At one time in my life I thought I was pretty creative. In high school I could draw Snoopy on his dog house or Charlie Brown in his Halloween ghost costume as well as the next kid in study hall. I learned to sew after I got married and made all of my daughter’s little dresses and outfits. I even made a few crafts in my time. Nothing fabulous enough to be mistaken for a Martha Stewart design, but serviceable.
With the advent of Pinterest I have learned that my feeble attempts at artistry and decorating are feeble indeed.
On Pinterest people blatantly show off their artistic flair, home decorating awesomeness, and general craftiness with a total disregard for the feelings of an average, normal homemaker like myself.
Pictures of sweaters or socks knit by hand with nothing but needles and a live goat are on display for all to see. The colors are vibrant, the textures extraordinary, the design absolutely gorgeous. Of course no one can wear it because it is a work of art.
Cooks pin photos of their culinary creations and in very simple terms try to explain the process for those of us who so rarely use our ovens that we need to pull out the operator’s manual at Christmas and Easter.
Then there are those decorating freaks of nature who can pick up an old piece of driftwood and a battered tin bucket and make it look like a priceless antique end table or something to adorn that special nook you have built into a corner of the house you designed yourself.
I look at pictures of beautiful home decorating ideas, elaborate cakes, or handmade crafts that mothers do with their children and I think, “but for the grace of God I could have been born crafty.” Thank God I was actually born with absolutely no interest in those things because otherwise I wouldn’t have all this time to pore over funny pictures on facebook or chat on twitter. I wouldn’t be able to write whenever the mood takes me, but instead would feel compelled to string beads or glue together centerpieces for my dinner table or bake gluten free truffles with roses on top. Thank God I was born talent-free.
Regardless of the talents I lack, I sometimes see or read something on Pinterest that gets my attention. Nothing too spectacular, just simple things for a simple lifestyle. Like boiling eggs.
Okay, it was Easter this past Sunday and most people boiled eggs to decorate or to make into deviled eggs (because plain eggs just don’t have enough fat and cholesterol without adding mayonnaise).
Lucky me, I saw a picture of perfectly boiled eggs with directions for how to turn them into cute little deviled chicks. First off, it said to bring them to a boil and then turn off the burner and let them sit in the hot water for ten minutes. Simple, right? Honestly, I followed the directions to the letter, but the shells stuck horribly and the poor little chicks looked all mushy like they were melting, their skin pock-marked from some chicken egg disease or something. 
Well, I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. From now on I will boil my eggs the way my momma taught me and ignore the advice of experts.
As she also taught me when I was a kid – to look and not touch – when it comes to Pinterest I’m only a wide-eyed observer.
Barbara
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