I believe I implied in my last Saturday Spotlight that I had my act together for the new year. Well, that early assessment has proven not to be so. My brain has been going in a million different directions, with my to-do list growing by the minute. I'm not sure if it is because I have too many loose ends from last year or an abundance of plans for this year. In any case, my mind currently seems like a very busy airport without a qualified air traffic controller. Ideas are flying all over the place.
This week's hot list* is full of even more ideas. We have texture! Color! Love, love, love! And lots of mixed media Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #55 entries! I won't dissect the details of the latter as I usually do, only because @Manu biscotti decorati has a tremendous challenge recap planned for next Saturday. That said, let's take a quick look at what has been trending this week . . .
#1: Bridal Elegance by Zeena (@Zeena has given us so much shimmering texture in her latest bridal-themed challenge entry.)
#2: Wedding Dresses by Petra Florean (Another challenge entry in the bridal theme! And another week that these stunners have been trending. Congratulations, @Petra Florean.)
#3: Bunnies by Skilful Cook (Each cookie in this set is an absolute work of art. Well done and very meticulous craftsmanship, @Skilful Cook!)
#4: Happy Birthday by Ryoko ~Cookie Ave. (@Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.'s adorable cookie, a birthday gift for Cookie Connection member @carouselselsel, is continuing to trend after first appearing last week. This cookie speaks volumes about the power of Cookie Connection friendships!)
#5: Little Laughing Ice Queen by Icingsugarkeks (Ironically, @Icingsugarkeks's ice queen is pretty heartwarming, don't you think?! P.S. Another outstanding challenge entry!)
#6: Rainy Days by vivi (For Challenge #55, @vivi provided us with this adorable ode to rain that is anything but dreary!)
#7: The Nutcracker by Art of Cookies (I love the soft color palette of this festive set. Beautiful, @Art of Cookies.)
#8: Love by Petra Florean (This two-for-one challenge entry is @Petra Florean's second appearance in this week's Spotlight. Just look at the wide array of mixed media that she used on these two cookies! Impressive!)
#9: Love Message! by Di Art Sweets (This set is so full of joy - and so on point with the upcoming cookie holiday - that Julia and I decided to make it this week's cover art. Great job, @Di Art Sweets. You've certainly racked up your fair share of Spotlight cover features over the last year!)
#10: Girl's Basketball Birthday by Cajun Home Sweets (@Cajun Home Sweets has given us so much to appreciate in this fun set. My favorite touch is the basketball cake stand!)
And there we have it! Even though it felt like my brain was at capacity, it always seems to have space for new ideas, especially ones as inspirational as these! Now I just need to focus on landing a few . . . [EDITOR'S NOTE: Exactly my sentiments about my own life right now! I'm experiencing what I once dubbed my "Annual New Year's Immobilization Syndrome", where I run in circles chasing ideas yet doing nothing. I eventually get so panicked about the clock ticking that I bite the bullet and just start doing something - anything, just to get some momentum going. Though, this year, I'm not quite to the action part yet . . . Could this be a common cookier phenomenon? Hmmmm . . . 🧐 Back to Lisa . . . ~JMU]
Wishing everyone a safe and inspiring week ahead.
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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