Ann Romney 'pins it'

About a week after joining Pinterest, Ann Romney has more than 3,600 followers on the social networking site.

The wife of presidential candidate Mitt Romney is using the site to post pictures of her family, book recommendations and share patriotic recipes.

There's a photo of Mitt on a sled with his grandson (aw!) and a recommendation for "Anna Karenina," the 800+ page Tolstoy classic. If "Independence Punch" -- a concoction of cranberry cocktail, blue Gatorade and Diet 7-Up -- doesn't catch your fancy, perhaps red, white and blue Chex Mix will?

Ann is the first of any of the candidates' wives to officially join the site, which allows users to create online bulletin boards aggregating their favorite photos.

Pinterest is gaining popularity particularly with women, but amid the election cycle, is also starting to be used as a tool for political storytelling.

Newsweek has a Pinterest board devoted to Rick Santorum's sweater vests, and liberal think tank Think Progress has boards showing "Private Jets Of The Romney Campaign" and "Luxury Hotels Of The Romney Campaign."

Even the U.S. Army is using Pinterest, as CNN's Lisa Sylvester has reported, in an attempt to put a face on the military.