Monday, June 25, 2012

Life Well Lived, Pinterest Style



As a participant in BlogHer and P and G Life Well Lived editorial blog panel, I was asked to name my favorite resources for inspiration on style, fashion, beauty, and living life well.  I will admit that I've never been a designer clothing fashionista. I attended parochial school from grades one through twelve, where I was always required to wear a uniform. While I attended nursing school and college I lived on a tight budget with little money to spend on clothes, and when I began my career as a Registered Nurse I wore either a nurse's uniform or scrubs.  Since wearing a uniform of some sort was the "de rigueur" for most of my life, amassing an ultra fashionable wardrobe was never a priority.  My closets are filled with the traditional basics and an occasional dressy outfit if I need one for a special occasion.


Most of the time I choose my seasonal wardrobe essentials from Lands' End and LL Bean catalogs, or I shop in J Crew and The Gap for comfortable sweaters, turtlenecks, tee shirts, and jeans. I like a classic look and these stores suit me well.

Lately, I have to say that Pinterest has become a major obsession of mine and a tremendous resource for links to blogs and magazine publications full of inspiring ideas. The old adage of "a picture is worth a thousand words" is certainly true on Pinterest, and as I scroll through the "Everything" category, or look at the pins of the many I follow, I happily fill up my boards with more pins. There I have a board devoted to Beauty, where I pin makeup and beauty tips, hairstyles I like, and nail care and nail polish colors I'd like to remember. On my Fashion board, I pin clothing styles, bags, shoes, and specific items I'd like to buy. I still prefer a casual, comfortable style of clothing which is reflected in my pins, but I also love to "virtually shop" for outfits I'd love to wear if I were a few sizes smaller. This is where my Healthy Living board becomes important, as on this board I pin diet, exercise, and all around health tips. Perhaps these sources will be the motivation I need to shed some pounds and get back to my ideal weight?

I am also a "foodie," so of course I pin lots of delicious recipes on my many food pinboards. Recently I was surprised and excited to learn that The Huffington Post's "Kitchen Daily" named me as one of their 'Pinterest Users You Should Follow" for the category of Candy! Woohoo! I've always had a sweet tooth!

As far as living life well, I look at all my pin boards as a springboard towards leading me to do just that. I was always one who liked to clip ideas out of magazines and newspapers for future reference, and now I can do this easily on Pinterest without cluttering up my desk. My Get Organized board has helped me de-clutter and organize my house, and my Tips and Tricks board is full of interesting information to reference how to do household tasks more easily. When I take a few minutes out of the day to pin my interests on boards such as Books, Gardening, Photography, Inspiring Words, Social Media and Blog Ideas and Do It Yourself boards, I feel inspired by all these new ideas. If I want to take a mini vacation, I pin photographs that remind me of Places I've Visited and Dream Destinations. For me, browsing through Pinterest is a wonderful way to de-stress.



I unabashedly love Pinterest, and I feel it is one of the most enjoyable resources on the web!

So what are your favorite resources for style, fashion, beauty, and living life well? Why not share your answer on BlogHer's Life Well Lived Living With Style post, and see what other readers have answered

Contest closed


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25 comments:

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Congratulations on your honor from Huffington Post. That's fabulous news Pat.

I too am addicted to Pinterest and have a lot of boards. Of course I have food, but I also like fashion and decorating. I seem to get started pinning and can't stop....
Sam

Tracy said...

VERY fun post, Pat! I love LL Bean style... I like classic basics that I know I can wear for year, and just add some very fun and colorful accessories to. So I don't do the fashion or ladies magazines either. I've not jumped on the Pinteret wagon, I have to say...mostly because I know I will get hooked, and I probably don't need another hobby addiction...LOL! Fun to see what interests you have and follow. Happy Week, my friend :o) ((HUGS))

Old Kitty said...

I stick to browsing through magazines and am on the emailing list for a lot of fashion websites so I get to see the "latest trends"! Although now at my age - I need to perhaps tailor my tastes to a less teenage/early twenties type stuff! LOL!! Take care
x

diane b said...

