​ Handmade is now becoming a very popular form of creativity again. Now it is already a huge interesting culture or philosophy, lifestyle or self-realization, with the help of which any person can show their individuality, become unique and fashionable. In addition, this is not just needlework, but a real therapy that can help you get out of despondency, understand yourself, look at your life with a new look.

DIY handmade

handmade ideas always differ in their zest, because for every taste there is something from which a person will be completely delighted. Moreover, handmade products are priced higher than those purchased in a store. By making something, a person improves his creative potential, straightens his horizons of thinking, develops his personal sense of beauty.

Directions of hand-made

Handmade has many different simple directions, but each of them is truly vast. It can be self-made decor for an apartment, quilling, decoupage, knitting, embroidery, work with beads, soap making, sewing clothes, hand painting on various materials, carving, creating jewelry and accessories, and so on. Here you can find a great place for the flight of every creative person. Needlewomen make, for example, knitted original hats for adults, which cannot be found in the store.

Materials for such creativity can be used different. It can be leather, fabrics, yarn, beads, beads, sand, clay, stones, metal, furs, buttons, buttons, cardboard, paper and much more.

What are the ideas of hand-made

Denim has long been considered a favorite of many, and absolutely everyone in the wardrobe has things from it, not even in a single copy. And since fashion is a direction that is changing rapidly, over time, for this reason and because of wear and tear, many products lose their zest, relevance, or even become unnecessary. But do not be sad or fall into despair.

Home decor as a method of revitalizing old products

Now home decor has become very fashionable. because it's so nice to give new life old things. Ideas for the home can help anyone improve their home without huge financial costs, update an old interior, hide bad furniture or create new accessories for their apartment. Handmade is not only a hobby, needlework from boredom, it is a motivation for improvement, the realization of a chosen goal and enjoyment of the work done.

All family members can be involved in these activities. Your children will especially like it. Even toddlers will enjoy this activity. After all, what could be more interesting than spending evenings with a joint hobby!

In addition, needlework helps children develop normally, teaches them to appreciate every thing, even the oldest and most unnecessary. With the right approach, it can be used to create a large number of new and cute products. For children, this is a kind of magic in which they take a personal part.

Even if right now you don’t have your own personal ideas and there is no desire to come up with something unusual or interesting, you can just use someone else's ideas. Choose those ideas, the implementation of which will involve you in creativity with your head, give you real pleasure from work and give you a lot of joyful moments. If you do not know where to find suitable ideas, you can look at groups on this topic in contact.

Attention, only TODAY!

"Handmade" in English means "handmade". For many, this word is associated with a hobby. Yes, creating products with your own hands is quite an exciting process that will help you express your creativity. At the same time, the home collection is replenished with another original item. But handmade can also increase your budget. How to turn your hobby into a business?

Unfortunately, there is a wrong stereotype that crafts self made sloppy and primitive. Of course, everyone starts with the basics. But if you consider handmade as a serious way to earn money, you must become a professional. Handmade is more expensive than factory products, because it combines quality and uniqueness.. A potential buyer himself understands that he can purchase an inexpensive "stamping". But if a person has already come to you, it means that he is ready to pay more for a good handmade item. Don't disappoint him! Here are some interesting ideas.

Wedding accessories

People often buy exclusive items for special occasions such as weddings. Everyone wants their ceremony to be special, not stereotyped. What to offer newlyweds? There are many handmade options: postcards, bouquets, clothing accessories, garlands. But remember that in each subject there should be something new. Catch the golden mean between solemnity and brightness, even if a little bold. Consider how to create an original decor for a handmade box for wedding rings..

You will need the following materials:

• a small deep box (for example, in the shape of a heart);
• satin ribbon;
• silk fabric;
• velvet fabric;
• mesh, sequins, rhinestones, pebbles (any decorative items);
• glue.

1. To get started make pillows for rings . Place the box on a sheet of paper and trace its outline. If the walls in the box are very thick, subtract half a centimeter. Using the pattern, cut out two pieces of silk fabric.

Heart pattern

2. Sew the pieces together leaving a small hole.

Sew details around the edges

3. Stuff the pillow with padding polyester and sew up the hole. You can decorate the product with bows or flowers made of silk fabric.

We fill the pillow with synthetic winterizer

4. Now let's deal with the hand-made box itself. Sides and lid outside decorate with velvet fabric . For this you need glue. But do not pour too much, just a few drops are enough.

