As summer (for me) is coming to a close, many people have been asking me, “What have you been doing over the break?” Well, since this was the first summer ever (since I began teaching 9 years ago) that I haven’t worked I didn’t really know what to do at first. I usually do camps throughout the summer which is great cash wise, but not as fun relaxation/productivity wise.
So, what have I been doing? Playing on Pinterest!
If you aren’t familiar with this little P above, let me give you a rundown.
Pinterest is an online pin board that is has an abundance of information in all different categories; DIY, design, home décor and food/drink are some of my favorites.
It’s like having a huge corkboard filled with tons of pictures and magazine clippings on your computer and neatly organized into folders or “boards”. There is no saving images or writing down websites; by just hitting the “pin” button it’s all stored for you.
Although there are already preset categories that you can peruse, there is also a search box that you can type in anything and get amazing and inspiring results.
The best news? Besides being free, Pinterest doesn’t just show you the picture of a project; the pins (most of the time) provide the website for more information/tutorials. Like Facebook and Twitter, you can also follow people (friends or famous) in which you have similar interests. This makes it easy to share pins without any of the work.
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
Above: Screen shot of my page with some of my boards.
I will admit, in the beginning it can be quite addictive, but now I just visit when I’m needing a little inspiration or am craving an easy and quick DIY project.
Below are a few of my latest pins…I can’t wait to try some of these!
As far as what I have been doing all summer, here are just some of my personal Pintastic projects that I have accomplished over the past two months thanks to inspiration from Pinterest. Check it out!
Pinterest Search Categories:
- Wall arrangements (kitchen, bedroom, empty frames)
I loved the idea of hanging a bowl on the wall in my kitchen. It works perfectly to create a simple but funky vignette. I smile every time I walk by!
As for our bedroom, we had a huge (slanted) blank wall above our bed and tons of old frames. I also had this beautiful antique window that actually came from my Great Grandmother Hilty’s house. I took a little bit of spray paint to a few of the frames, raided my pantry for a few plates and came up with this arrangement. So far, so good – none of them have landed on our heads!
Pinterest Search Categories:
- DIY lamps and lampshades (recovering, spray painting)
These lamps (above) came from my friend Lynn and got a double dose of DIY. I spray painted the bases bright yellow (they used to be brown) and then covered the shades, previously beige, by following a simple tutorial with some spray adhesive and leftover wedding fabric. They look brand new and SO FUN!
This lamp is one of my favorites, but seemed to get lost with the off-white shade. With a bit of painters tape, which is awesome for thinking up any design you desire, and spray paint I had a new, sassy shade in no time!
Pinterest Search Categories:
Organization (kitchen, office)
This piece of Ikea furniture is located in our foyer/entryway and was becoming a bit of a cluttered mess. I loved the open shelving, but also wanted to find a way to incorporate functionality.
So, I took out all of the “space fillers” that were previously there and transferred all of my bake ware, serving platters, colorful mixing bowls and cake plates to be on display AND easy to reach! It has worked out perfectly!
Another huge project this summer was making a home office. This area(above) used to be a wasted space until a few months ago. I don’t have a before picture, but this space is tricky since the air conditioning vent is on this wall (it’s underneath the desk). Therefore, we never knew what to put against the wall since it had to be “breathable”.
Well, I had the idea of making it into our home office even though it is part of our dining room (we have a very open floor plan). Mike was a bit unsure at first, but after our friends offered us a desk – they didn’t even know we were looking for one – I jumped at the chance.
The result? It is awesome! The space is filled perfectly and we finally have a wall to put our diplomas on (mine is the one in this pic, but Mike’s is ready to be hung as well)! I love the space and openness that this area lends (our old desk was tiny and used to be in a back bedroom). Perfect for blogging!
Pinterest Search Categories:
Painting, stripes, frames
Did I mention that I had tons of frames! I don’t know where they all came from, but had a plethora of brown frames. BORING. So, with a little bit of painters tape and paint – I used spray paint on the left frame and acrylic on the right – I have fun, and adorable frames to display on our desk. LOVE!
No paint? No problem, try duck tape!
This oblong cork board used to hang above our old desk and was a little boring. I was originally going to paint the diagonal stripes on, but then I saw the roll of duck tape in the garage. Bingo.
The whole project took about 5 minutes and can be changed in seconds if you get tired of it by simply ripping the tape off. Score!
So, this was my summer in a nutshell; creating new spaces and treasures from items that were already here – up cycling at its best if you ask me! I am so happy with the results and love coming home to a much more colorful and whimsical house each and every day.
I do, however, think Mike is ready for school to start. He’s scared that if he sits somewhere for too long I’m going to spray paint him, too!
Have a happy hump day!
). Top with the chicken mixture. Finish by topping the entire mixture with cheese.
