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Cookie Connection Milestone Awards

 

Hi, everyone! It's time to celebrate some very important people on the site! As you hopefully know by now, Cookie Connection stays the vibrant, enriching place that it is in large part because of the hard work and generosity of our contributors. All of their post writing, site art creation, challenge masterminding, and so on is done with passion and care, purely on a volunteer basis. To say I'm deeply appreciative of their work would be an understatement.

As a small token of my gratitude, I started the Milestone Awards five years ago to honor those who have contributed to the site for a year or more. In addition to being showered with my unending adoration, each winner gets a commemorative crystal vase, similar to the one pictured below on my dining room table. (And, yes, those are Christmas ornaments still in the centerpiece! Their glittery goodness works year round! Or, at least, that's how I justify my laziness! )

Milestone Award Cropped 2

Awards background behind us, today, we have two contributors to recognize! One passed her one-year anniversary mark a few months ago, and another is on the cusp of hers in July, so I thought, "The more, the merrier! Let's give them both a huge shout-out at the same time!"

And, so who are these folks? If you've been on the site for any amount of time, you can probably guess . . .

The first award goes to @Sweet Prodigy, aka Christine Dutcher, for so fabulously orchestrating our bimonthly Practice Bakes Perfect challenges. Her one-year challenge anniversary was actually on March 22, so I apologize for the brief delay in making her announcement. In a little over a year's time, she already has seven and a half wonderful challenges under her belt! (I encourage you to check out her current one, Imprinted Icing! It closes on June 20, but there's still time to test your mettle with textured icing, and potentially win a lovely prize from @SugarVeil!)

The second honoree is none other than our Site Art Stylist, @Icingsugarkeks, aka Gabi, who, since July 20, 2020, has been beautifully transforming your cookie creations into our monthly site banners and backdrops. She has a gift for graphic design!

Please join me in giving these two women a huge round of applause! And please take a moment to get to know them better by reading their bios below. Thank you again, Gabi and Christine, for your amazing work. Please keep an eye on your mailboxes for your vases, which will ship tomorrow! And, perhaps it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: I so look forward to your contributions in the months to come!

Christine Dutcher is author of Practice Bakes Perfect, a bimonthly Cookie Connection blog feature that poses inspiration and challenges to stretch you as a cookie artist - for practice, prizes, and fun! Christine's journey as a cookier began in early 2013 when an online search led her to the amazing world of cookie decorating. After spending countless hours learning all that she could, Christine decorated her first set of cookies in October 2013. In 2016, she decided that she would begin to focus on perfecting her skills, challenging herself each time to create more detailed and progressively complex pieces of cookie art. In 2019, Christine became one of the very first sugar artists from around the world to be named as an "Honourary PME Five Star Sugar Artist" by Knightsbridge PME. You can learn more about Christine's work here on Cookie Connection, and by following her Facebook and Instagram pages. Catch up on all of Christine's Cookie Connection posts here. Photo credit: Christine Dutcher.

Icingsugarkeks, designedbygabi, and Gabi are all synonyms for our Cookie Connection Site Art Stylist. Gabi, who harks from Thüringen, Germany, is a talented hobbyist decorator who has awesome graphic design skills acquired through years working as a media and graphic designer in image processing, film cutting, television programming, print media, and website design and programming. Gabi never thought that she would love HTML and CSS one day! But she does, and she's now happily applying those skills to help Cookie Connection members turn their cookie photos into art for our site's banner and backdrop. To learn more about Gabi, please visit her Instagram page. And to get her help with your site art submission, please send her a private message via her Cookie Connection profile page. Cookie and photo credit: Icingsugarkeks.

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  • Cookie Connection Milestone Awards Banner: Photo and Graphic Design by Julia M Usher
  • Milestone Award in Julia's Dining Room!: Photo by Julia M Usher

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Oh how exciting for both Christine @Sweet Prodigy and Gabi @Icingsugarkeks! A huge congratulations to both of these amazing women and artists. You have my deepest, heartfelt respect and gratitude for all that you contribute to CC ❤️.

In so many ways, Cookie Connection has become a "home" for me. Christine and Gabi are two cookiers that make this site so special. Thank you both so much!

