What is Pinterest?

Like so many others, I have discovered Pinterest!  But often when I mention Pinterest, people ask me what it is.  Some people say, "It is an amazing time consumer!!"  And that can be true, of course!  But it doesn't have to be.  I usually only check it once a day or so and spend maybe 15 minutes just browsing to see what others have pinned and then pin a few for my own boards.  For the most part, I find it to be a great inspiration to my own creativity.  Not to mention some of the most yummy recipes!  So I thought I'd share a little about it here and let you decide whether you might like to discover it too.

Pinterest is this wonderful virtual bulletin board where I can pin ideas, colors, tutorials….. you name it!  It’s kind of like the Bookmarks feature on your computer, but with pictures so you can find things really easily.  This is a snapshot of what my Pinterest boards look like.  You should be able to click on the picture to see a close-up view if you want.

So say, for instance, I want to put a piano key border on my quilt and I’m just not sure how I want to do the corner…. Cornerstones?  Miter the keys?  Hmmmm….. let’s see…. I remember pinning a tutorial on that!  All I have to do is go to my Quilting board, click on the pin, and it takes me right straight to the tutorial that shows me how to do what I want to do!  Neat huh?

“So,” you ask, “how do I get started with Pinterest?”  First, you need to go to www.Pinterest.com (or click HERE) and request an invite.  I don't know why they do things that way, but they do.  =^..^=  


Then once you get signed up, Pinterest will suggest some people for you to follow, usually from your contacts list.  When you "follow" someone, that means that anything they pin will show up in the feed you see when you go to Pinterest.  Then you can choose to "repin" their pin if it is something you would like to have on your boards.  Setting up your boards is easy and fun - I had a ball choosing names for mine!  If you have a blog, you can "pin" pictures to Pinterest from there too.


To learn how to "pin" and "repin", the best advice I can give you is to go visit my friend Karen at Sew Many Ways.  To get to her blog you can click on her button at the right side of my blog, or HERE to get directly to the Pinterest post.  Karen has put together a wonderful tutorial on how to pin and repin and she will get you started.  And while you’re there, be sure check out her other “how to tutorials” – she specializes in showing us how to make something amazing out of everyday household things – she’s very inspirational!  You should see what she can do with a bucket, a roll of tape and some paint!

So if you’re interested in joining Pinterest but didn’t know how to get started, go visit Karen, and tell her you found her at A Quilt and A Prayer!!!

Hugs & Blessings,
Teresa
=^..^=