Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Can You Smell That Smell?

Yup, the faint smell of bacon, spray paint, and sweat can only mean one thing… it’s Pinterest Challenge time (not sponsored by Pinterest or anyone else, just dreamed up by Katie Bower to make us stop pinning and start doing). So let’s do this thing, people. Let’s do it together. In bikinis (let’s be honest, bikinis haven’t been an option for me since having Clara).

It all started last June when Katie called me to say that she thought we should challenge ourselves to make one thing each season that’s inspired by all the gorgeous stuff that we’ve pinned (and call it… wait for it… The Pinterest Challenge). It’s a welcome slap of stop-pinning-and-start-doing. Because I’ve pinned over a thousand things and have only done about 1% of them. Yikes. And we ended up having such a great time with our first Pinterest Challenge last summer, and our second one in the fall, that we’re psyched to be back with the belated-but-not-forgotten winter edition (hey, it’s technically winter for a few more weeks, right?). So put on those sweat bands and let’s get this DIY party started!

Pinterest Challenge Banner

The only rule is to do your own personal take on something inspirational that you’ve pinned (and link back to the original creator of the project that inspired you, be it a company like Anthropologie or a personal blog that got your wheels a turning). The project can be anything: big or small, decor or sewing or cooking related – or beyond! The first time around John and I made a clothespin light fixture for the laundry room (aka: big), and last time I tackled 38 homemade holiday ornaments (aka: small).

And this time, believe it or not, I thought I’d seize the opportunity to attempt a truce with my arch nemesis sewing machine (more on our “it’s complicated” relationship here) and try my hand at a homemade beanbag for the bean’s closet (which I mentioned here over seven months ago – so it’s about stitchin’ time). I’ve already pinned a ton of ideas, but I’m not sure which shape/fabric I’ll end up going with (here’s hoping my riff isn’t a lumpy misshapen mess) – but I’ll be back with all of the deets when I (fingers crossed) complete the challenge by next week.

Oh and you’re probably wondering who else is playing along with me and Katie Bower (aka: The Esteemed Bacon-Eating Pinterest Challenge Founder – who is actually nominated for an Apartment Therapy Homie in not one but two categories this year, woot!). Well, we thought it would be fun to ask different folks to “guest host” with us each time, so we’re thrilled to have:

Pinterest Faces Banner

So here’s the part where I extend my arm with a crooked smile and a true fear of sewing in my eyes and humbly invite you to join in on the fun by doing your own spin on something you pin! We figured we’d give everyone (and ourselves) the weekend to work on stuff and reconvene next Wednesday morning (the 14th) to share our projects. We’re hoping this’ll turn into the same über fun share-fest that we soaked up this summer and fall (check out all the amazing linked-up projects here and here). So just drop in next Wednesday to see what we’ve done – and to submit links to stuff that you’ve completed so we can all check it out. Maybe we’ll even pin a few things. And so the vicious cycle continues…

Psst- One more time, for the people in the back: regardless of the fact that I say Pinterest ten million times (well, not literally…) this wasn’t paid or perked by them or anyone else. We’re just eye-candy obsessed gals who love a good pin-fest. Sometimes while watching a certain lovable serial killer or a show about the zombie apocalypse.

Comments

  2. heather says

    Those. Photos. Laughing. Ahhhhgg.

    The last one made me choke on my water, I was so not expecting to see a man-boob topless photo of Katie. I just about snorted water out my nose. You guys are so my virtual friends.

    Reply

  3. Jessica @ The Desert Abode says

    Exciting!!!

    You guys are too funny!

    We’ve been working hard on furnishing our new abode and now we’re ready to tend to the details. Time for a small project to personalize the space!

    Plus, it’s a fun break from food blogging. :)

    Reply

  5. cassie {hi sugarplum} says

    Whoop! So excited!! And as a thank you gift for including me, I think I’m going to hook you and Katie up with some laser hair removal! ;) I can practically hear you both cackling over these pictures last night!

    Reply

  6. Katie says

    Ooh! Sounds like fun! I’m in as long as I don’t have to compete in any Survivor-style immunity challenge! I’ll crumble under the pressure haha! ;)

    Reply

  7. Meg says

    I’ve been super busy doing things I pin! I think I cook something I found on pinterest once a week. But I have a good one to link up next week! Can’t wait to see all of the others.

