I do scrapbooking because I love it. I also do it to keep my Photoshop skills sharp while I stay-at-home with the kids in the event I need to return to work someday. I am a registered landscape architect. As my kids enter school, I'm finding myself looking for job opportunities that are flexible, something that is difficult to find in my field.
So, my questions are:
Can you make a reliable supplemental income designing printables, mugs, tshirts and the like on the web?
Are you doing this? If so, where? (I would love to see your shop. Also, feel free to PM me details as I really would like to know what people are realistically making.)
Are you making money or is it just a hobby?
I have had a small Zazzle and Cafepress shop for several years now, but both companies have been reducing royalties year after year. When I started selling, I would sell $2,500 worth of product a month and it would have made me $250+ that month, but now it only makes me about $75-$100 depending on fees and such. It has made me shy to invest further time with all the cuts and changes.
What are some ways you are able to make an income?
As I'm thinking about designing for others, I too would be interested in this topic!
I have been commissioned to design many logos over the years, although I don't know if I would recommend it unless you have a set font list and designs for them to choose from. It can be a tedious process and a lot of back and forth and for me it wasn't beneficial for my time however if organized and structured right could be lucrative. Designing blog layouts etc is also something that has come up but I find myself juggling too many things sometimes lol!! I guess those aren't exactly what you were asking and aren't scrapbook related but digital design related.
In answer to your last question, my husband and I are also 3rd party sellers on Amazon. Essentially I shop for a living. There is a lot that goes into this, too much to really put here but if you have anymore questions on it look up Thrifting for profit. The ladies are amazing on there, very helpful and they have a lot of podcasts etc. Amazon also just came out with a new category where you can now sell homemade items. You might be able to put together a scrap kit and put it on there, as well as mugs, crafts, etc. I do recommend doing your research before taking this step on what is selling right now etc. Again, there is a lot that goes into knowing where to look for that but I am more than willing to answer any questions you might have or steer you in the right direction. Amazon can be pretty lucrative at times and gives me the opportunity to stay home with my four kiddos.
Thank you for your input. I'm thinking graphic design/digital design in general (not thinking of going the scrapbook route at all... though I would love to know how profitable or not profitable it is) so that was really helpful! I'm wondering what other opportunities are out there and your comments helped a lot. I'm not nearly as skilled as I need to be yet to even do graphic design, but I wanted to see if it was worth the investment. I'm a little lucky in that my income isn't needed, but that is exactly why I can't have a steady job. My husband is forced to travel WAY too much and I would pretty much be on my own holding down a job and juggling all the family stuff too. I think that's near impossible to do! Thanks so much for your input! I am interested in your shop and how you are doing it. That too, sounds interesting!
ohhhhh you could work on a book of landscaping designs ideas ...one where you take a certain sized, shaped plot and do several different designs for it, and then several different designs for another sized plot etc until you had enough for a book! (even an Ebook) I am sure people would love that idea! It would open them up & expose them to new ideas and creativity for their own outdoor areas. My head is bubbling with the different types of books you could do lol
I had a friend who did the whole etsy thing but he stopped because basically he was working more for etsy than himself with little reward in return lol ...and his items were cool too.
Myself I haven't tried anything online but I live in a tourist town and do stalls through the tourist season with handmade items (I do all sorts)
This helps fund my purchases for handcraft items lol