Cardboard box in the shape of a heart

5. Make decor out of fabric and attach to the lid. You can decorate the fabric with pebbles and rhinestones. With glue attach a pillow to the bottom from silk fabric. A handmade box will be a wonderful attribute of a wedding.

Finished result

Handmade decorations

Jewelry made of gold and silver is far from affordable for everyone. And despite the luxury, they often lack warmth. By creating handmade jewelry with your own hands, you put a charge of kindness and joy into them. Today there are many techniques using beads, ribbons, wood, gum, polymer clay. Consider a master class on making handmade earrings from the latest material.

You will need:

• polymer clay;
• acrylic paint;
• needle;
• brush;
• wet wipe;
• earwires, rings, pins.

Necessary materials

1. Rolling out polymer clay into layers a few millimeters thick.

Roll out the clay into a layer

2. Cut out five circles . Cut out two petals from each circle.

Making mugs

3. Now roll out the ball and squeeze it into a cake - this is the basis of the earrings.

4.Bend the pint into a loop , press its tip into the middle of a pre-rolled ball.

Basis for earrings

5.Making petals from circles .

Making petals

6. Attaching the petals to the base . Just don't close the loop.

Attaching the petals

7. Needle we push through the strip in the center of each petal. You can apply any pattern.

Making a pattern

8. Base close details from clay of a different color. Decorate according to your taste.

Adding details

9. We send the product to the oven . The firing temperature and time are specified in the instructions for the material. When the flowers have cooled, carefully paint over them with paint. Make sure the paint goes into the grooves.

We cover with paint

10. Wet wipe removing a layer of paint from the surface. Let the flowers dry and cover with varnish.

Removing excess paint

11. With the help of rings and fasteners collect earrings: we unbend the ring, put the loops from the pint and the earring into it and bend it. Handmade polymer clay earrings are ready!

Earrings ready

Polymer clay will allow you to create absolutely different images: Both feminine and playful. These handmade decorations are perfect for a themed party.

On video: jewelry with blue roses made of polymer clay

Small interior items

Every person needs home comfort and warmth. Therefore, needlewomen tend to create items for the home with their own hands. The decor of shelves, furniture, doors, curtains - these are great handmade ideas for the interior. And small vases and caskets, funny figurines or creative coasters are often purchased as a gift for a friend. If we consider handmade as a business, then you can earn a good amount on such trifles. We offer a small master class on how to make a ceiling lamp from plastic spoons.

You will need:

• big plastic bottle(at least 5 liters);
• plastic spoons;
• PVA glue;
• energy-saving light bulb, socket, copper wire.

Important point! Take care of safety. Choose a light bulb that does not glow.

1. Gently cut off the bottom of the bottle. Align if necessary.

2. We pierce a hole in the lid with a hot awl. This is where the wire will be inserted, so the diameter of the hole should be wider than the diameter of the wire. The frame of the ceiling is ready.

3. Cut off the handles of the spoons. We place the convex parts in a circle, as if they were scales. We start from the bottom and slowly move to the neck, which we also hide behind the scales. The result was a ceiling resembling a cone.

4. Inside place the bulb. The product is ready.

Ideas for a home can be completely different. In one technique, you can create completely dissimilar objects. If you give handmade enough time, you can come up with the most unexpected solutions.

DIY gifts

Handmade gifts are a great way to express your feelings to family and friends.. And although they say that the main thing is attention, remember: a real souvenir should look perfect. When creating gifts with your own hands, be original and strive for perfection. What can be donated?

In fact, the list of handmade souvenirs is quite large:

• toys;
• notebooks;
• caskets, pencil cases;
• decorations;
• paintings;
• cloth.

In general, everything that will please the other person. Some gifts are easy to decorate. The decor of others can take days or even weeks.

Don't Forget the Decor old clothes. Many people have things in their closet that are already out of fashion or have lost their color and shape. But the owner does not want to part with them. He will be happy if his favorite clothes become beautiful again.

When you once again want to make an unusual item for your home with your own hands, consider whether hand-made can become a source of additional income. Of course, this requires constant improvement. You can learn new subtleties of the craft, periodically draw inspiration from other masters. But your hand-made works should have your own author's style, by which you will be recognized.

Brooch and hair band made of felt (2 videos)

Increasingly, among the usual goods there are original things marked "hand-made". What is it and why are these items overpriced? The anglicism “hand-made” (hand made), which has firmly entered our lexicon, is translated as “made by hand”. That is, these are handmade things that have nothing to do with mass production.

