SortaCrunchy

How to Get an Invite to Pinterest (and other helpful tips!)

In May 2011, I wrote my first tutorial for Pinterest beginners, and I followed that post up with some helpful hints in August 2011. Since that time, Pinterest has changed a few things, but I haven't had time to update my original Pinterest posts. I'm going to try to tackle a few of these changes to make it even easier to get started on Pinterest.

How do I get an invite to Pinterest?

1) The EASIEST and FASTEST way to get invited to Pinterest is to ask someone you know who is on Pinterest to invite you. Every single Pinterest member has unlimited invitations. I get so many comments on my other Pinterest posts with people saying, "My daughter is on Pinterest and she sure loves it! Can I get an invite?" or "All of my friends are always posting Pinterest pins on Facebook! I would love to be invited!"

If you know someone on Pinterest, ask them to invite you. All you have to do is tell them your email address.

2) Of course, you can always ask for an invite from Pinterest. I am hearing the wait time is between a couple of days and a couple of weeks. I don't know why some people get them more quickly than others. Remember, I don't work for Pinterest, I'm not affiliated with Pinterest, I'm just a community member, so there are many questions about Pinterest to which I have no answers!

3) You can still request a Pinterest invite from me! I receive anywhere from 25-75 Pinterest invite requests per day. Some days I get to them quickly, some days I don't. It may take a couple of days, but I'll happily send you an invite.

SUPER IMPORTANT: Typepad offers the option to sign in with Typepad, Facebook, or Twitter to leave  a comment. If you are requesting an invite, DO NOT SIGN IN WITH ANY SERVICE. It is very important that you fill in the fields for name and email address correctly. If you do not do this, I cannot send you an invite.

ALSO IMPORTANT: You do NOT have to leave your email address in the actual comment box - ONLY in the field marked "email address." Your email address will be shared only with me. If you leave your email address in the comment box, it is open for all of the internet world to see!

How will I know when I have gotten my Pinterest invitation?

You will receive an email from Pinterest. The body of the email will look like this:

See that link at the bottom of the email that says "To sign up for Pinterest, follow the link below"? Click on that.

You will then be taken to a welcome screen like the one pictured at the top of this post. That brings me to the next most frequently asked question:

Do I have to be on Facebook or Twitter to open a Pinterest account?

This is the biggest change from when I signed up for Pinterest last spring. The answer is YES. As of this publishing, you DO have to have Facebook or Twitter to sign up for Pinterest. Again, I don't work for Pinterest, I don't know why they have decided to do this.

There are people who are intentionally avoiding Facebook and/or Twitter who are concerned by this. There is, however, a very simple workaround - it's what I did to grab the screen shots for this post. Simply open a Twitter account and use it to open your Pinterest account. Once you have opened your Pinterest account, you will have the option to either login with Facebook or Twitter OR login with email and password. You can then close your Twitter account and go on with your happy life. :)

How to get set up on Pinterest, step-by-step:

Step 1: Pinterest will ask you for your interests. Choose all that apply:

Step 2: Pinterest now chooses some popular pinners for you to follow. This is another big change from the time I published my first tutorial. There is no longer a "Tastemakers" list from the drop-down menus. Basically, Pinterest chooses Tastemakers for you to follow as you get started on Pinterest:

Step 3: Create your own boards. They will give you some starter boards by default. You can keep these or start your own:

Step 4: Make sure to install the Pinterest bookmarklet so you can pin wherever you are on the internet!

Other frequently asked questions about Pinterest:

Why does Pinterest say I have no followers when I know for sure people are following me?

Pinterest seems to refresh follower numbers once a week or so. Just hang tight, your numbers will eventually correct themselves!

Why can't I see all of my pins on one page?

You should be able to by going to your profile page and clicking on your Pins link. Pinterest uses an infinity scrolling feature, so just keep scrolling down that page and you'll be able to see all of the pins in one place.

How do I unfollow all of those people Pinterest made me follow when I signed up?

