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Does anyone else use their Instagram feed like an impromptu Pinterest account? Whenever I happen to spot something inspiring on my favorite social media resource, I instantly take a quick screen shot with my phone (for iPhones, click the home and power buttons at the same time) effectively filing it away for a rainy day within my camera roll. My inventory of Insta-Inspiration, as I’ve taken to calling this practice, has been running over lately so I decided to get it all out there today in the hopes that you might either relate or choose to try the practice out yourself!

From crafts and party ideas, to styling and even more styling tricks, I’ve been learning from the best and brightest visual statement makers out there. For a full list of today’s showcased Instagramers, scroll to the bottom of this post.

Is it just me, or do you also have the urge to combine everything in that “Parties & Gifts” round up above into one epic backyard fete? Chevron linens, smores favors, rustic button tags and a barbecue gift tub set the stage for what could only be described as the ultimate farewell celebration to summer – although, please don’t get me wrong and break out the torches and rakes, I’m certainly not counting down the days for that one quite yet.

My Instagramers are quite possibly the luckiest individuals on the planet. I would love to visit any and all of those gorgeous spaces above, but since I have neither the luck nor the budget to travel to far-off places like L.A. or Seattle, I’ll settle for drooling over their virtual documentation instead.

If I am ever suffering from a dreaded case of I-have-nothing-to-wear, I need only click through to my phone for tons of #ootd inspiration (P.S. Please tell me that you had to Google that one too).

With a burgeoning career as a freelance graphic designer on my hands, I’ve been all but obsessed with pattern, type and color combos. The Instagrams above caught my eye – and then some.

Who are your favorite, most inspiring Instagramers? Don’t have an account (or maybe not a smartphone)? Tell us about your favorite Pinterest account instead!

Based on the types of things I’ve been pinning lately, I’d wager a guess that we’ll be hosting a party soon. From custom menus and floral arrangements, to DIY garlands and linens, I’ve got soiree styling on the brain and should probably go ahead and plan something tangible before my imagination implodes with all of this fun inspiration. The first item I’d add to this hypothetical party’s menu? These easy-peasy marshmallow pops!

Source: Style My Pretty Living

I first came across the idea last week while scrolling through SMP Living, specifically their party section. I loved the idea of sprinkle-dipped marshmallows and, after brainstorming how I could make it work, realized quite quickly that I already had everything that I needed on hand.

Carrie’s Reimagined Marshmallow Pops:

SUPPLIES

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tablespoon Crisco shortening
Marshmallows
Sprinkles
Striped paper straws

Start by skewering your marshmallows with the striped straws. Mine were a bit longer than necessary, so I ended up cutting them in half with a pair of scissors. The next step involved melting chocolate. To do so, I dumped my chocolate chips and Crisco into a small glass dish and microwaved it in 30 second increments, stirring in between. You definitely don’t want to overheat your chocolate since it can end up getting hard and unworkable, so go ahead and discontinue you 30 second heatings when you see a few unmelted chips on top – Stirring for a few seconds longer by hand will eventually make those melt away too.

With my marshmallows nearby and a second glass dish filled with sprinkles, I formed an assembly line: grab a skewered “mallow,” dip in the chocolate, then dip into the sprinkles. Set aside when complete.

BONUS: If you happen to have extra melted chocolate (like I did) and a giant bag of pretzel sticks (like I did), you can make a second batch of sweet tasting goodies. Just grab a spoon and douse the ends of your pretzel sticks with the chocolate, set aside on a plate and then add sprinkles on top. These didn’t last nearly nearly as long as the marshmallow pops did – far too poppable!

After putting my tray of finished marshmallow pops in the fridge for about 20 minutes so that the chocolate could set, these cutesy, tasty treats were ready for our next big fete! Since these were more experimental than real, though, John and I have been grabbing them as snacks ever since. I’d love to try them with glitter sprinkles next for a more specific party-ready color scheme. What do you think?