The dog days of summer didn't stop a few tweens in Maspeth from getting motivated. Diana Rodriguez, 12, Esperanza Cantillo, 12, Nicole Rodriguez, 10 and Scott Stegman, 11, set up shop several days last week beside the Queens Ledger/Brooklyn Star office on Grand Avenue, selling their own handmade creations to earn a few extra dollars.

For one week, the group sold goods from handmade knitted coasters and bracelets to small household goods, as well as a few CDs and bookmarks, all between the price range of 25 cents and $1.

On the first day, they earned $20. “We're doing it because we had all this stuff and we're putting our skills to use,” said Diana Rodriguez, who will be attending I.S. 73 in September.

Cantillo will also be attending I.S. 73 in the fall. Nicole Rodriguez attends P.S. 29 and Stegman attends P.S. 153.