Oh, How Pinteresting!

Hello everybody! We’re beyond excited to introduce you to our very first group of Pinterest ambassadors.

Our ambassadors come from all walks of life. They’re chefs, DIYsters, experienced woodworkers, fashion experts...among many, many other things. And they hail from cities and towns across the United States, from California to Georgia.

The one thing all our ambassadors have in common is they use Pinterest to bring their creative ideas to life. And they’re born teachers, people who want to share their know-how with the community.

Each of our ambassadors will be organizing meetups and demos where you can learn first hand how Pinterest can help you get a little more creative every day.

Get to know our ambassadors

George Bryant of Civilized Caveman Cooking is a husband, dad, bacon lover and author in Southern California known for sharing fun, delicious, and healthy recipes. To see what’s cooking, visit his board My Recipes.

Janet Crowther is the founder and CEO of Brooklyn, NY based For the Makers, where you’ll find hard-to-find materials, kits, and all kinds of other DIY inspiration. To see Janet’s “something out of nothing” approach at work, visit her board DIY-Make It .

Alex Evjen of A.V.E. Styles is a fashion stylist and art director from Phoenix, Arizona who loves to share beauty and inspiration wherever she finds it. Get a glimpse of Alex’s unique tomboy-meets-Palm-Springs-glam style on A.V.E. Styles Personal Faves.

Rachel Faucett of Handmade Charlotte lives in Georgia where she’s made a name for herself as a designer, maker, baker and indie publisher. Catch her latest projects on her board DIY Crafts & Tutorials.

Erin Perez Hagstrom of the life and style blog Calivintage is a California girl (and new mom) with a big love for everything vintage. See what looks have been catching her eye lately on her board Style.

Amy Locurto based in Dallas, Texas writes for Living Locurto, a DIY and lifestyle blog that aims to inspire everyone to be more creative. Give her projects a try on her board Living Locurto Tutorials.

Chef Billy Parisi in Chicago, Illinois has been a line cook, sous chef, and executive chef for some of the Midwest's finest restaurants. Get a taste of Billy’s cooking on his board Simple Creations.

Scott Thomas from St. Louis, Missouri shares foolproof instructions—step by step and picture by picture—on his site GrillinFools. For Scott’s latest grillable eats, visit his board Grillin’ Fools.

Ben Uyeda is the bi-coastal author of the home improvement site Homemade Modern, which is packed with DIY ideas anyone can tackle. Get your hands on some of his favorite hands-on projects on his board DIY.

Coming this week to a neighborhood near you!

On May 28, learn how to Style Yourself for Summer with Alex Evjen in Scottsdale, AZ—spots are going fast!.

On May 29, join Amy Locurto in Dallas Fort Worth, TX for a Spring into Summer food demo—reserve your spot at the table!.

On May 30, meet Rachel Faucett and the Handmade Charlote sqaud at their Wonderland workshop pop-up in Atlanta, GA–don't miss it!.

On May 31, join Scott Thomas at his Pinterest for bloggers dinner and seminar––reservations are limited!.

To see what other events our ambassadors have in store, visit the Pinterest ambassadors events page for all the details about upcoming meetups, grill-a-thons and other Pin-inspired in-person inspiration. See you there! #PinMeetUp

A little Pin can turn into something big. To prove it, a few folks on our team grabbed their hammers, built a collection of Pins and want to share them with you—in real life.

Join us in Boston next weekend for the first ever Pintervention pop-up, a truly hands-on Pinterest experience. Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll see.

Who should come: Dog lovers, park hounds and Pinterest fans When: Friday, May 8, 2–7 p.m.                  Saturday, May 9, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.                      Sunday, May 10, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Where: Peters Park in Boston, MA

Follow along with #Pinterventions on Twitter and we’ll see you in Boston!

The Pin It button is how you save anything you want for later. Recipes, articles, project ideas...whenever you spot something you want to try some day, you just Pin It and it’s saved.

And starting today, we’ve made some big improvements to how Pinning works.

It’s super clear

Each Pin is a visual bookmark. And the improved new Pin selector makes it easy to decide exactly what you want to save.

You’re done in half the clicks

Now when you Pin something you found out on the web, or you save a Pin on Pinterest, all it takes is a couple of clicks and it’s saved. It’s also easier than ever to find (or create) the board you want to save your Pin on.

If you want to Pin things from around the web, get our browser button to save anything you discover.

