I joined Pinterest in 2011, about a year before I got married and I am so glad I did. A pre-Pinterest wedding would have been unthinkable! It gave me such wonderful inspiration about how to personalise my wedding and how to DIY parts of it to save money but still make it very "me". It made me realise that a run-of-the-mill traditional wedding that fitted in with everyone else's ideas of conformity wasn't necessary. I could do exactly what I wanted. Some of the time, I didn't even know what I wanted - until I saw it on Pinterest!
So this is a little homage to Pinterest and the ways it's changed my life (hopefully for the better!) and the ways I now do things solely because of Pinterest!
Make my bed every morning
Most people probably already do this anyway, but for me, I always thought "why bother"? We get out of bed and get ready for work and leave, and we don't go back into the bedroom again when we get home from work until it's time for bed. So what's the point if I'm only going to get back in it again 16 (ok, 13...) hours later? And who am I making the bed for exactly? But then I read a post on Pinterest about becoming an organised and less-stressed person and the point that really stuck with me was about making your bed every. damn. day. Why? Because it starts off your morning with order, with things looking neat, and its like a little mini win first thing in the morning. Studies have (apparently!) shown that people who make their beds are generally then more tidy in the rest of the house and their lives, making them less prone to stress. And I have to be honest this really has worked wonders for me. I even bought a bed runner (its a cheap pashmina!) and a decorative cushion for the bed and it just helps me feel like I've got my life in order. One really small change but I can tell you, it's made a massive difference.
Draw on thicker, fuller eyebrows
I used to have pencil thin eyebrows because that was trendy when I was at school. Then it became less and less trendy, but my poor eyebrows had been plucked so much that they could grow no more. So I just drew them on a tiny bit thicker, and in a really obvious thin arch. Soooo cool. Pinterest has shown me that thick, filled in bushy brows are now the trend though, and it's shown me lots of tutorials about how to get them looking sharp (I believe "on fleek" is the new terminology?). They are never going to look 100% natural again because there's so little actual hair, but now I literally never pluck them, and draw on a much more substantial brow. It also opened my eyes to the fact that brows out of place don't need to be plucked. You can trim them! Like normal hair! Who knew?! So that slightly too long brow hair that is out of place now doesn't get plucked leaving a bald patch - I just trim that sucker and it all fits beautifully into place.
The third piece rule
My sense of fashion in general, especially for work, is pretty much all down to Pinterest. I just used to buy jumpers and black trousers and that was it. If I was feeling fancy I might wear a jumper with a fake shirt collar. Lavish. Now I actually think about what I'm wearing, what kind of look I'm going for and how that look portrays me to people. Before, I might have worn a chunky knit oversized cardigan and because I was much larger I'd wear baggy black trousers and just looked a state. With hindsight, at least. I didn't like spending money on work clothes, so the bigger I got, the more ill-fitting all my work clothes were, and it just got worse and worse! The main way I'm more savvy about my outfits is the third piece rule. Your outfit is not complete without three key pieces. Wearing trousers and a top? Ok, that's two. The third piece? It could be a scarf, it could be a pop of colour in some awesome shoes, it could be a statement necklace. But you must have three stand out pieces that all tie in together. Skirt and blouse is two. Patterned tights, a statement handbag or belt, or cardi or jacket is three. Always, always three, at least! I now check this before I leave the house every single day. "What is adding interest to my outfit here?". And I haven't really spent much money with this - just using different pieces in my wardrobe in different ways. I owe that to the blog Putting Me Together who helped me to re-think key pieces I already have and different ways to wear them.
Packing for trips
This ties in with my change in fashion sense really, because if I was going somewhere for 7 days, I'd take at least 7 different tops, maybe a couple of skirts that only one of the tops would go with, a couple of pairs of jeans, several pairs of leggings... and a huge bag full of luggage. Now I pack clothes that work well together. A shirt can can be worn open over a cami top, or a dress I can wear a T shirt over with a waist belt to make it more casual. Tops that go with every pair of trousers or the skirts that I'm taking, This gives me so much more space in my bag, and whenever I go to stay with friends that always comment on how little I've brought with me! I've also hugely cleared out my closet so I'm left with key pieces that work several ways, rather than one top that only really goes with one skirt that I've got and doesn't work well as a different outfit.
