Friday Favorites {#3}

For today’s Friday Favorites, I thought I’d share some of my favorite Instagram accounts. Admittedly, I can get sucked into Instagram…especially Instagram Stories. I give myself time to hop on Insta in the morning and then in the evening, and I even set a timer on my phone, so I don’t let it consume too much of my time! Instagram is all about the pretty pictures, and these ladies do post some pretty ones, but what hooks me in to their accounts is the fact that they also keep it real and their Instagram Stories are so engaging, funny, lighthearted, (serious when needed), and real.

Living with Landyn

Listen. If you don’t follow @livingwithlandyn, you are missing out. She is so real. So funny. Such a girl’s girl. I would want her to be my sister, my friend, my mentor…and she seems so approachable and loves to meet her followers.

She lives in Nashville, married to a former NFL player (her middle school sweetheart!), has two kids, and is opening a Living with Landyn store in Nashville very soon. She always talks about “making pretty choices,” and it’s not a superficial meaning…she just means make a choice to be happy, adding some pretty flowers from your yard to a vase, help a friend, go out with your girlfriends, make time for yourself, etc.

She really is such a warm spirit on Instagram, and that just makes you want to know her, be her friend, and support her new business.

Living with landyn

Cotton Stem

I’ve been following Erin at Cotton Stem (@cottonstem) for a couple of years. She lives in Oklahoma, and is the mom to four sweet little girls. Her decorating style is 100% my decorating style. What I love about her stories is that she is super honest about how she handles life as a mom, wife, and influencer. She talks about how Instagram’s nine squares shows the pretty pictures of life, but her stories show the real life and I love that she’s so reflective and shares what she has learned on her Instagram influencer journey. For example, she sets boundaries like putting her phone away and staying off social media on the weekends. She’s had her home featured in magazines like Better Homes and Gardens. I also love that she’s not afraid to redecorate or rearrange and also shows how changing a few small items in the house, like a lamp or rug, can change a space in your home dramatically. Lastly, she often shows and explains how she creates wardrobe capsules for what she wears during each season, and I love this idea! She’s definitely an inspiring person to follow!

Cotton Stem

The Rambling Redhead

I started following The Rambling Redhead, Jenn, (@theramblingredhead) about six months ago. She is so much fun to watch on stories. She usually starts her stories with “Good Morning. Goooooddd Moooorrrrning!” (even if it’s 1:00 PM) haha. Her energy and positivity seem endless. Also, I don’t know how she gets it all done. She’s a mom of three, home schools her kids a couple days a week, is very present on social media, just opened a coffee shop with her husband, and now is filming a show for HGTV!! She also wrote a book a few years ago W(h)ine: 50 Perfect Wines to Pair with Your Child’s Rotten Behavior. #classic

Her clothing try on sessions are always so fun to watch as she continues to keep it real but is also the best at sharing codes and links to what she’s wearing as well as home decor.

Watching her stories, definitely puts some pep in your day.

Rambling Redhead

Ellery Designs

I’ve only been following Ellery Designs (@ellerydesigns) for a few months on Instagram, but she’s yet another who keeps it real “life is hectic” department. Her home decor is so cute and I especially love her entryway and mantle as those are two areas she updates seasonally. The entryway has little touches that make that season special while the mantle is a bigger undertaking. She re-wallpapers the mantle a few times a year, and it’s always a bold design or pop of color as a base to then decorate for the season.

Ellery also has updated the outside of her home and decorated it to be so inviting for those who see her home. I love the huge wooden planter that she has on her porch that I believe she and her husband built. The flowers are so pretty, and she mentioned that the planter was featured in an online commercial for Menards.

I really enjoy watching her talk about her home, ideas she has, as well as a bit of her family life.

Bev Cooks

Bev Weidner of Bev Cooks (@bevcooks) is sooooo funny. I’ve been reading her blog for years and following her on Instagram forever. She’s a food blogger who lives in Kansas City. She started her blog while going through infertility struggles, and it’s turned into so much more. She has boy/girl twins who are so cute, and it’s fun to see her family of four interact.

I’ve made so many of her recipes throughout the years, and they never disappoint. On Instagram Stories, she shares recipes, but she is just so funny. Her personality and humor draw you in. She shares about her clothes, what she finds thrifting, what she’s reading, and she even has a show on Foodnetwork.com called Mom Wins where she shares quick recipes that your family will love. It’s been fun (and inspirational!) to watch her family’s journeys the past two summers. Last summer, her family spent the month of June in Connecticut and this past summer spent a month in Oregon. Such amazing experiences as a family with awesome views, activities, and food. Also, most Fridays she posts a “Friday Flotsam” of what she’s been up to, what questions she as for her readers, as well as random pictures. Her posts are always hi.lar.i.ous!! I always look forward to her blog posts and her stories, and she just seems like so much fun to be around.

Bev cooks

Kristy Wicks

Kristy Wicks (@kristywicks) is just the sweetest person to follow. She is always smiling, always so encouraging, and always so positive. Her home is perfection and since it’s just her husband and herself at home, she’s honest about the fact that they purchased and renovated the home to be just what they needed even if it’s a smaller home. She’s so informative about the community in which she lives, shares so many stories about her girlfriends, her husband, her daughter, and their pup Maggie. Her husband, Jeff the Chef, as she calls him just seems to supportive of her (and she shares his recipes too!) They do so much together including travel to amazing places. As a former flight attendant, she shares her love of travel with her readers and viewers as well. My favorite part of her home is our backyard outdoor space. She’s so knowledgeable about her flowers and plants, and makes the outside space just as inviting as her indoor space. She’s certainly a friendly and inspiring influencer on Instagram.

kristy wicks

Go check these ladies out! They will certainly add a little something to your day!

And speaking of inspirational ladies, my little lady is the best. It apparently was National Daughters Day on Wednesday, and well, Hadley’s been giving me a run for my money since 2009. I wouldn’t have it any other way. #GirlBoss #Whorunstheworld? #girls