Cataloging Heaven

Pinterest. It's so wonderful, my explanation just won't do it justice.

Basically, Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board community.  Anything you see online (images) can be "Pinned" to one of your boards.  There are no limits to boards either. Trying to keep track of flowers I want to plant outside? There's a board for that. Gathering ideas for the kitchen remodel? There's a board for that. Want a new hair style and need visual inspiration? There's a board for that too.

First reason I love Pinterest: because it takes my visual organization to a whole new level.  In the past, my way for keeping track of ideas is:

1. Find cool idea on website or blog

2. Copy link for cool idea into email

3. Note in email specifically what I liked about cool idea so I'll remember next week

4. Send email to myself

5. 'Label' email under "Favorite Websites" label so I can find it later, since I have 2330 emails, some of which are probably expired free offers from Vistaprint.

While I had to make it work for me, this method is only so useful.  It 100% depends on my ability to recall something in my memory that I saw, and using the correct search to find it in my email. This often doesn't work. Sometimes I'll forget I even found something, until I stumble across it in my email 18 months after the fact. Sometimes I'll go looking, but when I typed my email to myself, I forgot to include an intelligent subject line or notes within the email for the search feature to find. That makes me REALLY mad.

Now I have Pinterest, I've entered a new world of serene, enjoyable organization. Here's how that looks:

1. Find cool idea on blog or website, or even something that inspires me

2. Click "Pin It" button on my favorites bar

3. Choose board I want image pinned to

4. Write my random thoughts or specific ideas for the pin

5. Click "Pin It"

Now this wonderful - craft idea, knitting pattern, gift idea, cake to bake, recipe to cook - is forever memorialized on my "Board."

Second reason I love Pinterest: The community. Now I'm not social media obsessed. Yes, I check my facebook once a day or every other day, but I don't comment on everything, read everything, or spend at least four hours a day on it.  Facebook usage for me is to do a 2 minute scroll through the news feed to make sure there isn't any Wonderful/Horrible news that I'm missing.

So when I say I love Pinterest for the community, it's for different reasons. I don't expect to develop a relationship with these people, but it's almost like having creative, like-minded people around me again. In college (as an interior designer & in art classes), I was surrounded by super creative, inspired and inspiring people. My days and classmates oozed creativity.

This is not the case anymore. Now, I spend time with my husband. He has many, many, many wonderful qualities, but I don't think I could say he oozed creativity. Actually, he would probably be offended if I told him he oozed creativity. He has an office job, very technical, nothing creative, and he likes it like that.

But people on Pinterest, they ooze creativity. So I now have a little (or big) creative community. I've seen some great things on Pinterest that other people have pinned to their boards. As much as I like it for pulling my own ideas and inspiration off the web, I could spend hours browsing other people's pins in the DIY section. Who needs facebook when you can watch Pinterest?

So, try it. It's wonderful. My Pinterest Boards