I have stayed away from pinterest as I don't want to get hooked as I have so many other hobbies to work on. However it sounds interesting and you are using it well. I know of bloggers who have stopped blogging because of their love of pinterest. I hope you don't.

Chatty Crone said...

Congratulations Pat - I really think you deserve the awards. You have a great blog. Always interesting and informative. I already follow you on Pinterest! I love it too.

Love, sandie

The Gathering Place said...

I love Pinterest and the fact that I don't have to store my finds. Your Almond Fruit Tart looks delicious!

Kris said...

I love Pinterest too! And Lands End!

Ciao Chow Linda said...

You are a Pinterest expert Pat. I love to browse through as well, but find I get to it on a very limited amount.

ellen b. said...

I was just thinking that I need to actually try one of those hundreds of things I've pinned! LOL! I'll have an opportunity with our 4th of July BBQ...
Have a great week Pat!

Snap said...

WTG, Pat. I like Huffington and like them even more now!

Anonymous said...

interesting post...I left Pinterest and I'm now trying to go back...as soon as they send me a positive reaction to my request!

Helen said...

A huge shout out ~ Thank you! I'm inspired to give Pinterest another try. I have been a member for some time but I've found it so huge it became cumbersome to navigate. I will devote more time to browsing and pinning today!!

Judy said...

I really enjoy Pinterest and all the good ideas I find over there. Now, if only I had time to do/make/cook/visit or follow-up on all those things I pin!

Vee said...

Okay, I'll pop right over and visit your boards and see what I can see...well, after the thunderstorm.

My name is Riet said...

Hi Pat. I started Pinterest some time ago but haven't done much with it yet. I love to look around and sometimes take a photo on my board but that;s all yet. Congratulations on the award. I am going to have a look at the links you marked.
Hugs from Riet

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I think I am saving Pinterest until I get caught up on my blogs...oh well! That will NEVER happen! I stay on Etsy, window shopping and searching. I know I would love Pinterest...I'm afraid it would be addictive! heehee!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I didn't know you'd been a nurse. I've been wondering about Pinterest for a while so thanks for explaining more about it.

pam said...

I am in love with it. I started to get paint ideas for our home. Usually I am only limited because the pinning method allows people to be very vague with bad pins. I wish you could search a little better...but that would only lead to serious sleep deprivation. So many talented people out there in the world.

pam said...

I am in love with it. I started to get paint ideas for our home. Usually I am only limited because the pinning method allows people to be very vague with bad pins. I wish you could search a little better...but that would only lead to serious sleep deprivation. So many talented people out there in the world.

pam said...
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Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina said...

Oh Pat, I am so delighted to read this post about Pinterest. Like you and many, many others I am smitten by this new social interaction venue on the Web. I find that there are SO MANY inspirational and creative folks out there who gladly share their pins with us. My sisters said that they need to do a psychological 'intervention' with me to get me to stop pinning. (Actually, I multi-task and pin while watching the nightly news . . . Pinterest pins are more interesting than the news anyway! HA!) I'll need to scoot on over there and start following you and all of your recipes and Italian inspiration! Hugs to you . . . Roz

Pondside said...

I think I need a pinterest tutorial! My daughter got me a twitter account, or whatever it was I needed to get in, but then I just got lost and felt quite totally inept! One of these days I'll have to figure it out!

GailO said...

I love your Pinterest boards Pat and every time I go to add to my tiny boards I look at yours and think I don't need to because everything I would want to add is right there and I know where to find it:)

Carol said...

Very cool about the Huffington Post! Congrats! I'm with you, Pinterest is a lot of fun and a great resource!

Anonymous said...

Oh, great... all this time I've resisted Pinterest and now that I've made the mistake of looking at yours, I may have the beginnings of a serious addiction. Keep posting. As long as I like the things you pin, I don't have to go searching on my own. Too bad you don't knit. You could cover that base for me, too. :)

Congratulations re. the Huffington Post recommendation honor. They know their stuff.