#LovelyStyledLife | Week 2 + a Giveaway

Today marks the third week of our  #LovelyStyledLife Instagram series.   Lindsay and I can't get over how many people are using our hashtag and all of the beautiful pictures we see on a weekly basis!  It makes our hearts so giddy!

I wanted to share a few of my favorites from this week:

Aren't these all gorgeous shots?!  To commemorate our little series we wanted to offer our readers a $40 gift card to Target!  It's the perfect place to go and pick up something for yourself that puts a smile on your face whether it be jewelry,  something for the home or clothing! 

Enter below for a chance to win the gift card!  Keep the pictures coming and tell your friends to use the hashtag too - whats better than sharing a little positivity?!  We appreciate you supporting us so much!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#LovelyStyledLife Instagram Series

Lindsay and I are so excited to launch an Instagram series for the month of February.  We both love Instagram  and thought this would be such a fun idea to get some of our fellow blogger friends and their friends involved.  The series starts Wednesday, February 3rd - it will be done weekly on Wednesdays.

We would love for you to use the hashtag #lovelystyledlife on pictures you post that have to do with things that inspire you: home decor, fashion, cooking, food - anything!  Once you use the hashtag, tag a few of your friends so that they can play along!  We all get wrapped up in the mundane things in life, it's nice to have a reminder of the small things in life that we're passionate about and that make us smile.  We will also be featuring some of our favorite pictures on our Instagram accounts.

The best part about this series is that we will be hosting a giveaway for our friends that participate a $40 Target gift card - the perfect place to pick up a treat for yourself!  The giveaway will run February 17th-24th.  Entries will be taken on here and Lindsay's blog.

Don't forget to follow along on Instagram so you can participate on this fun series with us and and embrace the things that put a smile on our face and to be eligible to win the gift card!




We hope you'll all join in with us, happy posting!

Life via Instagram

I'm sure you all know by now Instagram is my favorite, I love to document life and pretty pictures.  It's always so much fun to look back and see what I was up to or what was going on in life.  Here's what I've been up to the past couple of weeks, via Instagram of course!

This week we did one of our favorite things to do on a Tuesday- we walked on the beach and ate at a taco place on the beach.  The beach is one of my favorite places, especially in the evening - the breeze, sound and smell of the ocean is the best!

Miss Paris got her first grooming and they put bows in her hair she looks ADORABLE!  I can't bring myself to take them out of her hair.

Some of us girls in the family went for a pedi/mani, we also took E for her first one.  The girl was in HEAVEN and so was I with freshly painted nails and a glass of wine in hand.  I love a salon that offers wine!

Our good friends - they're more like family really - invited us over sans kids.  They do this every few months and make it a fancy dinner so we can have a night out without the kids and just hang out and relax.  She cooks amazing and I love our time together so much!

Trader Joe's haul - must include flowers - enough said. :)
 

I replanted some succulents in my entry way frame, my last ones died - seriously I thought succulents don't die?! I'm hoping these last.  I love the little pop of green in the frame!

It's officially summer weather here, so popsciles (or a cold glass of white wine) are a must when outside.   ;)

The sun was pouring in just right as I was editing pictures for a post so I had to snap this picture.  Love my little tea cup!

And because I can't resist flowers or a flower picture.  Boom!

What have you been up to?  Do you love Instagram as much as I do?  Follow Kids and Cabernet here!

Thoughts and Tips on Instagram

One of my goals this year was to learn more about blogging and become a better blogger.  This blog was created on a whim a year and a half ago; I didn't know where it would take me (and I still don't) but I knew I loved reading blogs, loved writing, and thought it would be a fun way to use my creative energy and have something that was for "me".

As I've read articles on blogging, one thing that is almost always mentioned is Instagram.  I love Instagram - it's a way for readers to get to know you better behind the scenes per say.  I also attended Dean Street Society's Instagram With Intention webinar where we were shown ways to improve our Instagram profile, account and following. The webinar was super informative and made me realize what a big phenomenon Instagram has become and how pictures can really help grow your brand.

Between the articles and the webinar, I've taken away a few points:

1. Your pictures should have a certain flow 
2. Similar filters should be used
3. Pictures should be of similar subjects so as to tell a story about you
4.  Using natural light is best 
5. I've also learned that a good caption helps your followers relate to the picture and to comment

I've tried to become more intentional about my pictures, but lets be honest - I'm not a photographer, and with the kids constantly around and needing me, there's no way in hades that I can have a perfect picture with paper clips arranged just so to make the picture look gorgeous.  I don't have the time, and I think it would be a bit overwhelming for me.  I am in no way hating those that have the time to dedicate to make their pictures look gorgeous because I love me some eye candy and I enjoy those pictures!

I do like for my pictures to look nice.  If I'm sharing something that I enjoy with my readers, I want to make it look pretty!  I have found an app that has made a world of a difference for my pictures called Afterlight - it's the best $1 you'll ever spend on photo editing.  I am able to make some extra changes to my pictures that Instagram doesn't provide and I think it has helped my pictures look more crisp!  Another thing I've been doing (when possible) is taking the suggestion of snapping pictures when there is a good amount of natural light, it really improves the look of the picture and makes the colors pop.

How do you feel about  Instagram - do you use the same filters to create a certain flow?  Do you style your pictures?   Have you learned any tips/tricks along the way?  I'd love to hear!  You can follow Kids and Cabernet on Instagram here.


PS - Have you entered the Kate Spade giveaway?


  Linking up with Meagan too