I Heart Instagram – Why You Should Too

I love Instagram. It lacks the complexity of Facebook, no constant updates on (this is an actual example) what an acquaintance and her boyfriend are having for tea, no incessant Ice Bucket Challenges and no need to get that fear that you are missing out on life because all the people you went to school with are holidaying / married / pregnant / doing more fun stuff than the shopping!

Its less basic than Twitter, and just gives you a glimpse into other lives – a way to transport you from having that cup of tea at your desk into someone else’s front room. It’s first class curtain twitching. on crack. So here are my three favourite accounts, and why:

1) What Peggy Said

Gorgeous calligraphy aplenty, Kim’s account also gives you your fair share of beagles and knitting, plus regular (gorgeous) shots of Norwich, which just happens to be where my sister is at University. I love the fact that my feed is peppered with shots of bold colours, guaranteed to put a smile on your face when the rain is lashing at the windows and someone in the office used the last of the milk.

2) Camp Patton

I do not know how this woman copes with four small children all running in different directions, but she sure does, and with such a lot of humour. Her blog makes me laugh out loud, her daughter has the sassiest pants on the block, and I love it all. I hope I parent like that.

3) Rene Charles NYC

You may ask the boy, but I can confirm I have a serious puppy problem. Enter Rene Charles. The cutest french bulldog around, the person who runs this account adds witty one liners that make me squeal. The girls at work think all I follow is the puppy and Tinie Tempah, due to amounts of squeal explanations.

Do you love Instagram? Who are your favourites?

Insta Catch Up – Bye Bye January!

I’ve been pretty busy this week, dashing about and planning the next (and hopefully very exciting!) chapter, but I have been neglecting Instagram slightly less, so I thought I would catch you all up.

Can’t is so negative. I am guilty sometimes (like everyone else) of dwelling on the things that I can’t do rather than focussing on the positive and things I can do. This year I’m all about turning the frown upside down and taking those cants into YES I CAN!’s.

My darling baby cousin Emily turned 15 this week, and celebrated accordingly. I am so excited to be with her in 2 weeks doing girly stuff and celebrating her (nearly) grown-up-ness!

I fell in love with the lighting when we went to Lobster Burger recently, and began daydreaming of a beautiful loft conversion flat where I could accommodate these. And then I remembered it would be cold. And drafty.

I’m not a girly girl, and so my nails remain very neglected. Sometimes I do a French polish, sometimes they go for month with barely a file. But left to my own devices in Topshop’s Flagship store on Oxford Street, I went dotty for the detail on these bottles! I was, however, very restrained. Small savings enable big dreams.

Tulips are by far my favourite flower, and great for brightening the flat when the rain is lashing down. My housemate came home from an extended Christmas break, and I filled out carton shaped milk jug with flowers to brighten her day too. Its all about kindness in 2014.