No doubt I love blogs and online sources of inspiration, but sometimes it is nice to page through a book. No googling, no scrolling…just a good old fashioned book. Craft and motivational books are my favorites. I either prefer something very visual and informative or an inspiring, motivational, thought provoking read.
In my craft room, I have a small library of my favorite craft books on my stair tread shelves. To keep them neatly on display and accessible, I used magazine holders instead of bookends. These wire mesh magazine holders are from the Target dollar bin section. When turned backward they make a nice system for holding books with spines displayed. I have to stop for a moment and mention how darling most craft book covers are. The lovely colors really look great on display.
So are you wondering what I keep close on hand in my craft room? What I like to flip through for inspiration? From left to right, here is my list of books and what I like about each of them:
Lotta Prints: How to Print with Anything, from Potatoes to Linoleum
– A beautiful book on how to make patterns through stenciling, stamping, screen printing on anything from walls to clothes. This book offers a view into the creative genius of Lotta Jansdotter.
Squeaky Green: The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home
– A fun little book about cleaning by the guys behind the Method line at Target. I personally use everything in the Method line. I love the bottle designs and packaging. This book has lots of great green cleaning tips. Unfortunately, if you have read how I work full-time and blog original content 5 days a week, you would know my Method cleaning supplies do not get nearly enough use.
Amy Butler’s Little Stitches for Little Ones
– Oh Amy…I love everything you do. This book is adorable, but I admit I have only made one or two projects from it. I just love the pictures, the tutorials, the process. There is great instructions and sewing terminology. Although I have only made a few of the patterns, the book has taught me a lot about sewing.
Organic Baby: Simple Steps for Healthy Living
– Great book for what to think of as a new parent bringing a baby into your environment and how to make sure it is healthy. This one is pretty much a one time read. I will probably pass it on to one of the soon-to-be mothers around me, but for now I love that orange spine.
Decorate: 1,000 Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home
– I picked this up at Anthropologie while visiting family in Texas. I am especially drawn to books and magazines when I am on vacation, because I have time to devour them. I did not find a lot of ground breaking new tips in this book, but I loved the pictures, the way the book is organized, and the advice from other designers. I also enjoyed the floor plan sections to help orient you to the rooms. It is a quick read, despite it’s size.
Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A-to-Z Guide with Detailed Instructions and Endless Inspiration
– All I can say is wow. This is packed with information. I skimmed the book at first and discovered about a zillion projects and techniques I had never tried. This will be a long-time resource for craft inspiration and how to. I am sure most of the projects are also online, but I love having the book in hand.
Printing by Hand
– Lena Corwin gives an amazing orientation to printing fabric by hand. I bought this book when I wanted to learn how to screen print and it was so helpful. The project ideas are beautiful and I love Lena’s style.
The Nest Home Design Handbook: Simple ways to decorate, organize, and personalize your place
– Eye candy at it’s best. I would be happy to live in any of the rooms featured in this book. It captures the essence of what I love most in home design. It is very informative. I think it is a must-have for someone like me who likes design, but is not a trained designer.
Jonathan Adler on Happy Chic Colors
– I already spilled my guts about how happy this book makes me. It is witty and fun. It is full of bright and colorful spaces that make my heart pitter-patter. There are a couple pages I have marked as inspiration for our future basement.
Geometry of Design
– I picked this up on a whim at an art supply store. It delves into the math behind good design. It was a very interesting read. I enjoyed the dissection of some iconic designs and why they are so great.
Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business
– Must-have for any budding small business owner in the handmade arena. Packed full of really great, easy to understand information. I previously owned a business when I stayed home with my son and this book helped me start off on the right foot. I keep it around, because I know I will have my own business again soon.
CRAVE Minneapolis The Urban Girl’s Manifesto
– This was a wonderful gift from our family photographer. It highlights all the women-owned small business in the Twin Cities area. An amazing resource for local services and shops. I marked a bunch of places I want to check out and plan to use it as a guide for a fun day of shopping in the cities. Plus, the stories of these women are so inspiring. Don’t live in Minnesota? There is a CRAVE The Urban Girls Manifesto
for every major city. I plan to get the one for every new city I travel too. They have great discounts in the back for all of the featured businesses.
The opinions in this post are my own. I was not compensated for writing this post or any of the opinions contained within it. This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission on purchases made after following an affiliate link.
Oooh. I got Decorate and Happy Chic Colors for Christmas. I love them both. I’m going to have to check out some of your other favs. Martha Stewart’s book looks good.