Has anyone had a successful craft business?

[slsurface]

My mother had a business when I was a kid, so I am very realistic about the amount of work it takes to run your own business. She work ALL the time and didn’t make a lot of money. Of course this was all pre-Internet, so I am wondering if there are any resourceful mamas out there who have been successful in running their own craft business. My passion is to make natural knit and felt toys. I can make them fairly quickly and easily, but I don't know how much of a market there is for this sort of thing (especially since the economy is slow and people don't have the money for what many consider a luxury). Where do you sell your goods? How do you market them? Could I conceivably make any money if I only work part-time at it (since I already work a full time job)? Any insights are appreciated!

[milehighmonkeys]

There are a few options for selling. Some people use Etsy, Hyena Cart or an individual website. Most people use PayPal for payments because it's accessible and lots of people are familiar with it.

[flapjack]

From looking around, it seems that the most successful are those who craft because they love to and can, and sell the products almost as an afterthought, rather than creating objects with the intention of selling.