Keep your eyes peeled for these new and improved Pinning options the next time you save something on the web. We hope you enjoy the changes!

Last year, we began publishing our first transparency report for the last six months of 2013. Today we’re releasing our first full year transparency report for 2014 as an update from our earlier mid-year report. You can see the full report here. We’ll continue to publish similar reports every six months.

We get a lot of questions about what men are up to on Pinterest, so we did some digging and thought we’d share what we found.

What’s trending with guys? Here are the top 3 Pins from men in the U.S. over the past month:

1) A sharp idea for taking your look to the next level in men’s fashion:

2) A home improvement how-to for building an easy platform bed:

3) A survival backpack to take on your next camping trip in the great outdoors:

And here are a few more runners-up that made man waves this past month..

4) The best hiking trails around the world:

5) How to tie a knot on a boating, camping or fishing trip:

6) Sperry boots you could wear on a hike or a night out:

7) How to make a wooden couch sleeve for drinks and snacks:

8) An easy to read watch that’s still stylish:

9) A pocket-sized Altoid survival kit:

10) A wall-mounted shelf that’s also a work of art:

11) How to rig up any type of tarp shelter:

12) Industrial shelves you can make yourself:

13) Ideas for dapper pattern mixing:

14) How to build a backyard fire pit:

15) Lace-up Vans to try out for spring:

Over the years, we've added extra info to Pins to make them even more useful. Recipe Pins list ingredients and cook time, product Pins show you price and availability, and article Pins give you a headline and story description.

Now if you’re on your iPhone or iPad, you’ll see another kind of Pin: app Pins. Let’s say you’re Pinning workout inspiration to your Marathon Training board. If you see a fitness app that helps you reach your goals, you can download it right from Pinterest.

When you come across an app Pin, tap Install to download the app right to your iPhone or iPad without ever leaving Pinterest (you'll only see app Pins when you're using the Pinterest app on your iPhone or iPad).

Check out the App Store's new profile for a collection of the latest and greatest app Pins. You can also save your favorite apps right from the App Store itself.

Or check out top picks from our very own Pinployees on our Staff Picks board.

We’ve crafted up a batch of heartfelt Pins for you to send to your valentine this year. Each one’s completely different, so you can find the perfect message for every secret crush, beloved friend and Valentine’s Day cynic in your life. See all your options on our Send a valentine board.

Just tap or click the paper airplane at the top of any Pin to send it their way.

Featured Pin designed by Carolina Búzio

Back at beginning of this new year, we encouraged everyone to chuck their usual quit-this, lose-that resolutions and try something different instead. And it seems a bunch of you are doing exactly that.

We took a look at top Pins for January in some of the fastest growing topics on Pinterest (like gardening, woodworking and DIY), and people have come up with some amazingly creative ideas for the year ahead. Here are 15 of our favorites. If you spot an idea that looks interesting, it isn’t too late to add it to your own 2015 board!

1. Can’t move to the mountains? Bring the mountains to your bedroom.

2. Keep the picnic going even after the sun goes down.

3. Push back the seats and enjoy the show.

4. Do one really nice thing each week this year.

5. Grow your own edible alien landscape.

6. Go at it hammer and tongs.

7. Healthy, tasty and easy to make...all in one pan.

8. Grow the kids a snackable secret hideaway.

9. Skip rainbow rocks in Montana.

10. Give your old DVDs a new lease on life.

11. Turn a bland corner into a useful zig-zag shelf.

12. Visit new worlds without leaving the planet. (Romania! Who knew?)

13. What are you doing this weekend? Oh, filling eggshells with paint and hurling them at some canvas. How about you?

14. Blow people’s minds with an all-new scarf move.

15. Transform found stumps into heirlooms.

Well hello there, 2015. It looks like it’s going to be an interesting year!

Last year, we started experimenting with Promoted Pins on Pinterest. Since then, a growing group of businesses in the U.S. have been paying to give their Pins more visibility in search results and category feeds. Now, we're testing ads in different places, including the home feed, for U.S. Pinners.

Your home feed is the first thing you see when you come to Pinterest, so we want to make sure you're always welcomed with Pins that are beautiful, relevant and tasteful—and that includes Promoted Pins. Of course, if you don’t like a Promoted Pin, you can always hide it from your feed and tell us why you didn’t like it. We'll use your feedback to improve what you see in the future.

