STARTING WITH A WIN
Resurrect beads from Mardi Gras past
I have a confession to make – I’m addicted to a website named Pinterest. And we have a love/hate relationship!
Pinterest, in its most basic definition from the website, is “a tool for collecting and organizing things that inspire you.” It’s an online pinboard – you create boards to fit your interests – cooking, food, crafting, fashion, humor, working out – whatever you want. Once you create your boards, you can add pins (Think visual bookmarks.) that will direct you to a website where you will find a recipe, craft idea, instructions for a new hair style or a site to buy a fabulous new pair of shoes. You can follow others and “repin” from their pins, search different categories for inspiration, or originate your own pins directly from a website of your choosing. You can return to your board and check out your pins whenever you want.
Warning: It can get addictive! Pinterest came along at a great time for me.
I am just about as far away from being Martha Stewart as is humanly possible – despite the best efforts of my mother. I had more interest in playing sports as a young girl than learning how to make meatloaf or sew, but she sure did try. When I got engaged, she jokingly apologized to my now husband for my lack of what I will call “wifey duty” skills. I spent my adult years mostly single, living alone, ordering take-out or Taco Bell. I could cook a couple of things decently but nothing too exciting. I could have cared less about the multiple uses of hydrogen peroxide in my home cleaning routine.
Then in 2012, at 39, everything changed. I got married to a handsome devil of a man and had a beautiful daughter. I became a stay-at-home mom and suddenly had a home to care for. I have a wonderful, supportive husband who loves to cook and helps at home a lot, but I really wanted to jump into all my new roles with gusto.
Pinterest was a lifesaver – most of the time. I have had many wonderful successes, but there have also been some major flops along the way.
In this column, I will pass on (hopefully) epic wins and (more than likely) ridiculous fails of trying Pinterest pins – as to help you save time in your own Pinterest journey. I’m hoping for more notches in the win column, but I’m sure there will be a few “fall on my face moments” as well. If you have any pins you’ve wanted to try, I encourage you to email them to me and I will be your guinea pig. THE MARDI GRAS WREATH When I moved to Louisiana in the summer of 2009, I had no idea what I was in for when Mardi Gras came around. Mardi Gras is one of the things that makes the South a unique and amazing place to live. Many of us who haven’t lived in the South think Mardi Gras is Bourbon Street, booze, beads and well that special way that some ladies procure said beads. To discover it was family friendly but still fun for adults, was a treat, and I was hooked.
In my non-Martha Stewart-ness, I would buy decorations. But then I got crafty and made a Mardi Gras board and started searching for ideas. I was going to make a wreath. I found a pin of what looked to be just basically beads around a frame, so I Googled instructions, knowing we had a huge bag of left over beads from the Krewe of Highland parade last year. I found a link and started. The finished project was kind of “blah” in my opinion, so I headed to the craft store for some things to kind of “fancy” it up. I bought things like “deco mesh,” ribbons, ornaments and masks. I worked on
it off and on for two weeks (I’m a remedial crafter.) When I finished, I was excited by the results. It’s not professional, obviously, but I felt a bit of first-timer pride. It did, however, create a glitter/wire/mesh bomb in my kitchen if I decide to continue on Mardi Gras-ing my house, I may have to hire a housekeeper to follow me around for cleanup. I think instead I’ll just hang my big Pinterest win up on my freshly painted poker green front door, sit back and laissez les bons temps rouler!
Mandy Byrd is a stay-at-home mom originally from Colorado. She is mother to Gracie, and wife to her handsome devil of a man, Eric. Send Pinterest ideas and comments to Mandy at mandybyrd@icloud.com.
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