I like social media. 

Well, more like I LOVE social media. 

Ok. Fine. I'm obsessed with it. 

You all know about my love of Twitter (if not, I wrote a 3 part series on it, you can find part one here), but I have another favorite site. 

Instagram.

Beautiful pictures, funny captions, interesting moments.

At first I didn't see the point of Instagram. I thought Facebook was enough as far as having a place to show my pictures. Plus, I didn't know how I felt about the security of my pictures on this new site...

Because, you know, my pictures are so "safe" on Facebook.

But then I became an independent stylist for Stella & Dot and realized that Instagram really was the perfect site for showing how I style my accessories. That way I didn't have to overwhelm my Facebook feed with selfies and the like. It was great, I "met" a whole community of Stella & Dot stylists on Instagram and got lots of styling ideas and inspiration from them.

At first, I mainly just shared accessory pictures. And I continued to post my more personal pictures on the ultra-secure Facebook site.

After awhile I started to branch out a little. I slowly began posting more pictures of my life on Instagram. You know, the pictures that weren't posed and were more "a day in the life" style. And I started meeting more people. I joined some photo-a-day challenges. Plus, I started my blog and began posting pictures related to what I was writing about. 

And my community grew into an incredibly supportive, interesting, dynamic group of people from all across the country--and some abroad--and different backgrounds. I have discovered new blogs, new books to read, gotten fashion tips and am constantly inspired. 

If you are on Instagram I thought I'd share some of my favorite people who I follow. These are people who I think you'll love and I've put them in categories for easier browsing. But I need to start with, well, how do I say this...

Follow Me! I'm @SocialSara612. I try to post pretty pictures. I try to be funny. I think I succeed maybe 50% of the time. It's just me, in pictures.

I think that's the corniest thing I've ever written. 

Great, now that that's out of the way, here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Friends that are Bloggers and/or Small Business Owners

(These are people I know and love so I'm OBVIOUSLY sending them some love first.)

@wildruffle -- Local bloggers (it's run by two lovely ladies) filled with fashion, DIYs, recipes and just random life photos.

@meganbirdmork and @norabirdbeyers -- Bloggers at Two Birds, their feeds are filled with their thrifted finds, fashion, food, and family. Great senses of humor, I love their posts. Especially their hashtag usage.

@theludwigsfood -- Two friends that love food. They eat at amazing restaurants, cook food that I would only dream of eating while in a fancy restaurant and go on crazy awesome vacations. Basically I want to be them.

@amyscupcakeshoppe -- You will want all of her sweet creations every time she posts. Every. Single. Time.

@bethietheboo -- A blogger, mom and avid thrifter. Love her spin on popular trends.

@fashionfixmn -- Fashion advice from a stylist is an account you need to follow.

@mylifeinmascara -- Fashion blogger & a fellow Stella & Dot stylist. Basically just fabulous.

Beautiful Pictures/Fashion

(There are so many brands/designers/fashion bloggers that do a great job on Instagram. These are just a (very) small sampling of some that I enjoy.)

@chicstreetstyle -- A blogger I've followed forever. She always posts beautiful pictures and I love seeing how she accessorizes her outfits. She's originally from MN and wears some Stella & Dot so I have a soft spot for her.

@2sisters_angie -- Awhile back there was a lot of press about a 4-year-old who made amazing dresses with her mom out of paper. This is their account and it's filled with creativity.

@hilaryrushford -- Funny, fashionable and inspirational. A good follow for pretty pics and stylist advice.

@oscarprgirl -- Beautiful pictures from the PR girl of Oscar de la Renta.

@kokoonfashion -- A local (Minnesota) fashion house where everything is made in the USA and is beautiful.

Beautiful Pictures/Lifestyle

@jenniferprod -- A lovely local lady that blogs and creates and is a constant flow of positivity in my feed. 

@chels_holland -- Another blogger that takes the most stunning pictures of her life and who has such an interesting story (I'm talking farm-living and homeschooling four kids).

@nickiebagai -- A woman who loves fashion and takes the most beautiful pictures that make me wish I lived in the San Francisco area. And her dog is pretty much the cutest.

@jlrundell -- DIY queen. I love seeing her projects and pretty pictures. 

Funny

(I like to laugh. These two accounts give me a nice chuckle on a daily basis.)

@insta2yearold -- For anyone who currently has or had or has been around little kids this account is perfection. From the creative mind of @mommyshorts (a blogger I love) is this account--pictures and thoughts from the point of view of her daughter.

@crazyjewishmom -- Crazy Jewish Mom. I don't think I need to say much more except it's an account full of the text messages a mom sends her daughter.

Inspirational 

@momastery -- Always an inspirational post and source of constant positivity. Plus, she's hilarious.

@peoniesandtumbleweedsblog -- A blogger and advocate for blended families. Her story is as beautiful as her Instagram feed.

@amberkuiper -- A local mom/blogger who motivates other mothers all the while raising four babies (literally--we're talking a preschooler, twin toddlers and a new baby).

Lit Love

(I love to read and follow a lot of authors/publishers/fellow bookworms. These are just a few of my favorites.)

@welovebookworms -- Pretty pictures, great kid book suggestions and activities.

@novelsandnailpolish -- Beautiful pictures from an avid reader.

@bookriot -- Book news, pictures, and giveaways. If you like reading, you really should follow this account.

@nypl -- I think you should follow your local library if you can (mine is @hclib and I love them, too) but if you can't or just want to follow one library, make it the New York Public Library. Interesting facts, trivia, photo challenges, book suggestions, pretty pictures...I could go on and on.

Beautiful Pictures

(Let's be honest, we all like looking at pretty pictures. These accounts always supply the most beautiful shots.)

@exploreminnesota -- A tourism account for the state I live in better have pretty pictures. And it does.

@jedifunk -- A local photographer who posts beautiful pictures. I love his stuff.

@mnzoo -- I like animals. I like the zoo. I like pretty pictures. Boom. Follow them.

@cariduganphotography -- A friend, local blogger and super talented photographer. I want to be her when I grow up. 

@lynnreifpics -- Full disclosure, she's my sister-in-law. But she is a super talented photographer that I love following (and I was not forced to write that). 

@vivoarch -- Another friend that takes stunning pictures. He was even selected as one of Instagram's suggested users!

Whew! Those were a lot of suggestions--I told you I really love Instagram! There were so many more people I wanted to include but found my list growing a little too much for just one post. Another post might be necessary down the road. Do you have a favorite account you follow?

 

xo Sara