THE ORIGINAL KITCHEN TABLE MONEY MACHINE - ASSEMBLING PRODUCTS AT HOME FOR UP TO $500 A DAY

There's always money to be made from one's crafts and hobbies, and even if it doesn't seem so at first glance. There are small-scale manufacturing opportunities available to even unskilled workers that can be expanded over time. If you're willing to learn some basic crafts, you can turn those skills into a home-based business.

First, consider your hobbies, or the crafts in which you're involved. Perhaps you enjoy making stuffed animals that children love. Or you enjoy throwing pottery or firing ceramics. Needlework, sewing, embroidery, knitting, jewelry making and tailoring may be among your talents that you can turn into extra income.

Perhaps you're a good carpenter, and you can turn to high-quality cabinet making or furniture making. Maybe you can see a need for furniture repair in your area. Or perhaps you're excellent at crafting doll houses and miniature figures for which you can charge premium prices.

You've seen all the good ideas that can be turned to your advantage with a bit of effort. You can make reindeers from firewood and tree branches, and sell at swap meets before the holiday season. Perhaps you're a computer programmer with some good ideas that will sell as shareware.

All the good ideas in the world won't do a bit of good unless you find customers for them. If you don't think of yourself as a natural in sales, rest assured that you can learn effective selling skills. You may decide to sell in one or several different ways. Perhaps you want to start your own shop. Maybe your products are well suited to swap meet sales. You can sell the items to stores at a wholesale price. You can retail them yourself by advertising them locally or nationally.

If it's a small item, easy to produce, you may want to take the approach of giving it away and charge only for shipping and handling. Advertise the giveaway in such national publications as The National Enquirer, which can generate thousands of sales. Or you can put your goods in stores on consignment, meaning that when they sell the items, you collect your money.

Gaining the self-confidence that your craftwork is unique an high quality will help you to pursue more opportunities. You'll find that virtually by accident you've learned the skills end of the craftwork. Now all you have to do is to hone your business skills, and you're on your way.