There is something in the air…

Nope, not a crisp fall chill. Not falling leaves. Not the smell of apple pie and pumpkin spice. Ok, so perhaps those are in the air too, but you know what else is floating around? A certain challenge, that is what.

So who is with us? Here is how to play along. Simply pin some inspiration and do your own spin.

Yup, this highly embarrassing collection of our old Halloween photos can only mean one thing: we were into odd things as children it is high time for a fall Pinterest Challenge (not sponsored by Pinterest or anyone else, simply dreamed up by Katie Bower to make us stop pinning and start doing). I am laughing the most at my wolf costume. Is that schnoz doing it for you, or what? Also, I am going to totally own that Jersey Shore pic of myself as a “lady gangster” from 1996 (I am not kidding, it was in fact taken in one of those dress-up boardwalk booths at Seaside Heights).

The whole Pinterest Challenge thing began over a year ago when Katie called me to say that she thought we should challenge ourselves to make one thing each season that is inspired by all the vivid stuff that we have pinned (and call it… wait for it… The Pinterest Challenge). It is a welcome slap of stop-pinning-and-start-doing. And we ended up having such a strong time with our first Pinterest Challenge last summer, our second one last fall, our third one last winter, and our fourth one this summer (oops, spring got away from us). So slip into your Snuggie, heat up some hot cocoa and fire up those glue guns! It is time to get this Hands-on party began.

The only rule is to do your own personal take on something inspirational that you’ve pinned (and link back to the original creator of the project that inspired you, be it a company like Anthropologie or a personal journal that got your wheels a turning). We especially enjoy to pin things from sites that have “Pin It” buttons at the bottom of their posts since it indicates that they enjoy popping up on Pinterest. The project can be anything: big or small; decor or sewing or cooking related – or beyond! The first time around John and I made a clothespin light fixture for the laundry room, the next time I tackled 38 homemade holiday ornaments, then I faced my sewing demons head-on and somehow made a beanbag-ish pouf for Clara’s reading nook in her closet, and last time I tried my hand at some homemade art.

This time John and I laid in bed brainstorming things that might be lively to tackle. We are not 100% sure where we will end up yet (it’ll likely evolve a bit over the course of the week) but we think it’ll be big (measurements-wise), and something that we can build (but it will not be too involved, so you folks can build it too – without any fancy tools or saws), 100% moveable (as opposed to fixed on a wall or built-in), and it’ll involve some chalkboard paint (since it is likely the most Pinterest-tastic material out there, haha). But that is all I am sure about yet. And since I like a good link-fest, here are a few projects that are inspiring us:

1. This big arse chalkboard from here
2. This leaning easel board found here from this excellent journal
3. This door-chalkboard from here

Oh and you are likely wondering who else is playing along with me and K-Bo. Well, we thought it would be lively to ask distinct folks to “guest host” with us each time (both of whom have done something lively in the previous challenge), so we are thrilled to have:

• Carmel from Our Fifth House (here is the swanky door project that she took on during our summer challenge)
• Sarah from Ugly Duckling House (here is the bling-tastic art that she tackled during our summer challenge)

So here is the part where I extend my arm with a dorky grin and a little bit of pumpkin muffin in my teeth and humbly invite you to join in on the lively by doing your own spin on something you pin! We figured we’d give everyone (and ourselves) the weekend to work on stuff and reconvene next Tuesday morning (the 30th) to share our projects. We are hoping this’ll turn into the same über lively share-fest that we soaked up for the last few seasons (check out all the remarkable linked-up projects here, here, here, and here). So simply drop in next Tuesday to see what we have done – and to submit links to stuff that you’ve completed so we can all check it out. Perhaps we will even pin a few things. And so the vicious cycle continues. In the meantime, do you have any ideas what you will tackle this time around? Is it food, craft, sewing, painting, or furniture related? Perhaps a wolf costume is on the agenda?

Psst- One more time, for the people in the back: regardless of the fact that I say Pinterest about thirty times, this was not paid or perked by them or anyone else. We are simply eye-candy obsessed gals who are sick of coveting things and downright ready to do them. Well at least one of them…