Why I don’t have a blog-only Instagram and I don’t want one…

Hey loves!

Recently, I’ve been asked a lot about my social media habits and how they are any different because of having a blog. This may just be the communications major in me, but social media is at outlet used to brand yourself and who you are. I am Sparkle and Shine Sami, a 22-year-old who loves to sparkles and to make life shine. I believe life won’t sparkle unless you do and through every tweet and Instagram, I am doing just that. I’ll mix in my sass and humor into my tweets and what you are seeing is the real me.

Many bloggers I know seem to be okay with only having one Twitter account- used for both their personal tweets and promotional tweets for their blog. However, not many seem to have a combined Instagram and that is where I seem to stray from the rest.

My Instagram account features me and my friends out on the weekend to posts promoting a blog post, from sorority family pictures to sponsored ads. And the thing is, I wouldn’t change anything about it.

My Instagram is a look into who I really am. As a blogger you put a lot of yourself out there for the world to see and often open up about personal struggles, what’s going on in your life, and insecurities. So why not continue to be transparent and show what you’re doing when you aren’t behind on a computer screen typing or filming a new video blog?

I also love it when people who follow Sparkle and Shine will recognize my best friends, such as my sorority family, Paul, and Brandon. These faces you recognize often from pictures and posts on the blog, so why not see more about their personalities, whether its a retweet from them or a picture from an adventure not blogged about. Just like me, as the author of Sparkle and Shine, they are more than just faces on the screen.

So, follow me on Instagram to learn more about how I make sure to add some sparkle to my life, even if I don’t post about it!

Make sure to add me on Snapchat because I will be talking more about Katy Perry’s matte lipstick from Walmart, Katy Kat matte, that I’ve been rocking!

AND make sure to interact with me on social media! I love when followers send me snaps, tweet at me, and more! Just yesterday, I got a snap about Sparkle and Shine inspired them to buy the Primula iced coffee brewer. So awesome!

2Mar2015

Top 3 Instagrams of the Month: February 2015

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy March, readers!

I am so happy that it is finally March because it is now my birthday month! In just a few short days, I will be able to celebrate the day I have been looking forward to my whole life: becoming 21.

Source

March holds so many exciting opportunities for me! I have my twenty first birthday on the 15th, my super sweet twenty first open bar birthday party with one of my best friends on the 28th, my sorority formal on the 21st, and being able to relax during spring break. On Friday, I go home for spring break and all I can think about is laying in my Breakfast at Tiffany’s inspired bedroom, curled up drinking some tea, and reading Dirty Rush, Total Sorority Move‘s newest book that they just sent me in the mail.

Looking forward to all these great times ahead, makes me look back to all the great times I had in February. On my Instagram, I chronicled all that I had done. These are the posts that had received the most likes out of all of my February adventures.

In honor of World Cancer Day on February 4th, I honored my favorite guardian angel who taught me how to wink (but didn’t teach me you can’t exactly wink in photos). I hope that one day a time comes that other daddy’s little girls do not have to loose their number one man to cancer.

My love of journalism continues to grow each and everyday. This semester, I was selected to do the weather for our school’s news station. You can watch the episode here. More importantly, stay tuned for some exciting news about my involvement in the news department for Q30!

For the past two years, I have kept my Alpha Delta Pi letters on my front because I knew I can count on my sisters to have my back. Two years ago in February, I ran home to the organization that completely changed for the better. Deep in my heart, I love my ADPi.

Continue to follow all of my adventures, especially as I enter into the life of being a legal adult, on Instagram or check out January’s Top Instagram pictures!

4Feb2015

Top 3 Instagrams of the Month: January 2015

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy February, my sparkling readers!

The first month of the year has already come and gone. Have you been following my January adventures on Twitter and Instagram? It’s been a fun-filled month thanks to being reunited with my friends and ADPi sisters for the second semester of junior year! Oh, and a whole less of fun when my computer got a virus, crashed, and had to be re-imaged, in which I lost my documents and photos. But, let’s not dwell on the negative.

A year ago, I posted my first ever Top 3 Instagrams of the month post. Since then, this monthly post has become one of the most popular posts of “Sparkle and Shine,” gaining hundreds of hits each time it gets posted! Due to the success, I decided to continue chronicling my year through Instagram and sharing the top photos of each month with you.

Without further ado, here is the top Instagram posts from January 2015!

2015 is the year that my best friends and I turn 21! Kathleen was the first of our friend group to turn 21 and no amount of snow, sleet, or sludge stopped us from celebrating and giving her a great night!

I’ve taken a step into the fashion blogging world, one cute shoe (or snow boot) at a time. In this Instagram post, I showed off my “day after” outfit for how to still look cute and comfortable the day after going out. To check out the post, you can go here.

