Lucysinspired Friday Wrap-Up

This week has been full! It's amazing to  me how it can fill up so quickly! I've picked up a new social media client and think it's going to be a fun one! Lots of creative ideas floating around in my head!

Since Monday was a holiday, I got to go out to the creek party! house and take a few pictures. I shared a couple of them here. We were going to try and move in next week, but The Connor Farmer got it in his head it needed to happen today. He's got the moving truck out there unloading right now.....I guess I need to get ready to fluff! Here's one more peek before I head out.

On Tuesday, I headed North to Southern Accents. I walked around the store looking for what would go into our booth at the Birmingham Home and Garden Show. You have to come see me. It's going to be a great booth and we are doing giveaways! eeeek! I shot this picture and I'm still loving it! You can follow along Lucysinspired on Facebook to see things as they hit me!

Wednesday, I picked up a new client. I have this secret love of hardware, door hardware, that is. You've seen Lucy Locket's, right? I met Eric at Brandino Brass and we decided it was a perfect fit. I would start working on their social media. You may see Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter posts that sound a little like Lucy. If so, just click like or make a comment. We will all appreciate it! (thanks to Molly for the referral!) One reason I knew this would be a good thing? This door. I love this massive thing! I stood in front of it at SA last year and was amazed at the size of it. I love how they use it as the door to block off the storage area of the store! don't you?

Thursday took me to Deconstructive Waste Services. Sara and I will be friends. I can promise that! She has been salvaging cool architectural pieces from this recycling pile! I found some really cool things. Ashlee, Lori and I made a morning of it. We filled Ashlee's car and I have to go back with a truck for my haul! This one little pic sums it up! Thanks, Lori, for always capturing the moment! I will be giving you a personal tour of this place in a few weeks! Can't wait to share some of my favorite salvage places around the South!

I also got to meet the girls behind The Scout Guide Birmingham. I love their publication. It's gorge! You need to look for it around town. It's all about the to do and see in our area!

I hope you had a great week! I love being busy and creative.

Instagram Photo Challenge

I'm working on Fatmumslim's Photo a day challenge on Instagram. If you aren't familiar with Instagram, it's an app you can get on your phone. It adds effects to those photos. It's gaining in popularity daily. Many compare it to Twitter because it's like telling people what you are doing at that moment.....just in pictures and not just 140 characters. Lots of businesses have started using Instagram. We all love photos and there isn't a better way to share!

It's by far my favorite social media outlet right now. I love to see small details of my kids, friends and cool photographers. I think it keeps me thinking creatively when taking pictures. I love to get involved in challenges like #fmsphotoaday. See that? That's a hashtag. Chantelle has created this hashtag so that everyone involved in the challenge can tag their photos and we can all enjoy them. If I'm struggling with the days prompt, I will search that hashtag and am always inspired to create my photo for the challenge.

If you have a twitter account you should consider making your instagram name the same. That way others can tag you and it will show up in your twitter feed, as well as your notifications on instagram. Mine is lucysinspired.  I guess it's obvious that I use that name everywhere! I tried to think of a clever name for my blog/twitter/instagram, etc. I finally decided why change? Use what you have. All of it, everything I post is about what inspires me.

I always take the photo with the camera and then open it in the instagram app. That way, I'm not pressured into deciding what effect I want to use. I can also take pictures throughout the day and then pick which ones I want to upload to instagram.

Of course, you can start anytime! Just pick up on the 15th. Or you can go back to the beginning and start there. It's a fun challenge. You just take pictures and can be as creative as you like! 

Here is the day by day for October:

If you are on Instagram, look me up @lucysinspired. 

Emma and John Connor have Instagram accounts and a very fun photo feed. John Connor's silliness @thespazz_jc and

 Emma's creativity @emmafarmerrr

Socially Acceptable

Jumping on the bandwagon. It's fun at first. I'm always a bandwagon NFL fan. I love the winning team. That one and which ever one Tom Brady is on. He's so cute, right? Mark Sanchez is easy on the eyes, too. That's not what this post is about..how did I get there? I'm about to be 40...Is it the cougar coming out of me? please laugh here....

So, jumping on the bandwagon. 3 years ago, I was trying not to get on the Facebook bandwagon. Seriously, I was on Twitter before that and I didn't even know what it was!! I thought Facebook was that silly place that my little sister would go to check up on her ex-boyfriend. (sorry N, if you are reading this! xo) Really, it was just something the college kids were doing. I had a few friends jumping on and they were having a little fun with it. Talking to high school friends...really? did I want to go there? Don't get me wrong, I love my high school and the friends from there, but all the drama that was from high school. I guess I expected it to be on Facebook!! Well, I was right about that part.....and not the high school friends!!

It is my life now. I am on Facebook for hours a day. I don't play games, I don't stalk people (wink) and I don't update my status every 5 seconds. If I have to pee, you don't have to know it. It's my network. It's how I find out who won the game, that a tornado touched down, that LSU 's busses can't leave the hotel because someone painted a 50 yard line in front of it! That's hilarious, you have to admit! I also make new friends and find old ones. I find people that live within 10 miles of me that I have SO much in common with. We pull together and do things to help each other. It's how I keep up with EVERYONE! If someone has a baby, I check Facebook to find out when. It's life events, the world around us and right next door. Someone will say, "I don't have time for it.". Ok, neither do I. I make time for it. I want to know how my friends are and seriously, there is a contest, I can win a new pair of jeans!! I did! On FACEBOOK! I got them and yes, they fit PERFECTLY! It's like the yellow pages with a friends recommendation. You need something? Ask for it on Facebook. You will find it!

I do a lot more with this social network, too. I help businesses find more customers. over 800 million people are on Facebook all over the world. It's the best marketing tool you can have. You have to utilize it in a way that benefits your business. There are no HARD-CORE numbers that prove the ROI, but when someone walks in your store almost every day and says, "you have a great Facebook page", it makes sense. You may even be lucky to have someone make a purchase and say, "The only reason I even came here was from your Facebook page." They probably won't, but you can't NOT be on there!

There are other social platforms out there. They may not all work for you. I love Pinterest and blogging. They fit with most of my clients. I am still learning everyday. I did get a likeable book today. It's all about social media and how it works. Not sure why I need that, but I'm sure I will get something out of it. If I do, I will share it with you. It is the reason I decided to write this post! 

BTW, I am still trying to take a photo a day. I've missed a few. I decided not to post here because after the 2nd day someone unsubscribed. It hurt my feelings and I stopped doing something for them. I guess that was the wrong decision. Maybe I will bring it back...or you can just keep up on my Facebook page!

One more thing.....Roll Tide! Congrats on the National Championship!

Pre-game with John Connor

 Post game with Emma!