It’s time for another installment of our lovely intern Caitlin’s “Adventures in Decorating”. This week, she takes on the time suck (for me at least) known as Pinterest… Enjoy!

By Caitlin Giddens

Like most 20-somethings, I’m addicted to Pinterest. But acceptance is the first step, right? This new social media site, which The Wall Street Journal called, ”the hottest start-up to hit Silicon Valley”, can be used for more than to-do list avoidance. My friend Amy exemplifies purposeful pinning when it comes to decorating her new duplex. She also employs the site to help her as an event planner, but I’ll leave those details to her and focus on the decor. That way I can spend hours trolling home goods on Pinterest and call it helping a friend. (Right?)

Pinterest isn’t just for idle-minded free time. There’s more to the site than pinning recipes you may never use and secretly looking at wedding boards. The next time you feel less than inspired when decorating, check out your favorite designers on Pinterest. Have you seen Justin Timberlake bring sexy back on Home Mint? These boards help you decide which shades and patterns you love. Say, mint and coral with navy chevron. Hypothetically of course.

Or look at the lovelies on D Home’s boards. I frequent the “Chic Functional Things” board for adding to gift ideas and wish lists.

And Pinterest is perfect for the 20-something designer because you’ll find DIY that actually works. The skeptic (and perhaps snob) in me approaches DIY with hesitation. But recently, Amy redid a headboard that inspired my pinning binge. She picked up a headboard at a thrift store, then after cleaning with OxiClean and Dawn, she had something she could use. Now Amy is considering adding a border with some high-end ribbon or nail head trim. If you’re looking for more headboard ideas, check out this site found via Pinterest.

If you’re looking for other home ideas, check out D Home Obsessions. Fair warning, you might want to go ahead and block off a few hours.