Before we get started, I need to get something out of the way . . . I can't believe it's the end of January! I have absolutely no idea how this month has slipped away. I feel like I have been incredibly busy but still not quite in the groove of things. Now, here we are, an entire month into the year. My goodness, how time has flown.
I know that I am not the only person on this site who has been busy. Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #55 recently wrapped up. To see the incredible work created for it, check out challenge host @Manu biscotti decorati's excellent recap. Hats off to everyone who participated with submissions and in the organization of the challenge. I know that Manu and a new (yet still unnamed) featured guest have also been hard at work prepping Challenge #56, which is due to open on Sunday. I can't wait to meet this mystery cookie artist!
The lovely @Julia M. Usher has had a schedule that's as frenetic as ever. In case you didn't see the preview of her namesake cookie competition, you can read it here. In it, she released the 2024 schedule and provided a fleeting glimpse of the theme, which looks pretty exciting to me! Per Julia, more theme details and rules will be posted in a couple of weeks.
But perhaps the best of this week's hyperactivity has been your eager posting of delightful clips! So let's get busy looking at this week's hot list*.
#1: Flower Goddess by Elizabeth B. (This larger-than-life goddess is so stunning! I can only imagine how consumed @Elizabeth B. must have been by the piping of so many beautiful flowers!)
#2: Fresh Fruit Basket by Icingsugarkeks (First posted a few years ago, this collection is trending once again because it's still drenched with deliciousness! Well done, @Icingsugarkeks!)
#3: Baby Bear and the Rainbow! by Di Art Sweets (@Di Art Sweets' charming set has so many details to appreciate. It sure made me smile.)
#4: Elves in Love by Maggy Morales (I can't take my eyes off these eyes! In fact, they're so riveting that Julia and I decided to make this clip this week's cover image! Congratulations, @Maggy Morales! Excellent painting and a wonderfully unexpected Valentine's Day palette!)
#5: Let's Glow Platter - View #2 by Joanna (Cookie Mojo) (What a festive presentation, @Joanna (Cookie Mojo)! I also enjoyed your photo variation taken in broad daylight.)
#6: Love Bug by Montserrat Esquivel (Another set of captivating eyes! What a cutie, @Montserrat Esquivel!)
#7: Giraffe's Kiss by Montserrat Esquivel (@Montserrat Esquivel does it again, making her second appearance this week with pucker power! How original and adorable!)
#8: Kiss Your Frog by Petra Florean (@Petra Florean created this mixed media Valentine for Challenge #55. Even though it missed the challenge's closing date by a few hours, we are so lucky to have the opportunity to admire it now.)
#9: Various Frosted Leaves by Icingsugarkeks (Still trending after last week's challenge recap, this Watch-Learn-Create entry is also @Icingsugarkeks' second appearance on this week's hot list. Kudos again!)
#10: Valentine's Day by KUMIKO KISHI (I just love the soft colors of @KUMIKO KISHI's sweet set. I'd almost rather cuddle with these cookies than eat them - LOL!)
So there you have it! What a list! In case anyone is suffering from winter malaise and the associated troubles of getting going in the new year, I hope this fun collection has been motivating. Wishing everyone a healthy and peaceful 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 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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