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Upgrade your DIY projects with Pinterest

The name says it all.
Pinterest is a social media website where many entrepreneurs create opportunities for anyone who wants to be creative, economically friendly or needs a quick tip for an everyday life question.
Pinterest is free for people from all walks of life — teachers, industrialists, students, innovators — who want to be creative for parties, traveling, cooking, working out, organizing ideas and more. The website includes folders with various categories from health to beauty to photography.
FGCU students use Pinterest for a variety of reasons. Some browse around, bumping into good ideas every now and then, while others have specific goals and ideas they are looking for.
Pinterest users can “pin” specific categories that link to various creative ideas within that category. One could follow and like that certain category and pin it to a board they create. Each board can have a title and be organized into a specific category. For example, if the category is party ideas, then anything associated to parties could be pinned onto that board. Users can come up with any name wanted for their boards. This is a great way for someone to think outside of the box, set goals for future dreams and create ideas for everyday use.
“People can even order from Pinterest, which sends a link to the business website,” said Taylor Gilhauley, a sophomore at FGCU studying elementary education.  Gilhauley said she started using Pinterest when her early childhood high school teacher, Dawn Vazquez, got lesson plan ideas from Pinterest that were an easy and creative way that helped her teacher organize and plan out the classroom schedule.
“I get really creative when it comes to Pinterest, and I use it for about everything,” Gilhauley said. “One of the many boards I have is called Project Preschool, where I get to pin everything and anything that includes elementary ideas for when I become an elementary school teacher. Some ideas include elementary craft, sensory play, literacy activities and crafts. Pin has really been a life savior.
Sophomore Alexia Bonis, a nursing major, said that Pinterest is really a college student’s best friend when it comes to organizing things.
“My mom got really great dorm ideas from Pinterest when I was a freshman last year,” Bonis said. “One being a multi-storage tower that spins and includes four sections: a corkboard where I can set photos and information on, a full size mirror, full length shelves for extra storage and a white board to write important dates and reminders. All great for spacing and storage.”
Bonis also used Pinterest to help her with a photography project that was for her AP studio art class in high school.
“I wasn’t sure what my focus should have been until I went on Pinterest and searched photography ideas,” Bonis said. “Once I saw water droplets, I knew that was going to be my focus.  It really helped me incorporate ideas into my project.”
“If I were to use Pinterest I would most definitely pin health and fitness ideas, and recipe ideas,” said PJ Billie, a sophomore financial business major who has never used Pinterest.
Pinterest gives everyone a chance to use his or her creative and artistic side. Ashley Silvia, a freshman communication major, never really used Pinterest until she was going to college.
“I started to really explore the many different ways you can organize in a confined space like a dorm,” Silvia said. “Pinterest opened my eyes to new recipe ideas for college. I also got great collage ideas and home décor ideas. One I made specifically included a rectangle glass vase with beach sand inside and sea shells all picked from the beach, and to top it off, I inserted colorful and vibrant fake flowers to make my dorm all cozy and like home.”
Be your own innovator and start using Pinterest today. It’s free and easy to find ideas whether you want to organize your closet, or surprise your parents with a delicious dinner.
Bonis’ advice for first-time Pinterest users: “Make sure you use really specific key words when searching for ideas because if you are not specific then you’ll end up scrolling for hours. Unless you are trying to kill time, Pinterest is great for that. Also it’s better to make folders rather than having everything scattered in one big page.”

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