Wear your heart on your feed • #capturingColour • paper and parcels
To celebrate the launch of the #AutumnTimeSurpriseProject we had a week of snapping and sharing paper and parcels, postcards and posters, ribbons and string, colourful gift wrap and beautiful books.
I loved the #capturingcolour gallery this week, so full of happy mail and a glimpse into your home interiors, the art work you display and the cards you'd lovingly been sent. I can't believe there are over 200 people signed up already to join in the new surprise swap, if you haven't already filled in the sign up form head over here - don't miss out, it's only open until the end of September.
I adored all these images, the bright colours, the pretty pastels and the calming muted tones. Every week I scroll through the gallery to create a lovely grid of favourites join gin in with the weekly theme and it's not until I have bookmarked all 10 that I see which accounts have shared them. It's wonderful to see so many joining in for the first time and I love that the gallery has some very loyal followers who rise to the weekly challenge week after week - I love you!
So here are just a handful of favourites, I could have created 3 grids this week!
But I just had to give a shout out to Tanya who shared this wall of post it notes. How poignant, how beautifully written and a real snapshot of this world at this moment in time. Tanya is one of the most well respected bloggers in the parent community and beyond. She has travelled the world highlighting incredible campaigns and raised an astonishing amount of money for charity. She has kindness running through her.
Last night I shared my final post for the week of paper and parcels as a little thank you to all my followers, all 20,000 of you! Eeek! It's hard to explain to those outside the world of social media the impact an app can have on you. I couldn't imagine life without the support and encouragement of the Instagram community.
I bought an extra Rifle Paper Co 2016 planner when I was in New York and I am giving it away to one of my kind followers. To enter all you have to do is leave a comment on this photo and tell me why you love the platform too. What has made you fall in love with Instagram? I will pick a comment at random next Sunday at midnight GMT. The giveaway is open worldwide, so pop a comment and good luck!
I have found this summer a challenge, keeping my blog up to date (well, I failed miserably on that front!) juggling work commitments, holiday fun with the boys and making the most of every last second before Ollie started big school. And Instagram has been my saviour. A way I can share a mini blog every day.
I was talking to some of my fellow bloggers at an event last week about how many photos they share each day. I am conscious that perhaps I share too much, that I should adopt the one a day unofficial rule like so many others but it would honestly pain me! Everyday I want to share my little world with you, what I am working on, where I've travelled to. I see moments all through the day, that although quite insignificant in the grand scale of life, are significant little moments to me. And I hope they make you smile. Jumping out of the car to snap a roadside flower stall, arranging them on the mantlepiece the next day as a cheery photo to start the day. I am determined to finally get round to printing my first year on Instagram, so I have a physical record of all my observations.
I am a person who appears to wear their heart on their feed.
I can scroll back and see how I felt on any one day. Bright, bouncy happy captures when I'm feeling on top of the world, muted grey backgrounds when I am feeling like life is getting on top of me. Pastels when my head is dreaming, frames so full they are bursting when I am bursting with energy and excitement for a new project and black and white when I need to clear my head of all distractions and focus.
This week's theme couldn't be closer to my heart.
As many of you know, my cousin lost her little 5 year old boy Skye last year. They have tirelessly campaigned for awareness into the effects of the treatment of childhood brain tumours and have somehow found the strength to fight for the lives of future children by continuing Skye's work through his charity Blue Skye Thinking.
September sees a worldwide campaign for Childhood Cancer Awareness and I would love to turn the #capturingcolour gallery gold this week and show our support. And if we all use the hashtag #honestlovesmax too, Jessica Alba's company Honest will donate $1 to the Max Love Project who, like Skye, encouraged the world to Loom for Cancer.
Join me and my co-host for the week Anna @instannnnagram whose beautiful 2 year old niece Hattie is currently in Great Ormond Street battling Leukaemia. Come and share your beautiful captures for a wonderful cause, raise some money and awareness - let's go GOLD!
Think golden sunlight, shiny sequins, glitter and sparkle, antique golds and anything else that sparks your imagination.
And don't forget to add #capturingcolour #honestlovesmax to raise your $1. That's for every post and tweet!
#capturingcolour is a weekly theme on Instagram. Tag your colourful photos and post your GOLD images to be featured this week. I will share a round up next Monday :)