The idea struck me – like most good ideas tend to do – early one morning in the shower. While vigorously shampooing and deeply conditioning, the theme of an upcoming family get-together crystallized in a few brief seconds. Rather than hosting the standard potluck dinner with my mom, aunt, two cousins, and a good friend, I quickly decided to enhance the evening with the addition of a single word.

Pinterest.

Yes, I would still host a Saturday night potluck dinner with a signature cocktail, appetizers, main entrée, side dishes, and dessert. However, my beloved guests had one stipulation: their recipes must be plucked from – and only from – Pinterest.

Awash in stunning photography, delicious foods, fashionable accessories, drool-worthy dresses, clever craft projects, and countless other DIY inspiration, within Pinterest are actual instructions. Guides to making our lives and our homes more peaceful and less chaotic. Recipes that make our pallets sing, forcing us to travel beyond our casual favorites for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Of course Pinterest is a stress-free website perfect for perusing on a lazy Saturday morning. But its value can only increase when we take action on the projects that tickle our collective fancies.

I set about planning my Pinterest Potluck Party with a simple email, requesting that my guests send me their menu choices based on new recipes from Pinterest. Based on each person’s pick, I could safely ensure we would not sit down to six variations of cheesy chicken pasta. I kept each dish a secret from the other guests until the night of our dinner. There was much excitement, a hum of “ooohs” and “aaahs” with each grand reveal, as warm serving platters covered in aluminum foil were unwrapped for the tasting.

>> Continue reading my latest essay “Pinterest Potluck Party” at COOP, an online lifestyle publication produced by Birdhouse Interior Design (@BirdhouseID).