[EDITOR'S NOTE: My apologies for the delayed posting. Contributor @LisaF had this Spotlight all teed up on time, but my vacation got in the way of getting the post launched yesterday. I'm sure you'll enjoy it in any case! Thanks again to Lisa for making this Spotlight happen! ~JMU]
Summer is in full swing in my area. It's hot and humid, and the farm stands are overflowing. My house has also been overflowing. Visiting children have ranged in age from 4 to 16, and one of the adults is almost 80. It's been a whirlwind of activity - in a very blended family. But, we made it work! Right before the guests departed, we had a round of self-congratulations for time well spent. As we tried to figure out the secret ingredient to having so much drama-free fun, the four-year-old announced that it was because I was made of "sugar and Legos". That comment made my week. The 16-year-old added that it usually looked like I was made more of dog hair. But I decided to ignore her. And, for the record, she ate the most cookies!
In any case, while I was otherwise engaged, my fellow cookiers were also quite busy. This week's hot list* has so much variety. We have flowers, fashion, and a lot of wild fun!
#1: Bouquet in a Basket by Heather Bruce Sosa (I love the colors in @Heather Bruce Sosa's latest entry in Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #54.)
#2: Wedding Bouquet by Heather Bruce Sosa (This photo is @Heather Bruce Sosa's second entry in Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #54 and her second appearance in this week's Spotlight. Congratulations, Heather!)
#3: 4-ever Wild by thissitelovescookies (This adorable set is filled with so many delightful details. Great work, @thissitelovescookies, and special congrats on your very first Spotlight!)
#4: Wild West by Petra Florean (@Petra Florean's collaboration cookie is an absolute stunner.)
#5: Summer and the Lemons! by Di Art Sweets (This collection says summer so clearly that Julia and I decided to feature it as this week's cover art. Congratulations, @Di Art Sweets!)
#6: Nubian Man by Petra Florean (Another great collaboration cookie, and Petra's second appearance in this week's Spotlight. Well done, @Petra Florean!)
#7: Bouquet of Flowers by Zeena (Yet another wonderful Watch-Learn-Create entry. Beautiful, @Zeena.)
#8: A Game of Chess by Zeena (This fun cookie is also interactive! Congratulations, @Zeena, on your second appearance in this week's Spotlight.)
#9: South African Set by lulubakes (@lulubakes has treated us to such a colorful and vibrant set! Well done.)
#10: Summer Fashion by Vero (Very Vero) (Thanks to @Vero (Very Vero) for giving us such a fashionable set, tailormade for summer fun.)
Now, how's that for a summer celebration?! This cookie roundup certainly gave me plenty of smiles and inspiration. I'm particularly inspired by all of the Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #54 entries. I have a week before the next batch of guests arrives, so I am hoping to put the time to good use, including some challenge participation. The challenge closes on July 23, so why don't you all join me in prepping some pretty cookie flowers?
Until then, I hope your upcoming days are safe, sunny, and sugary! 
So that no one has an unfair advantage in making it onto a hot list, the algorithm is secret even to site administrators. Only our platform developers know the code, which has been exhaustively tested by those developers and Cookie Connection staff.
All photos shown here are the courtesy (and copyright) of the designers listed.
To check out our other hot lists, at any time of day, visit our Hot Spot, also found in the site's main navigation line.
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Lisa Foss is a hobbyist cookie decorator. After careers in corporate communications and freelance writing, she focused her attention on the nonprofit sector. She spent more than a decade at various soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and prison reentry programs throughout New York City. Lisa’s cookie journey began in 2011 when she started making gingerbread houses. After getting a handle on construction, she focused on improving her decorating skills through books, videos, and online tutorials. This exploration brought her to Cookie Connection, which has provided her with an incredible community to learn from and grow with. Though she enjoys making cookies for family and friends, Lisa’s main focus is cookies for charity.
For more information about Lisa and her work, please check out her Facebook and Instagram pages.
Byline photo credit: Shutterstock
Note: Saturday Spotlight is a weekly Cookie Connection blog feature written alternately by Lisa Foss and Julia M. Usher. Its primary intent is to cast a spotlight on the week's top-trending cookie posts, as determined automatically by the site algorithms described above. This article expresses the views of the author, and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. To see all of Cookie Connection's past Saturday Spotlights, click here.
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