Instagram – what took me so long?
I just discovered Instagram.
Why is this such a big deal? Well, for years I was a scrapbooker. I’m talking the paper, scissors and photo adhesive squares kind of scrapbooker. It was a hobby I discovered just after my 3rd child was born and boy did I dive in quick. In a matter of months, I had accumulated more stickers, paper, eyelets and die cuts than any one person could use. I enjoyed thinking outside the box when it came to layout techniques and was fortunate to have some of my work featured in scrapbook magazines (shout out to any of you former Creating Keepsakes and PaperCuts readers!).
Continue reading for a couple of my favorites.
After a few years of consistent scrapping, I slowed down on my beloved hobby. I can’t really say why, but I went from scrapbooking almost daily to almost never pretty quick. It was about the time when the industry started to transition towards digital layouts. After downloading some digital kits I gave it the good old college try, but just didn’t seem to enjoy it.
If I’m being honest, I wasn’t very good at creating digital layouts. I didn’t have the same level of inspiration as I did from making paper versions. Let me tell you….there is something very therapeutic about cutting paper, arranging styles, and getting lost in the smallest of details like where the eyelets would go on a photo or what ribbon provided the best accent.
Pinterest came along and my creativity was peaked! The ultimate digital vision board. And who doesn’t love a good vision board? Not gonna lie, my first vision board had plenty of Olivia Newton-John photos from her “Let’s Get Physical” album. Hey, leg warmers were cool back then! Pinterest allows us to put together beautiful photographs in areas ranging from fashion and style to our next dream vacation spot. I don’t know about you, but I can get lost researching the latest fashion trend! The only thing missing is that the photographs are not my own.
Discovering Instagram
When my kids recently told me I had 20 followers on Instagram, my response was “How?? I don’t even have an Instagram!” (am I the only one that didn’t realized it is created through Facebook?). After a quick tutorial from my social media savvy son, I searched for several hashtags and bloggers that had become my daily reads. Immediately I became inspired by so many that had created beautiful images and paired them together in such an aesthetically pleasing way. I couldn’t wait to get started.
For me, Instagram has re-energized my “scrapbooking” gene. I saw Instagram as a creative outlet that married my love of photography with the creativity I have missed from matching papers, colors and styles. It has motivated me to push my photography by exploring different subjects. Yesterday I took 30 photos of a pair of earrings! (I know….please don’t judge…) Hey, don’t you just love the way these came out!
My goal is to create a visually appealing space that makes me smile and one I personally enjoy viewing. A place that combines my love of style, self-care, family, nature and color. And while the scrapbook supplies in the basement await my return (someday….), I hope you will enjoy the Instagram photo collection I have created.
Add your Instagram handle in the comments so I can check out your gallery!
Best…
Donna
