by Natalie Lynn Borton
Happy Friday, girls! Last week I shared my favorite positive iPhone apps on my personal blog, and then thought to myself, why not share these with more people? Thus, I’m letting you in on my list of must-use apps, which promote gratitude, healthy body image, reading, healthy eating, and friendship.
One Thousand Gifts, FREE
Based on Ann Voskamp’s best-selling book One Thousand Gifts, this app is a tool to help us remember those little things we’re grateful for: our morning cup of coffee, that sweet smile on our significant other’s face, the bright orange color of a sunset, and the list goes on and on. I love it because notes can be remembered using both photos and text. Also, you can keep them totally private, or share with friends via Twitter, Facebook, email and even Flickr. After trying to keep gratitude journals for years and failing, this app is finally the answer to keeping track of moments I’m thankful for.
Body Beautiful, $0.99
Created by our beloved Wonderfully Made founder Allie Marie Smith, this app helps cultivate a positive self-image and encourages true beauty with inspirational quotes, media articles, videos and tools. Through it, you can share your favorite Body Beautiful quotes, articles, and videos via Facebook, Twitter, and email; and also take and share the “Body Beautiful Pledge” to respect and honor your body. With all of the dieting and calorie-counting apps out there to enable negative body image, this is one that reminds us what real health is all about.
Flipboard, FREE
Other than Instagram, this is the only app that I use every single day. I don’t know about you, but I’m an obsessive blog reader. I follow style blogs and food blogs and photo blogs and friends’ blogs, and none of the online readers make it easy to read them. Flipboard, on the other hand, creates a personalized magazine of all of the content you want to read—from blogs to Twitter feeds to Facebook and more. Ultimately, it makes the reading experience 100% better and makes my favorite blogs much more accessible.
Whole Foods Market Recipes, FREE
If for no other reason, I love this app because you can sort the recipes by course, category, dietary preference, and keywords. That means I can find vegan, make-ahead dessert recipes or gluten-free, budget-friendly main courses in just a matter of seconds. It’s a dream for those with special diets or anyone who is looking for a collection of recipes that can refer to while already wandering the aisles of the grocery store. Another great feature is the “on hand” section, which allows to to enter in ingredients you already have and get matched up to recipes you can make. So fun!
Postagram, FREE (plus $0.99 per card sent)
While I love to send notes to my friends, I rarely end up doing so because I either don’t have a card or can’t find a stamp. Thanks to postagram, however, I really have no excuse. This app lets you choose a photo from your photo library, Instagram, or Facebook to send in a real postcard that will be delivered to a friend in a few days. The postagrams are personalized with the sender’s profile photo, and include an optional 180 character message and a 3×3 inch photo pop-out. I love the mix of technology and snail mail, and that the photo personalizes the card.
What are your favorite apps and why? Do share!
