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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Is Pinterest Killing Creativity?

This was the topic in a segment on my favorite local lifestyle show today. Here is the video if you want to watch it:



(Here is a link to the video in case the the embedded version doesn't work.)

The TV show also took comments on their Facebook page. I didn't read all of the comments but it seemed that the majority of people commented that "no" they didn't think Pinterest killed creativity. A common thread in these comments was that these women felt that they weren't creative and needed Pinterest to give them help and ideas. I just don't agree that there is anyone out there who isn't creative. We may all be creative in different ways, but creative nonetheless:

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

"Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty." (Read more here.)

I wonder if Pinterest is becoming an excuse for people not to create. They don't need to think of their own ideas because it's so easy just to jump on Pinterest and find a good one. I know I have done that.



But at the same time, Pinterest can teach skills that are necessary for creating. And using an idea as a jumping off point and making it your own IS creative.

Pinterest has helped me be much more creative with my closet. I love looking for outfits with similar colors or pieces that I have in my closet and using them as a jumping off point. Sometimes I will have a pinned outfit in the back of my head when I get dressed. It comes out looking nothing like the photo, but was inspiration nonetheless.

For crafts and other DIY projects, I have found both skills and inspiration, but I am a little more likely to straight up copy the project here. But not always. I found the instructions for the hex nut bracelet on Pinterest and followed them pretty much exactly, but was creative in the way that I made the clasp.




The main problem I find with Pinterest (for me) is the amount of wasted time. I don't spend hours and hours and I follow very few people, but if I used all the time I spent looking at Pinterest (and blogs for that matter) in my craft room/kitchen/closet I would have created so much more and probably felt much more accomplished. As the above artwork suggests, it gives me a false sense of creativity.



Is Pinterest like a magazine in that it makes us feel bad about ourselves, our clothes, our homes, our talents?

CONCLUSION: I certainly won't be stopping my use of Pinterest anytime soon! I just make sure that I limit my time on the site and don't let it limit my creativity! (See my boards here!)

What do you think? I would love to hear your opinion! Leave a comment below!

Sponsor Yellow Blackbird!

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This is a great opportunity for small blogs/Etsy shops, etc. to get a little more exposure.

Yellow Blackbird is still small but is growing bigger literally every day. I currently have over 500 followers (check the side bar for the most current number) and receive between 8,000-10,000 visitors per month.

I usually post at least 3-4 times per week and link to many blog parties, including "What I Wore" at Pleated Poppy which brings a lot of traffic to my blog.

I am offering ad space for February for only $5 per month. What a deal! This price also includes 1 GROUP blog post about your blog/shop/etc. sometime during the month.

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I will only be accepting family friendly, G rated ads!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

What I Wore

Walmart dress, Old Navy cardigan, Ross belt, Forever 21 boots

WHEN: Friday, February 24

WHERE: Work

GETTING CREATIVE: The part of the dress that ruched and goes around the chest is actually pulled down almost over my stomach. I needed to dress to be long to cover the ankle boots so that was my solution. One of my students (an 8th grade boy), said that he liked my dress. Then asked if it was a dress or skirt, which led to a class wide discussion on the difference between dresses and skirts. Another boy said he now had an answer for his parents when they asked what he learned in class that day. Ha!
Forever 21 cardigan, can't remember where I got the shirt, Bags that Fit belt, Gap skinnies, Payless boots

WHEN: Thursday, February 23

WHERE: Work

GETTING CREATIVE: Another stripes and mustard combo! Yay! I love that I came up with another one just out of my closet with stuff I've had for awhile.


Kohls tank, Bags that Fit cardigan, New York and Co pants, Forever Young shoes, Old Navy belt, gifted necklace

WHEN: Wednesday, February 22.

WHERE: Work

GETTING CREATIVE: I feel like a bona fide style blogger in this outfit: lace, ruffles, cardigan, half tuck, skinny belt, red pants, and colors! : )

Thanks for your concern about these red pants last week. The black stain came out, then I cooked when I wore these pants and got butter on them. They are in the washer again and will probably come out pink from so much constant washing!

Remember last week when I said I was in desperate need of a haircut? Well I was only a few hours away from this new cut. Do you like??


These pictures were taken at the end of the day and I don't think the layers look as good as they usually do. I LOVE it. Especially now that I have had a few days to get used to doing it. I think it looks so much better than the hairstyle I had before!

