Riot and Frolic

Reading the headline, most of you are thinking, "She loves Pinterest.  She's such a liar."  

Yes, I'm a thief, too.  But really, can we all stop being idiots on Pinterest?

If you don't already know, here's what you need to know:

• Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board.  Instead of having "bookmarks" on your computer, you can save interesting websites, design ideas, pictures, whatever to different "boards".  
  

  not this
  

  this
• You create an account, like one does everywhere these days, which lets you create your own boards and save images (and hopefully links to a particular website) on your boards.  For example, you see above that I have a "Craftacular" board, onto which I pin all things crafty that are neat.  Recipes, makeup tutorials, dance videos: all have their own place to hang out together and not take up space in my brain.
• You can follow friends just like you do on Facebook or Twitter to get their pins on your feed (or main page), you can scroll through the overwhelming "Everything" category and repin things you like, or you can download the Pin It button to create an original pin from something you found.
• Check out the Pinterest Help Center for more info on how-to's.

Now, let's get to the real issue:

• salt, or sugar, mixed with food coloring and then baked WILL NOT turn into glitter.  It will be colored sugar or salt.  See the proof. 
• anything that makes you lose 10 pounds in 3 days is A) not safe B) not effective in the long run.
• if you click on a dress that you like and see that the source is Tumblr, you will never find that dress.  Tumblr is not a source.  Tumblr is a mess.  
• please wait until your tattoo heals before taking a picture of it and posting it.  It IS really cool, but the swelling and ouchiness of it is distracting from the art.  
• you're pinning yourself, really?  Those of us who have blogs, presumably have readers.  If someone likes your stuff, let them pin it.  You'll be an internet sensation in no time.
• just because you can make everything out of old cereal boxes and soda cans, doesn't mean you should.  Unless you have kids.  If which case, everything should be made out of cereal boxes and soda cans.
• if you're going to pin a recipe, make sure your pin doesn't have food.com as the source (it should be food.com/recipe/somethingsomethingsomething).  Not helpful for you, or others.
• having a description is very neat.  I have several pins where the picture is the only thing I care about, not the actual website AND vice versa.  
• be respectful of artists.  If you pin something off of an Etsy shop with "I can do that!" in the description, then maybe find a tutorial to pin instead of throwing yourself in with someone who has actually made it and it taking the time to sell it.  Or say "pretty pattern" instead and you'll know what you mean.  

Are you a Pinterest addict?  What are favorite things to find?  Do you actually try/do the things you've pinned?  Have you done some of the bad manners (I totally have… sooooo many tattoos…), or seen them and rolled your eyes?

One year ago: Drop and Give Me 10