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Organizing My Decorating Ideas With #CanonPIXMA

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Canon PIXMA, but all opinions expressed are 100% my own.

canon pixma logo

I have a confession that you might find hard to believe, but here goes. I don’t find Pinterest to be helpful to me at all. I find myself going on pinning sprees, and then forgetting about it for a month or so, and then going on another pinning spree. But the problem is that I never, EVER refer back to the things that I’ve pinned. (Remember me mentioning that a while back?)

I do a little better with images and inspiration that I save directly to my computer. I actually refer back to those quite often, but the problem is that I can only scroll through the pictures one at a time. I can’t group them, look at several at a time, etc.

The fact is that I just do much better with an old-school bulletin board (just like I do much better with an actual paper and pen schedule, rather than a fancy online calendar).

So I decided to get organized, with a real, actual bulletin board, with real, tangible paper, where I can group ideas and see them all at a glance.

I’ve had two 24 x 36-inch chalkboards in storage ever since I moved my Kristi Linauer Interiors office several years ago. See them there on the right wall?

I removed the frame on one of them. The color was nice, and went great in my office back then, but it’s just not right for my house now.

home decorating pin board 1

So I gave it a coat of spray paint…

home decorating pin board 2

And then toned down the color with some Rust-Oleum wood stain in a new color called Weathered Gray.  (The paint color isn’t quite what I was hoping for.  I’ll probably repaint it as soon as I know how I want to decorate my office.)

home decorating pin board 3

Finally, I added a strip of ribbon down the middle (since I’ve decided to concentrate on two rooms in my home at a time), and I added some boxes at the bottom for items that can’t be tacked to the bulletin board, like small tile samples or countertop samples.

home decorating pin board 4

And then the fun began. First, I printed out labels for each side, and then I started going through all of my hundreds of inspiration pics, which was really fun. Collecting all of those pictures is quite a bit easier than actually sorting through them, finding ideas that I really want to use, and putting those pictures to use. It was also a prime opportunity to get organized and delete loads of pics that I no longer needed. Even with all of my narrowing down, editing, and careful selecting, I still had quite a stack of pics…

home decorating pin board 4a

As I was cutting them out and making notes, I was able to narrow them down even further. Now I feel like I have a system that actually suits me, and since it’s right on my office wall where I’ll see it ever day, I’ll actually get use out of it.

home decorating pin board

I still need to sort through all of my inspiration pics for my bedroom, but the living room side is looking pretty darn inspiring (to me)!

home decorating pin board 5

Do you use an old school bulletin board for your inspiration ideas?  Perhaps you keep everything in a notebook?  Or are you one of those people who actually go back and use things you pin onto Pinterest? I’m just an old school bulletin board kind of person, because for me, if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.


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21 Comments

  1. LOL…I do the same thing with Pinterest! I go in spurts!!! Yes I agree the bulletin board is an excellent idea.
    I use a notebook for my garden ideas.

  2. I do the same with Pinterest either every day or once a year! I have a small journal (grandkids call it Granny’s Handy Dandy Notebook) and that goes with me everywhere. In my home den I have 4 bulletin boards – one is for photos and cards and one is for ideas or projects, one is for upcoming events and appointments – I know I have a calendar on the laptop but I love the visual calendar with my handwriting that hangs right in front of my face so I definitely won’t miss a important date! That cute guy I married and I did a huge master bedroom and bath and when I carried the three ring binder I’d made with my ideas, hubby and the boys at the hardware, Home Depot etc sat up and noticed. Hubby said, “She knows what we want!” So I am going to use your ideas to “pimp” up my notice boards. I truly believe it you put it out there you will eventually get it done. I am a new fan but I will be back dear girl. Cheers and Merry Christmas from me on the west coast of Canada to you and your family.

  3. I am working on my workroom and I am putting up bulletin boards. The computer and Pinterest are nice but I save and never go back through them again. Great idea of reusing the chalkboards.

