a Pinterest weekend

I didn’t post yesterday because I was busy working on a project that I had seen on Pinterest. Are you on Pinterest yet? If not, why not?  It is such a fantastic internet tool, I can’t get enough of it and I’m going to explain why. Then I’ll show you two projects I found on Pinterest and then DID! That is correct, I didn’t just “pin” said projects, I actually did them!

If you have not yet discovered or even know what Pinterest is, read this article from Forbes. It describes it in a much more comprehensive way then I would or could. The paragraph that hits the nail on the head for me is;

“The value of Pinterest is in capturing and collecting inspiring scraps of the Web. The site taps into our primal hardwiring to hunt and gather. We want to keep things that make us feel good and we like knowing they are kept somewhere safe; like a treasured shoebox full of life’s memorabilia. Through its browser bookmarklet, “re-pin” button and ability to invite contributors, users collect items onto “boards” they’ve labeled based on their interests. Common boards include, “things I love,” “places to go,” and “stuff for kids.””

That is what Pinterest is for me, “a treasured shoebox full of”… full of stuff from the web that I want to save and access again.  Before Pinterest, I would take a snapshot of something from the web, or copy/paste a website address and place it on a Word document, and then I’d put the snapshots and documents into folders “somewhere” on my computer. That’s the key problem, “somewhere” on my computer where it would later take me forever to find them when I needed them. I’d search and search for that thing, that idea, until I was either totally exhausted from the search or until I gave up.

If you would like to join Pinterest, let me know by sending me a comment saying so and I’ll send you an invite. An invite is the quickest way to join. I joined without an invite (just by going to Pinterest.com) and it took about 5 or 6 days for them to get back to me, thus allowing me to join.  OK, so what projects did I do because I saw them on Pinterest, subsequently “pinned” them onto one of my boards, and then went back when I was ready to tackle the projects?

Project #1

I “pinned” this on my “Crafty” board and then used these materials…

Drop cloths

Copper pipes

Screw-in hooks (spray painted white) and clip-rings… all from Home Depot… to make this –

I have three 15-foot sections of the patio to make the curtains for, I got one done Sunday. I had a bit of a learning curve that slowed me down (math + measuring = not my strong suit!) but I expect the remaining two sections to go up more quickly. Here is a closeup. To find the “how-to” either go to my Pinterest “Crafty” board or Click on This Link.

This side of the patio faces south.  I had custom curtains made for the west (very sunny) side of the patio a few years ago. Here they are.

I know they look very nice but they cost an arm and a leg and I knew I wouldn’t be spending that kind of money on the rest of the patio, so I am very pleased with my DIY curtains for the south side! Oh, and see that vintage double-tub wash stand on the left side of the pillar?  That leads me to project number two.

Project #2

This is what I “pinned” on my “Smart Ideas” board.  Did you know that? That celery would regrow if you just stuck the bottom end (no rooting required) into dirt?! It works and it works with green onions too. Check it out!

Dig a hole, stick in the celery, root end down…

cover with dirt… and less than a week later…

Here are the green onions coming up.

Finally, I have to share with you this super cool thing that Barbara Fenzl received from a purveyor for Valentine’s Day.

Can you tell what it is?

A Belgium-endive bouquet with the roots still attached.  I’d never seen Belgium endive whole like that before, had you? Anyhow, I planted these roots too. We’ll see if they produce new bunches of endive.

So far, so good!