I use Pinterest heavily when it comes to planning for Christmas — especially the DIY stuff.  (Pinterest is one of the best internet inventions ever, as far as I’m concerned.  I’m the type that had several thousand bookmarks before, but I couldn’t ever find them again, because I’m visual!)  When it comes to Christmas planning, I use it in several different ways.

For Inspiration

This is possibly the most obvious way to use Pinterest when planning for DIY gifts.  I see projects I want to try, or get new ideas, as a result of browsing Pinterest.  Now, you can do this by searching for something in particular.  Or you can make note when something strikes your fancy.  That’s actually my next tip…

Keep a Running “List”

When you see something that either is an idea or spawns an idea of something that would make a great gift for a particular person, save it!  Rather than just pinning it to some generic DIY or crafts board, pin it specifically to a board designated for gifts you want to make.  Be smart about it! …

Use Private Boards

Pinterest’s private boards are so cool for this sort of thing!  Obviously, you don’t want to pin something that says, “Make this for Janine for Christmas” if Janine follows your boards!  That would kind of spoil the surprise.  But if you make a private board for gift plans, the things you pin there won’t show up in your stream (or publicly in any form), so you can keep your secrets safe ’til Christmas morning (or whenever your gifts are intended for).

Look Up How-To’s

Maybe you already know what you want to make, and there isn’t a specific project plan “out there” for it already, but you need a little help with instructions for a particular technique.  This is another great use for Pinterest!  (I actually have a whole board just for “general techniques” that can be applied to a variety of projects.)

Find Presentation Ideas

Pretty presentation is (unfortunately) not my strength.  But a polished presentation can make the difference between something that’s gift-worthy and something that isn’t.  I’ve seen some pretty mundane things made pretty amazing just through creative use of packaging.  Since that doesn’t come naturally for me, I “cheat” – I look to others for inspiration.  Here’s my board of gift wrapping/presentation ideas.   Do you use Pinterest for these things?  Do you have another Pinterest gift-planning tip to share?  Please leave a comment!