I still get lots of questions about unfollowing. To unfollow, go to the grayed-out FOLLOWING button beneath a person's profile to unfollow ALL of their boards or to the FOLLOWING button underneath an individual board's name and click that button. It will change to FOLLOW:

Again, you may still see that board or that person in your feed for a few hours or even a few days. It's one of those things you just have to wait patiently on and Pinterest will eventually catch up.

I hope this has been helpful for all of the Pinterest newbies and beginners still hoping for an invite! Those new to Pinterest may want to read my original beginner's guide and tips and tricks for insights on how to navigate the Pinterest community.

Remember you can leave a comment below to get an invite from me. If this has been a helpful resource for you, would you consider linking to it from Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon, or even pinning it for other hopeful Pinners to see? Thank you so much and happy pinning!

2011: a lazy look back

And the sky turns to fire, against a telephone wire.
And even I'm getting tired of useless desires.

-- Patty Griffin, Useless Desires

This picture? Is one of my very favorites from 2011. I can't look at it without humming that Patty Griffin song (also one of my very favorites).

I've been mentally composing a year-end list for the past week, but it just hasn't made it from my mind to the keyboard yet. This has been a completely lazy week and it is so, so needed. Related: finally started the Harry Potter books and cannot tear myself away from them. I'm just about to finish book 2 and I am already sad that eventually they will end.

Anyway, just for fun and to lure me away from utter laziness, I thought I would write up a few of the highlights of 2011:

Favorite reads: Non-fiction - Carolyn Curtis James' Half the Church; Fiction - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. So, so many books, but for the sake of brevity (what?), I'll keep it to two here.

Favorite album: The Civil Wars Barton Hollow

Favorite music discoveries for me that apparently everyone else already knew about: Mumford and Sons, Adele, Sara Bareilles, She & Him, Neko Case

Netflix fun: LOST marathon. I'll never get over it, y'all.

Most fun with currently running TV: Once Upon A Time

Biggest TV disappointment: Project Runway Season, Season 9

Movie I Enjoyed: Hmmm. The Help? I guess.

Technology love: Pinterest and Spotify.

Best use of our home: hosting Katie and family, Laura and family, Superbowl Party, our church's one year birthday party potluck, and just about anytime we open our doors to others. We love to have people here.

Most highly anticipated family events: My youngest sister Sarah receiving her first degree and my next youngest sister Emily receiving her Masters in Education degree! YAY!

Most enjoyable travel: San Diego for BlogHer

Most rewarding project: Give: LOVE

BIGGEST SURPRISE: well. the book.

Other surprises:

* becoming a What I Wore Wednesday devotee

* caving in and getting an iPhone (and how much I LOVE it)

* the response when I showed y'all this is where ...

* my husband's super incredible ridiculous culinary prowess

Most used and enjoyed iPhone apps: Instagram and BlogLovin'

Favorite snapshots taken by me:

My girlies, January

My brother on his wedding day, March

AJ dancing in rain boots, April

Dacey's first sewing project, May

Our fairy house, June

Dacey splashing in the springs, July

Aliza Joy turns four, September

I think that will just about do for a look back on the year!

What have your highlights been? Are you ready to see this year go, or you a little wistful at its passing?

Your Green Resource - Week Fourteen

Here we are - the last Your Green Resource of 2011! Wheeeeee!

What is Your Green Resource? It's your chance to share all your green ideas, resources and solutions with ALL of our readers! So when you link up on any of our blogs, your idea will be shared with all of the readers here and at:

Andrea at The Greenbacks Gal Stacy at A Delightful Home Emily at Live Renewed

We know that many of you have posts of your own about your green journey that our readers will love. Some examples of Green Resources you can link up:
* Real Food Recipes
* Repurposed Projects
* Upcycled Projects
* Organic Gardening Tips
* DIY Natural or Green
* Thrifty Solutions

In addition to making this a weekly place where you can both share and learn new green ideas, each week we'll be "Stumbling Upon" the favorite post with the most page views! We want your green ideas to go viral - so we'll stumble the post for you!

