on how to personalize.
T-shirts
Family T-shirts are very popular personalized crafts. Families can wear them for a photo session, as pajama shirts on Christmas eve, or give as a gift with a surprise vacation to Disney World! A set that includes coordinating shirts for mom, dad, kids, and grandparents is sure to sell well.
Pet themed items
Gifts for pets always sell well at craft fairs. You can personalize stockings by breed or create pet sweaters in different sizes. And you can never go wrong with some homemade dog treats packaged as a Christmas morning gift! The most popular gifts for pets are water bowls, dog bones, collars, and pet beds.
Knitted items
Personalized knitted items tend to sell well around the holidays as well. Stick with small projects you can finish quickly like monogrammed stockings and scarves. These mini mittens are a quick project and look great as tree ornaments or strung on a garland.
Best Holiday Crafts to Sell That Are Unique
Unique handmade items that are in high demand this holiday season are new takes on traditional Christmas crafts. Get inspired by nature, colors, even memes about current events! You can find a profitable craft idea almost anywhere.
Handmade wood items
When you’re thinking about money making crafts you should always consider handmade wood items. These can be upcycled items like putting branches in a mason jar, turning driftwood pieces into an ornament or purchase wood boards to create a Christmas card holder that can be used throughout the year. These crafts are trendy and always have a good return on investment.
Printable art
If you’re not participating in a holiday craft fair you can still make money by selling printable art in an Etsy shop. You can sell crafts like Christmas origami, holiday gift tags, or printable wall art. These printable 3D Christmas trees are beautiful home decor pieces that can easily be customized and sold online.
Upcycled gifts
Upcycled gifts are extremely popular and have the added benefit of being affordable for crafters on a budget. You can turn pinecones from your backyard into cute fire starters, an old flannel shirt into a wreath or bow, or spray paint old Christmas ornaments to give them a fresh new look.
Handmade bath bombs
DIY Christmas ornament bath bombs make great gifts for kids and teens and there’s even a science lesson behind how they work. A great selling feature for parents trying to incorporate learning into Christmas break. Bath bomb kits are also affordable to make and easy to assemble.
Scarves
Scarves are easy to find at cheap prices but you can set yourself apart by selling unique scarf sets! Try matching scarf sets that include a scarf for a newborn of scarves for pets. You can use traditional prints and fabrics or get a little crazy with textures and fabrics like velvet and sequins.
“Uh oh” gifts
Everyone has that one co-worker who gets you a gift that you had no idea even knew your name. That’s why people are always looking for “uh oh” gifts like these hot cocoa ornaments. Selling small pre-wrapped gifts that people can have on hand for Christmas parties and gift exchanges is a great idea.
Mini trees
The main tree isn’t always the only tree. Many people have smaller trees that serve as decor but also a way to showcase a passion. Sometimes it’s dedicated to a favorite sports team, other times a favorite color. You can deck out themed mini trees that customers can display proudly and add to over the years.
DIY Holiday Jewelry to Sell at Craft Fairs
If you want to create jewelry to sell at a holiday craft fair, the most ideal pieces are necklaces and earrings. Pricing handmade jewelry can be difficult but try to add up the total cost for you materials, the booth at your craft fair, and the cost for your time then multiply it by the profit margin you’re aiming for, usually 40-50%.
Then divide by the number of pieces you’re bringing to get an average of what things should cost. If you feel like that number is too high try lowering your materials costs before touching your labor or profit numbers.
Necklaces
Holiday necklaces are some of the most popular handmade items you’ll see at craft fairs so you’ll want to set yours apart from the rest. Pick a theme and stick with it so shoppers know what to expect.
You can go the fun and unique route with some sparkly charms or choose more minimalist artisan designs. Using one necklace design but making a lot of it will also improve your speed and lower the cost of your labor.
Earrings
Earrings are another best selling Christmas craft. These handmade goods are small and quick to make so you can have a lot of them (and they look great all on display!) You can get really creative with peppermints or more artisan with minimalist Christmas tree earrings. Beaders will especially like these snowflake earrings. The colors can be changed up and look good throughout the year!
Hair accessories
While not technically jewelry, Reindeer antlers, Christmas headbands, and bedazzled hair clips are staples at Christmas parties. Give your customers the opportunity to show off some really unique fashion at their next ugly sweater party with some intentionally tacky designs.
Easy Home Decor Crafts to Sell
The best home decor crafts to sell around the holidays are sets that people can easily incorporate into what they already have or start from scratch with and build on. To get a decent profit margin you don’t want to spend too much time making each home decor holiday craft. Choose items that are simple, elegant, quick, and easy.
Christmas tree ornaments
The ornament is probably the most versatile Christmas craft out there. You can coordinate them with a number of other crafts to create sets and customize them to go with any theme you come up with. You can go classy with some marbled spheres or have some fun with more playful designs like stars and candy canes.
Dining table sets
A basic table decor set includes a centerpiece, table runner, and napkin rings. And these are some of the easiest crafts to make! You don’t even need any sewing skills with this no-sew table runner. You can easily change out the pattern to go with any theme you’re creating. Stick with low profile centerpieces that people will be able to see over and you can go a step further by making the napkin rings customizable with guests’ names!
Wreaths
Wreaths are no longer reserved for evergreen tree scraps. You can make a wreath out of anything! This oversized wreath would make a great focal piece for a natural decor set and it’s made out of an old hula hoop! Pair it with other wood, eucalyptus, or white decor to create a natural theme.
Garland
Garland is an easy craft to make and sell because it can tie together the decor for an entire room or tree. Use small items along a string or tie felt scraps for a fun look that’s also great on a budget.
Traditional Christmas
You can’t go wrong with Christmas decor in red, green, and white. Make a party package with festive jewelry, favors, and this no-sew tree skirt to display during the white elephant gift exchange.
Colorful Christmas
The perk to selling colorful Christmas decor is that much of it can be used for celebrations throughout the year! This cute and colorful felt garland looks great on a Christmas tree but it’d also fit in at a birthday or Easter party.
Country Christmas
Cozy rustic log cabin decor is a popular holiday theme. You can make woodsy scented candles, put some branches in mason jars, and accompany it all with a garland of dried fruit. Anything wood, plaid, or burlap can be used in this theme.
Metallic decor
Handmade can be as modern as brand new when you create a decor set that sticks with metallics and whites. A can of gold spray paint can give any leftover materials a new life or class up anything secondhand.
–By Jen Smith
