I don’t do a lot with Instagram. I have an account there where I mainly post graphics from the blog. I don’t follow many people there that I already follow through Facebook or blogs, because then I’d just be seeing the same information in every place.
I follow a few friends, relatives, bloggers, and authors. Otherwise, I use Instagram as a bit of refresher in the day. I thought I’d share some of those inspiring accounts with you.
I follow a few accounts for their beautiful scenery:
Blue Ridge Moments shares some lovely views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and parkway.
The Great Smoky Mountains NP account share beautiful views, too, but also includes news and updates about road closures, work being done, etc.
Loithai is the IG home for a lovely cottage and grounds in Maine.
Beyond Eden’s Gate shows gorgeous flowers, mostly pink.
I follow some accounts of beauitful homes, from castles to cottages:
The Biltmore Estate shares photos of the estate and grounds as well as bits of history.
Some of you might recognize Highclere Castle as the fictionalized home of the Downton Abbey TV family. But Highclere is a real castle where the Earl & Countess of Carnarvon live. I don’t remember whether I started following their account after seeing Downton or after reading Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle. But I enjoy tidbits of castle life.
Pink Dreams Cottage shows the progress of a father and daughter renovation team.
Pink Floral Home provides a lot of decorating inspiration.
Harbor Blue House says it is “celebrating all things #Grandmillennial,” with a lot of blue.
I used to do a lot of embroidery and cross stitch, with a little of other types of needlework. It’s hard for me to see well enough to stitch these days, even with glasses and magnifiers. But I still love to look at and be inspired by the work of others:
A few other crafty sites:
Illyria Pottery. Katie, the young woman who makes this gorgeous pottery, was a young girl at the church we attended when we were first married. Her parents were good friends. Katie has since married, moved to England, and had a daughter.
Bible and Brush combines watercolor and Scripture.
Tanaka Tatsuya makes intricate miniature displays out of common objects.
Ivory Spring is a long-time blog friend who makes amazing quilts and has been published in several magazines..
Molly and Mama shares patchwork, embroidery, and felt sewing patterns.
These are always good for a smile:
Nathan W. Pyle is the author and illustrator of the Strange Planet books, which include funny and often poignant observations about life from aliens. This account includes some excerpts from these books as well as Nathan’s other art work.
Wrong Hands publishes cartoons with a literary flair.
The Holderness Family does a lot of song parodies.
Foxtrot republishes Bill Amend’s comic strips.
AFV Official shows clips from America’s Funniest Home Videos.
A couple of others in their own unique categories:
Hymns of Grace features old and new hymns.
Happy Little Sigh shares “Homemaking Inspiration from Literature.”
What kinds of Instagram accounts do you like to follow?
(Note: I have not had a problem with bad content from these. Hopefully that will remain the case.)
(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)
Stray Thoughts 
Like so much of social media, I have mixed feelings on Instagram. For quite a while I held out on signing up there–I was already on Facebook and Twitter and did I REALLY want another social media to feel the need to check into? But finally I did, because some sites I belonged to required reviews etc there. I relate to what you said about following people/companies on 2 social medias — the repetition is unnecessary. And with both Insta and Facebook, I find that I seem to find my experience declining. They’ve gone from me seeing almost exclusively things I’d signed up for, to being a large procession of “suggested” posts and ads. Sigh. Thanks for sharing some of your favorites; they will give me something fun to fiddle around with 🙂
I get really frustrated with Facebook, because I only see posts from the same eight or so people, even though I am friends with many more than that. And I only receive comments from a handful. Yet FB is always trying to push new friends my way, which doesn’t make sense if they are not even showing me the ones I have. I’m on FB mainly to keep in touch with my siblings.
Thank you for sharing these links. The Bible and Brush one really is pretty. I no longer have an Instagram account but was able to view it by clicking on the link you provided.
I’ve never been on Insta although my granddaughter keeps sending me links that I can’t open because I don’t have an account. Knowing my propensity to get addicted, to online activity I’d probably be on it far too often.
I’ll keep on sticking to blogging.
The thing I like about Instagram is that it’s mostly photos with maybe a couple of sentences. Any more words than that, and I scroll down. So I can feast on something beautiful or inspiring even when I just have a few minutes. Of course, like anything else, it can be tempting to spend too much time with it. So I try to only look at it when I am waiting on something.
I’m trying to cut down on social media involvement, but I do enjoy Instagram. I find it more peaceful than Face Book.
I’ve seen a couple of videos of Highclere Castle and have read the book you mentioned. The upkeep for those grand homes is enormous, I understand, and I’m sure that the money they received from using the castle for Downton Abbey helped in that regard. Biltmore has their own way of getting revenue. I’m glad this possible for us to be able to visit such places.
I’ve laughed so many time at the Nathan W. Pyle comics. Very creative.
I’m going to check out some of these links – and here I said I was trying to cut down on social media! LOL
Oh that first one has some really beautiful photography!
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