Promoted Pins are just like regular Pins—the only difference is that a business paid to have more people see it. These Pins will always be labeled "Promoted" so they're easy to spot. We’ve seen Pinners save Promoted Pins to their boards of wish lists, inspirations and interests—just like other Pins they discover. Recently, I was looking to redo my bedroom, and I found a rug in the Home Décor category on Pinterest that’s just my style. It happened to be a Promoted Pin from Target. That's exactly what we're hoping Promoted Pins can be: one more way to discover and save creative ideas, connecting you to businesses that'll help you make your plans a reality.

We want to make sure Pinterest is a service that’s here to stay for all of us, and advertising helps us ensure that happens. As always, we’re listening to any feedback you have about how Pinterest is doing, so let us know what you think.

We want to give you a quick look at some of the improvements we’ve been making behind the scenes to the results you see in Guided Search.

If you do a lot of searching on Pinterest, you may already have noticed the results you’re seeing are better than ever. For example, say you’re looking for a new watch. Before when you searched Pinterest for “watches,” your results would include mostly women’s timepieces. But now, men will see Pins and guides inspired by what other guys have Pinned, and everybody’s results should feel a lot closer to what they’re looking for. Of course if you ever want results for another gender, like if you’re shopping for a gift for someone else, you can always use the guides to fine-tune your search.

These customized search results appear for thousands of different search terms. The next time you’re on Pinterest, try searching for hair, shoes or health and see for yourself how spot on your results are. (Not getting the results you’re looking for? Make sure you’ve selected your preferred gender in your settings.)

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve got lots more improvements coming your way. Check back soon for more announcements!

Happy (almost) new year, everyone! We hope your holidays have been merry and bright, and that you’re fully recovered from all the holiday cheering.

Here at Pinterest, we’ve decided to try something a little different this New Years. Instead of making the same old list of resolutions, we’re pinning creative ideas we’ve always wanted to try instead: Like our PR specialist Mithya. She’s going to try different coffee spots around San Francisco. And one of our founders, Evan, is planning to build a photo wall at home.

We’d love for you to join us! All you have to do is:

Step 1: Pin the year you want!

Make your own “To Try in 2015” board and fill it with ideas you’ve always wanted to try—from little things (grow your own salad bar) to big life-changers (Antarctica, anyone?). And since the ideas you Pin are all visual, it’s easy to picture yourself doing them.

If you need some inspiration, take a look at what resolutionaries like Chef Emeril and globe-trotter Trey are trying this year over in our Ideas for 2015 Pin Picks .

Step 2: Share your board with friends

Studies show that when you tell friends about your plans, you’re more likely to do them. So try sharing your board on Facebook or Twitter, along with the hashtag #PinYourYear. You can even tag friends who might be able to help, or even challenge them to try something a little different this year, too.

Step 3: Try the things you’ve Pinned throughout the year

When you’re ready to give a Pin a try, the info you need is always right at hand—just click to see the site the Pin came from. And even if things don’t go exactly as planned the first time you try it, don’t worry about it. Because this year, the fun’s in the trying.

Ready? Try something different this year!

Lots of Pinners have told us they’d like a way to move groups of Pins to new or different boards. So starting today, we’re making it happen!

Say you have a recipe board that’s gotten a little unwieldy, and you want to give your dessert Pins a board of their own. Now you can move them all at once:

1. Go to any of your boards on the web

2. Click Move Pins

3. Select up to 50 Pins to move

4. Pick a new board for them

You can also copy Pins so they live on two different boards, or delete Pins if you’re in a serious clean-up mood.

We’re rolling this out to Pinners all week. We’d love for you to give it a try!

There are all kinds of recaps and best-ofs this time of year, but Pinterest is all about getting creative and planning ahead. While we love a good 2014 rehash as much as anyone, it’s even more fun to start hatching plans for 2015.

To jump-start our planning, we came up with 100 Pin predictions for the year ahead. We looked at trending Pins in popular categories, Pins from our most influential Pinners and even a few hand-picked by Pinterest employees. Here are ten teasers:

1. Cauliflower is the new kale in Food & Drink

2. Woodworking is having a moment in DIY

3. Get ready for moar normcore in Fashion

4. Rug stencils hit Home

5. The juice craze continues in Fitness & Health

6. There's a beard for every lumbersexual in Grooming & Beauty

7. Watches get even smarter in Tech

8. Double exposure photography goes digital in Art & Design

9. Iceland stays hot in Travel

10. Greens go vertical in Gardening

There are lots more (90 to be exact) ideas to try on our Pinterest 100 board.

