I sure love crafting, and if you’re reading this, there is a high chance that you love it too! And I’m well aware that this hobby could cost a lot at times. I need to prepare a budget for making vinyl, layered paper art, greeting cards, and more. But! Have you ever thought of trying to make income from crafting? Online, home businesses are popping up a lot because of current circumstances. And money-making crafts are among the trends.
Doing what you like AND getting profits from it? I couldn’t ask for a better endeavor. Now, now, this might sound too good to be true BUT where there is a will, there is a way. At first it may only get you some extra pocket cash as a side hustle, but who knows? It can turn into your biggest source of income.
We’re gonna take a look at Cricut projects and Cricut craft ideas. What I like about it is that it’s sort of one-machine-all-purpose. In the papercut range, you can make greeting cards, 3D layered paper art, envelopes, and egg-shaped snack holders.
Cricut projects also include vinyl or decals which can go on any media: glass, mugs, tumblers, walls, etc. Checkout our recent post about beer glass can vinyl here. You can also print sublimations on various types of shirts, aprons, tea towels, and other clothing items. These are great money-making crafts.
Now you may think this is such a costly business to do. But like any other business, there is investment involved.
Get a cutting machine. I started with a Silhouette Cameo 4 and now I’m loading my arsenal with a Cricut Explore Air 2.
Widen your horizon and surround yourself with other crafters that have made their Cricut business. You can do so by joining Cricut projects Facebook groups. Ask around for tips and tricks. They are a great way to get inspiration. In fact, we have our own Facebook Group here. If you’re new and need some designs to print, we do share freebies there.
Start making things and publish them. Any craft you make, take beautiful pictures of them and post them. You can sell them on Etsy for starters. Or perhaps you want to build your own site and sell them there, you definitely can!
If you’re open to selling your crafts locally, you can check out events such as craft shows and farmer’s markets where you can set up a booth and sell your items.
Promote your business. It’s so easy to branch out in public for free through social media platforms. You can post new product notifications and maybe seasonal discounts. You can also share step-by-step pictures/videos of you making crafts to create engagement with potential customers too. You can check out how we do it on our Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Among crafts that make money, papercut crafting is quite popular. I like making layered paper art. I want to show you one example among many of the Cricut projects you can find in DrizyStudio.com. This one is free! Take it as a sampler guide in your crafting business journey!
This is a Fairy Butterfly 3D Shadow Box. It’s a 9-layer paper art in square shape. This design is suitable for your kid’s bedroom, nursery, daycare, jewelry shop and more.
For this session I’m using my Silhouette Cameo 4. But you can use any cutting machine you have.
I have checked the file. There’s quite a lot of precision cutting in this layered paper art, and I don’t want to make the papercut craft too small because it’ll increase the chance of tearing. So, I decided to make it in 8 x 8 inches, a nice size big enough for a decoration.
For the colors, I tried following the template’s purple-pinkish vibes, making do with what I have on hand.
This will build the 3D look by adding space between the papercut of the layered paper art.
A cutting machine usually comes with a cutting mat inside the box. But the surface will be less sticky over time hence you need adhesive paste as a refresher.
They come in handy when you pick up a finished papercut from the cutting mat.
This one is totally optional. You can display 3D layered paper art by itself or make a frame of cardstock paper.
I have mine custom made. It protects my craft in case someone bumps my 3D papercut off the table and steps on it. Yikes! It’s quite handy too. I use it when I take pictures of new 3D papercut craft I make. Plus! Because I save my crafting projects, I can choose what I want to display by the season.
Put it at the back of the 3D papercut and the light will shine through, adding a more magical, special effect.
Download and unzip the file. I use Silhouette Studio on my computer to send the file to my cutting machine.
Load the cutting mat and paper and hit start. It’s important to make sure paper is sticking snug to the cutting mat. Any lifted paper may cause tearing. Another cause for papercut tears is dull blades. Replace blades when necessary.
You can easily lift the papercuts from simpler design. But for intricate designs we want to carefully pick up the tiny pieces to have a clean finish.
This will take some time, so have patience, my friend.
I usually cut the layered papercut in correct order, stacking them directly after I finish detaching them so they don’t get mixed up. You can always open the files again to check which layers sit on top.
I like to start from 2 base layers. I start by placing adhesive foams on the borders to give the 3D design a structure. Then I add more as needed, mainly following the shape of the top layer so the foams don’t peek out.
I put the 3D layered paper art inside my wooden frame.
And this is when I turn on the LED. Looks beautiful right?
Here’s a video version of the whole process:
Creating crafts to sell is not only a great source of income, but it’s a great creative outlet. It’s wonderful being able to do something you love and make money at it. Good luck on your crafting business!
Looking for SVG files and fonts with commercial licensing for your business? Grab our time-limited bundles and save up to 99% off of your purchase!
Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, the bundle links above are affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).
