I'm pretty sure you know this regular and revered Cookie Connection contributor quite well. Any doubts? Just look at the banner and backdrop, and ask yourself who is better known for such tiny, impeccable details?! Of course! Our August 2024 site artist is none other than our Every Little Detail tutorial contributor, @Aproned Artist, aka Samantha Yacovetta! Her butterflies and flowers sing late summer, so Site Art Stylist @Icingsugarkeks (aka Gabi) and I knew they'd be perfect site beautifiers for August. Here's a closer look at what you currently see posted in the banner and backdrop:
We decided to make the backdrop a bit simpler than usual in keeping with Samantha's spare but oh-so-striking style! Congrats, Samantha, and thank you for very generously contributing your knowledge and talents to this site each month. And, of course, deep appreciation to Gabi for masterfully constructing these banners and backdrops to fit the very particular technical specs of this site - and for adding her distinctive touches every time. I am completely charmed by the subtle antennae "waves" she incorporated into this banner. Aren't you?! 😀
If you're not in the know about the award-winning Samantha, then please do check out her tutorial series on this site, her past in-depth Cookier Close-up interview, and her updated bio below. You are sure to be impressed! And, before I forget . . . thanks for your patience as you wait for the Cookier Close-up with our June 2024 site artist, the very talented @Dita. Once I am past my cookie art competition wrap-up in a week or so, I promise to jump on her interview questions. My aim is to post her interview in late August or early September, so stay tuned. Now, back to Samantha!
Samantha Yacovetta is the author of Every Little Detail with Aproned Artist, a monthly Cookie Connection blog feature that focuses on the special little details that make big statements in cookie design. Samantha began cookie decorating in 2013. While working at a local bakery, she 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. She is known for her love of miniature 3-D cookie scenes and innovative sculpted royal icing techniques. In 2023, Samantha won the American Cake Awards Cookie Award.
To learn more about Samantha, please check out her Cookie Connection portfolio, follow her on Instagram or Facebook, or dive into her past Every Little Detail tutorials on this site.
All 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 all of 2024, thanks to @Icingsugarkeks, but she is currently at work on material for 2025. So don't hesitate to submit your cookies at any time. Please also remember that Icingsugarkeks is available to help you get your photos in the right format, so feel free 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.
Your work is beautiful and unique!!