The Ultimate Guide To Blog Props (& Where To Find Them)

When I first started out in the blogging world, flat lays and photography were the least of my worries. I'd happily write a post with no photo at all, or throw together products with the most hideous lighting and not really even give a crap. 

The more time I spent reading others blogs or lusting over dreamy Instagram shots, the more I wondered why people were so lucky to have perfectly white & marbled worktops, continuous fresh flowers and dreamy wooden flooring. I spent ages trying to work it out until a little lightbulb clicked and I took to asking Google & Twitter. 

Over my last 2 years of blogging, I have managed to collect quite the selection of blog photo props. I thought people used to spend a fortune on these things but after a while, I really started to find myself hunting out all of the bargains. So, I am here today to ease your mind with the ultimate guide on where to find them!

No decent backdrop? No problem!

Let's start off with some free stuff, shall we?

You can pick up some free wallpaper & floor samples from B&Q & Wilko. The white-washed brick wallpaper (pictured below) is a free sample from B&Q, and I bought the marble self-adhesive film roll also from B&Q for £6.50. I do also own a few wooden floor samples from Wilko pictured in last years February Favourites.

Recently, I popped into Hobbycraft on a mission to find some large white card. During my mooch, I found some amazing A1 White Foam Board instead, which only cost £4 each! I picked up two, and so far they are great; slightly cheaper than A1 card too! No more folds or creases, AND I can photograph anywhere I like (without being restricted to my teeny box room!). Such a versatile investment! 

Wrapping paper and fabric also make great backdrops. In the photo above, I used 2 separate rolls of wrapping paper from Primark, which cost £1.50 each. Their rolls are hit or miss though, but you can usually find super cheap wrap from Card Factory.

Alternatively, The Works sell some small A3 sticky-back pieces of fabric with cute patterns on which you can see below. Just a word of warning, they don't always stock everything on the website, so if you do have a store local to you then it'd probably be easier to find what you're looking for. 

Accessories.

Again, my go-to place to buy accessories such as fake petals, buttons, confetti, ribbon and all types of craft stuff is The Works. There is normally quite a generous packet of whatever you're looking for, ranging from £1-£3 each! I will always try here before anywhere else as it's so affordable and such a guilt-free shopping trip!

Ps. If you're looking for affordable seasonal accessories, Tiger is the place to go! 

Another one of my favourite photo accessories is artificial flowers. I know I can always find some great individual flowers in all different types and colours at Haskins - my local garden centre. I'm sure most garden centres stock them if you don't have a Haskins nearby, failing that Amazon have some too! 

Still on the subject of artificial flowers, if you are looking more along the lines of Faux Flowers already in vases - fear not! Sainsbury's have an amazing selection and 9 times out of 10, they have exactly what you are looking for. I found the most gorgeous faux peonies in a vase the other day for as little as £5. 

As for fake succulent looking plants (pictured above) then New Look's Homeware Section or Primark Home are the places to go! I always buy my pretend plants from here, as they look fab in any photo and don't need looking after. Lets face it, they definitely wouldn't last long in my care!

Materials.

I am still yet to get my hands on one of the dreamy, white fluffy rugs (which can usually be found for cheap in IKEA), so I'm getting by at the moment I'm using the white, fleece side of a tartan throw from Primark Home. It's the best of both worlds and it's the cosiest, warmest throw I've ever used! The throws in Primark are generally very affordable, great quality and have so many different designs!

Alternatively, you can use scarves or any aesthetically pleasing looking materials around your house to break up your photo. You'll be surprised what you can find! 

No money? No problem.

I spent ages trying to find all of the perfect accessories to customise my blog shots, when really there was actually so much in my house already that I could use to style my photo. This includes things such as lipsticks, fairy lights, candles - you name it, you can probably make it work. I tend to pick items in line with the colour theme of my photo, but of course you can tailor this to your own personal preference.

Lighting.

Natural light is great (and free) to utilise if you're a blogger. However, Winter and the long, dark evenings make daylight a bare minimum. Soft boxes are so handy to have for photographing at any time of the day and surprisingly, they are not that expensive. I got from eBay here at an amazing price of £18.99 - mega bargain!

So, there you have it!

 I hope you have found this useful and do let me know if you have any other tips! :)