Friday 8 April 2016

About One Boy and Blogging and Instagram

I've just had an interesting exchange with my two here, as we were eating our lunch. They've been studying hard this week and in between, at lunchtimes, say, they like to relax by playing games on the ipad. But there are two of them, one ipad, and one mother who has been finding lately that she too has been turning to the ease of the ipad for general scrolling 


When I put in a bid for a turn, I remarked that I thought I'd actually got to the point where I could see myself moving away from turning on the laptop to work on my blog, instead grabbing the ipad to check things out, and to my phone to use instagram. A faster way to keep in touch. 

I was surprised at how shocked they looked.

No way, Mum! You'd miss your writing too much!

But I'm not so sure. Sometimes these days I feel like I'm running out of things to say. I still love to scrapbook and make my pages and take pictures and post them, and I can do all of that through instagram, which has pulled me in, in a way I couldn't have imagined a year ago. And I'm finding new scrapbookers there, to enjoy, and new challenge sites, and inspiration, and I can respond so much more easily. The sketch I used for this page, for example, grabbed me as soon as I spotted it on instagram: and you know me well enough by now to understand I don't often say that about a sketch. It was posted by Pretty Little Studio (and you can find it here) and it shows horizontal bands running across the page in a way which shouted fill me with buttons! no! make a line of French knots with  a needle and thread! or no! why not colour stripes with gelatos or paint? or fill one in with little punched butterflies? I did this in the end:


for a page about, well, you know who: Little E, who has just turned seven.

What I'd like to do next is make another page, a companion, and experiment with a long, low slice of photo for one of my bands. See, I told you: I don't often get as excited as this by a sketch..and it's all down to instagram, where I found it. 

Hmm..I think I'm feeling a little #dividedloyalty...


21 comments:

helena said...

as another avid watcher of Monkey Business I immediately understand why his monkey is called Seamus - always up for fun and mishcief and happy interacting with others of all ages.

I agree it is an appealing and versatile sketch and I think a photo filling one of the strips would be fabulous

MELODY JACOB said...

i get you, sometimes we do feel that way
http://www.melodyjacob.com/

Ladkyis said...

no need to divide loyalty just use whichever thing works best at the time. I like the wordy thing. I always need journalling on pages and even though a picture tells a story I like it to use my words.
Use all these marvellous things but don't ever think you have to choose between them, oh no cos then the separatists win and I am all for unity

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

I can relate, Sian. I never thought I'd love anything more than blogging, but Instagram has blogging beat for me these days. Adorable page, and I can't believe that Little E is SEVEN! Wow! xo

Barbara Eads said...

With social media, there are so many places to be with the little spare time I have to devote to it. I've gotten to where I call Facebook---Fakebook! I'm not loving all the bragging going on when sometimes you know the inside story!! I'm new to Instagram and don't think to check it regularly. Seems my blog is what's suffering these busy days. I commend you for not only managing it all, but having time to really respond to people. I know I'm not the only one!!

Ali said...

Great layout - ooh will have to check out monkey business lol. You might find you go full circle with how you use social media - I don't do Twitter and dip my toe on fb but feel I've ran out of steam on blogger - but hopefully I'll find my way when I have some issues sorted with myself xxx

Maggie said...

How great to think every day is a new adventure rather than what you are going to cook for dinner. Sian, don't even think about not blogging...

Jane said...

I'm new to instagram and I'm loving it. I always admire how you tell the story, my posts seem very inadequate

Barbara said...

Interesting post. I like instagram but due to phone issues I cannot use it very much at the moment. Like your youngsters I like to relax by playing games on the iPad but I find blogging on the iPad quite difficult. I am sure you will never run out of stories!

Patio Postcards said...

Panic has now ensued across all lands & ponds. Sian not blogging!?!?!

What a cheerful layout. I totally agree with Little E - lIFe is such an adventure.

I have been attending a series of workshops about all forms of social media - there are so many but what is grabbing me most is all the legal stuff related to it. The legal stuff is in application to the platforms & that transcends countries. WOW I have re-scared myself.

Ruth said...

You not blog? What a nightmare that would be! I'm a late convert to Instagram, but for me, it will never replace blogging.
Super cute page about Little E!

alexandra s.m. said...

Love your page Sian!!
Thank you~

Sandra said...

See, we're twins lol. As you know I made a lot of amazing friends through blogging and I still love it and those friends and avenues it opened up to me, but Instagram has just grabbed me in a way I never thought possible. It's friendly, informative and like a great big Pinterest board really. It's the people too and the connections you make which I love.,

Plus .... Perfect layout for little E. It's fun and lively xxx

Melissa said...

LOL I'm bummed about the divided loyalty, but noticing quite a decline in blogging and blog commenting. I really enjoy blogging but have lately been considering where and how I want to spend my time. I'm not much for other social medias though. What to do, what to do - looking forward to hearing more about your loyalties.

alexa said...

I just love this page with its graphic design and lovely additions. I can't bear to think of you it blogging :(. I haven't really 'got' Instagrsm for scrapbooking yet. Perhaps upon could do a post on it? I thought it was just for photos ...

Lynette Jacobs said...

How pretty is that page...love your journaling and the block of embellishing.

Karen said...

I've never gotten on the Facebook wagon. I decided from the beginning that blogging was more important to me than that, so I rarely get on, and even more rarely do I comment. I like Instagram, but haven't gotten attached to it. It's been months since i posted there, but I haven't gotten to the point where I've made a firm decision about it either way. I definitely have mixed emotions. Love your page, and would miss you terribly here on the blog if you abandoned it.

Susanne said...

Delightful page of delightful Little E. And major stash busting points on using all those little bits up. Just this weekend I used the Blogger app on my table to write a draft of my Memo Monday blog post, because I wanted to do it in the moment. But the limitation of not being able to schedule it meant that I would add pictures, hyperlinks and do the final edit on the computer - where all of that could happen much more quickly. But being able to capture pictures more readily with my phone as well as my table is wonderful - so I am coming along slowly in the social media realm. Glad you are finding Instagram useful, when I look at too many pictures on social media, I tend not use them as in the moment inspiration. We just all have to figure out what works best for us.

Jo said...

That is a great page! It's good to find a sketch that can be used again and again :)

Cheri said...

You cannot move away from blogging unless you first agree to give all of us non-adopters private lessons in how to use Instagram. Because I never quite figured out how to navigate it and ultimately gave up. And I just can't imagine a world where I can't check in regularly to see what you are up to!

Mardi said...

I love both.... Instagram for the instant inspiration..contact and chance to interact...but my Blog is where I keep the stories of our life... I think there is room for both. I couldn't imagine not being able to pop by your blog. x

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