This week's Stumbled post is from Whole Intentions on Chasing Away Colds and Flus with Broth-Based Soup. Step-by-step instructions on making broth soup with lots of fantastic pictures, too! In addition to telling how to make it, she shares why it's good for our immune systems in the cold weather months. So helpful!

So now it's your turn, my friends.

Just a few things to remember as you share your green living links - OLD OR NEW - with us each week:

* Make sure to link to the post with your green/natural/frugal living idea - not your homepage.

* We would love it if you could spread the word about Your Green Resource to YOUR readers by linking back to one of the four hostesses. Posts with a link back to Your Green Resource are the posts eligible to be Stumbled each week.

* Your Green Resource is a GREAT way to connect with other like-minded bloggers. Check out the other links shared this week - it's a great way to grow your own blogging community!

Call for January Sponsors!

What an amazing adventure offering sponsorship has been for SortaCrunchy since last September. It has been an absolute joy to work with both small business owners and fellow bloggers in this venture!

Toward the end of 2011, SortaCrunchy hit a new milestone that I had only dreamed of in years past - over 150,000 monthly pageviews and 100,000 absolute unique visits. Subscriber numbers continue to climb, and it's incredibly humbling to stand back and see this much growth (though I must confess that after almost six years of blogging, it's also incredibly rewarding!).

I've decided to keep my sponsorship rates the same even though SortaCrunchy's statistics have changed quite a bit since I launched sponsorship plans last fall. It's my goal to continue to provide sponsorship options that are open and affordable to all!

Do you have a small business, Etsy shop, or personal blog? Looking to grow your audience in 2012? I would love to get you plugged in as a sponsor for January!

I'm delighted to share this testimonial from October's featured sponsor, Jennifer of Every Breath I Take:

When looking to promote your blog or business, there are a lot of ways of reaching new customers or readers. But, few of them are as rewarding as sponsoring Megan and her work on SortaCrunchy. First of all, you know your "promotional dollar" is going to a woman who's work is changing the world for the better. That alone is worthwhile. But then you get the most wonderful icing on the cake - her readers are just about the most beautiful group of people you could ever want to do business with. They are kind, loving, supportive and encouraging. Sponsoring SortaCrunchy has resulted in huge increases of traffic to my blog. But, more than that, it has allowed me to build connections and relationships that will inform and bless my work for years to come. Thank you so much, Megan!

Jennifer experienced a 297% increase in visits during her sponsorship month and a 287% increase in pageviews in October. She also picked up new Facebook likes, Twitter followers, and subscriptions to her weekly email newsletter.

If you are interested in sponsoring SortaCrunchy in January, you can find more details on my sponsorship page. Email me at megan at sortacrunchy dot net to begin your sponsorship month!

days are merry and bright

I've spent the past few days ignoring technology as much as possible, and I have to say, I feel SO refreshed. Being out of town helps a lot. Sometimes I just need a chance of scenery, you know?

Christmas 2011 brought smiles and delight to everyone. Kyle and I were up at 5:15 Christmas morning, watching A Christmas Story on TV and glancing at the girls' bedroom door every 10 minutes. Finally at 7:00, he went in and got them up. I think we were more excited than they were! Big smiles all around when they saw their gifts.

AJ got her pink guitar and "high heels." She slipped them on right away, and I said, "Careful now, heels can be kind of tricky." Um, she was running down the hall in them two minutes later. I am not kidding. Dacey got a beautiful Waldorf doll named Holly. I won her in a giveaway from Windfall Dolls, and y'all, she is the most charming thing I have ever laid eyes on. I don't know who loves her more - Dacey or me. She also got a doctor's kit that I put together in a vintage doctor's bag I found on Etsy and filled with mostly real doctor's instruments (with much help from Vanessa!).

This little guy was the surprise hit of the day! Another Etsy find, he was just what I was looking for when Dacey informed me a week or so before Christmas that she really must have a Nutcracker of her very own. Both girls have been using him to really crack open pistachios which is not messy at all! Nope. Not at all. (ay yi yi)

Um, let's see. What else?