  4. Me too, I love Pinterest, but rarely look at my posts. I like paper catalogs, and pictures, as I need to see things often to retain the information and be able to just take a quick look when making color decisions, etc. I find the ‘item in hand’ much better as a reference always. I am organizing my ‘mom cave’ and realized I have a nice pin up bulletin board with a fab frame and I haven’t been using it. Thanks for additional inspiration, I am going to hang that baby up soon;)

  5. I’m definitely old school. I love my diary and I use an art folder for decorating. I do use pinterest for ideas, but I need printed things in my hand.

  6. I don’t do Pinterest (yet), but have clipped ideas out of magazines & put in notebooks and saved images from the internet for many years. I’m not sure why, it’s rare that I go back through those notebooks or images. Even so, I can’t let go of the notebooks or files yet. I’d gain a bunch of shelf & disk space if I did!

  7. I use a notebook system and find it works better for me! I finished a wooden shim mini Christmas tree and hex bolt ornaments that have been waiting in my notebook for about a year. : ) Your bulletin board system looks great and I’m sure the inspiration photos will give you more ideas for your redo.

    Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy 2014 to you and your whole family!

  8. I love Pinterest for ideas, but I rarely refer back either! So I have an 8×10-ish spiral bound hard cover journal that I paste pics into and make notes on any “tweaks” I would like. So far it has helped me stay on track (as much as that is possible lol) and organized! Merry Christmas to you both!

  9. I love pinterest, and actually plan to do several of the great ideas – someday. OK, I need visuals also, so I cut out stuff. I used to use my Palm Treo for a calendar and cutting and pasting stuff in the notes, and I loved it! But they have gone the way of all the electronic devices that I finally learned how to use. I have a bulletin board for the things I actually do.
    Merry Christmas, Kristi!

  10. I agree with you 100%. I have so many pins that I would have to live at least 100 years to refer to them and then I’m not sure I would complete the task. I totally agree that if it is out of sight it is out of mind. Thanks for sharing.

    Merry Christmas

  11. I used to have a huge bulletin board above my desk in my office for things like that. Never as organised as yours though! Now I have a notebook and have things divided by room and project. I make notes, design things, cross things off when they’re done or I change my mind. It works for me. 🙂

  12. So glad to find there are others like me who keep their ideas via the old school method. I like being able to be taken to the website for the tutorials, etc. if you pin something, but I much prefer hard copy “mood boards” – seems to keep me on task better.

    All my best wishes for a happy and healthy 2014. Excited to follow along in your adventures of Kristifying the new house!

  13. Kristi, keep up the great work and ideas! Your projects are an inspiration! I love reading your blog to see what you have done now! and I mean that in the most positive way. Thank you! I love this bulletin board project and your Roman shades are awesome.

  14. Kristi,
    Merry Christmas! I couldn’t resist stopping in to see what you’re up to. I grinned at your bulletin board because I’m the same way–I need notebooks and bulletin boards that I can touch and review at a glance. I tried a digital planner several years shop, but found myself using a notebook as a backup. I consider myself pretty savvy when it comes to technology, but I still prefer the simplest way of organizing important info. End of story.

    Thanks for sharing your renovations with us. It’s always such a treat to see what you’re up to next!

  15. I refer to my pinterest boards often, sometimes more than google. lol. When we were re-modeling our kitchen, we originally planned to go with dark cabinets. During the process, I kept pinning kitchens I loved and kitchen ideas. One day as I sat going through all of my pins, I realized that almost all of the kitchens I pinned had white cabinets…. we ended up changing everything completely from our original plan and went with white cabinets, dark wood floors and we all love it!! Thank you Pinterest!!!! However, I realize not everyone is the same and we all need to do what works for us.

  16. I love Pinterest. It works for me, keeps me organized and I refer back to my boards often. I have some binders and filed tear sheets but they are space hogs so I keep them to a minimum. I do like bulletin boards but I find that mine get a little too messy over time.