Pintastic People: Erin Loechner

Today's pintastic person is especially exciting because not only have I been a long time follower of Erin Loechner's blog, "Design for Mankind", I also feel a kindred connection with her since we are both Midwestern girls. Even though I don't live there anymore, I'm always thrilled to learn about hip, cool women that call the "fly-over-states" home. Not only does Erin seem to have about a million projects going at once, she also recently gave birth to a baby daughter, Bee. Below, she took a little time out of her busy schedule to answer some of my questions about pinterest, blogging, motherhood and how they all work together. Enjoy!

Photo by Betsy King photography

How did you get started on pinterest?

I actually joined Pinterest to help spread the word about the new platform via a great social media campaign Victoria Smith started. (If you ask me, Victoria is the official Pinterest pioneer and a pretty big reason the site has been so welcomed by the design community.) You can see my post here. Like Victoria, I met Pinterest's founder Ben at Alttitude Design Summit while Pinterest was still in beta. I'm so proud of the huge success it's become; Ben and his team deserve every bit of it!

You also have your super successful blog, "Design for Mankind". How does pinterest effect your blogging?

I've found it to be a pretty huge benefit in terms of collecting post inspiration, spotting trends and even building traffic/new readers. Blogging and Pinterest definitely go hand in hand!

What are your three favorite pins this week?
I've been working on a top secret kids project, so I'd say these have been pretty inspiring for my current workload!:

Bunny mittens // Pink knick knacks // Toile storage bin

What are a few of your favorite sites to find source material for your blog and pinterest?

I'm continually trolling online art galleries to discover new artists, and I always find inspiring content on Tumblr (although most of it is uncredited, so I rely pretty heavily on Google Image search to track down original sources). TrendLand is an amazing resource, as well!

What do you do when not pinning, or blogging?

I'm a new mother of a 9-week old, so my off-time is pretty entrenched with diaper changes, nursing and cuddles!

Yes, major congrats on the new little one!! How has this new phase in your life changed how you look at blogging, pinning and working online? or has it?

You know, it's been a huge blessing, actually. I'm much less capable of cyberloafing b/c I no longer have time to just get lost on the Internet. I miss that, but I also find that I'm so much more productive! Likewise, I really have to choose projects I'm passionate about, because I only allow so many work hours away from Bee. I'm becoming much better at saying "No!" :)

You also recently launched "Design for Minikind". How did this come about? What is your vision for this new project?

Oh, this has been so much fun. Design for MiniKind began when my programmer spotted my Pinterest board "Design for MiniKind" and asked if that meant I was launching a new site. I told him that if he was up for it, I was! And the site was born, just like that, over a breakfast date with our families in Big Bear, CA.

It's really just a labor of love; a place where I can write weekly letters to Bee and share some cool products I'm finding along the way. It's been a blast so far!

As a hip, stylish women and a new mother, what are a few of your current fashion must-haves?
Ha, I'm knee-deep in the trenches of motherhood right now, so my new uniform has been gray deep v-neck tees and boyfriend jeans that are crazy nursing/spit-up-friendly. I wouldn't necessarily call it fashionable, but it's the season I'm in! I will say I'm looking forward to fall weather so I can embrace chunky knits, trench coats and boots!

Where is your current dream vacation destination?

Oh, it's a toss-up between Iceland and Stockholm. Or Copenhagen. Dang. That's a hard one!

Photo: Stockholm via Pinterest

Do you have any hidden talents? if so what?

I can recite all fifty states, alphabetically, in less than 15 seconds. It's pretty spectacular. ;)

Why do you love blogging and pinning?

I love the community it can create. There's something beautiful when you spot someone across the proverbial pond that you can relate to - even in the smallest sense, like bonding over a great DIY tutorial you both love.

Who are a few of your favorite pinners? Mrs. French // A Merry Mishap // Amy Sia