Chantelle Webb

Instagram is a fantastic app that allows people like me, with no photographic talents, to take pictures of the food and desserts that I create at The Mason Jar Cafe and pretend that they were professionally done. The seemingly endless list of filters that can make a soup go from a flat broccoli green to a hulk smash of eye blinding neon called Ludwig is one the many. I prefer the retro tones of Amaro that make the muffins I just took out of the oven look like they were filmed in 1972 and the pebbly gray scale of Moon that lends a quiet introspection to a cup of coffee and cinnamon bun on plate.

I use this free tool to promote the cafe and lure folks in with the daily creations and witty, sometimes obscure hashtag ref

. erences, like # chocolatetruffle # truffleshuffle # chunk # gooniesneversaydie, but I wasn’t really understanding how they attracted more followers to our account.

This is when I came to realize that Instagram is basically a Pinterest site and you can easily lose hours of your life to these pictures. Type in a hashtag like # chocolate and say goodbye to cleaning the bathroom or visiting Auntie Jane. Become immersed in a world of businesses and personal lives and flip vicariously through their family photo albums. Start following them and read the comments, tap on their followers and adopt more family members. All of the good times and no pressure to like a status or comment if you don’t think that is the most de- licious looking chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen.

Be sure to check out your favourite spots to eat, coffee shops, bars, bakeries, breweries and even butchers. They post their hours and daily specials so you can see what you might be having later that day. Imagine posting a photo of what you made for supper and sending it out to the kids. # lasagna # noididntputonionsinit # supperisready #gethomenow #lovemom

Be sure to check us out on Instagram, we are @ masonjareats