Pinterest

This week I watched an amazing tutorial about Pinterest (by Melanie Duncan), It's something I don't do very often but I particularly wanted to know more about the this particular site as it has become such a valuable tool for me.

If you haven't signed up for Pinterest it really is worth doing. There is so much that can be done and so much inspiration there. 

Without going into a too long winded ramble I will try to give some examples here of how I use it. 

Planning a project, whether its a room in your own home or something like a photo shoot you are doing with a few other people you can use a board as a reminder of things you would like. So whether you are planning a new kitchen or a photo shoot or a wedding, you can make a mood board of all the elements you would like to include. I even do mood boards with my tattooist TracyD.

Information ; there are lots of tutorial photos with links to the sites they came from, also recipes for food and drink.  I have just learnt to weave so Im searching for both inspiration from weavers and some photos of techniques I can use. 

My most pinned photo is of my lounge wall which was seen by Annie Sloan and has become my most recognised image.




You can easily install a 'pin it' button to your bookmarks so that when you are researching or browsing you can pin images.  Sometimes its just like making a visual shopping list.

So now onto collaborations.  Many of us are sole traders, bloggers, photographers and stylists and could do with a bit of networking support. So I have a cunning plan.....

I would like to form a Pinterest group with you lot, so whether you are doing it for personal or business you can still give a leg up to your friends.  Its a bit like shopping locally, its about supporting the people you know and like.

Pinterest is bigger in the States than Europe I do believe. They are having enormous success with Pinterest as a buying and linking platform.  So if you need traffic to your blog, shop, website or business then its worth linking up with others.  This could work in two ways, either pinning directly from the site you want to support or by pinning from the boards on Pinterest. By double clicking on a pin it will take you to the source immediately.  




You don't all need to be fans of the same style. Actually by mixing the group and making boards which crossover you are likely to see things you would never have searched for originally.  Heres an example ; you like black and white and minimal in your home, so you search in all your usual places for a cushion.  But heres the thing, Van Asch the designer (who became famous for her skulls and roses) has a new collection of black and white cushions which fit your ethos perfectly. 






Let's be honest, great interior design is about mixing it up, if you just buy from one place all the time you will simply be emulating their catalogue photos. So this, I hope, will be a group that helps each other to expand their knowledge and taste.  Its a win win situation to benefit everyone who joins.

To join up you need to follow me Janice Issitt Life Style and the others in the group on Pinterest as we can't invite you to pin otherwise. Ive created a board on my own page called Collaborate so if you want to be in the group then pin something there, like a picture of your shop or face so we know where to find each other, the link is https://www.pinterest.com/JaniceIssitt/collaborate/

So far participating members are Van Asch, Holy Cow Home, myselfSerendipity Reclamation, The Cabinet Makers Love Tale, Wanderlust Wares

Now that we all work from our laptops at home its vital to find some connections, hey, Im sitting here in bed with coffee stained pj's on, who would want to meet me?!!

Please message me if you have any questions, we want this to be a like minded group and not too many rules, so let's all be cool and spread some love around.  




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