Really . . . is it February already?! Where on earth did January go?! And how is it that Valentine's Day is nearly upon us when I still have Christmas decorations to take down (no joke)?! While I'm clearly behind the eight ball on just about everything this year, I am super grateful that Site Art Stylist Gabi (aka @Icingsugarkeks) always has her act together. She has me well-stocked with site art, like this month's fabulous heart set crafted by @Heather Bruce Sosa, months in advance. Thank you, Gabi!
And, of course, thanks to Heather, our February site artist, for creating such beautiful floral hearts that establish the perfect Valentine's Day tone. Heather's original art, posted in November 2022, can be seen here. And, below, you can clearly see how Gabi morphed Heather's cookie photo to fit the context of our site banner and backdrop. The sparkles and hearts encircling Heather's logo are compliments of Gabi, naturally.
I also want to point out that these heart cookies were created by Heather in honor of Gabi's birthday last year (how sweet is that?!), which makes them all the more sentimental and fitting with this month's Valentine's theme.
Now, for those of you who don't yet know Heather, let's talk about her for a bit! Heather joined Cookie Connection about four years ago, and has since become a serial featured site artist 
, having been one in May 2021 and most recently in November 2022. I always like to showcase our site artists more fully in a Cookier Close-up interview, but since Heather isn't a first-timer, I've already interviewed her! That being said, I refer you to Heather's previous Cookier Close-up that accompanied her May feature for an in-depth look into her cookie journey. A synopsis also follows in her bio below. (Aside: I am working now on the Close-up questions for last month's site artist, the talented @Gina's Cake and Icing Cookies (aka Katuscya Marchioro), and hope to have them to Katuscya by next week. We're now targeting a mid-February release of that interview, so stay tuned!)
Thanks again, Heather, for contributing so wonderfully to Cookie Connection over the last four years! I am so grateful for the positive energy and beautiful cookies that you bring to this site, week in and week out.
@Heather Bruce Sosa was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her dad was Scottish, and her mum was Anglo-Argentine. Heather married an Anglican missionary, who later became ordained as a pastor, and, together with their five children, they have lived in several communities throughout the country. For the last 13 years, Heather’s husband has served as chaplain for the PGALA (Professional Golf Association for Latin America), and Heather supports that work in the background.
Heather grew up watching her mum pipe and decorate the most exquisite wedding cakes as her part-time hobby. “Nanny”, as her darling grandchildren called her, was the name Heather also chose for her business, Nanny’s Cookies, to honor the memory of her mother. Christmas cookies were always a family tradition for Heather, but about five years ago everything changed. Quite accidentally, a whole new world opened up for Heather. She began researching cookies and got captured by @Julia M. Usher’s videos on YouTube, and, soon, a hidden talent started emerging. In January 2018, Heather joined Cookie Connection, which has been such a special blessing, not only for the learning it allows from so many incredibly talented people, but also for connecting cookiers with beautiful and cherished friends. Decorating cookies has become Heather’s passion. She loves the joy that cookies bring to family, friends, and customers, and that each order is an opportunity to grow and give her very best.
You can see more of Heather's cookie work by visiting her Instagram and Facebook pages and her Cookie Connection portfolio. You'll enjoy what you see!
All cookies and photos above by Heather Bruce Sosa.
Last but not least, if you're interested in being featured in our site banner and backdrop, it's really as easy as submitting your own cookie photos to the "Site Submissions" clip set for review and consideration. Simply read these posts here and here for more info. 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 just as Heather was back in May 2021. When preparing your site art, please bear in mind that I already have artwork through May 2023, so I am specifically looking for art for June 2023 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. Thanks in advance for considering a contribution to the site!
