Don’t you love it when your come across a post on Instagram that grabs your eye and that photo leads you into another and then another? Just this very thing happened to me Sunday morning while enjoying my morning coffee, scrolling through my Instagram feed and looking inspiration for this post! As it turns out, I came across not one but two sisterly collaborations along with a couple of new hashtag challenges I previously hadn’t heard about.

Many of you know that I’m a sucker for images shot #fromwhereistand and even doubly so when they involve a cup of coffee! So when the very first image that popped up in my stream was Marina Sorr’s lovely shot (below) I was more than a little curious. As it turned out, Marina’s, @marina_sorr, image is part of a larger collaboration with her sister Silvia, @i_m_perfect, entitled and hashtagged #ayearofcolor.

Marina_Sorr

Since Marina lives in Rome and Silvia in Padua, the sisters decided to share each Sunday with a color-themed photograph taken during that week in order to feel closer to one another. This is the second year of Sunday’s the two are sharing. Last year Marina and Silvia shared their original project: #ayearofsundays.

i_m_perfect

This is our second year of sunday pictures. For the first year, each sunday we shared a photo taken that day. This year we’ve decided on each sunday to share a color-themed image that we have taken during that week.  Looking for the next sunday color during our week makes us feel connected. We love our little project and are very grateful to the kind IG friends who welcome our sunday pics so sweetly. – Marina Sorr

If you want to see more of Marina’s and Silvia’s sisterly love, you can go to #ayearofcolors to see how this year is playing out for them, or take a peak at their lives from last year’s #ayearofsundays on Instagram.

#ayearofcolors #ayearofsundays2

Shortly after being introduced to Marina and Silvia’s collaboration, I came across LeeAnn Yahle’s Sunday morning post with two images of identical coffee cups side-by-side entitled  Sunday_sisters. Like Marina and Silvia, LeeAnn Yahle, @lyahle, and her sister Sue Aurand, @saurand, also live far apart, LeeAnn in southwestern Ohio and Sue 250 miles away in northern Indiana. Although the sisters have lived apart for most of their adult lives, they keep in daily contact via phone, text and sharing photos with one another on Instagram. “We ALWAYS talk on Sunday mornings,” LeeAnn shared.

Since LeeAnn is a long-time photographer, it was after Sue purchased her first DSLR that the sisters realized their conversations more often than not centered around photography. When they both joined Instagram, another journey between the two began.

SundaySisters

And the coffee cup? Sue gifted LeeAnn with the cup and saucer that is used in the collaboration. Unbeknownst to either sister, their mother bought the same set and later gifted it to Sue and shortly after a new collaboration was born!

We never talk about where or how we are going to photograph the mug, it’s always a surprise. Sue sends me her photo early Sunday morning and I use the PicFrame app to put the images together and add the text. I post a copy to Instagram and send a copy to my sister.

When we are actually together, we set up a coffee mugshot and both of the mugs appear together. (Yes, our mugs travel!) It’s been a fun project and we have learned a lot about Instagram and apps and have enjoyed getting to know so many wonderful people throughout the Instagram community. We recently talked about how to get “sisters” to join us, so if anyone would like to play along, tag your diptychs to: Sunday_Sisters. – LeeAnn Yahle

Once again, this sisterly collaboration was created as a fun way for two sisters living miles apart to stay more connected.

#sundaysisters

Now that we’ve seen two sisterly collaborations, I thought I’d share one other way to become a part of a larger collaboration on Instagram and that is by issuing or joining on on a hashtag challenge! You know how we have loads of photos on our phones that never see the light of day? You could share or challenge a friend to share #fromthecuttingroomfloor, on in other words an image that up until now hadn’t quite made the cut! The first time I was introduced to this hashtag was after seeing this shot from Melody Sanders, melody_sanders, certainly worthy of escaping from her archives onto her Instagram feed, wouldn’t you agree?

Melody_fromthecutting

Along with #fromthecuttingroomfloor, I came across a few other hashtags that you might want to challenge a friend to post or perhaps try yourself:

• #5shotchallenge, where you ask a friend to share 5 photos from their everyday life
• #MondayMandala, where you create a mandala out of flower petals
• #summerdreams, where you share a summer “dream” while surrounded by winter

#fromthecuttingroomfloor #5shotchallenge

#mondaymandala #summerdreams

I hope today’s featured collaborations and hashtags have sparked some ideas of your own. I look forward to seeing shots from your cutting room floor in our Mortal Muses ~ Mobile Monday flickr group.

Until next time,
Holly ~ Soupatraveler

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Keep an eye out for a special Muse in the News post coming up later on this afternoon. Here’s a hint to get you excited: Giveaway!