Friday, February 24, 2012

These are a Few of My Favorite Pins

Happy Friday friends! Here are some of the fun and pretty things I have found lately. Enjoy! I hope you are inspired!




I love all of the fresh and pretty colors. Just looking at these images is inspiring. And mouthwatering.



On the topic of color... I love orange!! This is a great image! I started a new pin board this week solely dedicated to color.



I made this for dinner this week and it was AMAZING and DELICIOUS! Oh baby if you like balsamic vinegar give it a try. Very easy and very tasty!



What a creative and "green" way to wrap a gift!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

DIY Hex Nut Bracelet- My Solution for a Clasp

I am sure you have seen the DIY hex nut bracelets all over Blogland. I think they are really cute so when Amber wanted to have another crafting afternoon and make some I was excited!

The original tutorial, as far as I can tell, come from this blog. It's been repeated all over the Internet, but I think we ought to give credit where credit is due. Amber showed me this picture of a hex nut bracelet made from gold hardware and strips of leather-like material worn with a gold watch. I fell in love and had to copy. If you head over to Pinterest to see the original, you'll see that I didn't do too bad.

What I couldn't figure out was how to make it wrap around my wrist, stay on, and not have a huge knot on the back. After a few minutes of experimenting, this is what I came up with.

I started by tying a large jump ring into the first knot. After completing the braiding, I kept the strips at the end of the bracelet really long and looped them through the original jump ring.

(This is another view of the same thing.) I put the bracelet on my wrist and pulled it tight to know how much extra tail I would have. I wrapped the tail around the wrist and measured how much of the tail I would need to save for it to go back around and hook into the jump ring.

On the end of the tail, I tied another knot with a jump ring in it, and attached a lobster clasp to the jump ring.

Now, I can slip on the bracelet, wrap it around my wrist again, then attach the clasp to the first jump ring and it won't fall off!

I love it! Amber also made some with silver hex nuts and red strips. So cute! I want to make one with silver and turquoise.

I hope those directions made sense. Let me know if you have questions! (aubreelarsen@gmail.com)

I'll be linking up to some of these parties!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

What I Wore


Wet Seal blouse, Old Navy Sweater, Maurices pants, Payless shoes

WHEN: Monday, February 13

WHERE: Work for wear red day.

GETTING CREATIVE: I didn't have anything long sleeved/warm for wear red day at school so I had to find a layer that would show the red but keep me warm. I haven't worn these shoes in so long so I incorporated them for the wear red theme. Oh would you look at that hair. It needs a good cut!

This is the only photo I got all week. I didn't get a pic of my V-day outfit because I only got to wear it for about 45 min. I was unloading grocery bags from my car that contained ice cream toppings for an upcoming student council fundraiser. I dropped one, and the can of whip cream exploded all over me and my car (just the outside!) and the car I was parked next to! Luckily it was a PE day so I changed into my workout clothes and tried to wash my pants (the red ones!!) in the home ec washing machine. That took longer than expected so by the time they were done it was time for my PE class. I did wear the same outfit the next day, but was unable to get a picture. Then I noticed that my freshly washed pants had some sort of greasy black stain on the knee. Sigh. That reminds me. Those pants are in the washer. I had better go check on them and see if the stain came out.

Friday, February 17, 2012

These are a Few of My Favorite Pins



I haven't done a lot of card making lately, but this one inspires me to get cracking!



I love the fun colors and shapes of this garland.




Closet door painted as a phone booth in a super hero room. Too cute!

Source: jcrew.com via Aubree on Pinterest



Pretty sure I posted similar pants in the last edition of this post. It's a sign that I must have some for this spring. I think this J Crew pair is a bit out of my price range but I will keep an eye out!



Four ideas on how to turn a closet into an office. I don't really have need of this now but pinned it just for future reference just in case.

