Do you see beautifully-styled bookstagrams and wonder how they do it? Where do they buy their props? Did that cost a small fortune?
Well, it doesn’t need to! Seriously, the dollar store is your friend! I also haunt the clearance section of my local craft store. I’ve found some great finds there! But some props just make my photos beautiful, so you’ll see them over and over again in my bookstagram photos.
These are my five cannot-live-without bookstagram props:
1. Fresh flowers!
Nothing beats fresh flowers for bookstagram props.
Any time anyone sends me flowers, I get super excited! I know I’m going to get a TON of pics out of them. First, I start by taking pictures of them as they came with books. Then, if they weren’t in a vase, I put them in one and take a few more shots. Finally, I deconstruct the bouquets and take additional pics with different elements. Sometimes, I make it a game to see how many different pictures I can take with flowers from an arrangement. I got over fifteen bookstagram photos from the flowers you see above! I usually wait until the bouquet is about to fade before I do this step.
The key is to split up the photos so they aren’t all right in a row. This is a great chance to dig into your TBR pile and photograph some books you haven’t read yet. Then you’ll have a stockpile of beautiful content for the months ahead!
2. Fake flowers
But fresh flowers aren’t always available. That’s where these beauties that I found on Amazon fill in. You will see these over and over again on my feed. Sometimes I layer them with larger flowers or sometimes I use them by themselves. I love these because they’re bright, have a great variety of colors and are super-tough. I’m hard on them and they still look great over a year after I bought them!
These gold glitter stars
For when all that glitters really is gold.
I feel like book colors with gold elements have been a trend lately, especially in the fantasy genre. I love these gold confetti stars. Their sparkle shows up great on a white background and they add an element of sophistication to every photo they’re in.
4. These heart-shaped ornaments
Read a lot of books about love?
These are technically ornaments for a Valentine’s tree, but I cut off the strings you would use to hang them and instead feature them in flat lays. They’re perfect to add a sweet touch to a YA romance novel bookstagram photo.
5. This beautiful dyed wheatgrass
I think this is my most unique find.
This has to be the prop that I get the most people asking me where I got it. Any time I feature it in a photo, the compliments pour in. These are a little fragile, so I store them very carefully separately from my other bookstagram props. But the final effect is worth it!
