Back in April, I had a meeting with Lauren Michaels from Pinterest. She’d come over from Pinterest HQ in San Francisco with a team of others, to meet with UK bloggers. When she contacted me, asking to meet with her, my inner geek exploded. It was fascinating to meet Lauren. She was super nice and said things like “super nice” a lot, making me feel very reserved and typically British. When I warmly said “It’s lovely to meet you”, in my head, I suddenly sounded like I was the Queen greeting her people at the opening of a hospital. But if Lauren thought that, she certainly didn’t let on. We spent 45 minutes discussing my thoughts on Pinterest, how I use it and the upcoming launch of a localised UK version.
The meeting got me thinking about Pinterest and why I use it. Why I’m obsessed with Pinterest. I use it because the people I follow pin amazing images – whether it’s a photograph of a retro kitchen, a gorgeous street style photo or some hot shoes. When I scroll through my Pinterest feed, I get a warm fuzzy feeling, looking at all these amazing images. Life is beautiful. But then there’s another feeling stirring inside me – I’ve pinpointed it (pardon the pun) to a new emotion that I’m calling PINvy.
Why I have Pinvy…
I do know that nobody’s life is how it looks on Pinterest. Really, I do. I get that just because Gill has pinned a photo of a cute kid’s tent made from beautiful fabric, it doesn’t mean she has one in her house. I understand that just because Sian has pinned a photo of an old caravan that’s been converted into a kitsch kids’ playhouse, she doesn’t have one in her garden. And I even get that Sarah may have pinned some street style images, but she doesn’t own those clothes (she’s gorgeous, I’ve met her, but these photos aren’t of her).
But that doesn’t stop me from having Pinvy of the possibility of this perfect pinned life. I could have a tent like that in my toddler’s room. I could convert a caravan into a kids’ playhouse (*cough* if I had a bigger garden. And a caravan.) I could dress like these street stylers. But I don’t. I have an average house, with IKEA furniture and wallpaper that I’ve gone off in the four years since we moved in and decorated. So all I can do is deal with my Pinvy by pinning beautiful images that say ‘I may have an average looking house and wardrobe, but look LOOK how nice my life would look if I had the money/space/style.’ And there’s nothing wrong with that. Embrace the Pinvy, I say. Because then, on that day when we’re out shopping for new clothes or on that day we’ve finally got around to redecorating or on that day we’re reorganising our deskspace, maybe we’ll recall some of these amazing images and it’ll inspire us to be a little bit more fabulous than we already are. If you’re not already on Pinterest, join up, follow me and embrace the Pinvy.
Ooh that’s some pretty stuff! I regularly have pinvy which just gets me more addicted!
Haha thanks for the mention! Pinvy I love it! And I most definitely have it!
I’m starting to pin more and more, I think I have pinvy too! But hey! Guess what? Those teardrop cushions? I’ve made a few of those for the littlies!
Thanks for participating in Pin It Forward UK, Alison! I had such a wonderful time meeting you last month- it was great to hear how use Pinterest! I certainly have Pinvy too! Your boards are filled with amazing inspirations and I especially love your Home board- the floral hanging is gorgeous! Lauren, Community Coordinator
I have terrible pinvy. Even worse, I introduced it to my 11 year old boy and he’s now pinning plans for his attic bedroom like a small, determined Laurence Llewelyn Bowen. I suspect I may live to regret this.
I’m a little addicted to Pinterest with 5899 pins and counting, some might say obsessed! I love it and I do get pinvey! I have literally thousands of pins of things I’d like to do or make or visit! One day I’ll put my iPhone down and instead of pining, I might actually do some of the things I’ve pinned!
Actually I am making some of the things I’ve pinned for my kids up coming party!
Emma xx (@beachpebble)
Pinterest replaces our kiddie sticker collecting addiction (remember those? smelly, puffy, character… each organised by page). Oh how we LOVE!It’s the ultimate procrastinators rabbit hole…
I’m a recent convert to Pinterest, having previously been too worried that once I joined, I’d lose hours of my life – and how true that turned out to be! But, I don’t care. I even recognise one of your pins as something I’ve just pinned to my “New Home” board!
I have found it really useful for actually getting projects organised too though, on secret boards, which means I can justify the amount of hours I spend on there *cough* kind of … and I completely agree, PINvy is alive and well in my house 🙂
Love dropping in on Pinterest and adore Pinvy! It’s an escapist wish list mood board of loveliness! I’ve included some of my own real pics too in there! Fab post x
Love the idea of Pinvy. I am a complete and utter addict. I’d at least get a bronze in the Pinterest Olympics
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