It started innocently enough last spring. I was introduced to Pinterest.I thought I would just check it out for a few minutes and be done. But, the first time I visited the website I was instantly hooked. Before I knew it, I was sucked into this virtual world that would eventually become my demise.
Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. If you are surfing the internet for the perfect pair of cowboy boots, you might find ten different websites with boots that you love. Instead of bookmarking each one of those sites, you can copy every picture of boots you come across ("pin" in Pinterest terms) to your Pinterest account. Within your Pinterest account, you can create categories for each picture you pin. So for the cowboy boot example, you might create a category (a "board" in Pinterest terms) named "Cowboy Boots." Whenever you happen across a new picture of cowboy boots as you surf the web, you can pin that picture to your Cowboy Boots board. When you log into your Pinterest account, all those pictures you were pinning on your surfing extravaganza will show up on your Cowboy Boots board. When you have a Pinterest account, you can see what your friends and strangers are pinning. You might see friends pinning recipes to their recipe boards, or outfits to their clothing boards. They might be pinning craft ideas or handy tips. Or most dangerously for me, decorating ideas.
Pinterest is limited to your imagination. Which is why it is so much fun! I love it for many reasons. One reason, in particular, is that you can search on Pinterest and any picture with the word you searched for will appear. You can type in "scary" and it will return all pictures that have been labeled by the pinner as scary. The search could return pictures of scary things such as photos that appear to have ghosts in them. But it could also bring up a picture of Carrot Top. There is just something about that randomness that is quite appealing.
I love that it inspires me to create things. I also despise it for that very same reason. I become obsessed with how I want to decorate my house or what crafty project I want to try. I could easily spend hours pinning ideas. That is where my addiction takes over. So after much pinning, I decided that I would not just live vicariously through other people's houses or ideas. I actually tried some of these ideas. Here are the results:
Color Inspiration:
Source: frenchbydesign.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest
Result:
I deliberated for a few weeks before just going for this color. It's Evening Hush by Behr. I cautioned Dustin before he came home that the living room looked a little....black. It may not be for everyone but I love it.
Beadboard Inspiration:
Source: lh4.ggpht.com via Stephanie on Pinterest
Result:
This is wallpaper. But it looks remarkably like the real thing! This project stemmed from my bathroom project where I originally hung paintable wallpaper:
Speaking of the bathroom, I have to show you this. I was looking for an old floral print to hang in my bathroom. My mother-in-law spotted this card table at an antique store. It was a perfect fit on the bathroom wall!
Coffee table inspiration:
Source: countryliving.com via Stephanie on Pinterest
Result:
This table is actually a cabinet turned over. The cabinet came from a trash pile. The legs are drawers that I bought at a garage sale. Total cost: $12.00. I love other people's trash!
Chalkboard wall in the kitchen inspiration:
Source: littlebluedeer.com via Lan on Pinterest
Result:
My kids love this wall. Secretly, I do too.
My sister-in-law is a fellow Pinterest junkie. So during the Thanksgiving holiday we made Pinterest crafts. Here are a couple we did...
She bought Christmas bulbs to make wreaths. These were the leftovers converted into a Christmas tree.
We also made signs inspired by signs like this:
Source: notonthehighstreet.com via Angella on Pinterest
Result:
(Note: My letters didn't fit the canvas so I improvised and made my letters resemble a tree. I wasn't sure I liked it. Now that it is up, I think I do!)
Once I started redecorating, the creative bug took over. Here are some other crafty things I made inspired by the Pinterest world:
I painted all of my old suitcases white. I don't know why. I just did. And I really like them!
And the waterless snowglobes? Let's just say I want them everywhere. I can tell you what stores carry miniature trees within a 50 mile radius of my home. I can also tell you what varieties they offer. I am soooooo not done making these!
These last two pictures are my newest additions to the home. I didn't know what to hang in my landing until my mother-in-law suggested a tobacco basket. I loved the idea but one basket seemed too subtle. I wanted four. The problem? They aren't common around here, especially not 4 of them. That is until I found someone selling them just miles from my brother's house in Alabama. So just a few emails later, we planned to meet him to pick up 4 tobacco baskets during our Thanksgiving trip to Alabama. Little did we know that he had an entire storage unit of these baskets. He let me dig and dig and dig. (Well, Dustin dug while I decided on which ones I wanted. My sisters came along for moral support...and ended up with a couple basket of their own.)
So here are my new handpicked tobacco baskets straight from the South...
I love them so much that I fear I might break my neck one day while gazing at them as I walk down the stairs. Even if you hate how they look, you have to admit that they are unique!
So that's it for today!
A little home tour filled with Pinterest inspiration.
