By

How to Use Pinterest to Find Vintage Items or DIY Craft Ideas

Basic Questions about Pinterest

What is Pinterest ?

It’s a massive online virtual bulletin board to bookmark images you love from around the web. In Pinterest terms, these bookmarks or images are called “pins” very similar to the items you might pin on a physical bulletin board.  Your “pins” are visible to other Pinterest users and you can see the boards of others as well, unless of course you use their new “secret boards”  available for your own private use and viewing.

How does Pinterest work?

Here’s the basics: (1) Surf the internet. (2) See an image/video you like of some DIY craft ideas that you are interested in using. (3) “Pin” that image/video to one of your Pinterest boards ( i.e. Wedding Plans, Dream Vacation, DIY Craft Ideas, are basic board names but your boards can be named whatever you want) to keep track of your pin and to share it with others.

How do I get on Pinterest?

Go to the main page on Pinterest.com  You can request an invite by clicking the red button, or, you can ask someone that is already on Pinterest for an invite.

Add the “Pin It” Button to your bookmarks bar.

Go to the goodies page on Pinterest and drag the button into your bookmarks bar (it’s right at the top of the page in the blue box).  The automatic install should be easy.  This will download a little but powerful applet (called the pinmarklet) that will reside in your browser’s bar.  Once it’s installed, whenever you come across something great to pin, simply click the “Pin It” button in your bookmarks bar and you will be redirected to a small Pinterest applet that will allow you to pin to any of your boards. (See the image below for a sample)

 

Pinterest Netiquette or What Makes A Good Pin?

Use relevant keywords in your descriptions.

Once you get familiar with Pinterest, you will notice that a lot of pinners often leave their positive expressions or opinions of their pin ( for example, things like “So Great!, I’m loving this! This is so cute! and other exclamations on their pins).  However, your pin will more likely be found if you remember to provide keyword-rich descriptions.

Many pinners are using the  hashtag “#”symbol, similar to what is used on Twitter in order to make their pins easily searchable .  However, keep in mind some pinners are overusing these keywords.  I would recommend that you do not use too many keywords, just make sure you use the broadest or most specific keywords that would make your pin easy to find and relevant to your readers.  To find vintage items, use one or more keywords such as #vintage, #antique, #collectibles, #repurpose, #diy .

Write your own summary description.

Don’t copy and paste all the blog post’s content, the whole recipe or all the instructions from the original post directly into your pin. (There is a 500 character limit on the description)  Not only does it clutter the images with unnecessary text it’s not good Pinterest netiquette.  Plus, blog posts are copyrighted so pasting them in their entirety violates copyright infringement laws.

 

Pin from the individual post, not the home page.

When you decide to pin an image, make sure that you are pinning from the actual, individual post, and not from the home page. (To get to the individual post, click on the blog post’s title. If you can see a comments section at the bottom, it’s a clear indication that you’re on the individual post.)

This helps you direct those looking at the pin you have posted to go to the actual instructions or content of the page and not send you off into no man’s land.    You will find that there’s nothing more frustrating than clicking through a pin, only to realize the post with the original image (and related content)  is not available any longer.

 

Select the most visually interesting image from the individual post.  Pinterest is a visually oriented website and you will find that the most attractive and well laid out photos usually get the most repins and likes.  It seems that more and more, website owners and bloggers are taking Pinterest into account, enough to include images in their blog posts that would be popular for Pinterest users and “pinners”.

Don’t just be a repinner.

When you first start using Pinterest, you will probably be repinning pins that others have posted or pinned.  As you search on the web, always be on the lookout for new and original pins. If you are on Pinterest often, you will likely recognize frequent repins so original and fresh content is always welcome.  However, these boards are for your use, so don’t feel quilty if you are repinning something of specific interest to you or new to you.

Make sure you play by the rules and posted guidelines.

