Well, better late than never, as they say. This is one loooooooong overdue Close-up, but, trust me, it’s going to be a good one because it’s with none other than our super-talented site contributor, Aproned Artist, aka Samantha Yacovetta. You probably know her as the creative force behind...
I've just got to preface this week's Spotlight with a huge "OMG"! I'm not sure if you noticed, but we had an unprecedented number (and quality) of last-minute entries into our latest "Inside the Box" Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge. Yes, hard to believe, but...
Hi, all! I wanted to take a moment to specially thank our Gold Sponsors who stepped up to the highest of levels to support Julia M. Usher's 3-D Cookie Art Competition™ at the Show Me Sweets show (July 13-14) in St. Charles, MO, USA...
Hello, everyone! It's that time again - that special moment of the week when we spotlight the ten top-trending cookies on the site! Woo hoo! And, I do mean "woo hoo"! Thanks to a spotty internet connection due to...
Well, spring has clearly sprung here on Cookie Connection! With a couple of 3-D exceptions (most of which were made for our current challenge), every cookie on this week's hot list sings of the season with garden flowers and/or fruits, or other garden creatures...
Most of my cookie projects are inspired by my memories, and so is this one, inspired as it is by some beach huts I saw in La Mer, Dubai (UAE), a beachfront with restaurants, shops, activities for children, and more. It was...
When it comes to creating cookie designs, I find Father’s Day to be one of the most difficult holidays. Every year I look for inspiration, but I seem to find only a handful of ideas, none of which apply to the man I’m trying to celebrate...
Hello! It's once again time for my monthly stencil release, and I've got two sweet sets that I've been teasing you with for a while now! Yes, I'm releasing an adaptation of the bakery-themed Dynamic Duos™ sets that I originally custom-designed for a girl's bat mitzvah back in March...
Okay, why is it that fathers are so darn hard to cookie for? Theories, anyone?! All I know is that I usually experience major creative block whenever I start to think about Father's Day cookies, and I suspect I'm not the only one...
Hi again, everyone! This post is related to the one posted earlier this week about our recent site upgrade. That upgrade changed two things: (1) our member avatars and (2) our forum display and searching capability. This post focuses on the latter...
Hi, all! Hoop.la (my site tech team) recently upgraded the site, making changes primarily in the areas of forums and member avatars. The forum changes are designed to make it easier to find hot (aka trending) forum topics and to search the forums. HOWEVER, I have NOT...
Thank you all for participating in the most recent questionnaire in my Sugar Dot Surveys series. In this one, I asked you a bunch of simple, quick-fire questions that covered a whole host of mini topics. The primary aim was to...
With your mom's big day only a week away, there's no time like the present to start working on her gift! And what mom wouldn't absolutely adore a present that's both beautiful and edible (and handcrafted with every bit of your heart and soul, of course)?!...
Hi, everyone! I apologize for another gap in Cookier Close-ups, but at least this time the gap was much shorter than my last! To make up for my silence, I have an ultra-special interview this month. I usually focus on cookie artists, but, today, I’m departing from that norm by interviewing a product innovator who...
I know that I often tell you guys that I want you to think "outside the box" when it comes to participating in these challenges. But this time around, I have a bit of a twist. I want you to think inside the box. In fact...
