G A T H E R I N G S | Instagram 101

Isn't she darling! One of my favorite people in the world, Laurel Donahoo of The Hive Blog, was the guest teacher at this Gatherings class. Laurel is no stranger to Gatherings. In fact, this Instagram Gatherings class originated from a Phone Photography class that Laurel taught several months ago. It seemed like for the last 30 minutes of the photography class Laurel was bombarded with questions about Instagram. And if you have ever seen Laurel's Instagram account {laurel_at_thehive}, you surely know that she can answer just about any question thrown at her on this subject. By the end of that night, Laurel and I decided that it would be a great idea to offer Instagram 101 for those that wanted to take their Instagram business to the next level.

And boy, I'm so glad we did ... this Instagram Gatherings was full of female entrepreneur's. Everything from bakers, hairdressers, beauty consultants, interior designers, to literally four artists. Such a plethora of businesses represented. Plus a couple of mothers and housewives that just wanted to up their Instagram game.

As the manager of a handful of different Instagram accounts, both for personal and business uses, Laurel is continually learning about the popular platform of Instagram, making notes about trends, changes, and ideas for reaching new audiences. She has also invested in several online courses teaching all there is to know about everyone's favorite social platform! As expected, Laurel did an excellent job, on this evening, fielding questions as she walked through a very detailed outline of the how-to's of Instagram. For those that wanted to be in this class but did not sign up in time, Laurel charges $100 per hour for private lessons so feel free to contact her for help at laurel@thelovelybee.com. It will be well worth your investment.

Instagram is pivotal in an entrepreneur's success. It is an incredible marketing tool. It is not just a place for growing business, but creating a true community by connecting with others in your own state and all over the world. Social media is the way we are sharing our lives these days. It is our stories that are being left behind ... like who takes the time to print out pictures anymore? Isn't it so much easier just to take a picture on your phone and post it to your Instagram account to let others see what we used to only be able to share in family photo albums?

One of the coolest stories from last night was that a young mother and her eight month old baby drove all the way from the Coast to be at this class. Lyndy Berryhill was the lucky winner of my Instagram class giveaway last month and did not let nearly 200 miles stand in the way of her being here. It thrills my soul to see ladies having driven from Oxford, Tupelo and now the Coast. Mississippi is just one big happy family!

I love visiting with all my new friends, my old friends, and some friends I have never even met before (cause you know that social media makes you feel like you are BFF's even though you have never met face-to-face).

Recipe for Berry Galettes

(Recipe from Home Cooking Memories on Pintrest ... I tweaked just a little)

1 large carton strawberries (hulled and cut into small pieces)

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1 cup blackberries

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons of cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 boxes of piecrust

1 egg

1 teaspoon water

sugar for garnish

Bring pie crust to room temp by allowing it to sit on counter for 15 minutes; line large baking sheet with parchment paper; preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries; sprinkle with sugar and cornstarch; gently toss fruit to coat; gently stir in cinnamon and set mixture aside.

Carefully unroll one of the pie crusts on lightly floured surface; use a bowl with a diameter of approximately 4 1/2 inches to cut out circles out of dough, similar to how a cookie cutter is used (you should be able to get 4 circles out of one pie crust); repeat process with remaining 3 pie crusts.

Lay one of the 4 1/2 inch circle pie crust onto parchment paper lined baking sheet; place approximately 1/4 cup of fruit mixture in the middle of the pie crust, leaving the edges empty. Take care to not scoop excess liquid that might form with the fruit (use slotted spoon); bring edges up over part of the fruit filling, overlapping them as necessary until all the edges have been brought up around the fruit; gently press together the ares where the crust overlap to help ensure that they stay up around the fruit.

In a small bowl, mix together the egg and water; using pastry brush, brush each shell to help hold in place; bake for 15 minut3es @ 350 degrees.

SIDE NOTE:

Earlier on this day, a good friend of mine reminded me of the promises of Psalm 20, so during the time I was making all the preparations in my kitchen, I could not get verse 4 off my mind: "May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed." My mind was taken back to 6 years ago when Laurel was sitting in my den broken-hearted from having had two miscarriages. We prayed on that Friday morning for the Lord to do great and mighty things inside her body and for His glory to be revealed. So when I see her sitting just 5 feet away from that same spot now pregnant with her third baby, my heart just melts into a puddle of praise to Him.

I look forward to the next Gatherings as Betsy Greener will be returning for another Calligraphy class on August 9th ... only a few spots left so make sure you sign up soon.

And then one other Gatherings in my kitchen on August on the 23rd when Dianne Swanson will be sharing with us her amazing cinnamon roll recipe as we bake a batch for ourselves to take home. For more classes being offered this year, visit the Gatherings website @ www.gatherings.design.