champagne at 10 am

This morning I had a wonderfully fun photoshoot with a local company as we worked on photos for their New Year's card. There was champagne, amazing props, fantastic styling along with fancy jewelry and confetti! People, this was an awesome way to start the day! This was something I shot along the side as we were prepping for our next photo -- I love these garnishes that take the styling to the next level.The other remarkable thing about today was that Merlin had the adventure of a lifetime (I imagine). I let him out this afternoon and went about my work. About 20 minutes later when I went to let him back in, I realized the back gate was open and our collie was nowhere to be found. And he wasn't wearing a collar. And it was about 10 degrees outside. And icy. And his back legs don't work so well.I was FRANTIC. Thank goodness Mere was at the house watching Ezra while I worked, and she ran out to find Merlin while I stayed home with the sleeping baby (worrying like crazy). Sure enough, he hadn't gone too far, and she found him and walked him back home. You better believe I greeted him with big hugs and tears. My mind had gone to the worst places, and hot damn was it good to have that old man back in my arms again. And him? He was happy as a clam. Big adventures for the aging collie.For your internet shares today, this is amazingly wonderful and funny if you love dogs and cats and making them look human. This is a sparkly DIY project that I might have to incorporate for my holiday shoots next year. And these are WONDERFUL tips for holiday cookie making. Happy everything, people!