We went to each of our hometowns and there was much merriment and cheer all around. Yesterday, my sister who is pretty much the best person on the entire planet watched my girls for me so that Laura and I could hit up a few thrift stores in our hometown. This happened in the best shop I didn't even know existed. I am hoping the ruffles distract from the massive bags under my eyes because YIKES. Can't wait to add it into the winter wardrobe mix!

Spent some time with my sister reorganizing our mom's closet (who WOULDN'T want to spend the holidays with me?!) and took this picture of mama on her wedding day, May 11, 1974:

Isn't she the loveliest?

As with all road trippy days, there has been quite a bit too much of this situation happening:

And now we're home and I'm craving routine and normalcy again. I'm even ready to take the tree down, but I'll wait a few more days. I guess.

I know each year that passes is the best for some and the worst for others. I can't complain one bit about 2011. I'm sad to see it go, but I'm so ready to welcome 2012 with open arms. Lots more to talk about the new year in the days to come!

Hope YOUR days are merry and bright wherever you are, sweet friends!

Got holiday cash burning a hole in your pocket? Don't forget just five days left to use code "crunchy" for $20 off your $100 or more purchase from Inca Boot Company! Lovely and unique handmade boots may be just what you need to whirl through the winter days ahead!

A Simple Holiday Season

photo by Dano

The alternate title for this post is

MY FIRST PODCAST! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I've listened to all of the Simple Mom podcasts and have just thoroughly enjoyed each one. I have to tell you that getting to record one on A Simple Holiday Season with Tsh earlier this month was SUCH a treat for me.

Whether you are snuggling under blankets today or laying on a beach or baking up a storm (that would be us), I hope you'll take a minute to listen in! We talk about our mutual crazy love for Rebekka Seale, life in small houses, the always tricky gifts issue, and lots more. Also, find out where in the world I would most like to live, how I drink my coffee (I'm positive you can guess!), and what smell I really, really don't like (might surprise you!).

Click on over to get the link and then let me know what you think!

Your Green Resource - Week Thirteen

Oh, the holidays! Here we are! Thank you so much for sharing so many great green holiday ideas (and so much more!) last week on Your Green Resource.

What is Your Green Resource? It's your chance to share all your green ideas, resources and solutions with ALL of our readers! So when you link up on any of our blogs, your idea will be shared with all of the readers here and at:

Andrea at The Greenbacks Gal Stacy at A Delightful Home Emily at Live Renewed

We know that many of you have posts of your own about your green journey that our readers will love. Some examples of Green Resources you can link up:
* Real Food Recipes
* Repurposed Projects
* Upcycled Projects
* Organic Gardening Tips
* DIY Natural or Green
* Thrifty Solutions

In addition to making this a weekly place where you can both share and learn new green ideas, each week we'll be "Stumbling Upon" the favorite post with the most page views! We want your green ideas to go viral - so we'll stumble the post for you!

Last week's most viewed post is this fun list of ideas from Frugally Sustainable: 15 Potentially Free Gift Ideas That Show Someone You Care. I really, really wish someone would make a t-shirt quilt for me! That would be so meaningful. Lots of other thoughtful ideas on that list, too.

So now it's your turn, my friends.

Just a few things to remember as you share your green living links - OLD OR NEW - with us each week:

* Make sure to link to the post with your green/natural/frugal living idea - not your homepage.

* We would love it if you could spread the word about Your Green Resource to YOUR readers by linking back to one of the four hostesses. Posts with a link back to Your Green Resource are the posts eligible to be Stumbled each week.

* Your Green Resource is a GREAT way to connect with other like-minded bloggers. Check out the other links shared this week - it's a great way to grow your own blogging community!

Thank you again for supporting Your Green Resource. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us to you!

what i wore wednesday - note to self

sweater: express, thrifted; t-shirt: thrifted; skirt: TJMaxx; tights: TJMaxx; boots: Ross

Dear self,

Yes, I know it's been a terribly busy week, what with end-of-semester and homeroom mothering and Texas traveling and last-minute Christmas'ing. It's lucky you got one outfit shot in, isn't it?

A few notes:

1) Love this skirt. Love that it was $5 even more.