    Reply

  10. Donna Stack says

    Hello!
    Love the Survivor pics, you guys are hysterical!
    An idea for the beanbag- if Clara has a bunch if stuffed animals, an “empty” beanbag, with a zipper is a great storage solution! My mom made one for each of my girls and they are awesome! We don’t have a million animals throughout the house, animals don’t get dusty, comfy seat and the animals are still super accessible! Let me know if you want me to send a pic!
    Have fun!

    Reply

    • Penny says

      Aww that is brilliant!! My 7-yr-old loves to squish all his stuffed animals in his sleeping bag and drag it around, so this sounds like something he would have fun with. Thanks for the great idea!

  11. Susan says

    Blair at the Wise Craft blog made a bean bag a few years ago. I think she had a fairly detailed explanation about it. Plus her blog is really fun.

    Reply

  12. diana says

    Oh, Sherry, you scare me… I have this “narrow entry way” board, I’ve started to make parts of my projects, and just this morning (lunch break) I found in the “as-is” section at Ikea everything I need to complete my plan. I’m scared, scared, scared, but then, what’s to lose? I’m in.

    Reply

  14. Amy Endler says

    Yay! I’ve been wanting to make a beanbag for a reading nook. Glad you will attempt first and I will reap the benefits! :)

    Reply

  15. Larissa says

    Great photos! I was already planning to send you a little note saying that I was looking at some early posts and your photography skills (and equipment) have improved SO MUCH! And then you post those babies. Hilarious!

    Reply

  17. Christine says

    So funny! This is off topic for this post but I have fallen in love with the newest Pullman bathroom light fixture for Shades of Light but it’s a little pricier than I planned but I can’t find a similar one like it and wanted to order it and give y’all credit, but the coupon code you have expired March 1st. Will y’all have a new coupon code for Shades of Light for March?? I wanted to wait and see before ordering. Thanks!!! Glad y’all are back! I missed my morning dose of YHL but I’m so glad you had a great vacation. You sure deserved it!

    Reply

  18. Christy says

    Ha! I actually recently started a Pinterest/Dude Get On That Already hybrid challenge! After 2 and half years of loathing my upstairs bathroom (think, everything that was trendy when Carol Brady was the last word in decorating), I decided it was time for less sighing and more doing (should be Home Depot’s new motto). I turned to my pins and am about half way through. Can’t wait for the finished project!

    Reply

  19. Michele says

    I’m so dumb, I actually thought for a minute or two that those were your real bodies! My first thought was “Those gals are brave!” My second thought was “They look pretty hot considering they both have little ones!” I mean, good grief, I don’t sit on the couch all day reading blogs just so I can feel guilty because my Y membership is gathering dust…

    Can’t wait to see the beanbag, especially since I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to tackle ol’ Brother myself (just what every girl dreams of for Christmas, right?)

    Reply

  20. Amber Wallace says

    I’m so excited! And it’s perfect timing for me too. I took the plunge and made myself take a 30 project challenge in 6 weeks. This can be one of them! I love this challenge and all the goodies it produces. Cannot wait to see yours!

    Reply

  23. Melisa says

    I am so excited for this one!! I’ve pinned no. 3 as well! And I’ve only sewn very simple things. So I am really excited to see how this turns out and then maybe finally try it myself. Good Luck!!

    Reply

  24. Trish says

    Hey guys,

    I’ll always appreciate you for turning me on to Pinterest. I’m not always up for the challenge (I take decorating baby steps in my own slow time), but I love when you do it.

    Thought you might like to know, you can add a Pinterest button to your posts (much like Facebook and Twitter, etc.) so your readers can instantly pin posts they like. Just go to your Pinterest page and under the “About” header you’ll find a “Pin It Button.” Go crazy!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think we have one if you’re in the post (if you click in it’s right above the comment area! That way it links to the specific post instead of just to our main blog without the tutorial/details close at hand!

      xo,
      s

    • Heather S. says

      I always wondered why you didn’t have it in your posts either. You have the +1 and the Like button but not the Pinterest button. (yes, I’m in the actual post – obviously since I’m leaving a comment – ha!).

      Now I need to figure out what to make…

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Wierd, you guys are right! We just checked and it’s gone! The code must have changed/stopped working! Will try to get it back up there asap!

      xo,
      s

  27. KC says

    Oooohhhh Sherry, I can’t wait for this!! I’ve been wanting beanbags for my girls for the past few months. I’ve thoroughly searched stores, only to be very disappointed in the price and quality. This may just inspire me to do one (two) myself. Good luck!!!

