"Summer! Summer! Summer!" Such was the rallying cry of a recent house guest as he jumped in the pool. Buck naked. To give context, the summer enthusiast had just spent seven hours in an overstuffed car. And he is also six years old. But he is not wrong. Summer is definitely in full swing at my house. And in full bloom on this site!
We have had so many phenomenal entries for Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #54. I am finding the cookie gardens so much more enjoyable to look at than my actual flower beds. Things outside have definitely gotten away from me. Calling my gardens "wild and overgrown" would be a very generous description. If only I could use a piping bag, trussing needle, and guidance from @Anna_Sunday_Cookers and @Manu biscotti decorati to make things as gorgeous as they are on this week's hot list*.
Let's get right to it!
#1: Flowers from My Garden by Susie Jacobs (@Susie Jacobs turned the challenge into a family affair! To see what I mean, please take a look at her comments under her post.)
#2: Last Bouquet by Heather Bruce Sosa (Again, please visit @Heather Bruce Sosa's post to check out all of the wonderful details in the work-in-process photos that she attached to this challenge entry.)
#3: Garden Flowers by Zeena (Such a variety of flowers and lovely display in this challenge entry. Well done, @Zeena!)
#4: Pink Bouquet by Heather Bruce Sosa (This colorful collection is @Heather Bruce Sosa's second appearance in this week's Spotlight. And I've lost count of how many challenge entries this bouquet makes for her! Congratulations!)
#5: Lavender Heart by Ewa Kiszowara MOJE PIERNIKI (What a gorgeous wedding keepsake. Great job, @Ewa Kiszowara MOJE PIERNIKI!)
#6: Nubian Woman for "Nubia Land of Gold Collaboration" by Los dulces de Kolo (Amazing work on this collaboration by @Los dulces de Kolo!)
#7: Summer Ice Cream Cookies by Art of Cookies (This sweet set just "drips" of summer! 
Delicious work, @Art of Cookies!)
#8: Summer by Mari Katagiri (This summer depiction is so stunning that I decided to feature it as this week's cover art. Congratulations, @Mari Katagiri!)
#9: 3-D Cornflowers in Full Bloom Stage of Growth by EAC (Another beautiful entry in the challenge. Wonderful work, @EAC.)
#10: Fourth of July Set by lulubakes ("Better late than never!" as perfectly stated by @lulubakes. Indeed!)
So there you have it. Summer in all of its pristine perfection. At least that's how things are on Cookie Connection. My house, gardens, and kitchen tell another story . . .
I hope everyone has a wonderful week filled with summer sweetness!
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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