Your Quick Intro Guide to Pinterest

So many people are talking about Pinterest this year, I thought I'd offer you a little crash course into what it's all about and why you might be interested.  I set up my account about a year ago, and have loved it ever since.

Pinterest is a very visual pinboard-style social photo sharing site for sharing Creative Ideas.  If you love crafts, DIY projects, fashion, inspiring quotes, recipes and decorating ideas, trust me: you will LOVE Pinterest.  Each time I log on, I am overwhelmed by hundreds of projects I want to try, all of which are cool and original and far more interesting than anything Martha Stewart has come up with lately. 

Set up an account, and name your 'boards' (think of them as a series of virtual corkboards) so you have categories that make sense to you, like "Stylish Outfits" or "Recipes" or "DIY Projects".  Browse through other people's boards (there are zillions), and when you see something you like, you "repin" it to one of your own category boards.  It's actually a really great way to store up a bunch of things to reference later when you need them.  I love not having to print out recipes all the time because I know I can just go back to my Pinterest account later and find the ones I have pinned quite easily.   Some of my faves are ideas like these below.

Outdoor Fence Herb Jars

Painted Cans Wall Storage

If you're a business owner, this is a great site to post your coolest products in kind of a catalogue-style way, and have people engage with you in a far more social and visual way than you have before.  It's also far easier to update than a formal website with control panels and webmasters, streamlining some of your efforts to share photos with your clientele.  If you want more of the details on getting set up, visit the Pinterest Help Page.

Adorable Kitchen Menu Planner

Admittedly, it can be a total black hole when it comes to sucking you in for long periods of time.  There are truly too many amazing ideas to browse through, so my advice to the masses is this: set a time limit.  Browse for 5 or 10 minutes, repin some stuff, and then go on with your day.  You can also connect your account to facebook and twitter to be able to share the cool things you like with other friends, but I caution you in doing this as you can easily clutter your friends' newsfeeds and annoy them beyond belief. 

Hope you find that helpful!  I highly recommend it to fuel your creative fires.  I guarantee you'll be making things in no time!