DIY Network

Hello Lovely Bloggers,

We are pleased to announce to you the winner of Blog Cabin 2009 sweepstakes.

Cheers,

Watson, DIYNetwork.com Manager

Hello Die-Hard Bloggers,

For those of you here and blogging, I commend you! This time period is truly the slowest when it comes to anything Blog Cabin. Our production companies, creative directors, legal team and many others are working furiously behind the scenes to come up with the most innovative Blog Cabin yet.

In the meantime, we are giving away $100,000 in cold cash for you to create the kitchen and bathroom of your dreams.  It’s the Ultimate Kitchen & Bath Giveaway and you can enter daily between now and November 20. So give it a shot.

Cheers,

Watson, DIYNetwork.com Manager

(P.S. For those of you with an eye for detail, we are now capitalizing the “N” in DIYNetwork.com – didn’t want you to think it was a typo!)

Hello Bloggers,

With voting opportunities over for the next few months as considerations for Blog Cabin 2010 are being made, there are other chances to cast votes. Run My Renovation needs your voting choices for future remodeling projects, plus there’s another neat project that came across my desk.

Shine a Light is a partnership between NBC Universal and American Express highlighting inspiring small businesses: businesses that have demonstrated innovation and resilience through challenging times, continue to give back to the community and have a customer-first approach.

Over 4,000 small businesses were nominated to potentially win a grant and marketing support totaling $100,000 from American Express, but now the list is down to three finalists. And in true do-it-yourself spirit, we want to recognize Beacon Paint & Hardware in New York, New York.

A neighborhood hardware store that has been on the same block for 109 years, they have “become a household name to the entire school community, donating vast amounts of paint, lighting and materials. Beacon also sponsors a walkathon for the Xeroderma Pigmentosum Society and a community cleanup day to paint over any graffiti on mailboxes or lampposts.”

I love stories like these, and currently Beacon Paint & Hardware is in third. I know you all can change that by voting today. It is my duty, however, to alert you to the other two deserving finalists: Sacred Wind Communications and HAPPYBABY (you can find more info about them in the HGTV Dream Home blog and Rachael Ray’s blog).

Of course, you’ll have to register before you can vote, but once that formality is out of the way, please read more about Beacon Paint & Hardware and lend your support. It’s a great cause and will burn a few moments before Blog Cabin gears back up!

Cheers,

Watson, DIYnetwork.com Manager

Editorial Disclaimer: This post is in conjunction with our sponsor American Express in partnership with NBC Universal for Shine a Light.

Hello Ever-Engaged Bloggers,

The odyssey of Blog Cabin 2009 is essentially at an end. Now we wait for the winner to be drawn. Despite the challenges, DIY Network’s braintrust is celebrating a successful season and have already turned their eyes to 2010.

But the framework is far from being decided, including the location. You still have a chance below to lobby for where you would like Blog Cabin 2010 to be located. Considerations are being made, so let’s hear from all parts of the country! Where would you build the next Blog Cabin (and why)?

Cheers,

Watson, DIYnetwork.com Manager

Hello Faithful Bloggers,

As October 2 (the last day to enter the Blog Cabin sweepstakes) approaches, we hope that little dollar signs are springing up in your thoughts. As most of you know, a substantial cash prize is filling in for the beautiful cabin in North Carolina.

And in this economy, a couple’a some-odd five hundred large (here’s the rules) will go a long way for some lucky Blog Cabinite. And don’t forget, you can provide your well-formulated opinions on the cabin here, tour the cabin here, see all video updates here, watch full episodes here and you can even peruse featured products here.

Best,

Watson, DIYnetwork.com Manager

Thank you for making DIY Network’s Blog Cabin a successful franchise. As the first, truly interactive home building series, bloggers and viewers just like you have changed how home improvement television is produced. You told us what you wanted, and the DIY hosts and experts put their hearts and souls into making this a one-of-a-kind vacation home.