In case you get stumped, you can always refer to Pinterest’s netiquette rules.  Know and understand the friendly guidelines Pinterest has put in place for its site.  In order to enhance their user’s web experience, (and keep you coming back of course) Pinterest discourages spamming and other unwanted practices on their website.

Organizing Your Pinterest Boards and Pins

Organize your boards well. As in many things in life it pays to be organized, the more relevant and organized your boards are the more likely you and your followers will be likely to find your pins. Unclear board titles aren’t so helpful either.

Pinterest allows you to write a short description for your board.  I would suggest you stick to accurate and helpful keywords in your description specific to what you’re pinning.

Take the extra time to see if a pin is a good one. Have you ever clicked through a pin only to discover that it leads nowhere or to unrelated content? So, before you repin, make sure you check the related pin first. It might take a little bit longer but it will help you and your followers to connect with relevant information.

Just a tip, when I find a pin that has all the info in the image I need but no corresponding content, I make a note of it in my summary description. It will serve as a reminder to me and others in the future, when I go back to that particular pin in the future.

Follow individual boards for a topic you are interested in. One of the nice things about Pinterest is that you can follow a person’s individual boards. You don’t have to follow a person and therefore, all of their boards (although you can do that too if all of their boards are of interest to you).

To subscribe to individual boards, simply click on the name of any Pinterest user and you’ll see all their boards.  If you follow the person, you’ll follow all their boards.  Otherwise, just pick and choose the boards you want.

Automatically include text from the original site in your pin description. If you’re on a site and you want to pin something, you can highlight a portion of text before clicking the “Pin It” bookmarklet. The text you highlight will automatically include this text in your description.

I like to add quotation marks when I quote directly and I suggest that you include a tiny snippet of text or phrase. You always want people to be directed back to the original site for the main content. I include my comments or notes in brackets; however, that is not general practice.

Extra Tips for Pinterest Users

Tag people in pins.

Simply add the “@” sign to your descriptions to tag someone so they know you were referring to them.

Add a price tag to a pin.

You can do this easily by adding a “$” or a “£” in your description. This works well, let’s say, if you are pinning from an Etsy shop or other online marketplaces.

Download Pinterest apps for your Iphone or Android device for pins on the go.

There are apps available for your smartphone or iphone so that you can pin to your boards when you are on the go.  Find them on the Pinterest goodies page.

Most of all have fun pinning!  And just one more tip, make sure you keep track of your time,you will find that it will pass quickly.

 

By

Distinguishing Between Terms for Different Collecting Eras

Vintage Typewriter

Q.  I’m confused what is the difference between the word “retro”, “vintage” and “antique” ?  Vintage resellers on Ebay and other online shops seem to intermix these terms  all the time.

A.  You’re right, I have experienced this myself when searching at online shops or in antique malls; however, based on my research the terms for collecting eras or time periods  are loosely defined as follows and these definitions usually refer to clothing styles:

Retro – Anything 30 years and younger

(Example:  Since its 2011, that would put us around 1981 when guys were wearing Ocean Pacific corduroy shorts and Ocean Pacific shirts , or designer jeans and Members Only jackets or Rock Concert T-shirts and jeans.  Girls wore peasant blouses, Jordache designer jeans, platform or wedge high heeled sandals and yes, Farrah Fawcett hairstyles!  The television show “That 70s Show” is a great example of this era.  These are only a few examples, if you went to high school around that time you can remember more than the above mentioned styles as your classmates, depending on what clique they belonged to, wore different popular styles.  Ask your mother, or other fashion conscious female relative about fashions worn back then, if you are not old enough to remember this era yourself.)

