Yup — the faint scent of bacon, spray paint, and sweat can only mean one thing: it’s Pinterest Challenge time. (Not sponsored by Pinterest or anyone else; this was dreamed up by Katie Bower to get us to stop pinning and start doing.) So let’s do this together. In bikinis (let’s be honest, bikinis haven’t been an option for me since having Clara).
It all started last June when Katie called and suggested we challenge ourselves to make one project each season inspired by things we’d pinned — and call it the Pinterest Challenge. It’s a welcome push to stop collecting ideas and actually create something. I’ve pinned over a thousand things and completed maybe 1% of them. Yikes. We had such a great time with our first Pinterest Challenge last summer and with the fall edition that we’re excited to share a belated-but-not-forgotten winter installment (technically it’s winter for a few more weeks, right?). So pull on your sweatbands and let’s get this DIY party started!
The only rule is to create your own take on something you’ve pinned, and link back to the original source that inspired you — whether that was a store like Anthropologie or a personal blog. The project can be anything: big or small, décor, sewing, cooking or beyond. For the first challenge John and I made a clothespin light fixture for the laundry room (big). Last time I tackled 38 homemade holiday ornaments (small).
This round, I’m attempting a truce with my arch nemesis sewing machine and trying my hand at a homemade beanbag for the bean’s closet — something I mentioned months ago, so it’s finally stitchin’ time. I’ve pinned plenty of ideas but I’m not sure yet which shape or fabric I’ll choose. Here’s hoping my riff doesn’t become a lumpy, misshapen mess. I’ll share the details when I (fingers crossed) finish the project next week.
You’re probably wondering who else is joining Katie and me. We’ve been inviting guest hosts each time, and we’re thrilled to have:
- Erin from The Great Indoors, who whipped up a fun art project during our fall challenge and inspired us to ask her to team up.
- Cassie from Hi Sugarplum, who fancied up a wreath during our last Pinterest Challenge and gladly joined the fun.
So here’s where I extend an invitation, slightly crooked smile and a healthy fear of sewing in tow: join us by making your own version of something you’ve pinned. We’ll give everyone the weekend to work on projects and reconvene next Wednesday morning (the 14th) to share our results. We hope this becomes another fun share-fest like the ones from summer and fall. Check out the amazing linked projects from previous challenges and then drop by next Wednesday to see what we made and to submit links to your finished projects so we can all admire them. Maybe we’ll even pin a few. And so the creative cycle continues.
Psst — one more note for the back row: despite how often I say “Pinterest,” this isn’t sponsored. We’re just enthusiastic pin-obsessed folks who love a good craft session — sometimes while watching a certain lovable serial killer or a show about the zombie apocalypse.