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Community Corner

Pinterest Will Catch Your Interest

People of all ages are talking about the latest Internet rage where "pinning" has nothing to do with actual pins.

I’m the first to admit that I can’t cook, have no sense of style, and the word “craft” sends a slight chill up my spine. Yep, that's me!

But I also acknowledge that given the right direction, I have proven my aptitude to pick up on some of these “mommy skills” as the need arises. 

I can cut out a perfectly-shaped heart. I'm capable of following directions on the back of the Nestle Tollhouse bag. I’ve made popcorn garland. I can even (wait for it…wait for it) CROSS-STITCH!

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It’s not that I WANT to be crafting and cooking illiterate; it’s just not in my genes to be otherwise.

This is why the introduction to Web phenomenon, Pinterest, piqued my "interest." (Yes, cheesy, but I couldn’t resist!)

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One thing I AM good at is doing research on my MacBook. Combine computers with crafts and cooking, and maybe I stand a chance.

For those who are unfamiliar, Pinterest.com is “a vision-board styled social photo sharing website where users can create and manage theme-based image collections." The site's mission statement is to "connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting,” according to Wikipedia.

It was awarded one of the “50 Best Websites of 2011” by Time magazine. In January, USA Today posted a very helpful tutorial on how to use Pinterest and defined some of the terms such as "pin," "repin" and "board."

Not only does the site offer food, style and craft ideas, it also provides hundreds of DIY projects for the home, wedding and party planning, education tools, books and music…the list goes on and on.

And the fun part is that you and your friends can follow one another and see what interesting things you each discover. The site offers a “Pin It” feature that allows you to “pin” interesting sites you find on the Web.

For example, I did a Google search for “camping in Michigan” and was able to pin the useful sites to my Pinterest bulletin board under “2012 Camping Ideas.”

It’s like a filing system for your Internet searches. And I LOVE organization!

Once pinned, my friends can see the photo/link and repin it if they have any interest in that topic. This is how the site has been developed over the past few years.

It's simply a compilation of interesting things that were found across the World Wide Web.

Last week, with the Super Bowl around the corner, I decided to look up an easy appetizer. After browsing through the crisp Pinterest photos, a twist on caprese salad caught my eye. It required simple ingredients in bite-size portions. Easy peasy.

My next task was to find unique and cost-effective Valentines for the boys. I did a search on “valentine” and up popped pages of pink and red photos filled with ideas for being crafty.

It was a world of creativity at my fingertips!

I quickly found a printable sheet with hearts that say, “You Make Me Glow!”

Two bucks' worth of glow sticks, a couple of printed sheets, and we’re done! Plus my boys’ friends can’t blame us for their cavities. Ingenious!

Pinterest could be my saving grace!

I may be a craft-poser, but at least my kids will think I know my stuff! And yes, there’s an app for that.

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