{photo via Geninne’s Art Blog}by Lauren Morris of Stamp 48
With the New Year, life is full of fresh starts. Resolutions, dreams, and goals get a chance to start anew. Ambition abounds and surrounds. Over the course of the first month of the year, so many ideas are circulating that it can be hard to keep track of them all. Nothing is worse than forgetting a brilliant idea that you once had.
In order to keep yourself sane and organized, here are a couple ways to remember your inspiration and goals.
1. Inspiration Boards
Using a bulletin board as a base, you can cut out ideas from magazines, write your goals on index cards, and use paint samples or other small trinkets that you can be added to the board. This can be a little time consuming, but if you love having the ability to see and manipulate your board with your own hands, this is a great way to track and remember ideas that inspire and motivate you.
{photo via Poppy Talk}
2. Pinterest
This is like an inspiration board, but way more fun and easy to do. What a wonderful combination. [A warning before we get started: You will become addicted.] Pinterest is a website that allows you to create various “pin boards” to which you can “pin” (via a bookmarklet saved to your browser Favorites) any image that you find on the internet. This allows you to create virtual inspiration boards that capture the goodies you find browsing blogs.
For instance, if you want to keep track of products for your kiddos that you want to make yourself or purchase, you can create a pinboard dedicated to those items. From there, as you find images on the web, you can hit the “Pin It” button on your browser that you installed (it’s super simple), and it is saved to your “Stuff for Kiddos” pinboard (you can name it whatever you like) or any of your other boards that you have created. When you register for the site, there are about a dozen blank boards to get you started, but you can delete or rename them as you wish.
You can also see all of your boards laid out on your main profile page, ready to browse at a moment’s notice. Here is what mine looks like, but yours would look completely different, depending on what boards you want to curate.
The second amazing feature of Pinterest is the ability to follow other people’s pinboards and “re-pin” items that they have pinned to their boards. This seems to be one of my favorite pasttimes of late. This is a great source of inspiration for me, and the more boards you follow, the more inspiration you have at your fingertips.
This is a great way to track your goals. If one of your goals is to create a new product line for your handmade business, you can start pinning items that inspire your new line. The sky is the limit.
Pinterest is invite only right now, but the waiting list doesn’t seem to be more than 4 days if you request one from the site. If you just can’t wait that long, I have some invites up for grabs- email lauren[at]stamp48[dot]com for an invite (sorry all the invites are taken!).
Do you have any effective methods for tracking your inspiration and goals?
I’ve heard about Pinterest before but have never really tried it. Sounds like a fun way to keep up with the cute polka dotted items that I find while browsing the Web. Off to check it out now!
Great warning, and so true! I think Pinterest is gaining popularity quickly, as I often have a hard time logging on. However, your boards look adorable and I can’t wait to see them! For organizing any element of style (wardrobe, home decor or art inspiration), I agree with you, a pinboard is a must!
I love this! I’ve got a pin board in my sewing wardrobe and love it -pinterest looks amazing and great for gathering online inspiration. Signed up on the waiting list a week ago -but still haven’t heard anything so if you still have some leftover invites… I’d love one 😉
Thanks!
May fun and laughter characterize your day
I have an inspiration board but love Pinterest because it saves me paper! I am definitely going to be on that site a lot!
what a cool concept…haven’t heard about it before, but definintely going to check it out! thanks for sharing 🙂
I love that site, I found it a while ago from another blogger. great article about how you can use it to inspire.
you’re right, it is addictve! I’ve been pinning for the last hour, an act I’m sure I’ll regret when I have to wake up in 5 hours 🙂
does anyone have a way that they create virtual bulletin boards that can be kept private?
I would so love an invite. I just discovered pinterest and this is exactly what I need. I would also love to follow your pins as I am so interested in crafts, jewelry making and home decor.