Fun Products to Make & Sell at Craft Shows

This article shares several ideas in a variety of categories for products you can make and sell at craft shows.

Crochet

Crochet water balloons

These are a great idea for summer and I love that they reduce the waste broken balloons create.

They’re simply meant to be soaked in water, not filled with water. Sort of like throwing a wet sponge instead of a balloon filled with water. Left in Knots shares a tutorial on their blog; find the instructions here.

Chunky blankets

Thick yarn and oversized needles create a chunky knit that’s started a trend. Lily Ardor has a beautiful blanket and tutorial. Visit her blog and find the DIY here.

During spring and summer months, this trend is best suited for items like:

Baby blankets
Floor pillows
Pillow covers
Poufs/ottomans
Rugs
Stuffed animals
Throws

When the weather starts to cool down, you could add new chunky knitted items such as:

Handbags
Hats
Mittens
Scarves
Slippers
Socks
Sweaters

Knitted unicorns

The unicorn trend came in strong last year and it appears it’s continuing into 2018. “Knitted unicorn” is a popular search phrase on Google so if you make knitted dolls and toys, a unicorn may be a good one to add to your product lineup. Find the pattern for the unicorn shown below on One Dog Woof.

Bath & Body

Gemstone & Geode shapes

Gemstone soaps have been a hot item in the past year with lots of really fun DIY’s using different shapes, gems, rocks, etc. for inspiration. Here are a couple of my favorites that have been popping up in my Pinterest feed.

Love these Geode Bath Bombs by The Makeup Dummy. Find the DIY for them here.

And how cool are these Amethyst Soap Gems from the blog Mary Makes Good? Find the DIY for this soap here.

Unicorn Soap

The unicorn trend has carried into many products, including bath & body products. Here are a few fun examples.

A DIY for a unicorn bath bomb by a Pumpkin & a Princess

A Pumpkin & a Princess also has a DIY for a unicorn frappuccino bath bomb.

*As a seller, you cannot use the Starbucks logo shown on these as it would be considered intellectual property infringement, but it would be fine to use the logo if the bath bombs are for personal use and you’re not profiting from them.

Learn more about intellectual property infringement in LAWS FOR SELLING HANDMADE or check out: 3 BIG LEGAL MISTAKES CRAFTERS MAKE for additional laws you must follow.

I also love this DIY by The Makeup Dummy for unicorn macaroon bath bomb melts.

You could also use unicorn-inspired colours for your soap like A Beautiful Mess did in their gradient soap bar DIY, found here.

Shower Jellies

These act like soap but have a fun jelly texture to them. You can alter the shape, color, size and scent to fit with your brand. I love these gummy bear jelly soaps created by Happiness is Homemade. You can find the instructions here.

You can also research what’s popular when it comes to bath & body ingredients. People are always looking for the latest skincare trend. Some ingredients that are trending for 2018 are:

Crystal-infused skincare products
Cannabis infused skincare products
Luxury body care products (keeping body skin looking as good as the skin on your face; body masks, body serums, etc.)

Or try turning to trends in other industries. For example:

Fashion – work popular prints/patterns and colors into bars of soap.
Food – what’s popular for desserts? Donuts and cupcakes have been popular in the past couple years and mirror glazed sweets seem to be trendy this year.
Home décor – popular paint colors for the season could be incorporated into bars of soap.

*Disclaimer

You must always follow the regulations your country (and any country you sell your products to) has set out for cosmetics. Be aware of them before creating and selling any products mentioned in this article. Please read:

Jewelry

Tassel & Pom-poms

This trend mainly applied to earrings when it came to popular search terms but there’s no reason you can’t carry tassels or pom-poms into bracelets, necklaces and maybe even rings? (I think a pom-pom ring would be cute!)

A Beautiful Mess has a couple fun tutorials. You can find the tassel earring DIY here and the pom-pom bracelet DIY here.

Wood resin necklace

Natural wood combined with glossy resin creates a cool look. Here’s one by Hazel + Gold Designs. You can find the DIY here.

Diffuser / essential oil bracelet

This is also a trend that can be carried into other jewelry pieces such as necklaces or rings. Here’s one by Mommy Potamus. You can find the DIY here.