2) Yes, you needed a belt. Go with your gut and don't second guess so much.

3) Congrats on finding the boots you've been looking for! $15 at Ross. Not too shabby.

4) Your shoulders are broad enough as it is. Please consider your poses more carefully next time, you spaz.

5) Purple tights for the second week in a row. FTW. (Shout out to friend Jenna for the inspiration!) Let's see what we can do about expanding our colored tights collection.

Love,

Me

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the What I Wore Wednesday chicas!

Looking to make a more substantial boot investment? Consider the wonderfully unique, handcrafted and fair-wage collection at Inca Boot Company! Use code "crunchy" for $20 off your order of $100 or more. Free shipping both ways! Thank you, Inca Boots, for sponsoring SortaCrunchy this month!

the confessional: i might be failing my daughters

I still see babies when they sleep

A few weeks back, Dacey was sick (again) and so after the doctor's office, I took her to the grocery store where she got to pick out canned soup. We never, ever buy canned soup unless someone is sick, and it's a bit of a treat/tradition for the ones who need healing.

I asked Dacey which kind she wanted. Regular chicken noodle? Alphabet chicken noodle?  Maybe Toy Story or Dora?

My almost-seven-year old, my girl child with the tender heart and the fierce love of animals, my child who has never played with a doll a day in her life, who has always eschewed all things Cinderella and much preferred backyard experiments and art table creating, that child said:

"I want the princesses," she said, "because I'm trying to be more like a normal girl."

Heart. Stop.

My eyebrows lurched toward my hairline and I leaned in really close and breathed my crazy right into her face:

What do you mean? Who told you that you have to like princesses to be normal? Who told you that?! I demanded.

"My own mind, I guess," she murmured. I think she was a little bit terrified of the maniac that had possessed her mother's body right there in the canned soup aisle.

I pulled our cart over to the side and sputtered in short, halting sentences that I don't like princesses and I'm (mostly) normal and it's okay to like what YOU like, even if no one else likes it and no one should ever make you feel like you have to like girly stuff to be normal and I think I ended by asking too loudly and perhaps a bit too incredulously:

Who wants to be normal anyway?!

* * * * *

And then there is A.J. That child changes her mind every five seconds about what she likes and what she wants, but one refrain was repeated for weeks: all she wanted for Christmas was a pink guitar and high-heeled shoes.

At first, we giggled about it. So Aliza Joy. But the more she repeated it, the more we realized she was serious. And so.

I bought them, y'all.

I bought my four year old daughter some sandals with little kitten heels on them. I found them on ebay and they had the word "pageant" in the tags because who buys heeled shoes in a child's size 11? Pageant moms, that's who! She has plenty of the clunky, plastic dress-up heels, but that is not what she wants. Those aren't real and she knows it. So on Christmas morning, she'll get her pink guitar and high-heeled shoes.

Happy Birthday, Jesus.

* * * * *

Over the weekend, we wandered through a department store and both girls squealed at once, "Mama! They're playing Baby, It's Cold Outside!"

It was not the somber and theologically poignant O Holy Night bringing them such delight in the crowded aisles, nor was it the ubiquitous and innocent Jingle Bells. No, no. It was the song decried by feminists everywhere as the "date rape anthem" (it so is not!) that I have every version ever recorded in my Spotify and that has played in heavy rotation since Thanksgiving. The one with pouring drinks and cigarettes? Yes, that one.

And they were delighted because they know I love that song, and they love what their mother loves.

* * * * *

I mean, I knew it would be complicated. Raising girls. Raising women. This isn't the first time I've written about it. It's just that my heart is breaking so much more than I thought it would, far earlier than I ever dreamed. When I asked Dacey last night to choose three stuffed animals to keep on her bed because the rest were going back to the playroom, she asked, "Which do you think are the three girliest?" My chest seized up again.

And when AJ changes clothes five times before we leave the house, huffing and grumbling about how "nothing is right!" I can't get too frustrated because don't I know it?