Handmade products have gained popularity not so long ago, despite the fact that the handicraft tradition has always been very strong in our country. What has changed?

Evolution: from needlework to hand-made

In Soviet society, manual work was given a rather unattractive place as a cute hobby, a frivolous attempt by housewives to realize their creativity. The ability to sew, knit, embroider was encouraged, but all this was perceived only as a means to economically create one's own wardrobe. In the West, on the contrary, the ability to create original things with one's own hands was considered creativity, many venerable designers created what is now called "hand-made". What is it, and how did a modest needlework grow into a vast creative direction?

The heyday temporarily blunted the desire of people to create things on their own. Mass-produced products seemed more attractive, but the monotony quickly gets boring. Craftsmen with artistic taste competed with factory stamping, but were unable to produce enough products to meet demand. In the end, hand-made stood out as a separate creative direction - it turned out that with your own hands you can make not only clothes or wooden crafts, but also jewelry, dishes, accessories, and household utensils.

Hobby or business?

Many are wondering how to perceive such an activity as hand-made - for home and personal consumption, or as a business idea? Perhaps, activity in this direction can be considered as the work of an artist. You can draw for yourself, or you can sell your paintings, there will always be demand.

As an example, let's take such a common problem as the search for gifts for various occasions. Commodity abundance and great opportunities have led to the fact that it has become extremely difficult to choose a suitable present for a person who has everything. Originality and exclusivity come to the fore, hand-made gifts acquire special value. Demanded masters focus the attention of buyers on the fact that they do not replicate their products, thus guaranteeing the absolute uniqueness of each individual item.

Competition in the handicraft market

Extensive demand and the emerging fashion for handicrafts has led to the fact that many people have the illusion of so-called easy money. This misconception is facilitated by the availability of raw materials and tools - needlework products have become a promising line of business. A huge number of shops sell beads, decoupage napkins, threads, metal and plastic accessories.

However, this availability has given rise to a large number of hand-made frankly poor quality. You can buy ready-made beads and string them on a thread, give the jewelry an ornate name, but this will not turn the resulting product into a valuable product of creativity, therefore, the cost will be low. With the seeming abundance of craftsmen, there is always a category of craftsmen, to whom there will be a queue. These are people with great artistic taste and the talent to create extraordinary things. High competition is observed only in the low and medium price categories.

How to set up sales?

If a hand-made master is going to earn money from his work, then you need to somehow declare yourself. There are several ways to improve sales. Almost anything is sold through the Internet, and what is more valuable - buyers can be from any country. However, to establish sales through you need to figure out how buyers find the product, otherwise the work will be more like trying to win the lottery.

Hand-made exhibitions are a good way to make money - buyers come there who want to find something extravagant. Those who know how to create, but are unable to sell, will come to the rescue of shops that accept handicrafts for a commission.

Search for an original idea for needlework

An important part of success is the idea - uniqueness becomes one of the main tools that help in the competition. An example is such a difficult art as lampwork. Working with glass in the flame of a burner is not as common as using ready-made beads. There is a greater amount of manual work here, and it will not work to create absolutely identical products. Masters add various inclusions to the glass, experiment with the technique of execution, and the result is an absolutely unique creation.

If you briefly answer the question "Hand-made - what is it?", then you can see what exactly original idea, embodied by the master, defines the type of art in question. Combination creative idea and high-quality performance allows you to demand an impressive amount for the product.

Fair Price Determination

Those who define needlework exclusively as hand-made for the home do not think about the cost of their creations. The main thing is that they bring joy in the manufacturing process, bring peace and balance to the soul. However, for a prolific craftsman, the products first go into the category of gifts for loved ones, and then the idea arises to sell them. Excessive modesty in calculating the price is as harmful as self-confidence.

Calculating the cost is pretty easy. Spending on goods for needlework can be considered a rough cost, to which you need to add a fee for labor and time spent. In no case should you devalue your work and creativity. This negatively affects the psyche.

Does handmade have a future?

Thanks to the availability of various technologies and information exchange on the Web, the popularity of handicraft is only increasing. People are imbued with the ideas of abandoning mass stamping in favor of original and environmentally friendly things - in most cases, needlework does not require harmful chemical components. Now many can enlighten their friends on the topic of hand-made - what it is, how to determine the level of skill and choose a real exclusive among the many crafts.

