prop styling | high plains thrifter

Some times, when I describe what I’m working on for work, it can sounds completely absurd, even to me. For instance, back in March, my life revolved around planning a Princess Birthday party photo shoot (see, I told you, crazy!). It was all-engrossing in the best possible way. I dreamed about princess cakes. Got up at 5 a.m. to dye bamboo fruit skewers pink. Had multiple phone conversations exclusively about tutus. (And loved every minute of it.)

You can find the gorgeous pics from the party here, including insanely adorable cake recipes, easy ideas for party food and heaps of décor and detail inspiration. There’s even a suite of coordinating printables my Mighty Swell partner Rae designed (they are so, so, so cute and totally FREE!). Whether you have a princess in your life to plan a party for, or are just in the mood for a bit of precious, pink, princess-ness, please do check it out.

I, mean, c’mon. This cake! That face! (Love.)

Princess Birthday Party Credits
Photographer: Eliesa Johnson
Photo assistant: Sara Montour
Party styling + printables: Rae Alexis
Prop styling + art direction: me!

xoxo,

Meghan

Full disclosure: During the day, I work as Senior Editor on BettyCrocker.com via MSP Communications.

Sometimes I forget to share the pretty things I do at work, and that is a cryin’ shame! Take last month, for instance, when the opportunity arose to art direct, prop and style a shoot featuring new spring dessert recipes for BettyCrocker.com.

Dipping into my personal stash of vintage linens and china (in addition to spending the better part of a day in Betty’s a-m-a-z-i-n-g prop room!) resulted in some really lovely textures and contrasts. And I can’t emphasize enough how wonderfully talented the people behind the cameras are in the General Mills photo studio. From the photographers to the food stylists to the photo assistants and support staff, everyone is on top of their game and on top of that, so incredibly NICE.

Below are a handful of the resulting shots from last month. If you want to peek at the recipes, just click the recipe names or images! And get a hanky ready for goodness sakes, as drooling is likely to occur.

Fresh Raspberry Almond Tray Tart: An unbelievably delicious and versatile dessert. I already know this baby will be my go-to potluck/holiday dessert this summer! It is so good.

Lemon Cake with Irish Breakfast Tea Frosting: Infusing the meringue with tea adds a unique, earthy dimension to this shortcut cake.

Carrot Cake: Straightforward and simple, this cake is a classic Betty recipe, packed with carrots, spice and all that good stuff.

Golden Caramel Cake: This classic beauty doesn’t need much in the way of dressing up. Perfect in crumb, color and taste, the ripple of homemade caramel takes this cake over-the-top.

And finally, a re-shoot of one of Betty’s most popular chocolate-chip cookie recipes. I’ve shared this recipe with at least a half-dozen friends in the last few months. They may not look crazy-fancy, but damn do they taste good!

Credits
Photographer: Chuck Nields
 Food stylist: Sharon Harding
 Prop styling + art direction: yours truly!

I’ll be sharing a few more peeks from fun projects I’ve worked on for Betty soon. Just this week we wrapped a two-day shoot that was honestly one of the most fun projects I’ve ever worked on. It was a grueling week, but the resulting shots are straight-up adorable!

xoxo,

Meghan

Disclosure: During the day, I work as Senior Editor on BettyCrocker.com via MSP Communications.