Pinterest Parties- They're all the Rage!

You know how in the 70's is was oh-so-fashionable to have a fondue party? I think in 50 years when people look back on us now they'll see all the Pinterest parties that we had and think, "Oh, how charming and quaint they were in the old days."

For those of you unfamiliar with Pinterest, I like to describe it as internet hoarding. No joke. Its true description is a virtual bulletin board, or inspiration board. You "pin" photos from anywhere on the internet. When you pin the photo, you are basically saving the link with the photo as your visual reminder of the pins content. I feel like I hear the word "Pinterest" on a daily basis because it's become the new method of wedding planning. Brides create wedding-themed boards to collect all of their bridal inspiration. They pin every detail of the wedding. It has its pros and its cons, however. The thing about Pinterest is that it allows you to see literally see everything out there that's available. What it doesn't always provide you with are the realities of the photos you see. You may think that bouquet is simply stunning, but the pin doesn't tell you that the flowers were shipped from some ridiculously exotic location, that it was a design made for the royal wedding of some far away event and the total cost is ten times the average bridal bouquet. All you see is a bouquet you love.

So, what ends up happening is this: brides "pin" away, setting aside photos of what they hope for their wedding day. They show it to vendors who then have the unpleasant job of explaining how much the details in the photo cost. I suppose it's not that different from tearing photos out of a magazine to show your vendor, but the main difference is the sheer volume of photos available all over the internet.

But that isn't the point of my post today- sorry for the digression. The point is that I've attended a couple of really fun Pinterest parties and I have another one I'm going to this weekend! A Pinterest party is simple. It's basically a pot luck event where each guest is tasked with finding a recipe on Pinterest that they've never tried before. Whether it's a huge success or a "Pinstrosity," it's always fun to try the different recipes everyone finds.

More elaborate Pinterest parties involve more than just recipes- they involve demonstrations of all kinds based on tutorials found on Pinterest. The most recent Pinterest party I attended was this type of party and we had a blast!

First, there was amazing food:

Yummy Asian Meatballs (my personal favorite of the night)

Feta/Tomato Dip (we spread it on baguette slices like bruschetta)

Jalapeno/Red Pepper Poppers- They were pepper stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with bacon!

Brownie Batter Dip- it LITERALLY tastes like brownie batter, but no risk of salmonella! 

Lemon Drop Cookies- they tasted like lemonade! 

In addition to the food, one guest brought spices and taught us all the recipe to make your own taco seasoning! 

There were craft and home-improvement demonstrations: 

And my contribution involved teaching everyone how to accessorize themselves for any occasion. Unfortunately, we all neglected to snap photos during my demonstration, but I can assure you it was a success. Here's the state of our living room afterwards: 

Accessories EVERYWHERE!!! 

Anyway, the entire party was a blast and I'm looking forward to the next one. For those of you interested, my demonstration centered around the "rule of three." Basically, the idea is that once you have your outfit determined, the best way to look polished and put-together is to choose three coordinating (not MATCHING!) accessories and you will always look great! 

Maybe I'll have some time to put together some examples- either on Polyvore or in real life. Let me know in the comments if this is something you'd like to see on the blog! 

Have you been to a Pinterest party? What was it like? Did you love it? Hate it? Leave a comment and tell me all about it!