Pinterest Fun

September 4, 2012 By

Pinterest Inspiration

A while ago, someone asked me if it was difficult for me to use Pinterest as a missionary overseas.  Meaning, is it hard to be content with what I have while looking at Pinterest? My answer? Yes and no. Yes, because I  found some wonderful inspiration from Pinterest and have made many things from the pins I find there. BUT, I have to be careful to keep my heart and mind in check while perusing pins.  As with anything, something that is good can turn into sin if I’m not careful.  That being said, I want to share with you some of the things I’ve made from Pinterest!

The inspiration for the picture above came from this photo:

                                                                                                                    Source: edenlang.blogspot.com via Joy Forney on Pinterest

 

I made this….

Ideas from Pinterest

after seeing this:

                                                                                                                                  Source: craftster.org via Joy Forney on Pinterest

 

My sweet husband made these from cutting a PVC pipe in half, spray painting it, and attaching it to the wall…..

Pinterest inspired PVC pipe bookshelf

after I showed him this:

                                                                                                                               Source: gusandlula.com via Joy Forney on Pinterest

 

And when I laughingly showed my hubs this…..

I got several of these for Valentine’s Day!! Hahaha! He knows what I love!

Pinterest inspired Hey Girl Ryan Gosling

All in all, Pinterest has been a great source of DIY and inspiration for me, and has motivated me to try new things! How about you?

If you haven’t joined me already, I’d love for you to join me on Pinterest! You can see my personal style, what makes me laugh, and what kind of food I like to eat!

Pinterest Button

Also, there is a great new board I am thrilled to be a part of……it has lots of fun inspiration for the Christian woman! Just click the picture to go to the pin board:

Pinterest Button

Now, if you will be so kind as to leave YOUR Pinterest information in the comments so I, and everyone else who reads this blog, can find you on Pinterest!
Photo credits: Dave Forney, Tripp Flythe

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45 Comments

  • http://www.chasing-eden.com Alle McCloskey

    Joy, I absolutely loved this post! A couple weeks ago, I ended up going through my pins and having a giant purge session. I got rid of anything that I had re-pinned that didn’t have the correct links connected to it because I want to be a responsible pinner and give credit where it is due…but more importantly…

    I purged those pins that I had grabbed onto for “someday.” You know, those toy/activity ones that are for when my kids are older, those DIY and product ones for when I have more money and time, those recipes and organizational tips when I’ve got my act together and am a better homemaker, etc. I didn’t get rid of them because they weren’t good…but I realized they were stealing my joy. Instead of using them for inspiration, I was allowing the Enemy to sow seeds of discontent with all the things I HADN’T done in my life or for my family. It was like a visual reminder board of how I didn’t measure up.

    So, now I have fewer pins, but it’s only the “best” stuff – the ones I really want to do/make/see/eat/etc…and I’ve already felt peace that I don’t have to “do it all.”

    Would love to connect via Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/allemccloskey/

    • Joy

      Love that Alle! What a great idea to “purge” the ones that were causing you to be discontent! Thanks so much for sharing!! I am heading over to follow you now. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and share. That makes my day!

  • JennieLynn

    Joy, I’ve been following several of your boards for awhile and have enjoyed the good finds. I have a hard time not comparing myself to my brother and his 1/2 million followers (he is a way cool designer). For me it’s relaxing and inspiring, it gets the creative juices flowing. I tend to focus on recipes at
    http://pinterest.com/jennielynn16/

    • Joy

      Oh my! I could see why it would be difficult now to compare! Goodness, that is a lot of followers! I am glad though, that you can use it as a source of inspiration. I’m following you now! :) Thanks for joining in here!

  • http://www.bacontidbits.blogspot.com Amanda B

    Hi Joy! Lovely blog and family you have there… Pinterest is so much fun, though I try to avoid the trap of spending more than the needed find the idea and get out approach I have now… it’s fun to connect in this way! May God bless your family as you serve Him. http://pinterest.com/scarletpaisley/

  • Sarah Jones

    I love the way that you have used Pinterest for inspiration. I’ve found it is good for home education ideas using items we already have.
    My Pinterest boards are at
    http://pinterest.com/deliveringgrace/

  • thebauerfamily

    I love seeing other’s pinterest projects! Thanks for sharing! Being a missionary wife in Australia, I love it because it helps me to decorate my home with inspiration from stores like Ikea (which are in Australia, but no where near where I am!). I only pin things I plan to make, or inspriation for something down the road. I am careful to not pin things that will make me homesick or jealous!
    You can fine me at – http://pinterest.com/jenbauer79/

  • Homeschool on the Croft

    You will not tempt me. You will not tempt me. You will not ….