Some other popular search terms according to Google Trends are:

Anxiety bracelet
Choker
Glow in the dark moon necklace
Moon phase necklace
Solar system bracelet

Home Decor

Plant hangers

Macrame & weaving like this lovely macrame plant hanger on the blog heylilahey. Find the tutorial here.

Driftwood art

Driftwood can also have a bohemian vibe. Here’s a beautiful mirror from Sustain my Craft Habit. Check out the tutorial here.

And this branch heart is such a unique piece of wall art. Find the DIY from Shades of Blue Interiors here.

Dreamcatchers

Dreamcatchers can also have a bohemian vibe to them. I love this modern one from the blog Almost Makes Perfect. Find the DIY here.

Tassel blankets

Tassels and pom-poms added to pillows or blankets can add a bohemian flair to home decor products too. I love the oversized tassels on this blanket DIY by Bre Purposed. Find the tutorial here.

Erin (Creator of Made Urban)

Hey, I’m Erin 🙂 I write about small business and craft show techniques I’ve learned from being a small business owner for almost 2 decades, selling at dozens of craft shows, and earning a diploma in Visual Communication Design. I hope you find my advice helpful!

10 Comments

Your articles are always insightful and helpful. What about Aprons? I would love your thoughts on making and selling aprons. It is something that has stayed in the back of my mind for years. Some of the research I have done has indicated that Aprons,whole not a trend, sell at craft shows. Of course the craft show venue may have something to do with this – ? Thank you for your thoughts.

Awesome article. Having a few craft shows in the coming months. Great ideas since I make handmade earrings and necklaces.

Hi Sharon, good question. A quick peek at Google Trends and it looks like “Christmas aprons with pockets” (a little early but might be an idea to research in fall), “BBQ aprons for men” and “french maid aprons” are a few of the top search phrases that could be related to handmade. You could definitely find a niche by choosing one of those. Hope that helps!

Thanks for reading Michelle! Glad it sparked some ideas 🙂

~Erin

Doing my first craft show of the year with all new inventory – none of which is on this list! :O

I guess there’s still time to make some tassles….

Hi Hilari! Don’t stress too much about offering items from this list. These are just suggestions based on Google trends and popular searches but may not necessarily be hot items for your target market, a fit for your brand or a fit for the shoppers the event attracts. You always know what’s best for your business, I’m just providing suggestions 🙂

Thanks – I appreciate your thoughts. I had never heard of Google Trends – what a great “tool”.

I haven’t done a craft show yet! I so glad I found all this wonderful information to help me out! Thank you!

Hello,
I work full time and have been making deco mesh and burlap wreaths and cemetery saddles part time for about 1 year now. I have sold a few to friends and given away a lot to family! I have a full blown craft room being designed by my hubby and and really want to sell more items than I do. For every 10 wreaths I make, I might sell 2. I get alot of “I like this but could you make it in blue?” Then I still end up with the orginal products sitting around not being sold. I’ll hold onto them about 6 months and then put them “on sale” meaning I am barely getting my money back. People tell me they love my work but they are not buying. I haven’t committed to a full blown business or done any craft shows, maybe that is the problem? I even tried making a specialty wreath but wasn’t able to get them off the ground. I think the price put people off but I wasn’t selling them anywhere near the high prices on the internet.
Help me!

hi! thank you for this article. I learned a lot from it today. One question, how do you find the trends on google trend? I mean, how do I navigate it? How do I know what is the trend? I tried searching for apron, based on Sharon’s comment above but I can’t find the apron styles that you suggested based on google trend. the ones I saw are blue apron. Thank you in advance.

I make homemade and handmade soy and beeswax candles. All of my containers are recycled, and I very seldom make more than one, of the same kind. Everyone says that my work is beautiful, and prices are very good, however, I have an online shop with Artyah. They are a fairly new business, started here in Sacramento. Originally, I posted alot of my work, but nobody is buying. My pictures are good, but, I’m still not selling online. Any help? I do sell at craft faires, but, unless they are inside, I can only attend during fall and winter, for the most part. I also have a facebook page with my business name, Serendipities Imagined, but, no luck there either. Thank you for any thoughts.