Finding the Right Item to Sell

I'm an organizer, not an artist; I'm a casual crafter.  But I had been coercing my friends to participate, so I needed to do my part.

My family loves to spend Christmas at the beach, so I thought what fun it would be to decorate the tree with a beach theme.  However, finding "beachy" ornaments was not easy, so I thought I would make my own. That led to many happy hours combing the beach for perfect shells. My first attempt at making something to sell looked like this.  My friend +Beth Gilmore (who had some experience with selling said, "You need to have more than 20; make a hundred!") So I did. I only have 85 left.  I guess not a lot of people wanted shells as ornaments.

My next idea was to sharpen my sewing skills after many years. The person who made blankets had opted out of the next bazaar, so I thought I could probably make blankets. All I had to do was sew 4 sides on the wrong side and turn it inside out. Turns out you have to have lots of blankets for customers to choose from in order to select the one they want.  I had made 10; I only have 8 left.

Moving on...my great (!) friend Janice Graves graciously sent me a recipe for almond toffee that she said was exceptional. I tried it, then tried it again, then experimented with how to package it. After lots of searching for the right container, I felt like I had a winner. Janice was right; the toffee is exceptional, and after checking with the health department, I felt comfortable offering it for sale. I make about 35 pounds a year and sell out every year.  People love food!

More about attempts to find marketable items to come.