Years ago, Irene was obsessed with magazines. She had stacks and stacks in the living room, basement, on the kitchen table – everywhere. She loved perusing the pages and tearing out her favourite recipes, hints and tricks, gardening ideas, decorating ideas, places to visit and things to do. Each clipping went into a folder that was marked appropriately. When we came for a weekend visit, she would pull out the “Things To Do In Kentucky” folder and flip through clippings that reminded her of interests. When I needed recipes, another folder was pulled out and rifled through.
Lots of people clipped articles from magazines and saved cherished recipes, but not everyone had folders. Some people put them on their refrigerator with magnets; some put them in a drawer; some pinned them to bulletin boards. Little reminders of things we liked, or wanted to try.
Imagine if you had a separate bulletin board for every category: one for recipes; another for gardening; yet another for places you dream about visiting.
Maybe you’re a fan that would like to keep all things Robert Redford. Maybe you’ve started quilting or canning and would like to keep everything you can find on the subject – in one, easily accessible spot. If this is appealing to you, you need to visit Pinterest.
Pinterest gives you the ability to create a virtual bulletin board (or 2, or 27 or as many as you need) where you can pin “clippings” and pictures that interest you, in groups that make sense to you. You can pin things from Pinterest, out on the internet, or upload them from your computer.
And it’s FREE!!!!
So, when you want a cocktail recipe that includes bourbon, or need an easy breakfast recipe for crowds, or need that tip on how to remove stains from silk, there’s no digging in drawers and closets and files. You don’t have to comb the internet mumbling “Where was that? I KNOW I saw it somewhere!” You just go to your Pinterest board and – voila! There it is at your fingertips! Literally!
Even better, you can view other people’s boards and pin from them. So, you know how Robin makes the best desserts ever? How Regina does all things creative? You can choose to follow them and every time they pin a recipe or new project to one of their boards, the pin will be sent to you.
If you’re looking for something specific (or non-specific), like the cheapest way to clean grout, or words of encouragement for a friend, or just a great picture of a horse, you can search on Pinterest and most likely, you’ll find just what you were looking for.
You can also “share” boards. When Jean and I are planning a trip, we share a board of restaurants, shops, hotels and sites in the area we are visiting. Whatever I pin, Jean sees and visa versa. We can even add a map of where we’re going (or where we have been).
Just as you can view other people’s boards, they can view yours. Have a board you don’t want to be seen by the entire world population? Not a problem. You can make a board “secret” so only you (or people you add) can see it.
Now you know what Pinterest is, and why you would use it. The next question is: How?
A few easy steps and you’ll be pinning like a pro!
Don’t forget to follow sistersfolly for the best pins in just about every category! Just type sistersfolly (no spaces) in the search bar to find us!
How do you use Pinterest? What tips can you share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
A SIMPLE GUIDE TO USING PINTEREST
Step 1: Create a Pinterest account.
Go to pinterest.com (Click the link and it will open in a new window).
A pop-up will appear for a few seconds while they build your customized feed based on your selected interests…. Just wait. It goes away.
Step 2: Create a board.
Now that you have an account, you’re ready to create a board (or 2 or 10 or more).
Your board is created!
Step 3: Follow pinners and boards that interest you.
There are a number of ways to find and follow boards that may interest you:
Search for Friends
Their boards will be displayed.
NOTE: In some cases, you may want to follow individual boards rather than all of a pinner’s boards (that’s not true for sistersfolly!) Instead of clicking on the FOLLOW button in the upper-right corner of their board, simply click the Follow at that bottom of the board you want to follow.
That’s all there is to it. You’ll start receiving new pins in your Home Feed.
Home Feed
The Home Feed will display pins you are likely to be interested in. It will include pins from boards you are following and suggestions from Pinterest based on your interests. There are 2 ways to get to your Home Feed (besides being automatically displayed when you log in).
You’re ready to start pinning!
Step 4: Pin!
Since the board I have created is All About Chocolate, I will use ‘chocolate’ in the following examples. Of course, you can search for anything!
Use the scroll bar (on the right side of the screen) to scroll through the pins. When you see one that interests you, hover the mouse over the picture until the PINIT button appears. Click PINIT.
You can edit the description, pin it to an existing board, or create a new board. Have too many boards to scroll through? Easy. Just click in the board search field and enter any letters/words in the name of your board.
ADDITIONAL TIPS:
- If you click a pin, it will open up larger on your screen.
- Click the X in the upper right corner to close the large version (if you use the back arrow, it will take you to the top of the previous screen. THAT gets annoying if you looked at a pin 47 feet down!)
- If you click the large version, it will take you to the original website. So, the pin may not have instructions, directions, or ingredients, but the original website should.
- You can not pin from Facebook.
- You can download a Browser Button from Pinterest. Click the link and follow instructions for your computer/mobile device.
It adds a Pinterest button on your internet browser window so you can easily pin from the internet.
- You can copy, delete or move up to 50 pins from one board to another. For example, you create a board for Chocolate. After 276 pins and lots of scrolling, you decide to put all pins for Cakes in a new Cakes board. On your original board, just click MOVE PINS then select the pins you want on your new board and MOVE them to the new Cakes board.
- You can send a pin to (or receive one from) a friend on Pinterest (fellow Pinner). Just hover your mouse over the pin and click SEND in the upper right corner.
- Pins sent to you will appear as a Message. Click the Pushpin icon in the upper right corner of your board to view them.
I’ve been “pinning ” for about 4 years now, my husband said pinterest was “cyber hoarding”, I looked him straight in the eye and told him at least magazines & the clippings weren’t all over the place and I had saved him about $150 a year because I’ve let all of my subscriptions run out, even Southern Living, he hasn’t mentioned it again, but what I find amusing is how often I go to pin something and my younger sister has already pinned it, and I can tell before looking at who pinned it, whether it’s Regina, Markita or my niece or sister and I really like is that I can look at someone’s boards when it comes time to buy that person a gift & know it’s something they want!
oh my gosh yesssss!!!! on all counts…. irene is saving tons of money a year, every time i go to pin something GOOD, regina or irene have already pinned it… and i am so glad you mentioned looking at their boards for gift giving. i do that, too! and it makes it so much easier to know their taste and sometimes, specifically what they are wishing for!!!
I love Pintrest but still buying the magazines…I’m working on it but it’s about the pleasure of holding the magazine!!!
well irene still does, too, so you’re not alone! she did cut down greatly though!
Pinterest is the best. I always go there for crafts, recipes, DIY etc. I’m on it everyday. LOVE IT
i COULD be on it every day…. so i make myself earn it. otherwise, i would never do dishes, sweep, vacuum, etc. oh wait, i don’t care to do those things anyway! don’t forget to check out sistersfolly on pinterest! we appreciate every follower!