Life // Instagram + My Favorite Accounts

Happy Friday everyone! Today’s post is a fun one that I’ve been meaning to share for awhile 🙂

I don’t think it’s any secret that I haven’t been as blogging as regularly since Henry’s arrival. On one hand, I do really miss it because I like putting together a post, sharing it, and feeling like I’m contributing something to this online community. But I am also loving this current season of my life where I’m not spending quite as much time on the computer and instead I’m out enjoying the summer with my family. However, being the compulsive oversharer that I am, I will definitely say that since I’m not blogging as much, my obsession with Instagram has definitely hit an all-time high!

My husband rarely posts photos to Instagram but he thought it was hilarious to take photos of me taking Instagrams on our trip…ha ha 🙂 This one he took did seem kind of appropriate for this post though so I couldn’t help but share it 🙂

What do I love about Instagram? Let me count the ways…First, as a more visual person, I love how it’s such a visual medium that focuses on beautiful photos, plain and simple. I love how you can just share something in the moment and it’s so much easier for me to quickly share a photo there when I’m out and about vs. sitting down to put photos in a post. Granted, I know some bloggers do take photos from their “real” camera and then only share those on Instagram…but this mama just ain’t got time for that and the large majority of photos I post are taken with my iPhone. (I will say though that the free Photoshop app really helps when it comes to editing iPhone photos!) Beyond being such a great way to share photos on the go, Instagram is also just really fun to scroll through. It was a great way to kill time when Henry was brand new and nursing ALL.THE.TIME…and I still spend quite a bit of time looking at it now.

When it comes to other forms of social media, Twitter gives me a headache because it’s just a huge stream of text. I do really like Pinterest, but it can be overwhelming and frustrating as it’s sometimes tough to search for what your looking for and it’s riddled with dead links and source-less images. As for Facebook, I do still use it but not nearly as much as I used to. I don’t share albums of photos on there anymore and I’ll only occasionally share one of my Instagram photos to Facebook. I just feel like Facebook is kind of negative these days and I’m really just not all that into it? When I click on my newsfeed, it seems like all I see are super-opinionated articles on politics or baby-related things (with really idiotic comments) and it’s just sort of depressing. Plus, because I’ve had my Facebook account since high school, so there are a lot of people I’m “friends” with on there that I don’t talk to anymore, nor do I really care about what they’re doing. So although I’m not at a point where I’ve started deleting people or have considered deleting my account, I really just don’t feel like it’s an audience I want to share tons of my photos with anymore. (Also, I don’t currently have Snapchat…and quite frankly, I don’t think I’ll be making one any time soon. I know a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon but I sort of think the concept is dumb? Maybe that makes me old, but that’s just my honest opinion. Plus, I don’t really need another thing to try to keep up with or make me spend more time on my phone!)

Now granted, my Instagram account is public, so yes, people do follow me that I don’t know personally. However, I feel like because I have only had an Instagram account for the past few years, people who follow me there are more genuinely interested in what’s going on in my life now. That’s why I don’t feel bad for sometimes (ok, a lot) posting tons of photos of things like what I ate for dinner or flowers around Portland or my coffee or my baby. The way I see it, Intstagram is the place to share those little snaps from my day to day life, so if you think that stuff is boring, then by all means, feel free to unfollow me! (But if you want to follow me and you aren’t yet, it’s @inthepinkandgreen!)And on the flip side, I feel like I’ve been able to get to know people better through their Instagram, both some of my favorite bloggers/celebrities as well as in-real-life friends. It’s this little window into someone’s world and it’s definitely allowed me to connect with a number of people here in Portland that I may not have otherwise. I also love how Instagram makes it easy to interact with and discover businesses and brands. So often, I’ll see someone someone wearing a cute top or piece of jewelry in a photo (or ok, if I’m being real, I’ll see someone post a photo of food that looks delicious) and I love how it’s so easy to just click the shop if it’s tagged or look at the location to see the restaurant. (Sidenote – I don’t currently use LiketoKnow.it, mainly because I don’t want to get an email every time I like someone’s photo and also, I don’t do a ton of fashion-related Instagrams so I haven’t had a huge reason to…but that’s just personal preference and I know a lot of people love it!) 

Finally, I really love how Instagram is really a forum to just share these lovely little snippets from everyday life. I know that sometimes people like to hate on the fact that all those perfectly styled little squares can tend to create this unrealistic image of what someone’s life is actually like, especially when it comes to mommy bloggers. However, I personally love it because I am a glass half full person and I like putting out things that are positive and beautiful because it helps me focus on finding the good in every day. Do I have times when Henry is screaming and I’ve got piles of dirty laundry everywhere? You bet. But I don’t usually put up photos of that stuff, not because it doesn’t exist, but just because I’d rather share and remember the times when my baby is smiling or when my house is clean (sooo that might explain why there aren’t many house photos on my feed…ha!) Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for keeping it real every now and again because I do enjoy when people share some snaps of the not-so-perfect parts of their life too. It’s just that on my Instagram feed, both with what I share and who I follow, I’d rather focus on the good is all that I’m saying 🙂

So after that unnecessarily long diatribe about why I love Instagram, I thought I’d share some of my favorite accounts to follow! These are in no particular order and it’s a somewhat random list…

Barefoot Blonde (@amberfillerup)

Umm all I have to say about this one is #goals. Like I’m not actually sure that she is even a real person because her life looks ridiculously perfect and I’m kind of obsessed with her…ha! Her photos are basically just her just being gorgeous and living the life in NYC or jetting around the world with her adorable husband and son all while sporting beautiful clothes and amazing braided hairstyles. Oh and she’s currently pregnant with her second baby (a girl) so it’s even more fun to follow along with her.

