Friday, March 2, 2012

What the heck is Pinterest?!?




Pinterest is amazing! It's the next greatest website since, well, Facebook! LOL! (yeah, it can be a timewaster but SO worth it. lol). If you haven't tried it or if you've been on the site but gotten so confused and had no idea what you were doing you really should give it another try! It may take you a while to get the hang of it but once you do, its addicting - I'm warning you!!

So, what exactly is Pinterest? Pinterest states that it 'lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.'

I view it as a better way to save websites! No longer are the days of saving websites in your 'favorites'' (usually creating a LONG list of websites you either forget about, forget what the site contains, or your 'favorites' get so clutter and unorganized that its frustrating to navigate). Instead, you pin them to a virtual pinboard that you can come back to easily view later. When I am searching things from recipes, hairstyles, travel, clothing, etc. I turn to Pinterest instead of Google. I have found that a Pinterest search yields better results since it appears that its usually the very best ideas, greatest recipes, cutest clothes that get 'pinned' (i.e. a website containing my search item - aka Pin).

Once you find a pin you are interested in and want to check it out, all you have to do (if its pinned correctly) is click on the picture and it will take you to the original website it was pinned from! So simple! I love that you can follow people, even complete strangers, and its ok. It actually seems like people want you to follow them. Like, it validates their taste in something by saying you like it so much you're 'repinning' it! Haha! I have to admit, I get excited when I see an email that says So-and-so repinned your pin! ;)

So, why would you follow someone, especially a stranger? Well, I follow all my friends that are on Pinterest simply because we must have things in common since we are friends, right? (and Pinterest's connection to Facebook makes it easy to follow your friends) Plus, its fun to see what ideas your friends are finding! I also follow strangers because its easier to view boards/pins that have more of the items you are truly interested in. For example, when I was planning my daughters first birthday party, I was looking for party ideas. If I came across someone who was also gathering first birthday party ideas and I liked a lot of the ideas that person was finding, I would follow their board (or even sometimes all the boards the person was creating if I liked a lot of different things they were finding). This saves time searching for items I may be interested in and if you seem to share the same taste you'll have direct access to some of the coolest pins that person is finding.

Needless to say, I've pinned way more things than I have actually tried! BUT I've also tried some really cool ideas that I'll be sharing with you...most of these are ideas I never even would have thought to Google so I never would have discovered without Pinterest! So, how do you get on Pinterest if you don't have an account? Just go to the website and request an invite (it may take a few days) or ask a friend who has an account to invite you. I have no idea why Pinterest is trying to be 'exclusive' by needing to have an invite, extremely silly and pointless if you ask me, but it is worth waiting for an invite!

Still confused? Here's a blog that goes into further detail (pictures and everything!) about Pinterest:
http://www.blueglass.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-pinterest/

Happy Pinning!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Pinning & Doing!


Have you ever pinned an idea on Pinterest not knowing if it actually works or if its even worth trying? Are your boards cluttered with great ideas…but that’s where they stopped, at just a great idea. Pin Up Girlz is here to put some of those pins to the test! We will inform you on projects or recipes that worked (thumbs up!) so you’ll know what ideas are worth trying. We’ll also tell you of the duds so you won’t waste your time (thumbs down)! Along the way we’ll give variations on projects to make them easier, have pin features of the month, and have fellow pinners share their success stories! So follow along and happy pinning…and doing!