Are you on Pinterest yet? If you haven’t heard about Pinterest, here’s what it is… (my explanation)
Pinterest is hard to describe… mmmmmmm… it’s a way to organize all the fun stuff you see online. Let’s say you find a great idea for a birthday party, but the party is three months away. So you make a mental note to remember that idea. You could print it on paper (remember that stuff?) but you know you won’t find it again, and who needs more paperwork (MOM!!!)? Three months of school, laundry, work, life, love, smiles, cries and burnt dinners (oh, that last one is just me) go by and the party comes and goes. It’s great, of course, but the next day you are on the Internet and you stumble across the idea again and you’re like. “Cr%$!!!! That would have been awesome!!”
Pinterest is an online “pin board” for you to put the links you find. So if you find that perfect rainbow cupcake you can click it, and virtually put it on your Birthday Party Pin board. The link goes there along with a picture and you can put a note next to your pin. Like, “try this with felt” or “the perfect gift for mom” or… you get the idea. People have boards for each of their children, sewing, wedding planning, places they want to visit, meal plans, funny sites… the list goes on and on and on and on and on…
The problem with Pinterest is it’s easy to spend all your time “pinning” and never actually doing.
Have a Pinterest Party.
Problem solved!!!!
Any excuse to get together with friends and eat is awesome.
Right!?!?!
My first experience with a Pinterest party was just before Christmas. The hosts picked three projects from their pin boards – things they thought could be finished in one evening and asked everyone to bring $20, their glue gun and a treat to eat (from their pin boards, of course). I brought my $20, forgot my glue gun and I don’t even have a recipe pin board because cooking just isn’t my thang… I brought bruschetta from Sam’s Club and they let me stay anyway.
How fun is that!
So fun!
Later I was hanging with some friends after the Queen Bee Market and tossed out the idea. We’ve been faithful to our Pinning Party every 6 weeks-ish.
The first party was in January so we did a Valentine’s Day fabric banner, heart pom pom necklace…
…and we made this Life is Beauty-Full sign (tutorial coming soon!) and that little frame to the left was the craft fail of the evening but I think I salvaged mine to displayable status.
Side Note: The fabric banner is one of my all time favorite crafts ever. Sooooooo easy. I’ve made one for every holiday since. Make one for spring. Now.
I wasn’t able to go to the next party because it was on our anniversary weekend (I was bummed) but you better believe I paid my $20 and got all the craft supplies I need for the projects. I can’t wait to get them finished and share them. Check out this post and this post all about the party to see the crafties.
Last weekend we got our craft on again with this lil’ beauty and the flowers on this ‘L’ (I yarned the L at the first Pinterest party I attended). Plus a few more I need to finish or take better pix. (I’ll share someday!)
Here is how we organize our Pin Parties.
Step 1 – Send out an evite. We’ve met on weekday evenings after kiddos are in bed and on weekends.
Step 2 – Choose the Pins. Try to pick things you can get done in one night and if they can’t be finished in one evening make sure you can send the needed supplies home with each guest. i.e. if the craft requires some crazy gadget only you have, be sure that craft is finished at the party, if it just requires hot glue then it’s OK to send it home.
Step 3 – Buy supplies. After you have a final head count you can get all the stuff you need. The nice thing about doing group crafts is buying in bulk. And you can get something new or pricey because it comes in packs of 24. Divided among the group = cheap.
Step 4 – Hang, chat, eat, craft. Repeat.
It’s always good (for non cookers like me) if you have a few people in the group who are blessed in the kitchen. Once again I forgot to bring food… so thankful they are understanding. This time everything was delish but my most favorite were the carrot cake cookies and these peanut butter chocolate things. And the most fun treat was smores’ in a jar – pudding, crushed graham crackers, tiny marshmallows toasted with a torch. Awesome.
Our little core group of Pinners include Jaime, Aimee, Bev, Andrea and Kyla. But at each party the host sets the parameters about inviting friends. I’m hoping to host in our house (Squeeee, we have a house!) after we move in. Don’t you think the best way to get things done around the house is to host something? Anything.
Happy Pinning and Partying.