When the 2009 Blog Cabin was completed, we were excited that it was a home worthy of our audience’s vision. We are proud of the television series documenting the construction, as well as the online videos, interactive photos and projects that we hope you will continue to enjoy. Unfortunately, however, various issues have prevented us from closing on the house and being in a position to award it to a winner. DIY Network no longer has any affiliation with the developer, nor are we involved with the developer’s apparent efforts to sell the 2009 Blog Cabin. Instead, we are pleased to announce that we will be awarding a cash prize that is equivalent to the approximate value of the home, an alternative that is described in the 2009 Blog Cabin sweepstakes rules.

While we’re disappointed that we will not be able to give this home away, we know that a cash prize of over $500,000 will certainly help one lucky sweepstakes winner still realize his or her own fantasy getaway. We are already working toward securing a location for next year’s Blog Cabin that will be innovative and full of surprises.

DIY Network greatly appreciates your interest in the 2009 Blog Cabin promotion, and we look forward to your insightful contributions to Blog Cabin 2010. Look for new posts in the coming weeks!

Hello Blog Cabin Enthusiasts!

The above title might sound a little redundant given that we dish on all things Blog Cabin right here in the Blog. But with interest at an all-time high, we’ve created a gallery where you can review all the great photos, provide comments and rate the space from one to five stars.

So head on over there and give us your ratings, thoughts on the decor or whatever is on your mind. And, as I’m sure you know, the sweepstakes is ongoing and we’d love for your name to be in the hat when we draw for the winner! Enter every day until October 2 to increase your chance of winning.

Cheers,

Watson, DIYnetwork.com Manager

Hello Sweepstakes-Loving Bloggers,

Sometimes lost amidst the hype of the sweepstakes run (which lasts appx. 6 weeks) and the launch of the panoramic 360-degree tour are the valuable how-to projects that ride alongside all the other Blog Cabin features.

Projects range from the standard-but-extremely-popular How to Install Bathroom Tile to the practical-and-still-somewhat-seasonal How to Build a Screened-In Back Porch to the fun and family-friendly How to Build a Treehouse.

Editor extraordinaire Mary has also created a handy spot where all Blog Cabin projects reside, which you can find here. And of course there is the Best of the Best Photo Gallery collection with high-quality images from all rooms and exteriors – and a handful of guest host/expert videos to watch.

One more thing: I don’t have to remind you to enter for your chance to win, right? Every day between now and October 2.

Cheers!

Watson, DIYnetwork.com Manager

Hello Diehard Bloggers,

What a long, strange trip it has been. But finally, at long last, we can reveal to you the 360-degree room tour for Blog Cabin 2009! Take a virtual tour of the rooms and exteriors (and be sure to use the handy interactive floor plan on the right), flip through tons of slide shows, watch videos and, of course, be sure to enter for your chance to win.

Remember, you can enter once daily through October 2. And here’s a tip: once you’ve entered all your information the first time, every subsequent entry only requires your email address (and email confirmation). So it’s easy to revisit the site and drop in an entry.

And I’m sure you have invited your friends over to watch the premiere of Blog Cabin: Back to the Mountains tonight (Thursday, Aug. 20) at 9pm/8c, right? Right?? Then just watch Thursdays @ 9.

I want to express from the bottom of my heart how grateful I am for you guys hanging in there while we remodeled DIYnetwork.com. Our resources were (and are) stretched to the max, and we had to make some tough choices along the way.

But with the new site up and running (do you guys like it?), we’re sure that Blog Cabin will build on its success – thanks to the bedrock bloggers we have here.

Good luck everyone – I hope you win it!

Watson, DIYnetwork.com Manager

Hello Bloggers,

Next in our mini-series of guest bloggers (preceded by licensed contractor Matt Blashaw) is carpenter Marc Bartolomeo, host of DIY Network’s Kitchen Impossible:

“My time at the jobsite of this year’s Blog Cabin was in a word … interesting (and muddy!!). The drive alone up to the property - which is on a 2,000 acre land preserve nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains was an 8.8 mile, 25-minute drive off the main road to the Cabin …

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