Hi, everyone! Like last month's site artist, our featured July cookier is a familiar face here on Cookie Connection, best known for her extraordinary attention to detail and amazingly clear and concise tutorials! Yes, this person is none other than the fabulous Samantha Yacovetta, aka @Aproned Artist, author of our monthly Every Little Detail tutorial series.
Because Samantha was the subject of a rather recent Close-up, I am going to skip my normal Close-up interview that I do with featured artists, and instead urge those who don't know Samantha to read her 2019 interview and bio (below), and to follow her wonderful tutorials. We also chatted with Samantha in 2017, and you can read that transcript here. (I won't lie . . . skipping this Close-up also gives me time to post Samantha's June tutorial, hopefully today, before this month is out. Again, thanks for bearing with me these last few months. The workload associated with getting my new site launched and my mother moved to St. Louis has been insane, and I'm afraid will remain that way for at least a couple more weeks.)
While on the subject of Close-ups, let me briefly fill you in on the most recent one and another that is in the works. The Close-up for @Ryoko ~Cookie Ave., our March 2022 site artist, posted about a week ago and is a delightful read, thanks to Ryoko's thoughtful and thorough answers to my prying questions! 
I highly recommend reading it. Soon after my new site launches in mid-July, I'll begin the interview questions for @Bożena Aleksandrow, our very talented April 2022 artist. So stay tuned - Bożena's Close-up is sure to be equally fascinating.
Also, thanks as always to @Icingsugarkeks (aka Gabi) for putting her special spin on this month's banner and backdrop, shown below, and now gracing our site. (If you watch carefully, the alligator blinks after a while!) And, of course, huge thanks to Samantha for all of her incredible contributions to this site! Where would this site be without her?!! BTW, the art below is a compilation of cookies from Samantha's Submerged Crocodile Cookie and Sea Star Beach Cookie tutorials here on Cookie Connection.
Again, to learn more about Samantha, please read her past Close-up and chat transcript, and check out her tutorials and bio (below).
Samantha Yacovetta began cookie decorating in 2013. While working at a local bakery, Samantha became captivated by cookie art when a customer requested princess-themed cookies. Attracted initially to the precision of cookie decorating, Samantha soon found that the limitless design opportunities turned it into her artistic passion. Samantha began regularly stocking the bakery case with decorated cookies and for several years sold cookies through her own company, Aproned Artist, a cottage food operation. Having retired from the business life, Samantha now enjoys making cookies just for fun from her home in San Jose, California, USA. To learn more about Samantha, please check out her Cookie Connection portfolio, her Facebook page, and her past Every Little Detail tutorials here.
All banner and background cookies and photos by: Samantha Yacovetta
Last but not least, for those of you who are wondering how to get featured, it's easy! Simply read these posts here and here. Remember: Site artists not only get their work featured prominently for a full month, but they also get profiled in a forum post like this one and in an in-depth Cookier Close-up interview. All considered, it's a lot of great free PR in exchange for photo sharing! When preparing your site art, please bear in mind that I already have artwork through September 2022, so I am specifically looking for art for October 2022 and beyond. Please also remember that @Icingsugarkeks, our Site Art Stylist, is available to help you get your photos in the right format, so do not hesitate to contact her if you need assistance! You can send her a PM right here on Cookie Connection by clicking on her name (in pink) above.