Tattoos
I never really liked tattoos all that much before getting Pinterest. I think I'd only ever really seen the old school green faded tattoos, or Sailor Jerry type tattoos, and just never really liked them. But Pinterest opened my eyes to the real possibilities of tattoos. Lovely muted pastels and greys, really personal quotes or mementos and tattoos that looked seriously classy. I don't think I ever would have ended up getting tattoos if it weren't for Pinterest, and I absolutely love mine and have plans for many more!
Exercising
I've tried loads of different workouts on Pinterest before but the HIIT body weight circuits are the ones that have stuck with me the most! If the weather is grim and I can't get out for my walks then I often turn to a Pinterest workout to get some calories burnt and to get in a quick sweating session without ever even leaving the house let alone setting foot in a gym!
Recipes
I'm still not a great cook in all fairness but I have found some really great recipes on Pinterest that I come back to again and again, especially slow cooker recipes. There is a plethora of fantastic recipes out there and whole blogs dedicated to slow cooking that there's always something I want to try! The BBQ shredded coca cola chicken is my favourite!! But also recipes like homemade chicken goujons or creamy turkey mince lasagna have been real hits too!
DIY
I've always been quite crafty anyway but now because of Pinterest I often see things in shops and think "I could make that for way cheaper, and tailor it to my liking!". I can't do as much as I would like here as we rent but I have SO many plans already for whenever we do move! My husband said our new house will no doubt be a continual work in progress with all the plotting that goes on on Pinterest!! I have so many boards dedicated to home decor and DIY, it'll take me many years to come to work my way through them!
This ties in with my change in fashion sense really, because if I was going somewhere for 7 days, I'd take at least 7 different tops, maybe a couple of skirts that only one of the tops would go with, a couple of pairs of jeans, several pairs of leggings... and a huge bag full of luggage. Now I pack clothes that work well together. A shirt can can be worn open over a cami top, or a dress I can wear a T shirt over with a waist belt to make it more casual. Tops that go with every pair of trousers or the skirts that I'm taking, This gives me so much more space in my bag, and whenever I go to stay with friends that always comment on how little I've brought with me! I've also hugely cleared out my closet so I'm left with key pieces that work several ways, rather than one top that only really goes with one skirt that I've got and doesn't work well as a different outfit.
Tattoos
I never really liked tattoos all that much before getting Pinterest. I think I'd only ever really seen the old school green faded tattoos, or Sailor Jerry type tattoos, and just never really liked them. But Pinterest opened my eyes to the real possibilities of tattoos. Lovely muted pastels and greys, really personal quotes or mementos and tattoos that looked seriously classy. I don't think I ever would have ended up getting tattoos if it weren't for Pinterest, and I absolutely love mine and have plans for many more!
Exercising
I've tried loads of different workouts on Pinterest before but the HIIT body weight circuits are the ones that have stuck with me the most! If the weather is grim and I can't get out for my walks then I often turn to a Pinterest workout to get some calories burnt and to get in a quick sweating session without ever even leaving the house let alone setting foot in a gym!
Recipes
I'm still not a great cook in all fairness but I have found some really great recipes on Pinterest that I come back to again and again, especially slow cooker recipes. There is a plethora of fantastic recipes out there and whole blogs dedicated to slow cooking that there's always something I want to try! The BBQ shredded coca cola chicken is my favourite!! But also recipes like homemade chicken goujons or creamy turkey mince lasagna have been real hits too!
DIY
I've always been quite crafty anyway but now because of Pinterest I often see things in shops and think "I could make that for way cheaper, and tailor it to my liking!". I can't do as much as I would like here as we rent but I have SO many plans already for whenever we do move! My husband said our new house will no doubt be a continual work in progress with all the plotting that goes on on Pinterest!! I have so many boards dedicated to home decor and DIY, it'll take me many years to come to work my way through them!
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