Pinterest Takes Off in Brighton

Lately, Pinterest seems to be taking the world by storm - and Brighton is no exception.

Pinterest is a new social media tool that connects people through their interests. A user must be invited onto the site by an account holder. Then, he or she can create interest boards and pin things from around the internet to each interest or category.

Brighton Patch reader Nikki Walsh posted a craft idea just before Easter, of a way to dye eggs using old ties and vinegar. She got the idea from Pinterest.

"I like that there's variety and that I can find ideas that are simple, that I'd never be able to think of," she said about the website.

Walsh said she first heard about the site from a friend, who got her "hooked." She now has about 10 different boards and spends a couple hours every other day or so pinning mostly do-it-yourself craft ideas.

Brighton High School Web Design and Social Media Teacher Michelle Costa uses it both personally and professionally.

"I pin a lot of non-school, non-teacher things for my thoughts and food because I make a lot of food. I created a blog and I pin my own food that I make. But I have a couple of boards that are school related: info graphics, Photoshop images and tutorials and typography so I can go back to them. I plan on doing a lot more with all of this next year with the ."

Costa said she has been having her students create accounts and try out pinning for themselves.

"It's just one of the social media items that are out there," Costa said. "And it's really big right now - it's really cool. But things are going morph, things are going to change. There will be different Pinterest type things to get addicted to. It went to MySpace - I was never involved in that - to Facebook to now Pinterest is overpopulating Facebook now it seems like. It's a nice thing just to get ideas without having to go all over the web to find things."

Sandi Denhof commented on Brighton Patch's Facebook page, saying she uses Pinterest to constantly organize everything.

"I have 30 boards and 1600 pins, I'm a little addicted," Denhof said. "I have tried many recipes and done tons of crafts and things for my house. I made a six foot antiqued mirror from a tutorial I found on there and it turned out fantastic."

Are you on Pinterest? Follow us at www.pinterest.com/brightonpatch.