Classification of a Pinstrosity

It kinda cracks me up when people get bent out of shape over what we classify as a Pinstrosity. Over the course of the blog we've had all sorts of comments on our posts, comments on Pinterest, emails, comments left on discussion boards, etc. about how we shouldn't call certain projects Pinstrosities. "That's not a Pinstrosity, she deviated from the directions so it's just her fault." "That's not a Pinstrosity, it still turned out usable." "That's not a Pinstrosity, I'm Grumpy Cat." 

So, I thought I'd clear up some of the "confusion" and tell you what we, the creators of the site (and term) Pinstrosity, count as a pinstrosity: any project that doesn't match up to the outcome of the original pin for whatever reason. On the right sidebar you can find a text box that says this, "Pinstrosity™ content submitted from Pinterest users like you. This isn't a site to just laugh and make fun of projects gone wrong (although occasionally giggles and guffaws do come out), but also to help troubleshoot and learn from the Pinterest Fails we all have. Life isn't Pinterest-perfect...but it's not supposed to be. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the community of pinners showing Pinterest projects as they happen in the 'real world'." We hoped that would get our general idea across, but we still get comments like this:

• "But you show projects that still turned out well! Those aren't Pinstrosities!" 
• Yes, there are varying levels of success and disaster, but that is why we created the GCT Scale (which has been around since the beginning of the blog). Why the scale? 1. It's funny. 2. It's an easy system to show how a project turned out. 3. Different people can try the same pin and end up with different results. We're not rating the original pin, we're rating the project outcome. We do show pins on Pinterest that just don't work EVER, but that's not the only point of the blog. We're showing Pinterest projects as they happen in real life, not in magazines. 
• "But that project failed because they didn't follow the directions exactly." 
• Yes...people deviate, and I know it drives some of you up the wall. If we left out projects that came from neglected directions or unsuccessful supply substitutions we'd be leaving out a whole big group of people and projects. We don't all craft/cook/clean/repair/style the same. Some deviate, some don't. Some like to get a project exactly as seen on Pinterest, some are just using a pin as inspiration because there's something about the pinned project that doesn't quite match their style or ability. This blog is here as a representation of all of us on Pinterest: the deviators, the sticklers, the explorers, the first timers, the new crafter, the experienced chef, etc. Em and I both deviate from the directions and supply lists with some of our projects, so for us we know it can be helpful when we start a project to know what substitutions and deviations do and don't work. Just look at those deviation project posts as an exploration and learning process. Who knows...by deviating, someone might come up with an easier way to get something done!
• "But I did that pin and it turned out fine, so that can't be a Pinstrosity!" 
• We get that all the time. Some pins will always go wrong. Some pins will work for some and not for others. Even if two people follow the same recipe, making no deviations, there is still so much that can make the two meals turn out different. Differences in crockpots. Differences in brands of ingredients. Differences in elevation. Differences in air temperature. Differences in mixing speeds/times. The same goes for crafting. Things are not going to turn out equally the same every single time for everyone. This is another reason why Pinstrosity rates the outcome of the project, and not the pin itself. 
• "If this site is about projects gone wrong, why don't you post up more level 5's?" 
• On one hand, we'd love to have more level 5 projects to show you, but at the same time we're glad that people projects are going better than that! We can't show you a level 5 project until we have one that either happened to us or one that got submitted by one of you. We could purposely start messing up projects to get level 5's, but that'd be a little bit ridiculous. We do keep our eyes out for pins on Pinterest that look like they have no possibility of working, but those don't just pop up every day. 

So there's our view on Pinstrosity projects and why we showcase the projects we do. This blog really is here just for fun. Fun for us, and fun for you. It's not meant to be anything super serious or life changing. Pinstrosity is here as reassurance that it's fine to not have a project turn out perfect and that it's okay and perfectly normal to not have "magazine worthy" meals/houses/decor/yards/children/etc. In a way I guess Pinstrosity is the "real life" magazine with its soupy casseroles, lumpy crafts, vomiting dishwashers, and cranky children. Why hide it all? This is life as it actually happens.