    You know, Gracefull Mama, you may be the very one who will finally get me to Pinterest. Our two daughters love it, but so far I have stayed AWAY, knowing there are only my sleeping hours left in my day and I’m unwilling to give them up!

    Hmmmm….. will I pay you a visit? Or not? To be or not to be….!!

  • Lisa

    Dear Joy, I love the inspiration of pinterest – I am from Germany and this is an easy way to get ideas like recipes from all over the world. Pinterest is like the whole internet – there are a lot of things I do not want to see, but you can take a lot of good things out of it. I’m glad I found you, too.

    http://pinterest.com/lisazuhause/

  • TraciMLittle

    Love everything Joy! Esp. the “Hey Girl” homemade quote with your hubby. Too funny! Off to check out that Christian Woman board thanks!
    http://pinterest.com/curly2880/

  • TraciMLittle

    it didn’t take me to the board? do you have the exact link?

  • http://www.indulgentaromas.com Nicole

    Love Pinterest!!!! Although, it has made my hubby expect dessert every.single.night….I guess that was a bad habit I started when I started discovering yummy foods. Not good for my attempt at weight loss and a healthier lifestyle :) Oh well….anyway, my link is http://pinterest.com/lecaka

  • Chris & Anna Fritz

    Joy, I have loved following you on Pinterest! So many wonderful ideas and inspiration! I pin at http://pinterest.com/joyineverystep/
    and blog at http://www.joyineverystep.blogspot.com/ Happy Pinning!

  • Heather

    I love what you’ve written here because even living in the states, it’s sometimes easy to feel inadequate as a mother/homemaker because I see on Pinterest all the things I could be making/repurposing/cooking/etc! I’ve pinned of few of your posts because your encouraging words help me to keep some perspective or are words I want to be able to find easily to pass along to other women in my life, especially the “20 things I want to tell engaged and newlywed women.” You can follow me, http://pinterest.com/hvbrennan/, if you find things you like! Thanks for your blog!

  • lpate714

    I like the post about purging on Pinterest…I think that will be one of my projects for today. ;) Like the article, I have sometimes found myself wishing for things I can’t have right now (as many rooms in a house to decorate as I please…I live in a one bedroom apartment right now with a strict no decorating rule) and I have to just shut the computer and walk away. God has been teaching me a lot about contentment lately and I think one of my challenges has been Pinterest. I just try to think of it as collecting good ideas for the future when I have time, money, resources to be able to use them. But, I still have been able to use some of the recipe ideas and I’ve loved them. The one I use all the time is about making baked potatoes in the crockpot…I’ve shared that with many friends and they found the idea useful as well. Here is my Pinterest page:
    http://pinterest.com/lpate714/

  • Traci

    Awesome post. I pin, often sometimes…sometimes for hours vs watching TV in the evening. Never in a “oh I wish I could have this.” But, like you, Pinterest has inspired me to do many things and I try to post my accomplishments after a re-do of something I’ve seen on Pinterest. Thanks for the post. http://pinterest.com/Paparazzee/

  • daly w

    This is such a funny post but also so true!
    I would love for you to follow me on pinterest! :) http://pinterest.com/dalyw/

  • Barbara H.

    To me, Pinterest is like a bunch of friends sitting and looking at magazines and saying to each other, “Oooh, look at this” when they find something interesting. It has been a lot of fun and has stimulated creativity. So I haven’t quite understood it when people talk about it (or Facebook or Christmas newsletters) making them feel discontent. But if it does lead one to envy or to putting more pressure on themselves because they feel like they have to do all the stuff they see there, then it would be in their best interests to curb it. But I like it. :-) And with an iPhone app, it doesn’t even take much time, because I look at it in odd moments when I am waiting or between tasks or during commercials, etc. So it’s not like it is taking big blocks of time away from anything else.

    I’ve been planning to do a post some time on things I’ve tried from Pinterest that did or didn’t work.

    I love the personalized “Hey, girl” idea!

    My boards are here:
    http://pinterest.com/barbarah06/

    I’m off to check out yours. :-)

  • http://www.facebook.com/jenniferpoff.gay Jennifer Poff Gay

    I’m using Pinterest to help navigate a fairly complicated move. I’ve gotten tons of great ideas for activities for the 5 kids who’ll be squished in the minivan for 3 – 18+ hr drives. Hubby and I both pin sites for possible rental houses, and I’ve used “inspiration” pins to figure out what kind of house we both would like to have. I have a this week board for activities and recipes I want to try that week. It’s been a really fun, cheap way for me to figure out and communicate what I really like without window shopping. I just have to be careful not to spend too much time pinning and not enough time doing. :)

  • Cindi Summerlin

    http://pinterest.com/cindic515/
    I’ve not been pinning in a while and realized after looking at your pins how much I have missed it. Love the link for the 15! I know that I’m going to have to go in and clean out some of my pins because my focus has recently changed from him to Him… and me.