    Reply

  28. Colleen says

    I have the pattern for beanbag chair #3! I made the inside part of the chair months and months ago. I am a sewing novice and I didn’t think it was hard at all – the directions are SO straightforward, with lots of pictures to guide you through. I never did make the cover, though. Maybe my challenge will be to finally finish it…

    Reply

  29. Sheena says

    I cant wait to share my (I know it’s SO last month) Valentines Crafts my daughter and I worked on! Ideas were from Pinterest! Great Idea for the Challenge Sherry! By the way, one of my Aunts shares your name! ;)

    Reply

  30. Melanie says

    I love the poofs. I have made 3 bean bags from the pattern on the following link. I am a novice seamstress, but they have all turned out so beautiful and my kids love them. They love that there is a handle so they can pick it up and move it where they want to sit. Instead of filling it with batting as the tutorial suggests, I bought a bag of bean bag filler at Walmart. One bag has filled all three poofs.
    Here’s a link to the tutorial (not my tutorial, but this is the one that I used)
    http://www.livingwithpunks.com/2010/05/tutorial-land-of-nod-inspired-floor.html

    Reply

  31. Natasha says

    I love the pinterest challenge idea and your blog! I discovered your blog about a month ago and now my husband hears of new things i want to do in our house on a daily basis :) I also love what you are going to be making. I am going to venture into a recipe I found on pinterest for dinner tonight. Let’s hope my little tweaks make it something my husband and I will both love!

    Reply

  35. Netty says

    I would totally recommend Dana from Made’s pattern that you have pinned up there…. the Rollie Pollie…. I haven’t used that one but I’ve used others and her patterns are really easy to follow–especially for beginners. :) Have fun!!

    Reply

  36. brooke says

    Oh man! those are some super funny pics this morning! I needed agood laugh!Thanks for the inspiration to start doing those pins!
    Brooke onprairiehill.blogspot.com

    Reply

  41. Leah E-H says

    Okay, that Survivor montage was awesome. Awesome I tell you!

    I think the Pinterest challenges are such a good idea. I pin so much but rarely do anything with them. And those bean bag chairs are beeyootiful! Fun!

    Reply

  42. Kcie says

    I did this with myself not too long ago. I was pinning all of these fantastic ideas but doing nothing with them. So I decided for Our yearly sea food and wine party that we were going to put our own spin on the chalk board stem wine glasses we saw and loved on pinterest. If you would like to see pictures go to kikibranbran.blogspot.com. Also, my fiancee is currently making me a palate board patio table that was of course inspired by pinterest.

    Reply

  43. Megan B says

    This is great! I’ve been trying to turn to my pins when menu planning or looking for a fun project to do with my son. That way, we actually do something with the pins. It’s worked out great. I have a few ideas for this challenge–can’t wait!

    As far as the legalities of using Pinterest, I’ve found that most sites that I pin from have pinterest buttons on their site already. I take that to mean that it’s just fine to pin something to my board.
    However, I am a child/newborn photographer and I don’t really want people to pin pictures from my portfolio. I don’t want my clients’ kids all over pinterest without their knowledge/consent. I’m planning on making my site ‘unpinnable’ for that reason.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Smart! It’s a great tip to block your own photos if you don’t want them pinned and to pin using the buttons on folks’ sites since it indicates that they’re down with it!

      xo,
      s

  44. sarah says

    i am currently making the rollie pollie as well!! so much fun. just need to find that darn cluster stuff that she recommends. looking like it is going to be purchased online no matter how hard i try to find it locally. good luck!

    Reply

  46. Heather Hawkins says

    Here’s hoping I can get hubby to help me hang up a mirror in the bathroom so I can cut some trim and frame it. That is my weekend goal.

    If you haven’t decided what pattern to use for the bean bag I highly recommend the Rollie Pollie. It’s super easy to make. I whipped up the insert in one nap and the slipcover in another. My daughter (almost 2 loves it) and so does the dog!

    Reply

  47. Emily says

    You guys are hilarious!!! I have to say about half of the recipes I’ve made from pinterest are amazing and the other half are disgusting. Who thought my pinning tastes were so polarized?! Anyway, Dana from MADE has a great rollie pollie pattern: http://www.danamadeit.com/rollie-pollie I haven’t bought this particular pattern (there’s no way one of those will fit in our house right now) but all of the other patterns and tutorials that I’ve used from her blog are excellent (and I’ve done at least five or six). :)

    Reply

  49. Nancy says

    Whuck?!! You can make your own beanbags????!!! Must we sew them? I wonder if hot glue would last….sigh. You may have a complicated relationship your machine, but my machine and I have divorced…it now lives at my daughter’s house. Well, off to be sucked into Pinterest for a few min…ok, hours.

    Reply

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