I have to admit that I’m not the biggest reader in the world. Sitting down on a quiet afternoon to read a book has never been a hobby of mine.

Instead of reading, I would much rather create something. I guess I’m just a creative at heart! Doing projects, crafting, and creating are things that always bring me enjoyment. I can get lost in a project in the same way that people get lost in a book.

While I may not love reading novels, recently I discovered a category of books that I can totally connect with. Creative books!

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It started with beautiful cookbooks. I love flipping through the pages and finding something I can make for dinner or a sweet treat for dessert. Then, I found crafting and DIY books. I started getting ideas for projects and I was inspired to create even more on my own! Finally, I found the books I like to call “encouragement” books. The kind of books that I read through and the entire time I keep thinking “me too!” this book is written just for me!

|| You can find my tote bag here! ||

So now I’m happy to say that I’ve become obsessed with books! But, with the disclaimer that they are books for creatives. I definitely have a book “type” that I go for when I’m on the hunt, and usually it involves pretty colors and gorgeous photos.

This new obsession led to me asking for a ton of books for Christmas. Between Christmas, my own shopping adventures, and Ben stumbling on books to get me “just because” I’ve now gathered a small collection of creative books. And I love every one of them!

So if you’re anything like me, you have got to check out these books. You will LOVE them!

PSST: I also made some colorful modern bookmarks to use with my new creative books. You can find the bookmarks and download them here.

8 Books Creatives will LOVE

The Hands-On Home

I’ve always been a hands-on person. The DIY crafty part of me is always eager to learn new things and just start making. I also love anything that has to do with “home.” I was so excited when I got this book because it’s literally a HUGE book filled with tons of home information. It’s a homemaking dream book!

The Hands-On Home is the complete guide to cooking, homemaking, tips, techniques and more. Not only is it a beautiful book, but inside it’s filled with incredibly detailed information. The author seriously knows what she is talking about. It’s like learning every family tip, trick, and secret recipe passed down from generations to you in one big book!

I’ve barely gotten into the book, but I’ve already spent a ton of time paging through it. There are so many projects that I want to try. Here’s a preview of some of what’s included.
Cooking – Recipes for year-round and by season as well as techniques, tips, and advice

Preserving – Step by step for making and storing vinegars, sauces, fruits and more

Home Care – DIY cleaners, powders, soaps, detergents, and more

Personal Care – DIY scrubs, moisturizers, sprays, balms, and more

The Year of Cozy

This is a lifestyle book, cookbook, and DIY book all rolled into one. It’s a total creative dream. The author invites you into her cozy world in a real and honest way. The book is organized by season, and starts with my favorite season – fall! Each season is filled with tons of creative projects for you to try and amazingly gorgeous pictures.

Seriously this book can double as a beautiful coffee table book. Some of my favorite projects in the book are the gallery wall, hand-stamped bag, and the adorable bento boxes. And I know right now it’s still winter, but the pies, juices and completely homemade s’mores make me SO excited for summer again! I can’t wait!

Eat More Dessert

Do you follow Jenny Keller? If not, go check her out! She’s amazing! Not only can she throw an amazing party (I want to have a favorite things party!), but she bakes everything for the parties too. Her famous Jenny Cookies are her signature dessert, but she has a collection of delicious sweet treats throughout her blog.

Her book Eat More Dessert is my new favorite baking book. It covers her basic recipes and shows you how to bake like a pro. Then, it shows you how to use and adapt those basics to create amazing themed parties and show-stopping displays!

Jenny has some secrets up her sleeve to making baking a breeze. I’m talking boosting that box cake mix to create stunning dessert table displays. My favorite display in the book is the adorable ice cream party!

Damn Delicious

Along with my general love of blogs, food blogs are at the top of my niche list. That’s because I’m not the best at creating recipes on my own. I almost always need a recipe. I’m not a bad cook at all, I just need guidance. Once I discovered the world of food bloggers, I was hooked.

