holders not folders | an instagram series

Hello, friends! I have something really exciting to share with you today!  It's a brand new adventure of creating community and relationships and I would love for you to take part! For a while now, Beth and I have been participating in Annapolis and Company's instagram series #theeverydayproject. We have both loved diving into the instagram community, working on our photography skills, and finding beauty in the everyday.

That series has inspired us to create our own little instagram project. There are lots of hashtags out there, but I love the ones that mean something, that create a unique series to go back and look at, and that bring community together to inspire and encourage one another!  Beth and I have actually been using a certain hashtag for a couple of years now. That hashtag is #holdersnotfolders and we would be over-the-moon excited if you would use it with us!

Holders Not Folders actually started back in 2011 when I was just learning about hashtag projects, and it was the first one I ever intentionally used on a regular basis. During the summer of 2011 I was working at Eagle Lake Camp, as many of you know, and two of the girls I worked with were besties. They started saying "holders not folders" referencing the fact that we all hold hands when we pray and not just fold our hands in our laps. We were a close knit community at camp and really good friends...and friends hold hands when they pray, y'all. But this idea goes far beyond just that. Community comes alongside one another with warm hugs and words of encouragement. Community is open and intentional. The idea behind Holders Not Folders is that we open our hearts, reach out, and invite others in. We move towards others instead of away. After camp that summer, Jessiann and Amelie (the creators of this phrase) started hashtagging all of their friendship and community-related instagrams this way! Beth and I quickly jumped on the bandwagon along with a small handful of others that started using #holdersnotfolders. I like to refer to us as the "pioneers" of this hashtag. :) Since the beginning, Jessiann, Amelie, Laura, Laken, Gretchen, Beth, and I have been adding photos of our lives and adventures to this hashtag and have loved seeing it grow!

Follow the pioneers on instagram!
@megmcilvaine // @gretchrebecca // @whatever_is_lovely // @amelie_heyse
@lauraliegrace // @jessianncorinne // @oakandoats // @gretchrebecca

This is the part where you come in. Today is the first day of summer and the perfect time to start a #holdersnotfolders weekly challenge for the summertime! For the next twelve weeks, Beth & I will be sharing our top favorite #holdersnotfolders instagrams every Saturday. We also will have a new prompt each week to help you look for the community and friendship in your world! This hashtag is about the little things and the big things! We don't want to miss out on life because we were afraid to reach out! 

This week's prompt is "MAGICAL" We encourage you to think creatively and try to capture those magical moments in your life! Think inside, outside, and all around the box. We pray you are challenged, encouraged, inspired, and find new friends to follow on instagram! Don't forget to use the hashtag #holdersnotfolders so that we can see your moments and pick our top 9 (we also will be picking our top 9 separately, so make sure to check both our blogs out each week!) 

WE HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

now go find those magical moments and instagram away!