Have a great weekend everyone! It's a long one for me! I hope you get to do something creative!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

One Cardigan, Ten Ways

Buttoned up and tucked in a skirt

Buttoned up with a favorite scarf

Belted over a printed blouse
Belted over stripes with a scarf and boots

Left open over a dress

With matching shoes

Under a vest


Over a sweater

One button done up over a maxi dress

Belted over a dress with a brooch


My favorite mustard cardigan was only $11.50 from Forever 21. I bought it at the beginning of last fall. It isn't the highest quality and won't last forever (I've already had my mom sew up a hole in the armpit) but I have worn it at least a dozen time which so far means it has cost less than $1 per wear and I am sure I will be able to wear it at least a dozen more times.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Origami Heart Valentines


Hi Friends! Just dropping in to share my last minute Valentines. While I planned on making cookies (red velvet mmmm....) for our parents and siblings for Valentine's Day, I didn't think I would be doing anything else. Then I saw this adorable video tutorial on how to make origami heart Valentine's. I shared it with my Facebook followers the other day, then decided to make a few myself for my friends at work. It only took a few minutes using my scraps of leftover Valentine scrapbook paper and stickers from past projects to make these. They are so cute! Just don't be too jealous of my mad night time last minute photography skills!





I hope you have a great Valentines day. It's going to be epic over here.

Jewelry Basics: Eye Pin Necklace

I haven't posted a Jewelry Basics tutorial in a long while because I didn't get much feed back on the last one... lame excuse I know, but here is the next tutorial. This time we are going to make a simple necklace using eye pins. (Click here to see my tips on tools and materials and to learn what eye pins are.)



Materials:
Beads
Eye pins
Round nose pliers
Bent or regular pliers
Chain
Clasp
Jump rings


The first thing to do is to arrange the beads the way you want them. I chose to do my beads in a sort of asymmetrical way... I am hoping that it looks Anthro inspired. (Don't mind that there are already pins in some of the beads...)

To begin assembling your necklace put whatever beads you want in one link on one eye pin (obviously I used 2 beads in the photo below, but just one beads on some of them.)

Using the round nose pliers, follow the steps I gave you in the last jewelry basics tutorial to make a loop on the end of the pin. Before closing it off, slip it onto the next eye pin.



Continue with the same process of linking together your eye pins until your necklace reaches the desired length.

Follow the directions from the last tutorial to attach your jump ring and chain (sorry I didn't show it again, I just thought that since I had taught it once, it would be okay for you to go back and look at the old instructions...).

All finished! It really is as simple as that. Now you can really start to get creative and combine the head pin technique with this eye pin technique to create some more great jewelry.

If you are interested in purchasing this necklace, it is for sale in my Etsy shop for $15 and free shipping along with my other one-of-a-kind necklaces I made for this series. (Shameless plug alert!)

Saturday, February 11, 2012

What I Wore


Old Navy shirt, St. John's Bay (JC Penny) skirt (old!!), Wet Seal jacket, Kohls necklace, Walmart tights, Forever Young boots, Payless bracelet

WHEN: Thursday, February 9

WHERE: Work

GETTING CREATIVE: What would really be creative would be if I would ever wear this skirt with color (but remember what a disaster that was?) so I keep sticking to black and gray. But it works and I like it.


Forever 21 cardigan and dress, Target scarf, local boutique belt, Madden Girl boots

WHEN: Wednesday, February 8

WHERE: Work

GETTING CREATIVE: I have really missed wearing this dress since summer has been over for soooo long now. But when I saw this outfit, followed by this outfit, I was inspired to make it work for winter.

Walmart blazer, Kohls shirt and pants, Target heels, Shade belt, Payless bracelets

WHEN: Tuesday, February 7

WHERE: Work and parent teacher conferences

GETTING CREATIVE: This photo was taken at 10 pm so it's not showing me at my best. Black on black can be hard to pull off but I really think I did a nice job. The pop of green was just what this outfit needed. I have had all of these pieces for a long time so it was fun to come up with this ensemble.

Target shirt, Kohls jacket, Gap skinnies, Payless boots, Forever 21 necklace

WHEN: Monday, February 6

WHERE: Work

GETTING CREATIVE: I got this purple shirt for Christmas. I have worn it about 5 times now and this is the first time I got a photo. I had already worn the exact shirt, pants, and boots combo so I added the jacket to mix it up. My grandma loved this outfit and she has great taste so I consider it a winner. Plus I feel like this is just exactly my style.

Walmart t-shirt, Old Navy jacket, Kohls skirt, Walmart tights, Madden Girl boots, Cold Water Creek necklace

WHEN: Sunday, February 5

WHERE: Church

GETTING CREATIVE: I have worn a similar outfit a billion times. There are so many ways to wear this skirt. While not my best outfit ever, not too shabby.

I really felt great about what I wore this week. I think I just might be figuring out what my style is (ironically enough I am returning to things I wore years ago before I discovered this crazy style blogging world) and I love it!
 

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