How Pinterest Gave Me the Gift of Inspiration ~

http://pinterest.com

I've heard women call themselves "addicts", I've read an article stating that Pinterest and other sites caused the writer to feel she needed to compare herself to or compete with others, and I also know people who have seen or heard the Pinterest name but have no idea what it is.  But for me, it gave me back missing inspiration.

Pinterest, is described on the site as a Virtual Pinboard. "Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests."

In my own words, I'd describe it as a fun site to visit with thousands and thousands of pictures of anything you can imagine!  You'll find craft ideas, apparel, sentiments, food, beverage, party, etc. (in other words - you name it, you'll probably find it!).  One can sign up and simply look at everyone else's pretty pictures (that they have "pinned" to their "boards"), you can create your own "boards" on whatever subject appeals to you, or both.  The pictures presented are all linked to the original websites they appeared on, which is fun in itself as sometimes one discovers a new favorite website.  One can "re-pin" from others and even "follow" them just like on Facebook or Twitter.

At first, I wasn't too sure about it.  I scrolled through the opening page and was thinking, "How does one become addicted to this?"  I also wondered why one needed to be invited to join (yes, you must be invited by a friend or request an invite from Pinterest.com).  But then as I looked at friends' boards and did searches under certain subjects, I finally figured it out and enjoyed it.  (And the invite only clause just makes the whole thing intriguing, doesn't it?)

I found that viewing "pins" inspired me to get a little craftier (something I used to love to do), be a little more creative in party planning (some ideas are easy and relatively inexpensive), and even to revisit my love of creative handwriting and calligraphy. 

I don't take anything Pinterest-related too seriously and I don't have thousands of pins, but I enjoy the fun and inspiration it gives me and it reminds me that, "Hey! I can do that!"

Below are a few of my favorite pins (thus far).  To view my boards, to see the links to the sites where these pins originated, or to follow me, go to www.pinterest.com and find me under creativekimfunk. I'd also be happy to send you an invitation if you leave your email below in the comment section.

Please enjoy this virtual (make-believe) mini tour of my house...

First, step through my garden gate...
 original pin from - http://dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.com

Walk on by the cute old truck...
original pin from - http://organizingmadefun.blogspot.com

Head up to my office...
* original pin location could not be found (please share if you know!) *

Enjoy the old typewriter...
original pin from - http://whippedstyle.com

View my daughter's gallery...
original pin from - http://www.theprettyblog.com

Look at my current handwriting practice...
original pin from - http://sundayinbed.tumblr.com
(note: at press time, link was not working)

See my newly purchased fonts (love them!)...
original pin from - http://www.goinghometoroost.com

Take a peek at my project at the craft table... (great journal and sentiment!)
original pin from - http://artjournaling.tumblr.com

And my daughter's current art project as well...
original pin from - http://onthesurfaceblog.com

Find out where we neatly store everything...
original pin from - http://toppics.mooo.com

View the sentiments on the wall going down the stairs...
(This one's for my boy!)
original pin from - http://sawdustcityllc.com

This one's for my girl...
original pin from - http://mmorris.webs.com

And a reminder for the hubby and for me...
original pin from - http://vintagedutchgirl.blogspot.com

"Perfect!"
original pin from - http://www.etsy.com/shop/cREaTebyRET

Now, come have a seat...
original pin from - http://www.bhg.com

And "refresh yourself" before you have to go...
original pin from - http://sosimplyspecial.com

Enjoy your stroll out ~ thanks for coming by :)
original pin from - http://nature.desktopnexus.com

Now, what do you think of Pinterest?

Guess you could call me "Pinspired".

Gardening - A Great Way to Reduce Stress ~

We all have too much stress.  That's something most people would agree on.  We think about how stressed we are and what's causing it (too busy perhaps?), we talk about it with friends, and write about it on Facebook, but it still doesn't go away!

I am no different!  I don't really think I have that much to be stressed about (not currently at least!), but I am clearly a worry wart!  Unfortunately, when I worry, the stress goes right to my stomach.  I deal with Acid Reflux (like many people do) and when I'm really stressed, I deal with esophageal spasms which is very painful.  Medicine doesn't do much, so I've been told I need to learn deal with my stress in other ways.  One thing that helps a lot is a little time in the garden!

We don't own the house we currently live in, but love the backyard.  It has a nice big lawn and flower beds along the perimeter of the yard.  The problem is, the weeds just LOVE the flower beds and now with the rain arriving, the weeds are growing as quickly as the flowers!  I've learned to grab a little time here and there as I can!

I spent time this last weekend working in the yard and it felt great!  It may not be as rewarding as it would be if we owned the house, but oh well!  I pulled weeds, cut back some ivy, trimmed dead blooms off of my geraniums so more could appear... it was fun and rewarding.  I enjoyed the time outside, it gave me a sense of peace, a sense of accomplishment, and now I'm ready to plant some new colorful plants.

Here are my top 5 reasons why you should try gardening...

1. Physical work of any kind reduces stress (and gardening is much more fun!).
2. It gives you a great sense of accomplishment and peace of mind.
3. It makes your neighbors and/or family members happy (maybe the family will help next time!).
4. A nice yard will encourage you to host events at your house (fun and another way to de-stress!).
5. And for you calorie counters... an hour of yard work burns about 272 calories... which is equal to (1) Grande Starbuck's Caffe Latte or (1) Snicker's Bar (among other things).  Sounds good to me! 

Give it a try!  And if you are a renter, or live in a small space, try container gardening!  Your containers can go wherever you do!

** Calorie count found on About.com **
Note: Definition of a worry wart: "A person who tends to worry, especially over insignificant details".