A whole new yeaaaaar, a new fantastic point of view. No one (but my mom) to tell me no or where to go or say I’m only dreaming – except for one HUGE dream is no longer a dream, but a reality. I am continuing to work with Seventeen Magazine in 2015 as a member of their Social Club! This means not only new adventures for me, but for you, too, readers!

Continue to follow me on Instagram to see what February will have in store. I have a feeling that it will be just as exciting as January!

7Oct2014

Top 3 Instagrams of the Month: October 2014

by sparkleandshinesami

Hey, readers!

It’s officially one week into October – a.k.a. one of the best months! Before deciding which Halloween movie I am going to want to watch while on R.A. duty tonight, I have to share with you all my top Instagrams of September!

A majority of my September involved around sorority recruitment – which is why there is no surprise that my photo with the top likes came from day one of recruitment! This year was the first time my little diamond, Amber, went through recruitment as an Alpha Delta Pi and the last time my big diamond, Katherine, would get to go through recruitment. It was amazing getting to snap my fingers, chant my loudest, and recruit new sisters with them by my side in our day one attire of chapter letters and white jeans!

My second most popular post related to my Back to School post, courtesy of Seventeen Magazine and Office Depot. Through my contract with Seventeen, I was able to get some awesome school supplies from Office Depot. I stocked up on cute folders and my multi-purpose four color pen. To learn more about these supplies, check out the post or search the #GottaGetIt hashtag on your favorite social media site!

As I mentioned, this was Katherine’s last recruitment. As you can see in the caption, Katherine has been one of the greatest assets to my life. If I never went Greek or Alpha Delta Pi, I wouldn’t have been able to be blessed with Katherine was my big diamond. Over these past few years, Katherine has shown me how to exemplify the Alpha Delta Pi values each and everyday. More importantly, she has become my best friend, my forever friend, my future bridesmaid, and my rock. Going through recruitment made me reflect on my time in ADPi and I know it wouldn’t have been the same without her. So, on our last day of recruitment, I posted this photo of us before we started the final rounds!

To stay update on all things Sparkle and Shine, you can follow me on Instagram by going HERE.

OR if you want to check out previous Top Instagram posts, you can see what made the list in January, February, March, April, May, June, and July/August.

I wonder what Instagrammable opportunities October will have for me!

2Sep2014

Top Instagrams of the Month: July & August

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy September, everybody! Hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day yesterday. Mine was spent in the library doing homework and sucking down the largest iced coffee Dunkin Donuts has to offer.

Now that it’s the start of the month, it’s time to share with you all the top Instagrams of the month. August was just way too busy that the start of the month passed before I shared with you all about my top Instagrams. Lucky you, that just means that you get to hear all about July and August in the same post.

Double the months, double the fun right?

July:

My Instagram picture with the most likes was one from when my mom and I went on a mother daughter date to Joe’s Crab Shack for the first time. The restaurant serves your choice of crab legs in a large bucket with corn and potatoes. The food was just so delicious!

My Instagram with the second most likes from July is when my little diamond, Amber, came to visit me for the weekend in New Jersey! Amber came up for a fun filled weekend, which included my first ever trip to “Carlo’s Bakery”! The cupcake I ate was just way too delicious – but nothing was more exciting than having Amber came to NJ for the first time!

One of my favorite adventures from the summer was seeing Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella on Broadway! This was the image that had my third most likes on Instagram. The show was absolutely amazing. For anyone going to NYC and looking for a Broadway show to see, this was my favorite that I have seen and I would recommend to everyone.

August:

With close to 100 likes, my Instagram with the most likes is one of me and all my residents! As our second group meeting, I decided to show the girls around campus the day before classes to make sure that they knew where to go. Then, to test their knowledge, we stood in the quad and as I would say the building, they would have to point. Becoming an RA has by far the greatest task I have ever taken on in my life.

After going through my ten day resident assistant training, we had a banquet to celebrate the end of training and the start of our residents moving in. There was a beautiful fountain in North Haven, Connecticut, where our banquet was, to take photos in front of! Nice scenery equals perfect Instagram photo. Out of all the photos taken, I uploaded a candid laughing photo of my friend Chris and I. The funny thing about my friendship with Chris is that we became friends because of our obsession with a local diner near our school.

This past weekend, we celebrated the 19th birthday of my little diamond, Amber! Saturday night we took on the town. Before we went out, we took this adorable photo, which is now my profile picture. Our weekend celebrations continued Sunday and ended yesterday. Yesterday was Amber’s actual birthday, where we finished off the celebrations.

