When my wife and I tried to make wreaths and to sell them, we didn’t have much luck.
We could easily make wreaths (greenery or heirloom wreaths).
Just by wiring materials to a metal form or applying them to a rounded straw or foam base. Or so did we think.
We received a lot of compliments on our work, but few sales.
Perhaps this was because we were working the flea market circuit at the time.
Sales should be better at arts and crafts shows, or in gift shops.
Someone did tell us that we were pricing them too low, thus reducing the perception of value.
Spending time to make wreaths and then pricing them too low doesn’t make a business…
That’s a possibility, given that we were trying to get $5 and it is tough to find a decent grapevine wreath online for under $25.
In any case, there are successful sellers of wreaths (see the resource section for examples), and this can be a fun and artistic way to make some extra cash.
Our first twenty wreaths were made from grapevines collected off the fence behind our house.
After that I had to wander the woods and fields to gather wild grape vines.
Making wreaths of the vines involved nothing more than making a circle with one and then winding others around it until it was fuller-looking.
We then took the best of the artificial flower vines we could buy for around a dollar-per-string.
And then wove one into each wreath, creating a grapevine-and-flower decoration.
They cost us a dollar to make.
Of course there are many other design possibilities, and many other materials you can use to make wreaths.
How Much Can You Make?
At the moment, wreath made of natural materials are selling for $20 to $80 online.
For example, I just saw a “Bear Grass, Lavender & Wild Rose Wreath” on sale for $46.99, and a “Mossy Twig Wreath” selling for $38.99.
My guess is that the materials for either one cost less than $10 if purchased, and some of them could be gathered for free if you like to work outdoors.
Plain grapevine wreaths that are 36 inches in diameter are selling for $23.99 to $39.95.
You could sell them at craft shows to get top dollar, but you may see your profits eaten up by the space fee you’ll pay, unless you sell a lot.
Another option is to sell by way of a website, although this requires learning how to promote a site and get traffic to it.
Perhaps the easiest way to make money with your wreaths is to wholesale them to gift stores, craft show vendors or online sellers.
For example, the plain grapevine wreaths that retail for $24 online might cost you nothing to make.
This, if you live in an area with a many wild grape vines, and you should be able to wholesale them to the vendor for $12 each.
Want to know more about making wreaths? Check this new article on a similar topic.
Ways to Make More | Related Opportunities | Tips
There is a market for the plain grapevines as well.
Maybe you’ll find that you enjoy the outdoor work of gathering the materials more than the artistic work of making wreaths.
So you might just earn some part-time cash collecting and selling the vines.
Qualifications / Requirements to make wreaths
Although results will vary, anyone can do this almost anywhere.
Of course it helps to have two good hands and a bit of creative spirit.
Want to know more about making wreaths? Check this new article on a similar topic.
First Steps
Find some grapevines and start making wreaths.
You might want to give the first few away to friends and family and gauge their response (don’t ask — they’ll be too nice and you need to see that people really like what you have made).
Resources
Great American Wreaths: The Best of Martha Stewart Living, by Martha Stewart Living Magazine – Clarkson Potter 1996.
http://www.wreathgarden.com – Example of a seller of wreaths.
http://www.egrapevinestore.com – Seller of grapevine products of all sorts.
Image by Oatsy40 via Flickr