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Bleaching your hair 101

road tripping – abandoned gas station

how to make a mosiac plant marker

metal detecting our 150 year old yard!

plant pressing tips

decorate with me – curiosity cabinet

my four leaf clover collection

five of my favorite hair products

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nail art idea – the scotch tape method

    my ‘new’ very old curiosity cabinet

    by Kaylah Stroup April 17, 2023
    antique curiosity cabinet

    I scored my dream curiosity cabinet.

    I do not use Facebook marketplace regularly. I mean, I browse it A LOT but I’m not huge on meeting up with strangers. Buuuut when I find a dream piece I make exceptions. By “exceptions” I mean that I nicely ask my husband to pretty please call them and come with me to pick it up.

    This piece that looked great on it’s listing was ten times better in person. When I walked into the room full of boxes this dude had and spotted the cabinet in the center of the room, I couldn’t shove my money in his hand fast enough. No, dude, you don’t have to hype it to me. I know that I neeeeed it.

    I spent the ride back from picking it up sweating bullets. The piece weighs next to nothing which means that glass is thiiiin. I was convinced we’d hit a pot hole and it’d just explode into a thousand tiny pieces. It just felt too good to be true.

    She made it home in one piece though! Stunning curved glass, nice and wide, just around one hundred years old! I literally can’t imagine a piece more perfect for my oddities in this house.

    If you recall, when we bought the house the previous owner left behind an Ikea cabinet that I really liked. I immediately knew it’d hold my oddities. You can get a peek of that here. The more time I spent in this house though, the more I felt like Ikea furniture was not a great fit. When I re-did our living room, the Ikea cabinet full of oddities got moved into Jeff’s office ‘temporarily’ (meaning it would stay there nearly a year while I tried to figure out what my plan was.)

    Please don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Ikea but I do feel like my one hundred and fifty year old house needs at least some time appropriate furniture. I will never be a restoration purist. My house will most likely always have a mix of new and old furniture. I think you should do whatever floats your boat. I will tell you one thing though, this cabinet? MADE FOR THIS HOUSE. Made for my weird crap! The age, the condition, the piece in general? PERFECTION.

    oil portrait painting collection + antique curiosity cabinet
    antique curiosity cabinet
    oddities, jar full of dentures, anatomical models
    antique curiosity cabinet

    I am just tickled pink over this. I rearranged the paintings on the wall and went through all my boxes still left in the attic to find the perfect pieces to display inside the cabinet.

    You know what else is rad? It still has the key to lock the cabinet. To be honest, I didn’t realize it was a key. I excitedly showed my dad my excellent new score and he said “Ah, you’re lucky it still has the key!” Confused I responded “Nah, that’s just the knob.” He pulled it out of the lock, I screamed!

    Like many folks, I have always thought old keys were neat-o. I’ve owned quite a few but none that actually went to something! That was just the icing on the cake to this purchase.

    Maybe I should be giving FB marketplace more of try! xo

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  • fire pit makeover

    by Kaylah Stroup April 16, 2023

    I wish I could start this post with a really great before photo but what’s above is as good as it’s going to get. Our fire pit area has never been cute. Believe me, it’s a lot cuter than when we bought. Even though we improved on it, by making the pit smaller, building benches, …

    Read more
  • one of the best things about spring…

    by Kaylah Stroup April 14, 2023

    Spring peppers! Pseudacris crucifer. Without a doubt, one of my favorites sounds ever is the spring peeper. Their chirping call marks the beginning of spring. This is what home sounds like to me. Spring peepers breed in early spring, typically March and April here in Ohio. Males call from the water and surrounding vegetation to …

    Read more
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About Me

About Me

Hello!

I'm Kaylah! Renovating a 150-year-old home in Northeast Ohio. Likely found in my garden.

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THE DAINTY SQUID
  • blog
    • all the posts!
    • stroup mansion
    • some of my favorite posts
    • plants + gardening
    • beauty, fashion + hair
    • reviews
    • window shopping
    • explore everywhere
  • about me
  • contact
  • shop