  • Beth Stone

    Those “Hey Girl” pins crack me up! That’s great that Dave made you some – how funny… :o )
    I certainly understand how Pinterest could be a stumbling block leading to discontentment or coveteousness for some people, but I find myself falling into the “comparison” trap more often when I’m reading blogs or surfing around on facebook too much – so that’s where I have to be careful. Pinterest is my drama-free happy place… :o )
    I just have to limit the time I spend pinning and make sure that I’m actually using some of the ideas I find rather than just collecting them online.
    You’re already following me, but in case anyone else wants to, my boards are at: http://pinterest.com/bethstonestudio/

  • Alicia Fox

    I loved this post. I have used pinterest the most for finding free printable to slip in frames around the house. I love finding new ones to use for each season. I’ve even been finding some free fonts and trying to create some myself. Recently, I’ve been using it a lot to find homeschool ideas for our kindergarten year using My Father’s World. I have found it to be a great tool, not a hindrance being on the mission field. I can be found here http://pinterest.com/alicia_fox/

  • http://www.facebook.com/colettei Colette Port Hoekstra

    HA! LOVE the Diet Coke comment! Great perspective. xo

  • http://www.facebook.com/cora.h.sykes Cora Hardway Sykes

    I love Pinterest but have also learned the lesson of limiting my time on it…My kids missed me for a while. Now I’m on only every other day for 30 minutes.
    http://pinterest.com/clhs817/

  • Jennifer

    I love using pinterest. Of course, it can be a huge time-waster and leave me with no time left to accomplish all of my wonderful ideas if I am not careful! One of my favorite projects was a ruler growth chart for my family. I have also pinned a lot on home cleaning and organization. http://pinterest.com/jenniferloves/

  • StefanieYoungBrown

    Cute stuff!! I enjoy pinning, but have few pins come to life. I love seeing others recreate what others have created.

  • Pam OBrien

    That’s great – Pinterest is full of good ideas. I’ve made a couple, too… like that cool pillowcase mat for my grandson. Did you see that one? Go to my “With grandkids in mind’ board. http://pinterest.com/pamelaobrien/ Thanks, Joy.

  • Julie G

    Hi Joy,
    Loved this post! I love to find things on pinterest. My husband made a bed we found on there for my son’s 4th birthday and a couple other things. I’m not sure how to leave my information, but maybe this will work.
    http://pinterest.com/sahm23/
    Julie

  • Just Jenny

    I love Pinterest! Great pictures! I agree with Alle – I may need to purge a little but I also agree with Barbara that this is just a was to share with girlfriends. If your mind or heart was not in the right place pinterest could be intimidating and difficult for some. so glad you addressed this.
    I have been following you for some time and love your boards. please check me out – http://pinterest.com/jenny_e_stumpff/

  • Kristi Henson

    I may have only ever commented on your blog one or two times, but have been a faithful follower ever since the I Take Joy days. I’m so thankful for every one of your posts and for the spiritual encouragement I find every time I’m reading. I enjoy Pinterest too. The resource is amazing for a homeschooling, Pastor’s wife like me. (Much better than an endless bookmark bar!) This summer we had fun trying out a lot of ideas for the kids. Thanks for the link to your files…I’ll enjoy looking through over the next couple of weeks. If you’re so inclined, you can find me at http://pinterest.com/joeandkris513 (Kristi Henson). Such a cute, fun thing your husband did for you with the pictures of himself! Blessings to you today.

  • http://thechuppies.com/ Kara @ The Chuppies

    :)
    Love that he made you a “Hey girl” of himself.
    Too funny…
    I think the only pin I’ve actually made (if you can call it that) is the Starbucks glass bottles emptied, de-stickered, washed, & turned into “milk bottles”.

  • Sarah and Daniel Puttcamp

    So fun to see some of your pinterest projects! The Hey Girl photo is hilarious (Ann Taylor is one of my favorites, too!). I am also a missionary overseas and had hesitated for a long time about joining pinterest for two reasons – one because I was worried I’d waste too much time on it and two because I was worried about struggling with contentment with it. BUT, I did join and it’s been really fun and so far not much of a problem. I did set some goals for myself, though, to help. I decided that I needed to actually implement one pin a week (whether it’s a recipe, a kid activity or an outfit inspiration); if I don’t have time to actually carry out a pin, then I don’t give myself any time to add more pins until I do (so that pinterest remains a tool rather than a time sucker)! I also have been careful to pin things that I am pretty sure I could modify to make possible to carry out here with the resources I have here (an exception to this was some pins I had for some crafts that a friend graciously sent me supplies for!). I have allowed myself to have a “pretty spaces” board that I pin photos of beautiful rooms in that I just enjoy, rather than putting them in my “for the home” board; that little difference helps with contentment, too! I have loved looking at your boards; I think we may be kindred spirits. =) I’d love for you to follow mine at http://pinterest.com/sarahtica/.

