I've been neglecting my blog the past couple weeks.  I'm a procrastinator, as you know, so I could give you a million reasons why.  But the biggest culprit is ... Pinterest.  Have you heard of it?  It's a worse time sucker than Facebook.


What the heck is a "Pinterest"???

In case you're not familiar, here's the official "About" from the Pinterest folks:

Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and "follow" collections created by people with great taste.  People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things -- wedding inspiration, favorite T-shirts, DJ equipment. You name it, people are pinning it.  We know you have great taste in something. Our mission is to make Pinterest the best place for you to share your taste with the world.

Amazing colorful herringbone tile floor

Hotbed of Inspiration

Seriously, Pinterest is a hotbed of inspiration.  It's all photo-related.  If you see a photo on a website somewhere, you can "pin it" to your board.  You then add a short note/message about it.  You can use Pinterest to keep track of all the great things you've come across, which is why I originally requested an account.  (I always have so many internet windows/tabs open on my computer for things I don't want to forget about.) But once I got there, I realized that it's a totally public site that allows you to see the cool stuff other people are "pinning" as well.

Chair made from an old suitcase

 You can "follow" other people, similar to how Facebook works.  But you don't have to know them or even get their permission first.  The Pinterest admins even have some favorite "boards" that they recommend, which can help you get started.

Search and You Shall Find

If you liked my last post about the color coral, and wanted to see more coral inspiration, you could just type "coral" into the search box at the top of any Pinterest page.  Or if you were trying to decide how to decorate the entry to your home and wanted to get some ideas, you could type in "entry" or "foyer" and see what would pop up, like this below.

Love me some stripes

More Ideas Than You Can Handle

Pinterest can be overwhelming.  You start looking at one thing and then it leads you in 1,000 other directions.  Hence me not getting much blogging done lately.  Here are some other examples.

DIY tutorials, such as how to turn a tripod into a lamp

Jewelry, such as this one from Etsy

Recipes, like this one for Guacamole Bruschetta

Inspirational sayings, and many that are just sassy or silly

Goofy things like reminders of how we used to cut and paste

Architecture eye candy like this Craftsman bungalow (my favorite style)

Party ideas, like Angry Birds cupcakes

Oh-so-cute pictures like these sea otters holding hands (supposedly they do it while sleeping so they don't drift away from each other)

Reminders of yesteryear, like Fashion Plates

Craziness, including evil peppers

Fashion

Artwork loveliness

Decor decadence

Clever ideas, like using a towel bar to hold pot lids on a cabinet door

Places you'll be dying to visit, like this island in the Grenadines

Here are some other things I've come across, and it's just the tip of the iceberg:

• Baby stuff
• Photography tips and tons of photo styling
• Crafting and sewing
• Technology
• Gardening
• Typography and graphic design
• Wedding
• I could go on and on

Pinterest as Self-Affirmation


We could all use a boost of self-confidence now and then, right?  Pinterest is here to help.  I'm pretty darn sure this wasn't their intention, but it's a nice side benefit.  When you pin something and someone else sees it, likes it and re-pins it to her/his own board, Pinterest tells you.  When someone sees a pin of yours and decides to be a follower, Pinterest tells you.  How affirming is that?  You are cool, just like you'd hoped.  And other people think you're cool too.  (Kind of like when they read your blog and come back for more.  Thanks, gang!)  I think Stuart Smalley would appreciate Pinterest.  What do you think?



You KNOW You Want to Check it Out!


Have I piqued your interest about Pinterest?  (I'm a poet and didn't know it.)  Check it out for yourself . Let me know if you join so I can follow you!  You can find me .