Pinterest kindles love of all things crafty and tasty

I enjoy baking sweet treats year-round, but there's only so many cookbooks I can collect and so may sites I can bookmark before I start to feel overwhelmed by clutter.

Meet Pinterest: the web site where women go to plan imaginary weddings, dress children they don't have and decorate homes they can't afford. And where people like me go to create a massive, visual collection of recipes in one spot.

Upon receiving a coveted invitation to join the site, users are able to create customized, themed "boards" to organize their "pins," which are images or videos. For how-to items such as recipes, clicking a photo of a completed dish will redirect you to the recipe.

It's perfect for people who enjoy visual organization: an overload of pictures and very little text. Virtually any type of board can be created: from puppies to photography to places to visit.

Just a small warning: Pinterest is extremely addictive. Its unique social networking site has exploded in the past year, garnering six million users and millions of unique hits per week. While the site is mostly geared towards women, guys are using it, too, to create boards of their favorite things, such as farm equipment, cars and motorcycles.

As a new user, I started out by searching for recipes, and ended up with slow cooker orange chicken, crispy southwest chicken wraps, chocolate chip cookie dough truffles and milk boba tea.

Then small craft projects started to pop up: forever lasting fireflies in a jar, wall art and throw pillows.

Immediately after that, sewing projects started to catch my eye. These are not your grandmother's clothing sewing projects; most mimic pricy styles from upscale boutique chain Anthropologie.

Granted, I've only been on Pinterest for a few weeks, but I've already purchased a sewing machine. The irony of the situation is that my home ec-educated husband will probably be teaching me how to use it.

I already have a pile of projects selected for upcoming months. One of my best friends is expecting her first baby in April, so I've already pinned a few projects, including a stuffed bunny and adorable pair of boots.

But I plan to ease into things slowly with simple projects, like fixing hems and transforming a few pairs of too-short yoga pants.

Do-it-yourself hobbies like crafting, thrifting, repurposing and sewing seem to be rising in popularity, but rightfully so. I think it's much more rewarding to delay your gratification by taking a few hours to make a one-of-a-kind creation than purchasing a mass-produced, foreign-made item.

Want to try out Pinterest? As mentioned earlier, the site is currently invite-only, but a quick e-mail to amiller@stormlakepilottribune.com will get you in. Happy pinning!