anatomy of a pin

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ah, pinterest, you addictive little darling. i started years ago, gathering wish lists, to-do's, tips and all the what-have-you's i came across online in one place. it was all innocent enough. but in the same way cheetos trick your brain into thinking you're not eating, pinterest makes you ravenous for more. i mean really, the people who started it are evil geniuses.

{photo credit Caroline Alexandra}

there are a lot of different pinterest philosophies. some friends i have will only pin things they actually have done, or intend to do. others, like me, pin things that i want to show my fantasy architect when i build my fantasy dream house. still others pin things that fall into the black abyss of never-to-be-seen-again-good-intentions.

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truth be told, serial pinning was what led me to start this blog. pinterest morphed for me from just a place to store my favorites, into a micro-blog of its own. as i look back through my boards, i can see my style evolve and be refined. i began to want to explore and catalog that in macro form.

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regardless of my personal style era, one thing has always held true of my pins; it has to be a space where i actually want to be. when a room catches my eye (hard to do in the >1 second it has to do it), i will pause and look at the picture closely and ask myself the question, "would i want to be in this room?" if the answer is yes, only then will i pin it.

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incidentally, speaking of "i will pin it," that is almost always true of the following: white kitchens, peonies, plank walls, anything black & white, and skinny ripped boyfriend jeans.

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oh, and if it has the words "chocolate," "salted" or "caramel" in any order, i will pin it.

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sorry, i got sidetracked. where was i? oh yes, why i pin a space. some spaces are ancient and breathtaking with crumbling patina that is truly marvelous. but can i imagine myself really cooking in a kitchen filled with peeling paint and 1-inch gaps between wood planks? no.

other spaces are ultra-light, bright, modern and sooo appealing visually. but upon closer inspection the sofa looks about as comfortable as a log and the glaring light fixtures feel like giant scary spaceships.

so it has to be liveable. and comfy. with great light.

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nowadays, i basically think of laura irion on pinterest as my alter-ego. or my super rich, skinny, stylish, jet-setting twin sister. on this blog i am who i really am. on instagram, there is for sure no hiding; what's there is all i got (though i do hope to get better)! but on pinterest i get to be someone who has an unlimited budget, and for that reason alone it's the best reflection of my uninhibited style and taste. if that makes sense.

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the things i'm currently pinning are all inspiring and beautiful, and though they might be out of reach for the "real" laura, they're a wonderfully addicting escape. join me there, won't you?