Almost all of my go-to recipes are saved from blogs, and one of my favorite blogs is called Damn Delicious. Her recipes are easy, not intimidating, and delicious! I already have a bunch of recipes from the blog saved, so when I saw that there was a cookbook, I knew it was going to be great.

Her one-pot meals are some of my favorites, so I can’t wait to try out the spinach and tomato tortellini soup!

The I Heart Naptime Cookbook

I Heart Naptime is another blog that I love to follow. Her recipes are always easy to follow, quick, and they turn out amazing! Are you sensing a pattern in the type of food I like to make? Easy!

I think that the I Heart Naptime Cookbook is my new favorite cookbook not only because of the food but because it’s also filled with food related DIY projects. My crafty heart went crazy when I was flipping through the pages.

I can’t wait to try that balsamic caprese garlic bread (Yum!) and make that DIY menu board!

Grace not Perfection

I struggle with perfectionism constantly. I’ve always had these tendencies and I know that many of you are similar. For me, it’s feeling like I need to live up to some unrealistically high expectation that I’ve put on myself. I’m very hard on myself and I also am quick to listen to every critical thought that comes into my head.

Grace not Perfection is just the book that I needed! Emily is so relatable as she shares her story that I feel like I’m chatting with a friend. This book is filled with amazing nuggets of wisdom and encouragement. I really think every woman should have a copy. And as a bonus, it’s the most adorable book ever! Pink cover, gold pretty lettering, pineapples, gorgeousness throughout. You can tell that Emily is a designer because the book is beautiful. Get this book now, you are going to LOVE it!

“I know what the chase to “have it all together” does to a girl who has big dreams and simply wants to be the best she can be. And I’ve learned (by falling on my face quite a few times) that being perfect isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be, that real life is so much richer.”

“In a world that hold us up to a standard of perfection at every turn, you can find something better: grace.”

The 52 Lists Project

I’ve always wanted to get into journaling but I’m terrible at keeping up with it. I have trouble getting started and trouble being consistent. The 52 List Project is literally the perfect book for my journaling wanna-be self.

The idea is that instead of free-writing journal entry, you write out a weekly list based on a prompt. I don’t know about you, but I love making lists. I feel like I can get my thoughts out better in lists than any other writing method. The book is split up by each season and every week there is a new list to fill out along with an action step. One of my favorites is week 24.

List 24: List your Quirks.
Take Action: Read your list. Did you write any in a negative way? Rewrite them from a positive perspective. Then tape them to your mirror and be reminded every day that you are quirky, charming, and wonderful.

You are a Badass

I love this book! I know the title is a little jarring but stick with me. Ben grabbed this book for me at Target randomly because he thought it sounded interesting and easy to read. I don’t know how to explain how awesome this book is. I’m so glad that he found it because I probably never would have bought it on my own.

The book is all about learning to love yourself and creating a life you want to live. As I’ve been reading through it I’ve actually been taking notes! Like literally I have pages and pages of notes. The author and I don’t necessarily agree on everything (she believes in God but calls God the “Source Energy”…I just replace that with God when I’m reading), but I do think that what she has to say is epic! Here’s only a sampling of what I’ve been taking notes on.

“Faith is having the audacity to believe in the note yet seen.”

‘You need to get to the point of having both unwavering faith and unwavering gratitude for that which you desire.”

“You have to get a handle on your thoughts if you are going to change your life.”

“No matter how intimidating your next great leap forward seems at the moment, it will be a pipsqueak when you look back on it someday.”

“You cut yourself off from the supply of awesomeness when you are not in a state of gratitude.”

“Our greatest fears are our greatest wastes of time.”

“What you choose to focus on becomes your reality.”

“Delegate or die – stop being a control freak”

“The only failure is quitting – everything else is just gathering information.”

“Love yourself, you are doing an awesome job!”

Bonus – if you are a creative and an entrepreneur – “You are a Baddass” should DEFINITELY be on your reading list!

I hope that I’ve inspired you to pick up a creative book and start making! Believe me, once you start collecting a few of these books, you’ll get hooked too! Let me know if you have any of these or you plan on getting any. I would love to know your favorites!