Of course, handmade products have a future, hand-made is appreciated, it is loved by buyers, whether it be clothes, accessories, soap, dishes or decorative decorations for the interior. What used to be contemptuously called handicraft, now acquires a special appeal, because hand-made products carry a piece of the creator's soul and delight with originality and freshness of ideas.

People have been making things since ancient times. At first it was a necessity, because it was necessary to dress in something, from something. Subsequently, crafts became a way to feed yourself and your family.

One of the areas of handicraft is folk art crafts, where things made by the hands of skilled craftsmen have not so much practical as aesthetic and cultural value. From folk applied art, the activity called handmade originates.

Anglicism handmade has become so firmly established in our lexicon that even without translation the meaning of this word is clear:

Handmade is handmade things, as well as the process of creating them.

But is a carpenter or locksmith a handmade craftsman? It's manual labor. It is believed that this process must be creative, and things must be unique.

If a carpenter makes ten stools a day using one template, this can hardly be called handmade. But if he manually saws out a stool with one-of-a-kind carved legs, putting a particle of his soul into it, then yes, he is a handmade master.

Ever since I was a child, I loved to draw, knit and make various crafts. I remember the enthusiastic eyes of my parents when another product, invented and made by me, was born. Usually each thing was not made according to a pattern, but in a completely new way. I liked to experiment and find non-standard solutions for making ordinary things. With age, this hobby did not disappear, but grew into a small business: since 2010 I have been doing quilling.

Larisa Zasadnaya

In the industrial twentieth century, there was almost no demand for handmade things. Why make something when you can buy it in the store? Interest in needlework was temporarily revived only during the total Soviet shortage. Women massively sewed, knitted and embroidered in order to at least somehow dress and decorate their homes.

In our culture, needlework was considered a purely feminine activity, designed to while away the evenings after work. Passion for macrame or beads was not taken seriously. Unlike Western culture, where handmade items are valued a priori, and the people who create them are considered creators.

It was from the West that the fashion for handmade came in the 21st century. Tired of the same type of industrial items, people are increasingly acquiring handmade items.

Handmade is a way to express your individuality and show your aesthetic vision of the world.

Thanks to the Internet, needlewomen are no longer bored housewives, but are turning into real business women who are well versed in sales and marketing.

Pros and cons of handmade

Like any activity, handmade has its positive and negative sides. Let's start with a fly in the ointment.

The main disadvantage is rather expensive consumables and tools. At first, handmade requires a lot of investment, and it is sometimes difficult for people to explain why some kind of "trinket of two ribbons" is so expensive.

People sometimes look at a beautiful elegant thing and think: “Pfft, yes, I blind myself like that!”. However, they forget that simplicity, as a rule, is the result of hard work. Manual work takes a lot of time (sometimes you don’t sleep at night, just to be on time), which you could, for example, spend with your family.

Oksana Verkhova

However, handmade has more advantages, besides, they are much more significant.

• Handmade contributes to the realization of the creative beginning of the individual. Such work is unlikely to ever get bored and turn into a routine.
• Decorative and applied art contributes to the development of thinking and fine motor skills. Manual labor brings up patience and accuracy in a person.
• Handmade masters, as a rule, are freelancers, therefore, they can work from anywhere in the world in a convenient mode.
• Handmade involves continuous self-improvement. Customers need to be regularly surprised with new ideas.
• Constant communication with clients and colleagues contributes to the development of communication skills, and feedback on work allows you to objectively evaluate yourself and give confidence in your own abilities.

But, perhaps, the main advantage of handmade is that it brings a good income. The main thing is to develop a portfolio and get the first orders.

From my point of view, this type of activity has more positive aspects than negative ones. Handmade helps to relax, show imagination. You always have good mood, you enjoy the work, and it brings a significant profit.

Larisa Zasadnaya

Where to buy materials

Beads, ribbons, paper, glue, paint, accessories - all this is necessary for handmade. Consumables for needlework are by no means cheap, so craftsmen accumulate them for years.

Most often they are purchased in domestic ("Needlework Shop", "Thread-Needle", "World of Beads", GreenBird and others) and foreign online stores. A typical problem of domestic stores is that in order to get free shipping, you need to purchase a large consignment of goods. The problem of foreign stores is that the payment is made in foreign currency, and sometimes the package takes a very long time.