Here’s to getting creative in 2015!

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A few weeks ago, the iOS app got a brand new look, and this week, it’s the Android app’s turn to shine. Here’s what’s new:

1. Simplified navigation makes it easier to find your way

2. Visual tweaks make it feel more Android-friendly

3. Reduced start up time helps you get Pinning faster than ever

This new design will slowly roll out to Android devices. Update your app to make sure you always have the latest and greatest.

Enjoy!

Marcus Samuelsson is one of the world’s top chefs with an impressive list of accolades including two three-star ratings from The New York Times, two James Beard Awards for best chef and best international cookbook and consecutive four-star ratings in Forbes’ annual All-Star Eateries. He’s cooked for President Obama, opened his dream restaurant in Harlem and is a mentor on ABC’s The Taste. Samuelsson tells us about his path from Sweden, where he learned to cook from his grandmother Helga, to New York City and his latest cookbook, Marcus Off Duty, a four year journey of learning, living, tasting and cooking, with 150 recipes he cooks at home with his wife Maya on a quiet night in.

When did your passion for cooking start?

I’ve enjoyed cooking since I was young. My grandmother Helga was my greatest influence and I owe a lot of my success to her. She didn’t just teach me how to cook, but to cook seasonally, with a spiritual compass, and with traditions and values that I would use my entire life. My sisters and I were always encouraged to help and do the work, not just watch.

When I was a teenager, I went to a local culinary school in Sweden and realized I was really good at cooking. When you find pride and confidence in yourself and what you do, there’s no better time to develop that passion. And it was hard work. I struggled a lot because I was different. I had to prove myself over and over again.

You attended top cooking schools in Sweden and apprenticed in Switzerland, Austria and France. What was the biggest lesson you learned?

I learned some of the most important life lessons in those kitchens. Whether I was plucking feathers off a duck or making dinner for the chef’s dog, I worked as hard as I could.

Working in kitchens is a lot like being on a sports team. You rely on each other so much and become as close as family. There’s no pressure like the pressure of not wanting to let down your family, team or kitchen.

After only a year apprenticing at Aquavit, you became Executive Chef. Then The New York Times awarded you two three-star ratings. At the time, you were the youngest chef to have achieved that. How did this affect your career?

I owe it all to hard work, timing and my amazing team who believed in me. So many doors were opened after that. And this was long before chefs were seen the way they are now—the inner circle of top chefs was small. But as soon as that happened, I was in, and made friends with people who will be my friends forever.

You cooked for President Obama—what was it like being guest chef for the first state dinner?

That was one of the most nervous days of my life. I met the president and first lady, and have since seen and cooked for them several times, but there is no greater intimidation than the first.

Usually state dinners are French. But I wanted to create something that would be familiar to their guest, the prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh. I did a lot of research and used inspiration from both American and Indian cuisines so everyone felt at home. The prime minister was also vegetarian, so there were lentils, cornbread, chutneys and sweet potatoes. It was the ultimate, albeit refined, mashup.

You’re no stranger to TV. You won Top Chef Masters in 2010, judged Top Chef, Iron Chef America, Chopped and most recently ABC’s The Taste, plus guest appearances on Today and Good Morning America. How do you stay fresh?

I go out to eat, read and experiment often. The food world changes so quickly. You have to stay informed and try new things to be successful.

Of all the things you’ve done in the last four years, what’s your most memorable moment?

Opening my restaurant Red Rooster. Everyone wants to be their own boss, but what really drove me was Harlem. I love the neighborhood I live in and want to share it with people who might not otherwise venture about 110th Street. There’s so much to share here—and it’s more than a restaurant. We are a pillar in the community, a meeting place, gallery, music venue, place of employment, and we just so happen to serve delicious food, too.

Follow Marcus Samuelsson's board Red Rooster Harlem Recipes on Pinterest.

What’s the best thing at Red Rooster?

The fried yard bird. When I moved to Harlem, I learned how to make it and put my own spin on it, of course.

Also, Helga’s meatballs with lingonberries, braised green cabbage and buttermilk mashed potatoes. Making meatballs with my grandmother and sisters is one of my oldest memories. They’re a staple of mine and I always serve them at family gatherings—everyone loves them.

Where can I see some good music after dinner?

