And the Winners of the Ultimate DIY Competition Are...

The Judges have judged, the votes have been tallied, the Favoriting has been ranked...and at long last here are our 4 Winners!

Best DIY Jewelry Project

 Antique-Inspired Necklace by India E.


Best DIY Clothing Project

Vest out of a Blazer by Darling Chelsea

Best DIY Accessory Project

 Recycled Newspaper Belt by Brittany Marie

Fan Favorite Winner
(Most Hearts + Likes during Competition Period)

 Chan Luu Inspired Turquoise Wrap Bracelet by Ruby Mines

Congratulations - your projects were all fantastic!

With over 150 entries this Competition was a smashing success!  Thank you so much to everyone who entered, blogged, tweeted, added buttons, and promoted it - we couldn't have done it without all of you! :-D

Even if you didn't win something this time around, please keep crafting and DIY'ing and sharing your projects - so the spirit of doing-it-yourself spreads unbounded and teaches us all to

Don't Buy...D.I.Y!!

xoxox
Carly

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Meet the Judging Panel!

Our illustrious judging panel for the Ultimate DIY Competition is comprised by the following talented crafty DIY bloggers and style bloggers:

The Organizer: Carly J. Cais
Chic Steals
My blog is where I've been sharing step-by-step DIY tutorials, styling tips, and how to get that "designer look-for-less" for the last 2 years. I conceived of The Ultimate DIY Competition as a grassroots effort to encourage creativity and community among crafters all around the world.

Suzannah
Adventures in Dressmaking
My blog is where I share my sewing, craft, and home décor ideas and DIY projects. I love doing original tutorials and projects based on styles I see in magazines, often reusing vintage or thrifted fabric and materials.

Tessa Stephensen
Apparellel
I’m not really a professional DIY-er per se; I’m a wardrobe stylist that’s been cutting, ripping, shredding and otherwise improvising since I was eight. I love to see the creativity that comes out of necessity.

Maegan Tintari
...love, Maegan
Honest & stylish LA blogger, Maegan Tintari, posts daily about fashion, sharing her style secrets, DIY tutorials, home decor projects, thoughts on life & marriage, infertility and babies, and just about anything else that may be on her mind at any given moment.

Outi Pyy
Outsapop Outi writes about fashion, recycling and sustainability in her blog OutsaPop Trashion. She gives ideas on how to make crafting green and bring catwalk trends to DIY fashion through inspiration boards and how-to tutorials.








If you are unfamiliar with any of their blogs, please check them out a the links above - everyone has a unique sense of style and design aesthetic when it comes to making their own pieces - and just a quick browse of everyone's sites will provide hours and hours of DIY inspiration!

So please check them out!

Chic Steals   /  Adventures in Dressmaking   /  Apparellel  /  ...love, Maegan  /  Outsapop

Ultimate DIY Competition winners to be announced Wednesday, September 15!!

The Ultimate DIY Competition is Now Over!

Well, everyone - the Submission Period has now closed, and we've had a whopping number of fantastic entries.

156 entries, to be exact!!

That's absolutely amazing, and the creativity is overwhelming.

In the coming days the judging panel will be reviewing all your submissions in accordance with the Official Rules, and announcing the winners come September 15!

Winners will be announced both on this blog and on the CutOutandKeep.net website, as well as contacted personally through their COAK profiles.

So stay tuned for more announcements to come...and a Meet the Judges feature!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered - this has been a great success and I hope everyone had fun:-)

Ultimate DIY Competition Featured on Examiner.com!

They even included the following:

"I want to empower people to try making something themselves - they could discover a new skill or a fun hobby unexpectedly," Cais said of the new contest.

Besides promoting creativity, the DIY competition also encourages more educated and ethical consumerism, Cais said. After DIYers have tried designing or making their own clothing or accessories, they are less likely to buy and quickly discard clothing produced by underpaid workers, she said.  

"You value items more when you've put your own time and skills into your creation," Cais said. "You understand the time and immense human effort that has gone into even the simplest of garments."

Read the Full Article Here

How amazing to be quoted!  Thanks so much, Samantha, for featuring this!

xoxox
Carly

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LAST WEEK in the Ultimate DIY Competition!

Week 2 is now up and we're on Week 3 - the final week!  You have until Sunday, September 5 to get your project in before the competition closes and the judging commences!
We can't wait to see everyone's projects...and hand out some cool gift certificates and prizes...so

Enter Your Project Now

UDC: Week 1 and Counting!

 Wow, everyone!

We're off to an amazing start with a total of 81 projects submitted in the first week!  I hope those who haven't submitted something yet are working away!
(I mean, who wouldn't want free money to spend at your favorite crafty materials store??)
 

There's still two weeks left, so get your project in as soon as you can to start racking up those "Hearts" and "Likes"!!

Submit Your Project Now

I'm so inspired by the incredible level of creativity and skill seen here!  What about you?  Any projects you're just DIY'ing to try?  Please share if you do, and add the project as your Favorite to give a little love back:-)

New UDC Promotion Buttons!

If you'd like to promote the Ultimate DIY Competition on your blog or your facebook page, you can do so by just copying the text in the scrollbox below:

ENTER the Competition Button

<a href="http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/contests/the-ultimate-diy-competition" target="_blank"><img src="http://i690.photobucket.com/albums/vv263/carlyjcais/Ultimate%20DIY%20Competition%20Photos/udc_button.png" border="0" ></a>

Like or Add My Project to Favorites Button**

<a href="http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/YOURPROJECTURL" target="_blank"><img src="http://i690.photobucket.com/albums/vv263/carlyjcais/Ultimate%20DIY%20Competition%20Photos/udc_likebutton.png" border="0" ></a>

**To encourage your friends, family, and visitors to vote for your project - highest number of "Favorite Hearts" + Facebook "Likes" wins a prize! To use, copy the text in the scrollbox above and replace YOURPROJECTURL with the URL of the project you'd like to promote on CutOutandKeep. Anyone clicking on the button will automatically be taken directly to your project, where they can "Add to Favorites" (if they are CutOutandKeep registered members), or "Like" using the Facebook button (if they have a Facebook account).

So share, promote, encourage voting - the more votes you get, the higher the chance of winning!