When I first started, there were almost no shops with goods for creativity in my city. Now they are everywhere, but the prices there are too high. Therefore, groups with joint purchases and AliExpress are very helpful. But parcels from China take a long time, and sometimes, when you realize that the parcel will not arrive on time, you have to run to a regular store.

Oksana Verkhova

Where to draw inspiration

The Internet played a key role in the popularization of handmade. If earlier needlewomen had to buy thematic magazines and exchange home-made patterns, now everything is on the Web.

So, inspiring ideas can be found on the Pinterest website. It is worth entering keywords in the search box, as you will see a huge number of boards with various master classes.

For beginners and not only YouTube is a great help: on channels like Etsy, Craftsy, Creativebug, СreativeClub and personal channels of craftsmen, you can see firsthand how a particular product is made and get a lot of valuable advice from practitioners.

Major English-language DIY sites:

As for Russian-language resources, a huge number of useful links have been collected. But perhaps the most popular are the following sites about needlework.

Website	Peculiarities
Osinka.ru	This online magazine contains a huge amount of information about needlework. The site has a fairly large community. Communication and exchange of experience takes place mainly on the forum. On the site, you can leave orders for craftsmen, as well as take remote courses on needlework.
"Land of Masters"	A site about creativity for children and adults, where a lot of master classes and examples are collected finished works. There you can find the necessary literature, communicate with other masters, as well as take online courses that teach various techniques.
"With my own hands"	This is an Internet club for craftsmen and craftswomen, where you can read useful articles, watch master classes, post your work and participate in competitions.
"Handmade Runet"	This is an online magazine for needlework lovers, where special attention is paid to knitting and crocheting, cross-stitching and sewing. But there are also workshops on scrapbooking, weaving and other creative hobbies. Communication mostly takes place on the forum.
"In needlework"	Site similar to the well-known social network name, interface and essence. Here you can also post your work, like and comment on others.
"Modern Needlework"	Community of active and creative people. On this site, you can start your own page, upload photos of your products and share your achievements on the forum.
Rukodelka.ru	This is a depository that stores electronic versions of magazines on sewing, knitting, embroidery and other types of needlework in various languages. Publications can be viewed online and downloaded to your computer. You can also subscribe and quickly receive information about the appearance of a new monthly magazine in the repository.

If you have bookmarked other interesting portals about handmade or its individual directions, please share the links in the comments.

Where to sell works

The main question that torments needlewomen who have already got their hands on it and are ready to realize their work is: “Where to start?”.

Since childhood, I have been drawing and making things with my own hands. Graduated art school, entered the university with a degree in Graphic Design. I went to work in my specialty, but, having gone on maternity leave, I realized that I wanted something even more creative. At first she did work for friends and relatives, just to fill her hand. At the same time, I photographed everything and posted it in my VKontakte group - this is how the first orders appeared.

Oksana Verkhova

If you seriously decide to make money with handmade, we recommend that you draw up a business plan and register on specialized trading platforms.

The most famous of them is Etsy. It is an e-commerce platform for creative people created in 2005 by photographer and artist Rob Kalin. There are currently over 800 online stores on Etsy with over 15 million items in stock.

In 2015, the company entered the IPO, during which it raised $267 million. The site is insanely popular all over the world. Many people thanks to Etsy provide themselves with a decent income. (German site focused on the European market);

The portal is not only a trading platform, but also a community of people interested in needlework. There you can read articles about design, creativity and art, track the latest trends, study master classes, exchange experiences with other craftsmen, and even buy consumables.

Is it possible to earn money on bread and butter and sausage with handmade? Here's what our experts say.

Handmade distracts from the routine and brings a lot of positive to life. It's nice when your work is praised and recommended to your friends and acquaintances. But I'm not ready to leave my main job yet - it's a little scary to plunge into it headlong and not realize it to the end.

Oksana Verkhova

It is possible to earn a living by handmade, although it is not easy. At first, it is necessary that you have some other job or financial support, because the first results will appear only after long and hard work. But it all depends on your hard work, perseverance and talent.

Larisa Zasadnaya

The French sculptor Auguste Rodin believed that the world would be happy only when every person had the soul of an artist. In other words, when everyone will find joy in their work.

Handmade is just such a field of activity. Needlework is no longer an outlet for bored housewives. This is an interesting business niche with pretty tough competition and high earnings. Thanks to the Internet, handmade is available to any creative person. It would be a wish!