Just a Girl and Her Dog....Plus a Recipe Your Pooch is Sure to Love
In my profession I get the opportunity to meet some wonderful people, usually through other clients (THANK YOU ASHLEY).
~Meet Melissa~
Melissa was on the hunt for a photographer who could shoot a 30th birthday smash and wanted to include her sweet little fur baby Libby who shares a birthday with her and is turning 10. Well of course I was game, not only are adult smash sessions to much fun not to shoot but I absolutely adore all critters and relish any opportunity to include them in a session.
Here's Melissa's story about how her and Libby came to be:
"I was looking for a companion to keep me company after I got my own place. I adopted her from the CAPs shelter. I kept coming back to her cage to pet her and my friend said "I think she's the one, you keep coming back to her cage." She was right. She was so sweet and gentle I couldn't resist. I was shocked and heart broken to find out that she had been returned to the shelter twice. I promised her I would never return her no matter what happened."
~Life with Libby~
Melissa and Libby lead a full life together. They enjoy going for walks and runs together. They even placed 3rd in a 5k together in the Spring of 2017. Libby is also a registered therapy dog. She enjoys being lavished with love and attention by all of her friends at the retirement home.
~Our Session~
When I first met with Melissa about scheduling her session she knew the exact look she was wanting, rustic glam. We're talking barns, tutus, tiara's, basically anything blingy with a rustic attitude. After a few days of thinking I just knew Kitten Ranch would be the perfect backdrop for this.
Kitten Ranch
Melissa chose to wear a pink tutu and black "birthday girl" tee for the first part of her session and changed into a jean top for the latter. Libby wore a glittered collar and a blinged out tutu made by me specially for her birthday portion of the session.
When we were discussing cakes Melissa had mentioned that she didn't really care to end up with cake everywhere (can't really say I blame her). So because I am all about saving a little dough when I can I had suggested that she check out the local Kroger bakery where they offer these gorgeous oversized cupcakes for around $4. Perfect for the occasion without spending a fortune especially when I'm pretty sure by the time we were done there was more than just icing on that cake....a little hay (likely pee'd on by the horses) and some dirt sprinkled with a few bugs more than likely.
Miss Libby's cake was a custom creation (including the cake stand) made for her by Melissa who was so kind to share her recipe so that you too can make something that is safe for your fur baby to celebrate their special day. (Recipe can be found at the end) Libby was such a perfect girl with that cake in front of her. A proper princess from start to finish, taking the daintiest little bites and enjoying every last little crumb.
But wait now one must cleanse her pallet like a princess as well.
If you would like to view all of the beauty from Melissa and Libby's smash session you can click on any of the images or click here to be taken into the full gallery.
~Melissa's Puppy Cake Recipe~
Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2 TBSP honey
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Pour batter in muffin tin lined with cupcake liners or use a small 6 inch round cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before "icing". Melissa used plain yogurt for the frosting. Another great alternative would be to ice with creamy peanut butter!
