Peter Pan and Pinterest

Pinterest has taken over my evenings. Though I enjoy the simple beauty of the graphic images and mounds of project ideas; I find Pinterest most appealing for storing the ideas that I would otherwise forget. If I find a project or product that I like online, I leave a tab open for a few days until I end up with 27 tabs and then decide to purge my browser. The tabs of ideas are hidden somewhere in my history–but outta sight outta mind, right? Pinterest makes me feel more organized and allows me to get a clean, visual overview of my taste and style.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this virtual pinboard, you can find more on their about page. You can use this forum if you are decorating your home, planning for a wedding or looking to organize new recipes. Check it out and tell me what you think.

Through Pinterest, I found a similarly time-consuming site called Craft Gawker. This has the same sort of visual appeal as Pinterest, but it’s loaded with DIY project ideas and plenty of hairstyle demos for some reason. Check it out if you dare; give yourself plenty of time.

Thanks to these new idea-sharing dashboards, I found inspiration for two projects this week. The first is the Peter Pan collar, complete with a free, downloadable pattern and step-by-step instructions.  The second is a hanging laundry sack to help save space in your bedroom.

I can barely open my closet door because of my ginormous laundry basket spewing up my stinky clothes. So frustrating. You can use this for bath towels, or on a smaller scale for dishtowels. Depending on the pattern of pillowcase or sack that you use, the product can actually look quite stylish.

Peter Pan Collar How-to:

Check out this website for the free pattern and an easy visual tutorial.

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Hanging Laundry Sack How-to:

All you need for this space saver is an oversize pillowcase and a large embroidery loop. You can finish this project in 20 minutes without spending more than $5 and you can find all you need from Fischberger’s Variety (embroidery loop) and Goodwill (pillowcase). Secure the opening of the pillow in the embroidery loop and hang with a pretty bow or sturdy twine. That’s all! This is where I got my inspiration.

Bonus Valentine!

Valentines Day is right around the corner and nothing says I  “love” you like a handmade gift. I usually don’t do much for this holiday because I don’t enjoy the pressure of expectations. However, a simple Valentine card never hurt any one. I cut up a few pieces of card stock and added accents with fabric, stitching, buttons and a few cutouts. Don’t buy any Valentines cards this year. Make them!