Although there have been several times in the last year that has kept me from participating as fully as I'd like, I always know you are here to offer encouragement and support. Thanks to you, too, Julia @Julia M. Usher, for all you do in support of this community. I'm certain that I only see the "tip of the iceberg" of all that you do!   ❤️❤️❤️ Hugs to all...

Congratulations to Christine @Sweet Prodigy and Gabi @Icingsugarkeks. Two well deserved individuals who has made cookie connection a sweeter place for all. Thanks to Julia @Julia M Usher for introducing us to these two wonderful women. Thank you all for everything you do.

Wow! What a wonderful surprise! I can honestly say that it's both an honor and a pleasure to be hosting the Practice Bakes Perfect Challenges. I love seeing all of the creative entries, and I always learn so much from each challenge. Congratulations, to you as well, Gabi @Icingsugarkeks! You really do make the site artwork look top notch. Thank you, Julia @Julia M. Usher for the opportunity to host the challenges and for this Milestone Award. And thank you for creating such an amazing community here on Cookie Connection.

WOW!! What is that ?!!
... Oh, Julia, this is really much more than a surprise !! That is incredibly generous and graceful of you! @Julia M. Usher
This is such a great honor and it really touches me! I don't even know how to thank you ?! I really love being able to design the banners and backgrounds here on CC ! Dear Julia, that's not a "small sign" !! This is absolutely unbelievable to me !!! My very big thanks for this Milestone Award goes to you dear Julia! But you created this fantastic website with great passion and total commitment and built it into such a huge community! I thank you for that, certainly also on behalf of many users here, so so heartly !! ❤️

My dear Christine, @Sweet Prodigy I congratulate you so warmly on this excellent award! I always follow your challenges with great passion! You do it really perfectly and I'm looking forward, almost like a little kid, to your next ideas! 😘

Thanks again!!!

Oh how exciting for both Christine @Sweet Prodigy and Gabi @Icingsugarkeks! A huge congratulations to both of these amazing women and artists. You have my deepest, heartfelt respect and gratitude for all that you contribute to CC ❤️.

In so many ways, Cookie Connection has become a "home" for me. Christine and Gabi are two cookiers that make this site so special. Thank you both so much!

Although there have been several times in the last year that has kept me from participating as fully as I'd like, I always know you are here to offer encouragement and support. Thanks to you, too, Julia @Julia M. Usher, for all you do in support of this community. I'm certain that I only see the "tip of the iceberg" of all that you do!   ❤️❤️❤️ Hugs to all...

Oh my sweet friend Carol, Thank you sooooooooo much for these words!! ❤️
It is so aptly written with the "tip of the iceberg" !!!
You are so great and I thank you deeply, Carol

Hugs back to you my friend!! ❤️😘❤️  @Cookies Fantastique

@Zeena posted:

Congratulations to Christine @Sweet Prodigy and Gabi @Icingsugarkeks. Two well deserved individuals who has made cookie connection a sweeter place for all. Thanks to Julia @Julia M Usher for introducing us to these two wonderful women. Thank you all for everything you do.

Thank you soooo very much for your warm words my dear cookie friend! ❤️😘 @Zeena

Wow! What a wonderful surprise! I can honestly say that it's both an honor and a pleasure to be hosting the Practice Bakes Perfect Challenges. I love seeing all of the creative entries, and I always learn so much from each challenge. Congratulations, to you as well, Gabi @Icingsugarkeks! You really do make the site artwork look top notch. Thank you, Julia @Julia M. Usher for the opportunity to host the challenges and for this Milestone Award. And thank you for creating such an amazing community here on Cookie Connection.

