It’s time for the winter Pinterest Challenge — a fun, unofficial seasonal tradition dreamed up by Katie Bower to get us off the endless pinning treadmill and actually make something. The idea is simple: choose a project inspired by something you’ve pinned and put your own spin on it. The point isn’t perfection; it’s to create, learn, and enjoy the process. So cozy up with a warm drink, gather your tools, and join in.
There’s only one guideline: credit the original creator or source that inspired you. Whether it came from a big brand photo or a personal blog tutorial, link back to the place that sparked your idea. Projects can be large or small, practical or purely decorative — sewing, cooking, painting, woodworking, or anything else goes.
Over past challenges we’ve tackled a variety of projects: a clothespin light for the laundry room, homemade ornaments, a beanbag pouf for Clara, DIY art pieces, and even a giant leaning chalkboard for the living room. This season we wanted something that would make a real impact on our home and change the feel of an entire area. After a bit of brainstorming while grocery shopping (multitasking at its best), we landed on a project that’s been pinned a million times and has lots of tutorials to reference.
Clue: The Wayans Brothers + Scott Baio = our project.
The answer: Wainscoting. More precisely, we’re planning board-and-batten style wainscoting along both sides of our long hallway (the one that leads to the guest room, hall bath, nursery, and playroom). It should add architectural interest and break up the long, bowling-alley feeling.
Technically it’s closer to board-and-batten than traditional wainscoting, so maybe a better clue would have involved someone yawning and swinging a bat. Either way, we’ve already purchased our materials and are excited to get started.
We’re hopeful we can finish in a week and will certainly give it our best shot. This time we asked a couple of friends to guest host with us — people who participated in previous challenges — and we’re happy to have:
- Megan from The Remodeled Life (she made a cool kitchen chalkboard last time)
- Michelle from Decor & The Dog (she created an awesome map pillow in the prior challenge)
Consider this your invitation: pick something you’ve pinned and try it out this weekend. We’ll regroup next Wednesday morning to share our finished projects and link to everyone who participates. Whether you tackle food, a craft, sewing, painting, furniture, or even a video starring a chatty toddler, it’s all welcome. The goal is to stop collecting ideas and start making them real.
Note: Although this challenge uses Pinterest-inspired ideas and we mention it often, the event is not sponsored or endorsed by Pinterest or any other company. It’s a community-driven push to turn inspiration into action.