Amber seems to be a common theme in my Instagram photos that recieve the most likes. Finishing off this long list is the photo Amber and I took while filming our sorority’s recruitment video. A few weeks prior to school starting, a few sisters met at Quinnipiac to film Alpha Delta Pi’s recruitment video. In the video, Amber and I talk about how we are so thankful for Alpha Delta Pi because it gave us each other. Another reason I am thankful for my sorority is because it gave me my big diamond sister, Katherine, who was unable to make it to the photo shoot.

Now that is is September, my Instagram will be filled with even more photos. You can follow my Instagram HERE and check out my top Instagram posts from January, February, March, April, May, and June!

1Jul2014

Top 3 Instagrams of the Month: June 2014

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy July, readers!

As I said yesterday in My Monday Musts, it seems as if this summer is flying by. However, I was able to capture some of my favorite memories and most important days on my Instagram account.

June not only had a lot of memories made, but was a month for me to revisit past memories. Check out this month’s Instagram pictures with the most likes.

June 4th is one of the biggest dates in my life – it is the anniversary of my father passing away. One of the ways that I grieve is by posting an image of my father and I and writing a little caption about him. This year marked four years since he passed away from brain cancer. I honestly had the greatest daddy a little girl could ask for. Though it is super hard without having him here, as I said in the caption, I am thankful that he is no longer suffering.

Another reason June holds a lot of memories is not just the anniversary of my father’s death, but there is Father’s Day. I found a quote that I absolutely loved and couldn’t help to share it with my followers as I posted a tribute to my father on the holiday. The quote stated, “A girl is lucky to find a Prince Charming, but she’s even luckier when her father is her king.” I may still be searching for that Prince Charming to come along, but my father is – and always will be – the most important man in my life. He loved me, protected me, and was my King. He always will be.

Though this summer seems to be revolving around my summer job and blogging, I still make sure to relax and spend time with my best friend, Julia! We love tanning, so we spent one of our full days off by her pool. We got iced coffee, put “Timeflies” Pandora station on full blast, and laughed the day away. Julia’s sister, Jenna, captured this candid photo of us laughing – which was just so perfect! Julia and I base our friendship around the classic Sex and the City soul mate quote. When it was referenced in Greek, I jotted it down for just the right Instagram picture – and this was it.

I can’t wait to see what July has in store for me! It’s my last full month home before heading back to college, so I can’t wait to make this month truly count. Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing these adventures not only on the blog, but on my Instagram. So, follow me to stay updated! Plus, check out my top Instagrams from January, February, March, April, and May!

1Jun2014

Top 3 Instagrams of the Month: May 2014

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy June, readers!

Those April showers brought more than just May flowers, it brought you my monthly edition of Top 3 Instagrams of the month!

May wasn’t as busy for me – once I finished tackling finals, I came home for the summer and immediately started working 40 hour work weeks. Though I haven’t been having much time as I would have wanted to spend blogging so far, don’t worry, readers! Now that I have a handle on how my schedule is going to be, I’ve already been filling my Lilly planner with post ideas and publishing dates.

Now, enough about the blog, check out my May Instagrams with the top likes!

On May 15, 1851 Alpha Delta Pi became the first sorority on the scene! I celebrated my love for the first and finest sorority by posting a picture of my chapter by posting a picture of my beautiful Theta Theta sisters and I on May 15! The photo was taken outside on our lovely quad during our Diamond Dash philanthropy event. The greatest decision I have made while being in college has been joining a sorority. I couldn’t be more thankful for our founders who created ADPi 163 years ado and I couldn’t be more blessed to live out the ritual those women created as an Alpha Delta Pi sister.

The most exciting event that occurred during May was my trip to the New York City Makeup Show with my little diamond, Amber, courtesty of press for Seventeen Magazine! In the post, which you can read HERE, Amber and I traveled to New York City to learn about makeup from some of the best in the business! Going to the makeup show, and getting to experience it with my little diamond, is just one of the many perks having a contract with Seventeen Magazine has given me!

The Instagram with the third most likes for May was a collage of some of the highlights from my second semester of sophomore year at Quinnipiac. Second semester of sophomore year held many great achievements – I was appointed the Director of Social Enrichment for my sorority, became my school’s weather girl for our news station, gained a contract with Seventeen Magazine, officially became an adult by turning 20, completed my second ever Relay for Life in honor of my father, made Dean’s List for the fourth time in a row, and just so much more. The laughs, the memories, and the friendships made during this semester will live long in my heart. It was quite a semester for the books!!

I can’t wait to see what the month of June will have for me – and what Instagram pictures I will be flooding your feed with. You can check out my top Instagrams from January, February, March, and April or follow me on Instagram to stay up to date on my life.