Thank you sooooo very much my dear cookie friend Christine! ❤️😘❤️ @Sweet Prodigy

What a wonderful and very well deserved acknowledgment. Both Christine and Gabi bring so much to this community. I am so grateful to both of them for their contributions, involvement and encouragement. We are so lucky to have you both as such active members. Thank you so much Christine, Gabi and Julia. You are so very appreciated !❤️❤️😘

@LisaF posted:

What a wonderful and very well deserved acknowledgment. Both Christine and Gabi bring so much to this community. I am so grateful to both of them for their contributions, involvement and encouragement. We are so lucky to have you both as such active members. Thank you so much Christine, Gabi and Julia. You are so very appreciated !❤️❤️😘

Oh Lisa, Thanks soooo much for your lovely comment!! ❤️❤️ I am happy to give it back to you @LisaF

What an amazing group this is!
Julia @Julia M. Usher, your thoughtfulness and appreciation is so inspiring. Thank you ♥️
Dear Christine @Sweet Prodigy and Gabi @Icingsugarkeks, we are all so grateful for your hard work, input and talent which you, so generously, share with us. ♥️♥️

What an amazing group this is!
Julia @Julia M. Usher, your thoughtfulness and appreciation is so inspiring. Thank you ♥️
Dear Christine @Sweet Prodigy and Gabi @Icingsugarkeks, we are all so grateful for your hard work, input and talent which you, so generously, share with us. ♥️♥️

Thank you Heather @Heather Bruce Sosa. You comments mean a lot. ❤️

Congrats to Gabi and Christine! We are so happy to have this amazing ladies with us!

Thanks so much dear Elke! ❤️
I haven't gotten around to reading your long interview yet. I would like to enjoy that with some time! I haven't forgotten !! 😘  @Elke Hoelzle

What an amazing group this is!
Julia @Julia M. Usher, your thoughtfulness and appreciation is so inspiring. Thank you ♥️
Dear Christine @Sweet Prodigy and Gabi @Icingsugarkeks, we are all so grateful for your hard work, input and talent which you, so generously, share with us. ♥️♥️

Oh my dear Heather, Thank you so soooo very much for your always kind words! You are so a great Lady my dear!! ❤️😘❤️  @Heather Bruce Sosa

Many congrats to you, dear Christine @Sweet Prodigy and dear Gabi @Icingsugarkeks!
If you think you are surprised now, wait until you will receive your Milestone Award in person!
Thank you, Christine, for inspiring us with your beautiful challenges and thank you, Gabi, for your amazing site banners that seem to bring cookies to life!
Thank you Julia @Julia M. Usher for this beautiful community and site and for all the hard work behind the scenes to keep it always at the higher standards.

Many congrats to you, dear Christine @Sweet Prodigy and dear Gabi @Icingsugarkeks!
If you think you are surprised now, wait until you will receive your Milestone Award in person!
Thank you, Christine, for inspiring us with your beautiful challenges and thank you, Gabi, for your amazing site banners that seem to bring cookies to life!
Thank you Julia @Julia M. Usher for this beautiful community and site and for all the hard work behind the scenes to keep it always at the higher standards.

Thank you @Manu biscotti decorati ❤️

@PUDING FARM posted:

Congratulations, dear Christine (@Sweet Prodigy) and Gabi (@Icingsugarkeks)! ❤️

Many congrats to you, dear Christine @Sweet Prodigy and dear Gabi @Icingsugarkeks!
If you think you are surprised now, wait until you will receive your Milestone Award in person!
Thank you, Christine, for inspiring us with your beautiful challenges and thank you, Gabi, for your amazing site banners that seem to bring cookies to life!
Thank you Julia @Julia M. Usher for this beautiful community and site and for all the hard work behind the scenes to keep it always at the higher standards.

Thank you soooo much Manu and Timea!! ❤️❤️ @Manu biscotti decorati   @PUDING FARM

Congratulations to Christine @Sweet Prodigy and Gabi @Icingsugarkeks

How could Christine come up with those challenges that my brain has never paid attention to try?   🤣 I am amazed by her challenges she gives us every time.

Gabi!  every month, I am looking forward to see the animation she makes😍  That's cool!

It is easy to say but there are tons of work behind their works.

Thank you both for your dedication for us. 

Congratulations to Christine @Sweet Prodigy and Gabi @Icingsugarkeks

How could Christine come up with those challenges that my brain has never paid attention to try?   🤣 I am amazed by her challenges she gives us every time.

Gabi!  every month, I am looking forward to see the animation she makes😍  That's cool!

It is easy to say but there are tons of work behind their works.

Thank you both for your dedication for us.

Thanks a lot for your kind words dear Ryoko!! ❤️😘 @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave.

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