save those posts and pins…

Facebook and Pinterest are my entertainment these days.

I love going to Facebook to see what my 212 “friends” are doing and I love (love) going to Pinterest to see what the pinners are pinning.

However, I can’t stand all the political posts.  Let me clarify that.  I can’t stand all the political posts… that are against my own views. 

I love a good political post as much as the next person, but I know my 212 “friends” do not all have the same political views as me.  So, as a nicety.  I don’t re-post (or re-pin) all the mean (albeit funny, but sometimes maddening) things about their candidate or their political party.

So, as a Facebook and Pinterest courtesy I don’t try to upset my 212 “friends” with any political rants.  I save the picture, funny comment or shocking quote and email it to the folks that I know “think just like me.”

I “liked” my candidate of choice on Facebook to get updates on my Newsfeed and I have “liked” funny political pins on Pinterest… but that’s good enough.   I have not put anti-anything posts up for people to read.  I am not trying to offend people.

My 212 “friends” are not doing the same for me.  I have un-friended more people in the last month because of shocking political posts.  The posts were not “I love my candidate” posts (which are great – promote your cause!) – they were mean and shocking anti-whatever posts.

To me, Facebook and Pinterest are a fun place to take a few moments (a few hours) to take a break and have some down time.  I don’t want to be shocked and upset the entire time.

Hopefully, nothing has slipped through the cracks and I haven’t offended anyone.  That is not my goal.

Folks, do what I am doing and save the mean political posts and pins for email… for the people that you know “think just like you.”

don’t believe the hype…

My table project is a bit of a bust.  It did not turn out as planned.

I pinned an idea on Pinterest for a turquoise blue table and I pinned DIY instructions for re-furbishing furniture by using only spray paint.  Then, I put these two seemingly-great ideas together.

I followed the instructions…  I sanded, primed, painted (and painted and painted and painted).  The original “spray paint pinner” promised it would not look spray painted or streaky if you just used enough paint.  I bought SIX cans and used all of them and it still looks streaky.  Should I have bought and used SEVEN??

I also “distressed” the table and added a glossy coat to the top to finish it off.  It still looks streaky.

(One a side note:  The distressing worked well, but I am not sure you can miss trying to “wreck” something). 

We need our kitchen table and I don’t have the energy to re-paint again this week, so we moved the table back inside the house.

I like this idea and I like the color (although, my family disagrees about the color).

When I do a similar project:

• I will use a paint brush and a can of paint (no more spray paint)
• I will use a satin paint and not glossy paint

When you pin (and re-pin and re-pin) ideas on Pinterest.  Don’t get your hopes up too high, do more research if it’s a project and please…

Don’t believe the hype.

(Sigh.)

 

 

 

 

too much DIY…

I might be spending a bit too much time looking at Pinterest.

It started with the quotes (you know, I love a good quote!) and now it’s quickly become something else.

I started off  looking only at the pins that my Pinterest “friends” pinned.

When my friends were not pinning fast enough for my taste… I started to look at the “everything” section.  Here I can see what everyone out there in Pinterest Land is pinning and I see the constant updates.  Unfortunately, when I look at Pinterest in this way I have to weed through a lot of very, very strange pins (okay, I mean really strange).  But, I am almost always rewarded with something great to “re-pin.”

What I am really, really enjoying is the “Do It Yourself” (DIY) projects on Pinterest.  I keep imagining myself tackling all of the DIY projects that I pin.

I have very big Pinterest Plans!  I am going to:

• buy used furniture and re-do it
• sand and stain my hard word floors all by myself
• paint my brick fireplace
• build an outdoor firepit
• frame handkerchiefs and/or scrapbook paper for artwork
• make all sorts of things out of old t-shirts
• make built in bookshelves using only Ikea furniture
• frame a giant bathroom mirror

Really, my DIY Board on Pinterest has endless possibilities for my time (which I never have enough of).  

I don’t have any extra time and I don’t need any encouragement from Pinterest for more DIY projects, but here I sit day after day pinning ideas.

Last night, I decided to paint my kitchen table… turquoise.  I moved the cars out of the garage and set up “shop.”   My family is a bit in shock that we will have a turquoise blue table, but I hope they will be pleasantly surprised when I’m finished.

Thank you, Pinterest for that idea.

I wonder what my next Pinterest obsession will be…

 

 

 

pinterest words…

Occasionally, you will find me looking at the “pins” on Pinterest.

At first, I didn’t understand the premise behind the pinning and the boards.  But, now I am really getting into it!

My favorite thing to pin (or repin) are the quotes.  Yeah, I like the recipes and the clothes – but, I normally can’t afford the clothes I pin (or repin) and nobody in my family will eat the fancy recipes I pin (or repin).  But, a girl can dream, right?

So, the quotes are what I like and some of them are really great!  In addition, I have also realized I have some pretty deep, thoughtful and caring friends that pin (or repin) these words.   Yes, my friends also pin (or repin) some silly stuff.  But, so do I… I have a separate board for funny, called “funny”   (yes, very creative – I know).

My husband may not enjoy the pinning (or repinning) of quotes as much as I do.  After I pin (or repin) a great quote – I send him a text of the quote.  I feel like this quote (of the moment) will change his day, enlighten him, and make him a deep-thinker.  I envision him standing there, in awe of what he just read, and he will be thrilled that I shared these words with him.

I may be wrong about this.

I usually get a text response to my quote that says “kool” or “yup, good one.”  But, I still think he is deeply moved by the words that I just shared with him.

I have compiled a list of my favorite Pinterest quotes:

• Don’t give up what you want most, for what you want now.
• Be curious, not judgmental – Walt Whitman
• Our prime purpose in this life is to help others.  And, if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them – Dalai Lama
• If you judge people you have no time to love them. – Mother Teresa
• The more you love your decisions, the less you need others to love them.
• No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.  – Eleanor Roosevelt
• Spend life with who makes you happy, not who you have to impress.
• Be the change you want to see in the world.
• While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.
• You don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to.
• Your beliefs don’t make you a better person, your behavior does.
• Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by it’s ability to climb a tree, it will live it’s whole life believing that it’s stupid.  – Albert Einstein
• Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching.
• Happiness will never come to those that don’t appreciate what they already have. 
• If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s,  we’d grab ours back.

And, my all-time favorite…

• You may think the grass is greener on the other side, but if you take the time to water your own grass it would be just as green.

As you can see… my time on Pinterest pinning (and repinning) has been well spent.  I feel more enlightened just reading the words I have compiled… and I just know my husband does too.

Take time to water your own grass.

Photography of Melanie by Gregory C. Gamradt