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South of the Border

by Kaylah Stroup February 25, 2014

While in Georgia, Mickey and I decided to get road trip tattoos. We got matching peaches that ended up being even cuter than either of us had imagined. During our short visit to Anonymous Tattoo we told the artist all about our trip and how we were obsessed with silly roadside attractions. He asked if we had stopped at South of the Border and suggested if we hadn’t already stopped we make it a priority. We looked it up and decided to hit it on the way home since it would only take us a little bit out of the way.

It didn’t take long before we started seeing signs for South of the Border. I have literally never seen so many billboards for one thing in my life. I don’t even understand how they could possibly make enough money to cover the advertising costs. The closer we got the more there were and the more excited we grew.

South of the Border is a strange, strange place. There are over a dozen large animals, at least two restaurants, an ice cream parlor, a bunch of souvenir shops, a motel, and even an indoor reptile exhibit. It’s all so wildly colorful too!

According to their website “Our trademark has always been a value-oriented service ~ we provide a clean, safe & fun environment for travelers of all types to visit on their way to or from the southeast.” I’m not so sure about that. Mickey and I used one of the bathrooms while we were there. As we walked in the attendant scowled at us and then sat down in a rusty old chair. Needless to say, she didn’t get tipped.

It’s apparent the place seen better days. It’s a bit sketchy and I probably wouldn’t want to be there at night but it sure was awesome. Running around from animal to animal taking pictures was a blast. I’m not sure any roadside attraction could ever top this but you best believe I’m gonna look.
xoxo

my apartment!

by Kaylah Stroup February 24, 2014

Like I mentioned last week (and have been constantly talking about on instagram) I very recently moved into a cute little apartment of my own. It’s been really great so far. My new digs are super cute and I’m having a blast making it completely mine. Everything is unboxed, my walls are still pretty blank but it’s definitely coming together rather quickly.

I’m living in Lakewood, Ohio. It’s a suburb just to the west of Cleveland. It’s definitely the most condensed area I’ve ever lived in. According to Wikipedia (yep, I’m using wikipedia as a source) Lakewood’s population density is the highest of any city in Ohio and is roughly comparable to that of Washington, DC. I grew up on seven acres with no close neighbors. Moved to Geneva, where the neighbors were much closer but it was still nothing like this. This is all a brand new experience for me.

I’m actually liking it a lot more than Geneva because although there are more people no one knows who you are. I enjoy being somewhat anonymous to my neighbors (says the heavily tattooed orange haired girl Hah!) Living in the city is pushing me out of my comfort zone in so many ways and I couldn’t be happier about it.

My apartment is fairly small, but the absolute perfect size for me! The living room is large enough to comfortably have my couch, books and things on one side and an office area on the other side. The dining room which is just currently home to Klaus’ crate (I’m still undecided if I should put a table in there) has the most gorgeous built in cabinets that are perfect for all my curiosities. The bedroom is probably the biggest bedroom I’ve ever called mine in my life. My apartment also has four BIG closets, and the BEST natural lighting ever. In case it wasn’t obvious, I’m clearly smitten.

I actually had someone email me to ask about my “downgrade” (move from house to apartment) This is NOT a downgrade to me. I know everyone will have their own opinions on that but I’m just asking you keep any negative vibes to yourself at this time (and forever) because this is a super exciting time for me, it’s exactly what I’ve been needing for a very long time. I’m on my own for the first time ever. I have so much room to grow and so much growing to do. The last thing anyone in the world needs is for someone to unnecessarily rain on their parade.

You can, of course, expect lots more photos and full room tours as soon as I’m completely settled. I can’t wait to share all my new adventures with you all, I have a feeling this is going to be the best summer ever!
xoxo

My five must-have hair products!

by Kaylah Stroup January 23, 2014

Whenever I post about my hair I always get more than a few questions about how it looks so healthy despite what I put it through. I’ve been dyeing my hair unnatural colors consecutively for nearly ten years now so its safe to say I’ve found a handful of products I swear by!

1, 2 + 3 // Coconut oil, Garnier Whole Blends Nourishing Mask, and EVA NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask are three products I like to use before bleaching my hair (not at the same time, of course.) They each smell wonderful and leave my hair so much more smooth, shiny and manageable than before applying. Before bleaching your hair you want it to be in as good of shape as possible, using a hair mask will definitely help. Of course, after dying your hair you could use one as well but since they all need rinsed out in the end there is the chance of your color fading so I recommend using them often in the days leading up to the day you plan on bleaching.

