Why My Life is Really a Lie (Instagram Fibs)

Please raise your hand if you're reading this and aren't on Instagram yet…

*Crickets*...?

I think it's safe to say majority of y'all know about this form of social media.

I personally LOVE Instagram (so much that I have two accounts, follow me @toodlebelle!), but I realize that sometimes the pursuit of perfection can make the posting process a bit of a hassle. I only use one editing app (VSCOcam is a gem), but I know some bloggers out there who take hours to edit one photo.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes mine have different words behind them than you might think. So inspired by Olivia Muenter's Bussle Article and Allison Ellzey's blog post, here are some of the lies my favorite Instagrams have been telling.

What it looks like: Ooh fun! Gilmore girls! Everyone deserves a lazy day every now and then. 

What is actually happening: (Not pictured: the pile of clothes pushed to the other side of my bed waiting patiently to be folded). I have no idea how I got through season two so quickly, especially when I thought I started it yesterday. The hours have disappeared. I know I should be reading books so that I can be as smart as Rory, but I've already missed my chance at an Ivy League education anyway. Why bother? I've started using Lorelei's jokes in casual conversations (with my mom over the phone because I'm suddenly a hermit) and thought that I was just becoming more clever. 

What it looks like: Ooh, I have a few spare minutes in car line waiting for the adorable children that I nanny for to finish school. I'll just catch up on some reading for class *classical music playing in the background because I'm so smart, obviously*. 

What is actually happening: It took me so many tries to get this picture exactly how I wanted. The sun is blinding me because I'm not wearing my sunglasses! In the time I spent taking this photo, three soccer moms passed me in the car line. I'm sweating because I had to turn the air off while sitting in line to conserve fuel. I'm singing along to Taylor Swift loudly. That empty Starbucks cup is three days old. And perhaps most importantly, I did not even open this text book in this thirty-minute time frame. 

What it looks like: Ooh, I'm getting ready for a fun night out for New Year's Eve! Extra sparkles! Kate Spade! #PopFizzClink! 

What is actually happening: (Not pictured: The outfit that took me two hours to pick and I still hated) When I took this picture, I had no idea which party I was going to, and even after I got to the party, I felt super awkward for at least an hour and a half. This glitter nail polish took over a week to get off. I felt self-conscious for wearing black on my nails. Oh yeah, and when we went downtown and stood around the crowded, smoke-filled bar for a while, the strap to this purse broke. 

What it looks like: Ooh, pool party! Aren't I fabulous with my tan legs?! My subtle Chaco tan says that I'm a little adventurous, but not a total nature freak. My pink toenails say I spend every other Thursday in the nail salon for a pedicure. 

What is actually happening: I forgot my swimsuit. I'm setting up a sisterhood pool party and I forgot my swim suit. I snapped this picture before running back to my apartment to grab a swimsuit and towel and racing back to the party. I'm already soaked with sweat because living in Louisiana is like living in a sauna. I wear my Chacos more often than any other shoe and am not actually adventurous at all. I paint over my toenails when they start to chip and have more layers of paint on them than the walls of my grandmother's living room. 

So maybe my life isn't a total lie, but you get the idea. Sometimes a picture is actually worth 2,000 words. 

Toodlebelle Instagram!

Hey there! So kind of you to stop by the blog again! Remember when I said I'd get back to blogging? Well I mean it this time! The blog world is so pretty at Christmastime, as is my Instagram feed.

I created a Toodlebelle Instagram account a while back ago, but finally decided to link it to the blog and start posting to it today (I think my friends were starting to get tired of pictures of my coffee and other blogger-style shenanigans)!

If you'd like to follow along, I'm begging, please, you can follow through this link! or by clicking the cute yellow button up in the top right corner!

Yes, it's a little empty right now, but I'm sure it won't be for long! 

Happy Holidays! 

Little Problems

If you're a regular visitor of this site, first of all, you rock!
Secondly, you may have noticed that neat "Little Problems" button to the right of your screen.

"Why is it there?" you may have asked yourself?

That's because I'm the newest campus representative for Little Problems!

Little Problems started out as a twitter account (@LittleProblems) in May of 2012, but has grown into an actual company, selling things like koozies with adorable sayings like "Like Big Like Little" or "Big Knows Best" and giving back to philanthropies.

My main reason for sending in an application was to get experience working with social media. Since I started this blog, I've become more and more interested in that field of business and this little "internship" is giving me a chance to dapple in it.

It's been fun getting to know the company, and I can't wait to get to know the other representatives and team members!

You should all go like/follow/check out their blog, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and store! And check this out, I've got my own little write-up in the campus-rep section! ;)

And now, because the brand is centered around the relationships between big and little sisters, I'm sharing some pictures of me and my own fabulous big!

She had a really important class and couldn't make it to to big/lil reveal, so she sent #KardboardKatie 

Of course, I had my grand-big (aka Katie's own big) Raleigh there to comfort me in her absence. 

Katie's and Raleigh's fall schedules were pretty busy, but Raleigh's new little Lauren quickly became one of my best friends. 

When spring semester rolled around, Katie went off to Disney World for the college program. When I went to visit her for spring break, I finally realized that her friends were all right; we really are the same person. 

Who else is excited for school to start again so that they can see their bigs/littles on a daily basis?

P.S. Don't even get me started on how excited I am to get my own little and spoil her with Little Problems goodies!