Enjoy June!

27May2014

Find out WHO is Unfollowing you on Twitter & Instagram!

by sparkleandshinesami

Hope you all had a sparkling Memorial Day weekend – hopefully it even included some delicious desserts, like these!

A few days ago, I was complaining to my friend Megan about how I noticed someone had unfollowed me on Instagram (yes, the true social media addict that I am noticed that someone had unfollowed me). I then continued to say that out of my hundreds of followers, I had no idea who it was and how mad I was that I couldn’t tell who it is.

Then, she introduced me to the wonderful world of InstaFollow.

When first downloading the free app, you must log into your Instagram account. From there, you can see who you follow that does not follow you back, as well as who follows you that you don’t follow. Whether you have so many followers you just can’t keep track of them all, or if you are (sort of) obsessed with your following to followers ratio, this app will help you out. Each time you log onto the app after your initial download, you will be able to see what new followers you have gained and who has unfollowed you.

Megan then told me that there is app that will do the same thing, but for your Twitter followers! This app is called FindUnfollow.

Just like with InstaFollow, you will have to first log into your Twitter account with the app. Then, start checking who has unfollowed you, what followers you have gained, and more! From the app, you can follow and unfollow people, as well.

So, social media addicts, why don’t you check out who is actually following you on Instagram and Twitter…

13May2014

Whoops, I’ve Instagrammed Everything Buzzfeed Told Me Not To

by sparkleandshinesami

Buzzfeed recently published an article called The Things No One Wants to See You Instagram and whoops, I’ve done them all at one point or another.

Saying I’ve had Instagram for two years probably won’t help the fact that I still made Buzzfeed’s vital mistakes – but here are my Instagrams of everything I shouldn’t be Instagramming.

FYI readers, most of them are from the very beginning when I got my Instagram during high school. Soooo don’t let these posts hinder you from following me on Instagram! You can do so: here.

1. Food

2. Self Shots

3. Your Feet/Shoes

4. Garbage

5. Nothing

6. You Being Bored

7. Someone else’s picture

8. Clouds

9. You Being Artsy

10. Inside a bathroom

Some of them may have been stretches – like the garbage picture being a note from my friend Megan. More importantly, my nothing photo being of the beautiful Central Park (but did I really need to Instagram that 16 months ago? Probably not). Either way, we’ve all made these Instagram mistakes at least once in a while (though I must admit my mirror picture with the shower CLEARLY behind us all is a pretty big mistake). Though I don’t Instagram One Direction any more, I still may post a selfie or a wanna-be-artsy picture from time to time!

How many of these Instagram mistakes have you made? Comment below and let me know!

1May2014

Top 3 Instagrams of the Month: April 2014

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy May, readers!

Not only did those April showers bring May flowers, but it brought you April’s edition of my top Instagrams for the month of April!

It’s been a very busy month for me, so I’ve had plenty of Instagrams to share with you all. A majority of my Instagrams had a lot of likes – but is these below that had the most!

On April 11, I participated in my school’s Relay for Life in honor of my father who passed away when I was 16 years old. This was my second time participating in Relay for Life in honor of my father and each time I become stronger and it gets a little bit easier. The night is always made easier when I have my amazing sisters and best friends by my side. This year, I put my favorite picture of my father and I on my bag. It is thanks to him watching over me, that I have the strength to participate in Relay!

This Instagram let’s you see a little bit more of my funny and silly side. Last weekend, I thought it would be funny to put on my friend’s boat captain hat and my sunglasses that said SWAG and pretend to be funny. It seems that my Instagram followers thought that it was funny because I got over 80 likes on it!

and it turns out there are THREE pictures tied for my third most liked picture – each with 77 likes! So, here those three pictures are!

One of the perks of going to Quinnipiac University is having Sleeping Giant state park right across the street and having the beautiful mountain to hike. A bunch of my sisters and I hiked the mountain last week – it was great exercise and even better sisterhood bonding! Once at the top, Courtney and I decided to throw what we know and diamond at the top!

The second picture with 77 likes is from Alpha Delta Pi’s Diamond Dash event. These are my best friends, my sisters, and my people. One of the greatest parts of being in a sorority is finding people who will left you higher each and everyday. I would be nothing with out these girls, Alpha Delta Pi, or the amazing feeling of helping our incredible philanthropy, the Ronald McDonald House.Lastly, for the yearbook this year, our staff photos will be us featured in these frames we decorated! I decided to Whitagram mine to have everything else black and white except for the hot pink frame. It’s just a little reminder that in this black and white world, just add a little splash of color to it!