I follow quite a few of these funny accounts on Instagram but I feel like this one was kind of the original and it’s still the best. Some of the stuff is pretty inappropriate but most of it is seriously funny.

National Geographic (@natgeo)
Growing up, my parents subscribed to National Geographic magazine and I always loved looking at the amazing photos each month. Their Instagram account features these same incredible photos, it’s amazing how their photographers can capture such perfect shots!
                                                           

I Have This Thing With Floors (@ihavethisthingwithfloors)
I feel like this account is a perfect example of what makes Instagram awesome. It’s such a simple concept, people taking pictures of floors, but the photos are so mesmerizing!

Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling)
I heart her and I’m SO glad the Mindy Project isn’t cancelled! Her Instagram is random and funny and I always enjoy seeing her posts because even though she’s a celebrity, she seems very aware and appreciative of how awesome certain perks of her life are…like posting an excited photo about the fact that Starburst sent her this thing with her name with just red and pink Starbursts. Amazing.

Margo from The Overseas Escape (@margo.paige)

I actually discovered Margo’s wonderful travel blog via Instagram and then reached out to her after she posted some gorgeous pictures from her time in Lake Como. She was super sweet when we traded emails and her recommendations are spot on if you’re traveling to Europe! She and her husband are going to be traveling to SE Asia soon so I’m excited to follow along as she takes stunning photos!

Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)
I’m unabashedly a huge Taylor Swift fan and I’m super bummed she isn’t coming to Portland this summer. But I’ve been enjoying keeping up with her tour via Instagram and I think it’s cool that she’s had so many surprise guests at her shows…and I’m sorry, this photo is just hilarious. Oh Lena 🙂

I have used my striped Solly Baby wrap SO much with Henry and so I enjoy following along with Elle, the mama of three who runs this cool company. She not only posts beautiful photos of her own family living their cool, carefree, California lives but she also posts lots of photos of mamas (and dads!) wearing their sweet babes in her wraps. I love that she is so passionate about what she does!

Travel Oregon (@traveloregon)
I follow a bunch of different Oregon photo accounts and I feel so thankful that I get to live in such a beautiful state! This account is constantly posting photos of the diverse landscape here so if you like photos of the ocean/waterfalls/mountains, then you should definitely check it out! (@oregonexplored and @bestoforegon are great ones to follow too!)

Emily Henderson (@em_henderson)
I’ve loved Emily ever since she won HGTV’s Design Star and I really like her playful, relaxed design style. She features tons of great house inspiration photos, and then she also posts cute photos of her son and her adorable baby bump (she’s got a baby girl on the way!) Plus, she’s from Oregon!

I feel like I keep a pretty good pulse on the food happenings here in Portland through my circle of friends and websites like Eater PDX. But when it comes to my other favorite city, I do follow quite a few New York-based food specific Instagram accounts which give me ideas of where to eat next time we’re in the Big Apple. Of those accounts, this is one of my favorites (I mean come on, a black and white cookie ice cream sandwich? All the heart eyes) and it’s fun to tag my sister in photos so she can go eat this stuff for me…ha!

Lauren Hartmann (@thelittlethingswedo)
This Portland mama is one of my favorite “mom blogger” accounts to follow because 1) She’s local 2) Her kiddos are adorable (and since she’s a stylist, they’re always dressed in these cute but not trying too hard PNW type outfits that I love) and 3) She keeps it real and has a good sense of humor 🙂

Lesley Murphy (@lesleyannemurphy)
True confessions, I love the Bachelor and follow an embarrassing number of past contestants on social media. But hands down, Lesley (who was on Sean Lowe’s season) has the best Instagram account. She lives in Argentina and is a “luxury adventure travel blogger” now and her photos are amazing.

Jamie (@jamiesmoore) and Steve Moore (@sinclairandmoore)
This husband and wife wedding planner team based in Seattle are some of my favorites to follow along with because not only do they post the most gorgeous wedding photos ever, but they also have a super cute little boy who is just a little younger then Henry. They actually went on a trip to France for a wedding right before we did so I was totally stalking all their pictures before we left 🙂

I feel like it’s a blogger rule that you have to follow this account? I’m only kind of joking…but it’s hard not to be inspired by these sisters’ colorful and fun style! Their account has a good mix of content as well and I really enjoy the creativity and whimsy in their photos.

This may seem like a long list, but these are just a handful of the accounts I follow. (And honestly, they were just the first ones that came to mind in the time that I had before Henry’s morning nap ended…ha!) Basically I’m a sucker for accounts with gorgeous travel photos 🙂 What about you? What accounts are your favorite to follow on Instagram? Let me know in the comments so I can start following along! Have a great weekend everyone! 🙂