A stream of visitors is expected at my house over the next couple of months. The weather here is warm, and we have a pool and a large yard with plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy. Even so, it's only a matter of time before someone wants to decorate cookies. I've learned over the years that life is a lot easier if I have a consistent supply of royal icing and fresh cookie dough at the ready. I also like to keep a variety of royal icing transfers on hand. I never cease to be delighted by how easily transfers elevate almost any cookie. And when new decorators discover this cookie truism for the first time, minds are blown! Lucky for us (particularly me, as I am in the midst of company prep 
), the latest Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #57 is all about stenciled royal icing transfers! I'll definitely be consulting @Manu biscotti decorati's challenge kickoff video for some fun new takes on transfers, and I hope you will too!
Speaking of the challenge, a submission from a first-time entrant tops our hot list* this week. Let's take a look . . .
#1: Stepping through the Garden by Treatfairy (Congratulations, @Treatfairy, for not only taking the leap to enter your first challenge, but also for being selected for this week's cover art! Your composition and color choices are wonderful!)
#2: 3-D Lace Heart by Cookies Fantastique (Many techniques combine for a stunning result, @Cookies Fantastique.)
#3: 3-D Mermaid Purse Cookie - View #1 by BevH (What a charming creation, @BevH!)
#4: More Piano Recital Cookies by Cookies Fantastique (This set marks @Cookies Fantastique's second appearance this week. Big congrats!)
#5: Paint Me Beautiful 💅 by Heather Bruce Sosa (Such a clever set, @Heather Bruce Sosa. I can barely distinguish the real bottles from your cookie versions!)
#6: Ajolote by Yazz Ross (We've got a surprisingly large number of 3-D creations in this week's Spotlight, and this one is absolutely adorable! Well done, @Yazz Ross!)
#7: Fan with Roses Cookie Puzzle by BAKRGAL aka Barb Florin (This past challenge entry is just as beautiful now as it was eight years ago! @BAKRGAL aka Barb Florin, we're still fans - pun intended! )
#8: ♥️s & Roses by Heather Bruce Sosa (Congrats on your second appearance this week, @Heather Bruce Sosa! Your florals are gorgeous!)
#9: Fresh Fruit Basket by Icingsugarkeks (I adore this shiny set by @Icingsugarkeks. It is dripping with taste and just as fresh as when it was first posted in 2020! Pun intended - again!)
#10: Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries by Dolce Flo (Such a delightful set, @Dolce Flo!)
What a delicious collection! If you would like even more inspiration, make sure you check out @Aproned Artist's latest tutorial, Every Little Detail with Aproned Artist: Unicorns and Rainbows. It is, indeed, pure magic! And, of course, Manu's Challenge #57 kickoff video is not to be missed!
Until next time, I hope everyone has a safe and inspiring week.
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. 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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