"This really is the ULTIMATE cookie book. Whimsical, elegant, colorful, and creative!! What more could you ask for? You will not be disappointed.”

Colette Peters

Celebrity Cake Decorator; Owner, Colette's Cakes

My Second Community Cookie Contest...

Back by popular demand (and because of my voyeuristic desire to peer into your bakeries and kitchens), I officially announce my second Community Cookie Contest!

Here’s the procedure:

Follow my Community Cookie Contest board, entitled Bridal Bliss, on Pinterest by May 31, 2012. (Follow it here.) On May 31, ‘round about 5pm central time, I’ll add all followers to the board to allow for community-style pinning.

Then any time after the board opens on May 31 through June 20, pin a photo (or more) of your best wedding-themed cookie work to the board. The work must be your own; you must have the rights to pin the photo (meaning it’s also yours); and the photo must link back to an image on your site, blog, or personal Flickr page.

On June 20, again at 5pm central time, the photo with the most unique repins will win . . . drum roll, please . . .

. . . personalized copies of my books Ultimate Cookies AND Cookie Swap (yes, both this time) and a grab bag of my favorite goodies from fancyflours.com, hand-selected by me (estimated retail value: $150 US). I may also make a few honorable mentions of work that displays a unique skill or technique, or eye-catching artistry - as I did at the end of the last contest.

Other Eligibility Requirements and Deets:

Those who’ve won the top prize in a previous Community Cookie Contest in the last 6 months will not be eligible to win again (in the interest of spreading the wealth!), but they are encouraged to share their work for the sheer fun of it.
It’s unique repins that will be measured here, not multiple pins by the same person. So please discourage friends and family from pinning and repinning your work. Repeat pins will be deducted from total pin count before confirming the winner.
I will verify that the winning pin meets the various eligibility requirements (i.e., original work, not a winner in the last 6 months, linked to your site/blog . . .) and notify the winner via email within a week of the contest conclusion. I’ll also be responsible for mailing the prizes to the winner.
Again, I will be adding all followers to the board at the same time on May 31 to keep the playing field as level as possible. Up until that time, I will be able to see your names on a list in my control panel, but you will not be able to pin to the board until I manually send you an invitation and you accept that invitation. Please allow a couple of hours for additions on 5/31; I have to add each follower one at a time.
Once you accept your invitation on May 31, you should see the name of this board on your panel and be able to start pinning! You can still join the game after May 31, but the others will have a headstart and you’ll need to allow about 24 hours to be added to the board. Again, you must follow the board first. Once you do, I will get a notification from Pinterest that you followed it and I will send you an invitation to pin. Just accept that invitation, and you’re good to pin. If you’d rather just follow the board and not pin (or see it among yours), then don’t accept my invitation.
If I encounter any technical difficulties along the way (fingers crossed that no one is spontaneously dropped off the board this time), you’ll be the first to know via a comment to the board. That said, I recommend that you pin soon after you’ve joined. In the event that you do get dropped, it usually takes me 24 hours to add people back.

Of course, feel free to share this post and spread the word. After all, this contest is less about winning and more about appreciating individual talents and learning and growing through inspiration. Not doing the Pinterest-thing yet? Then check it out here before you try to enter the contest! You may also want to visit the board from my first pinning contest and/or my official winners recap prior to starting this challenge!

I think that covers it. But do email me at sweetlife@juliausher.com (using “Community Cookie Contest” in the subject line) if I left out anything or if you have any troubles with the above steps. Oh, and, as before, I won’t be entering myself; but I will be visiting the board regularly to catch exciting new developments.

Live sweetly,

Julia M. Usher

P.S. Not the competitive sort? Then check out my Community Cookie Collections below. They’re low key spaces where you can share your work and view others’, without racking up pins or prizes! I add a new collection roughly each month, and they stay open for “pinning” for a long time, so come back often to see what others have contributed.