Ginny’s Supper Club, it’s our sister venue downstairs from the restaurant. It’s a modern reincarnation of the glamorous speakeasies and Harlem nights of the 1920s with live jazz music. It’s so intimate that no matter who’s playing, you’ll have a very personal experience.

After that, if you’re thirsty, head over to 67 Orange Street. Their cocktails are spot on. It’s tiny and intimate, the kind of place that’s hard to find in other New York neighborhoods.

What do you cook at home?

A lot of what I cook is in my new cookbook Marcus Off Duty. It’s a mashup of cultures and flavors which, in my mind, is more reflective of what Americans eat today. The recipes draw from meals my co-workers share with me as well as food I eat on the road and at home.

I also cook a lot of Ethiopian food with my wife Maya—nobody cooks better than Maya. Ethiopian food isn’t something I grew up with, but I was born there so I’ve always had a connection and curiosity.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. What’s Thanksgiving like at a top chef’s house?

Our extended family doesn’t live in the U.S. so we invite our friends, who are also immigrants, over for Thanksgiving. It’s a very multicultural dinner and probably not as traditional as one would expect of a chef. There is definitely turkey and the usual sides, but maybe the bird is seasoned with Harissa or tandoori. And the pie isn’t your average pumpkin pie.

What do you do with the leftovers?

Pytt i panna, or Swedish hash, is another dish I grew up with. It’s all about utilizing leftovers and making sure nothing goes to waste. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers, or breakfast.

Any tips for the first-timer Thanksgiving host?

Plan ahead. Do as much as you can in advance. Some dishes can be made a day or two before.

Have a great playlist. Music should always be in the background of any great gathering—Thanksgiving is no exception.

Make a specialty drink. Little personal touches go a long way to impress your guests.

Have fun! Nobody wants a stressed out host.

What’s next for you?

There are a lot of exciting things happening in the next few months, but first I have to make a killer Thanksgiving.

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For more Thanksgiving everything, see our turkey-to-pie survival guide, with recipes from Marcus, The New York Times and other famous foodies.

Handlebar or horseshoe—it all depends on your personal moustache mojo. All month, we’re celebrating the ‘stache to support the Movember Foundation and men’s health, and meanwhile finding a whole lot of creative upper lipholstery on Pinterest.

What’s with the whiskers? Pinployee Derrick Diaz was hoping you’d ask...

How’d you first become a Mo Bro?

It was 2009 at my old job in New York City. People were really into it and one year, whoever bid the most got to pick the color someone else had to dye their moustache—it got pretty competitive. I’ve raised $60,000 since then.

What was the inspiration for your Mo this year?

This is a classic handlebar—very Hulk Hogan-esque. I wanted something that didn’t fit my face so people would ask me about it. I searched for “ men’s moustache shaping” on Pinterest and found good stuff that way.

Does your wife dig it?

She hates it! She thinks I look like Spencer Pratt with the blond growing in. She’ll say stuff like “I don’t know if i can kiss you...it’s terrible!”

Any tips for Mo maintenance?

My first year I treated myself to a warm shave from a barber, but now I can handle it myself. The best way to groom is with a comb and high-quality hair cutting scissors—not with a beard trimmer since you don’t have as much control.

Who’s your moustache hero?

Tom Selleck. His is dark, full, and he has the perfect upper lip. Sometimes my moustache makes me feel like I’m a 14 year-old kid who’s trying to be like my dad (who also had the Tom Selleck). It just doesn’t have the oomph. I blame the blond.

How can people get involved?

Grow your own! Donate to an individual or a whole team anytime this month.

Feeling MOtivated? Donate to Derrick or Team Pinstache! Or pick your ‘stache style from Supercompressor’s Mustache Masters or Movember’s Mo’s we like board.

Good news: The iOS app has a sleek new look! We de-cluttered and simplified navigation so it’s easier to get around the app. The new, cleaner design also lets you focus more on your Pins. Next time you see a product, place or article Pin, take a look close up—the Pin’s info and image have much more room on the screen to shine.

Looking to search through your Pins or upload a new one? Those options now live at the top of your profile.

In this update, we also improved start up times so when you open the app, you can get to Pinning faster than ever.

We’re rolling out this new design to iPhone users first. You’ll also start to see similar updates on iPad, Android and the web over the next weeks and months—so keep an eye out.

Update your app to take a look at what’s new. And don’t forget, you can Pin from your mobile browser now too—it just takes a minute to set up .