Vintage – Over 30 years but not sufficiently old enough to qualify as an “antique”

Here we are most likely referring to clothes worn in the 60s, 50s, 40s, 30s and 20s.  As you can see this is a wide range of fashion styles, you can go from a 60s leather miniskirt, a 50s cashmere twin sweater set with a poodle skirt,  a 40s day suit, and a 20s flapper dress and they would all fall under the term “vintage”.   Please be aware that all of these examples are the tip of the iceberg as representative of each decade’s clothing.  Then as now, there is a huge variety of styles within each decade or fashion era. I think the TV shows Pan AM and Mad Men are representative of the 50s  and 60s era.  You would have to watch William Powell’s The Thin Man Series of Movies to get a feel for clothing and styles popular during the 20s and 30s.

Antique – 100 years old and beyond

(These are clothes that were worn over 100 years ago, usually you are talking about the Edwardian period, around the turn of the 20th century, where women wore floor length skirts, long-sleeved Victorian style blouses and their hair in a bouffant.  The term “Antique” also includes anything pre-1900, clothing worn during the Civil War (1860-1863) for example, this clothing is usually of museum quality as few pieces have survived this era and are collected more for the clothing’s value rather than to be worn as everyday wear.)

While I know there will be those that will argue that the above terms are not exactly correct, this was meant to give you a general idea to help you when shopping for vintage items online and in resale boutiques, or  antique malls.  It’s a good idea to invest in a reference book that gives you a general idea of the various eras  of the past, preferably by each decade, so that you can determine the item you are looking at by the style and which era it fits into. But, please realize this general rule applies only if the item is an original and not a reproduction.   Another research method, and one I enjoy using, is to watch the Turner Classics and American Movie Classics movie channels, where time spent watching a few of these movies will give you a glimpse into fashions and accessories worn in the past and entertain you as well!  If you love vintage and retro shopping, these activities will be a great source of fun as well as design & style  knowledge!   .

P.S. One thing that I must mention is that the above terms refer to fashion eras  in the United States and possibly the UK, our European friends would laugh at our definition of “antique” as they have collectibles  and clothing that go back hundreds (if not thousands) of years!

*Did you know that Levi’s jeans are the only item of clothing that is still worn by the general population for over 100 years?

By

A Quick Story on How Rhinestones Got Their Name

rhinestone-jewelry

If you collect vintage rhinestone jewelry, you are already aware of the brilliant and sparkling qualities of rhinestones but you might not be aware of their illustrious history.

Rhinestones were made of a leaded glass usually backed with a metallic foil of either gold or silver to bounce the light off the glass for added sparkle. The term rhinestone came from the Rhine River in Austria, back in the 1800s, when the river was filled with quartz pebbles in brilliant colors.   Rhinestones were made to imitate the brilliant colors in the quartz pebbles.  Although faux gemstones, or jewelry made with them, were initially looked down upon by the upper classes, this attitude changed when the higher quality standards in rhinestone production soon made beautiful jewelry an affordable investment for the masses and the rich gentry as well.

Snowflake-rhinestone-pin

Since the 13th and 14th centuries, glass was manufactured from two major regions, Czechoslovakia and Bohemia.  Initially glass was manufactured for functional objects like perfume bottles, vanity items, and other uses.  By 1918, the Czechoslavakian industry improved manufacturing methods and began to design and incorporate rhinestones into jewelry designs.

snowflake-rhinestone-pin2

But most notable of all was an invention in 1891 by Daniel Swarovski, who revolutionized the jewelry industry when he created a machine that could mechanically cut faceted glass. His invention replaced the industry’s practice of finishing the stones by hand.  In addition, he increased the amount of lead content in the glass to 32% which produced rhinestones of exceptional brilliance. He also developed a process that would vacuum plate the rhinestones with silver or gold foil reducing the need for this work to be done by hand.  Swarovski’s unrivaled improvements in the quality of his rhinestones and the streamlining of his company’s manufacturing processes skyrocketed the demand for Swarovski rhinestones.  He soon became the major supplier for over 85% of the American jewelry companies.

Still in production today, many of the vintage rhinestone jewelry pieces currently sought after by collectors sparkle with the brilliance of Swarovski rhinestones.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Image credit: Flickr – Sherry’s Rose Cottage