  • Stefani Wilcott

    I love your blog and am so glad you are a fellow Pinterest girl (although who is’t these days?). Thank you for sharing your heart, ideas and successes along with failures. I find your blog an encouragement and often it pricks my spirit and leads me to examine my heart and mind. It will be fun to follow you on Pinterest and feel like I’m getting to know you in a new way :-) My boards are at http://pinterest.com/stefn2boys/.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1827567501 Janet Culpepper Hodnett

    Hi Joy, I found your blog through the 15 Must Follow Christian Women on Pinterest. It’s definitely a God thing that I read this today because God’s been dealing with me about using pinterest for inspiration as well. I do pin a lot but mostly it’s for organizing my home, couponing and recipes. There are some pins that I’ve started that just remind me of my childhood. Reading the comments tonight though, made me realize that there are times when I pin things that are things that I want for the future…..made me remember to be content where I am. As a matter of fact, this is the second blog I’ve read tonight that spoke to me about being content in our small space :) I do believe God is trying to tell me something. Like a few others, I will be purging my pin boards soon…..If you’d like to follow me, I can be found at http://pinterest.com/mrshodnett/ ….. anyone else that would like to follow me is welcome to do so also. God bless!

  • http://www.facebook.com/isaiah43v1to5 Emily Ambrose

    I just recently discovered your blog and I’m so glad I did! As a young wife and mother there are just so many things I know I have to learn and learning from other women of God is so helpful and encouraging :)
    My favorite things about pinterest are finding things to do with my husband and kids and finding things to make. I love giving homemade gifts, even if it’s just a dessert and pinterest has so many good ideas for things. My husbands work gave him an iPad so when he is home and I am feeding our new baby it gives me lot’s of time for pinning, but considering the new baby there is not much time for doing ;)
    http://pinterest.com/emlyanna/

  • Ashley

    I’m in a different Asian country, but do you ever find it tough to make some of your pins? That’s where I get into trouble…envying those who have access to Hobby Lobby! http://pinterest.com/aefelder/

  • http://www.facebook.com/anna.wegner Anna Wegner

    I’m also overseas as a missionary in an incredibly rural place- but we have internet, so I’m not too rural! I enjoy pinterest for entertainment and ideas. I think living somewhere that is so isolated & so hard to get almost anything has the opposite effect of materialism. I can look at things and enjoy seeing them, but I don’t really want them. Even if I had a chance to get it, it would be too much trouble to figure out a way to get it here, and then I would have to find a place to put it & take care of it.

    I like to find things that I can use as ideas for crafts or recipes.

  • Dee Dee Sterling

    Being a missionary wife myself I enjoy Pinterest but I don’t see the point in pinning things to make or build or even pinning recipes that I can’t make because I don’t have the proper ingredients or even a close substitution for. I am on it to help my family and myself be a better Mom and that is it. I am sure it could be addictive but I don’t have that much time to give it so for now, I enjoy Pinterest! Here is where you can find me: http://pinterest.com/Gr8tfull2Him/

  • Stacy Averette

    Joy, love this post. Totally agree. You can find me on Pinterest as Stacy Averette

  • Vickie Munton

    THRILLED to find your beautiful blog, and thankful for the pinterest connection with 15 Must Follow…you’ll find me @ http://pinterest.com/vjmunton/

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=559976979 Victoria Huizinga

    My first concern with pinterest was that it was going to be a time waster. Then I applied a principle I use for keeping the kids media time in check, I don’t go on pinterest unless I have set a timer first. I allow myself 1 hour per week to be on pinterest. I am finding pinterest is really energizing my creativity.

  • Shilo

    That is hilarious that Dave made you some “Hey Girl” posters! Classic!

  • http://twitter.com/crystal_frank Crystal Frank

    Love your blog…just found it and am so blessed by it. Here is my pinterest infor but I just got on and use it more to look than to pin to my site. Thanks again for your ministry to us
    moms:-).
    http://pinterest.com/frankfamily01/
    I need to realize the high calling that it is and I love how you bring that into view.

  • a.rel

    I think it would be the greatest Valentine’s gift, to get a ‘Hey, girl’ card from Hubby! You have a beautiful Pinterest board, btw.

    http://pinterest.com/dinhiriel/

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