As Charles M. Schulz once said, "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." Of course, the same can be said of cookies too, especially cookies as wondrous as the love-inducing sets gracing our banner and backdrop throughout this Valentine month! I guarantee you'll fall head over heels as soon as you see them!
And I do mean "sets", plural! We're super fortunate to have not one, but two site contributions for February, which will be taking turns in the spotlight. Let me start by introducing the art that will be featured in the first half of the month - this wonderfully warm knitting-themed set by @emilybaking . . .
As you may recall, Emily created more gorgeous site art for us as part of Practice Bakes Perfect Challenge #13, and it was featured on the site back in June 2016. At that time, we had the good fortune of conducting an in-depth Cookier Close-up interview with her, which I encourage you to read, along with her bio below, if you haven't already. [Note: For security reasons, Emily has asked me not to use her last name or head shot on the site, so, for the latter, I've substituted her simply stunning heart of roses, below.]
Emily, a hobbyist cookie decorator, lives in Tokyo, Japan, is married, and recently had her first baby in July 2016. (Congrats, Emily!) In the past, Emily worked in a hotel kitchen preparing food for weddings, and also as a cooking instructor for parents and children at a nearby elementary school. She started cookie decorating just two years ago, after taking a cookie decorating course from Noriko of mintlemonade (aka cookie crumbs). In 2015, Emily taught her own cookie decorating classes at the elementary school, and, from time to time, she now gives workshops in her home. It's currently a very happy time for Emily, as she really enjoys sharing the fun and charm of decorated cookies with the larger cookie community! You can follow Emily's work here on Cookie Connection, of course, and also on her Facebook page or her blog.
Photo and logo credit: emilybaking.
Now, onto the artwork for the latter half of February - this vibrant array of hearts in untraditional Valentine colors by the lovely @Kim Damon. Doesn't her color scheme just pop?! I can't wait to see how it looks on the site!
As always, I like to interview all of our site artists, so stay tuned for a Cookier Close-up with Kim later this month, to reveal at roughly the same time as her artwork! In the meantime, please get to know Kim a bit better by checking out her bio below.
Kim Damon, a hobbyist cookie decorator and family daycare owner from Potsdam, New York, USA, loves every art medium she’s ever tried – from clay, watercolor, and oil painting to hand-sewing and jewelry making.
One night, when she and her friend Rebecca (aka The Cookie Architect) got together to work on one of Rebecca’s cookie challenges, Kim first touched fondant and was hooked! Soon after, she was introduced to the cookie challenges on Cookie Connection and fell in love with the cookie community and the format of this site. Friendships developed, as did Kim’s experimentation with her new cookie art medium.
Kim’s love of God, people, color, design, and nature have all woven their way into her cookies, which she both sells and gives away. Her 29-year-old son named her business (Mom Makes Cookies), and, because he’s the oldest of her kids, that name just seemed right! Kim has been married to her best friend Tim for 29 years, and together they have six kids ranging in age from 15 to 29. For more of Kim's work, check out her Cookie Connection portfolio here.
Photo credit: Kim Damon.
A huge thank you to both Emily and Kim for taking the time to make cookie art for our site. Cookie Connection wouldn't as colorful and beautiful as it is without the contributions of these ladies and our other site artists who have come before them.
If you would like your own cookie art to be considered for use on the site, I would love to see it at any time. Guidelines for submitting cookie art can be found here.
I have enjoyed your kindness (and your cookies) as well! <3 