I guess I feel like I'm failing because I want for them what I'm only just now learning in my thirties. I want them to be confident and whole in who they are. I want them to fast-forward past the years of trying to live into what people expect of them and I want them to learn RIGHT NOW that all that they are is more than enough.

Last-minute? Me too! Ideas for the Hurried Shopper

dippin' dots were the only happy thing at the mall yesterday

Oh, hello.

It seems I went and disappeared on you for a few days. I was telling a friend last week that I have never been this unprepared for Christmas. Never! Between book writing and school volunteering and, oh, I don't know, just everything ... I'm just scurrying more than ever this year.

I spent last weekend in Dallas celebrating with my sister Emily as she received her Master's in Education degree (hip, hip, hooray!) and we made the phenomenally awesome mistake of trying to get some shopping in while I was there. All the crowded-highway-navigating and crowds-pressed-in-mall-traipsing ended without me finding the one thing I was looking for. Ah, well. Such is life for the last-minute shopper.

I'm back at home today finishing a photo book (if I can get it done before 7 PM!) and making last-minute orders at Amazon. I've thought of a few ideas to keep my fellow frenzied finishers of shopping off the streets, out of the mall, and in your jammies as long as possible:

1. Splendid Gfit Guide - Of COURSE, I hope you are considering the lovely companies represented in the gift guide. Chaos to Art and Satchel & Page offer free shipping (Chaos to Art, use code SplendidSeason), and all For the Table items at Amani are 15% off for my readers with code "CrunchyFriends." Lovely and talented Rebekka Seale is sold out until January 2nd (hooray!), but for those who will have a little extra spending money after the stockings are emptied, be sure to keep her in mind for adding gorgeous art to your home in the new year.

2. Inca Boots - Shipping is always free both ways on all order at December's featured sponsor Inca Boot Company! Short classic tan, anyone? Or maybe some Electric Zora to see you through the new year! Don't forget code "crunchy" for $20 off your order of $100 or more!

3. Our Favorites:

These are the things that Kyle and I say to each other time and again - GREAT PURCHASE. We have Amazon Prime, so most of my last-minute boxes are arriving from Amazon! Here are some Amazon Prime eligible ideas for you today:

Indoor Trampoline: We got one of these for Dacey's fifth birthday, and it has been, by far, one of our best investments. Ours actually came from JCPenney online, but they don't seem to carry it anymore. This one is similar to ours except ours doesn't fold and has bungee ropes instead of covered springs, but the idea is the same. Both girls LOVE to jump off big energy on it, and it is a hit with kids both older and younger who come over to play. Like I said, ours doesn't fold up and we keep it in our playroom, but it was set up in the girls' bedroom for a long time and didn't take up TOO much space. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Hop Ball: We got one of these Hoppity Balls when Dacey was about 3 1/2. It is still in heavy use around here, again by both our own kids and others who come over to play. Another great thing to have on hand for big energy when it's too cold or too hot to play outside!

Music: I know I've mentioned Elizabeth Mitchell's You Are My Little Bird several times throughout the years, but it is truly such a family favorite! I, of course, love the bird theme that runs through each of her folksy songs, and the cheery view on all of the seasons always keeps my soul in check.

Art Supplies: I'm telling anyone who will listen that buying real art supplies last year was the single Christmas gift we've ever given. The girls used them all year long, and we had stocked up on enough that we are only just now running out of last year's purchases. Watercolor paper, drawing paper, liquid watercolors, pastels ... all kinds of things that are made for real art. Best, best, best thing we have ever gotten for our bigger girls!

Playful Learning: This book. Y'all. For parents who are interested in creating an atmosphere where all kinds of learning in inspired, stimulated, encouraged, and practiced year 'round - THIS BOOK. Every home should have a copy of Mariah Bruehl's Playful Learning: Develop Your Child's Sense of Joy and Wonder. I've read Mariah's blog for years and have always admired her totally approachable, completely accessible philosophies on learning at home. This book will keep your family engaged and active in ALL KINDS of learning through next year and the years to come. Five stars, top-notch, must-have.

So those are a few thoughts from me. What about you? Presents wrapped and sipping cider or scurrying around like me?