Creative income

So with Christmas coming up we could all do with alittle bit extra money and I am pretty sure you have  all read articles about filling out surveys, mystery shopping or renting out your driveway for alittle bit of extra money but here are some other creative and fashionable ways to bring in a little bit extra each month.

1. Start a blog - you never know where this may lead! I personally know a few people who now have either made blogging a full time career or have be offered a job through there blogs. Blogs can be whatever you want them to be, no one asks for qualifications and you don't have to have just graduated from St Martins to write about your passion for fashion or Art. A blog is also a great way to promote your skills and crafts and you may have the chance to work with some amazing brands. Another plus of blogging is that it can be quite an interactive community in the real world and John and I have met some amazing bloggers at events in Cardiff. This does take some commitment and thought needs to go into the content you put on your blog as it's very competitive to keep readers interested. The most popular blogging platforms are blogger and wordpress and provide straightforward and easy to set up templates.

2. Freelance your skills with People Per Hour - this is a great site not only to offer your skills to prospective employers through hourlies such as photo editing, graphics designs, blogging and copywriting but you can also bid for jobs. You do need a good profile with an excellent CV as there are now a lot of people using the site so it can be quite competitive to get the first bid but after that if you do a good job and get a reference it should be easier to get the next one. Not only could you get a little side job for a few pounds a week but you could also land yourself a job paying £200 plus per week.

3. Sell your crafts online with the creative melting pot's that are Etsy and Folksy. It's easy to set up and sell all your homemade crafts, arty goods and vintage fashion and if it's really good Etsy may highlight it in one of their daily newsletters. 15million use the site - yes that's right 15million, so there is a huge audience and scope to make it more than just a hobby. They only take 3.5% of the sale price once sold and no membership fee's means a win win for everyone.

Some gift tags I made for Christmas last year

4. Become a fashion seller on ebay - why not take it one step further than just selling your unwanted clothing and actually buy wholesale, there is a great site that does ebayer starter packs one2wear that provides you with new, on trend, stylish and chic clothing and it beats having heavy shop overheads. As long as your good at listing at the right times and like everything you network and social media yourself you should make some fashionable profit margins.

5. Teach your trade. If your a homemaker, photographer, print maker or artist why not put on a workshop and share your skills with others. It's not hard to find a space that will allow you to do this if you can't do it at home, such as community halls or local studios. If you love what you do this won't even feel like work, which is a major bonus if you ask me. Happy days