4 // Hask Placenta. Yep, you read that right. With a main ingredient like placenta, sheep’s placenta to be exact, I can understand any hesitations you have with this product. I’ve been using it for years though and couldn’t be happier with the results. I spray it on every day before I brush my hair out after showers. It works wonders when my hair is less than manageable after bleaching and keeps my hair shiny, always. It is my ABSOLUTE favorite hair product.

5 // Boar hair brush. I picked up a boar hair brush at Target one day just because I needed a new brush. I got in the car, started brushing my hair and immediately realized this new brush was making my hair reeeeeal greasy. Come to find out, boar hair brushes are great for distributing your scalps natural oils to the rest of your hair. The thing is I have very fine hair so this brush makes my hair embarrassingly greasy. This was actually a really great discovery though. Now I always brush my hair thoroughly with this brush before bleaching my hair so the bleach does as little damage as possible. Your oils help protect your hair.

Other than those things I don’t use too much else. I’m a big fan of Sparks Color Care Sulfate-Free Shampoo + Conditioner which are awesome for helping maintain my hair color.

These products won’t save super damaged hair and they’re not miracle workers but they definitely help keep my hair super shiny and as healthy as possible. What are some of your must-have hair products? I love trying new hair masks!

If you have any hair questions or are looking for more tips, check out my hair master post! I’ve got 7 tips for maintaining bright hair color, two tips for switching hair colors easily, bleaching your hair 101+ so much more!

2014 bulletin board

by Kaylah Stroup January 9, 2014

At the beginning of each year I take everything off my bulletin board and start over. It’s a cleansing process. I love thinking of the beginning of each year as a brand new start even I don’t necessarily feel like I need it. Plus it’s fun to have a little change of scenery every so often. For the past two years I’ve shared a peek at my fresh bulletin board (2012 + 2013) so of course, I’m here today to share 2014’s bulletin board.

I try to leave off things things that were up the previous year but there are some things I just have a hard time parting with. The banner I made from an old book last year was way too cute not to leave up. That key with the guy on it, I’m not even sure where that came from but it’s been up there since 2012. The deer mount too, I don’t think I’ll ever leave that off.

A few sources :
girl with tooth print, fuck yeah ribbon, cat watch, mouse pin, camera crew patch, cactus queen, tooth embroidery, mushroom, beetle + planet patches, stay home pennant, bear mount, mushroom calendar.
Deer mount, cat postcard, and mushrooms are vintage. Raccoon brooch, and banner are handmade.
xoxo

This year I…

by Kaylah Stroup December 30, 2013

For the past few years I’ve been doing a “This year I…” post. I feel like I just finished writing last years but I guess it’s time for this years already. I feel like 2013 was one of my best years yet. Without further ado, this year I…

designed nail stickers for Scratch.

tried out lots of new hair colors.

bought my very first car, and got my license.

amassed quite a collection of plants, all of which are thriving.

drove hours upon hours to visit silly roadside attractions.

was adopted by the cutest puppy.

took a taxidermy class taught by a great new friend.

spent loads of time at the beach.

sometimes in clothing that wasn’t completely weather appropriate…

hung out with a bunch of deer, on more than one occasion.

got my braces off!

moved into a new office.

shot tons of film.

helped my favorite stray find a furever home.

collected oodles of beach glass.

visited my first, and likely last, casino.

And oh so much more!
xoxo

PS. If you do a “This year I…” post, leave a link in the comments. I’d love to check it out.

favorite outfits from 2013!

by Kaylah Stroup December 26, 2013

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

5 // 6 // 7 // 8

9 // 10 // 11 // 12

For the past two years I’ve done a little recap of my favorite outfits from the year. (2011‘s favorites + 2012‘s) Above are a few of my favorites from 2013. It’s neat to see the differences in the way I dress not only from the beginning of the year until now but now versus previous years. 2013 was apparently the year I started wearing jeans again.

It was hard to choose just twelve outfits from the many posted this year. So I also picked one extra, sorta like an honorable mention. It’s not a particularly striking outfit but it’s definitely one of my favorite photos of the year. You can find the rest of the post here.

xoxo

What I’ve been reading…

by Kaylah Stroup December 23, 2013

My last three books of the year! Finishing up the last one left me at 40 books read in 2013. Not too shabby, aye? I’m pretty stoked with surpassing my goal by ten books.

What I’ve been reading…
Chicken by David Henry Sterry
The Last Living Slut by Roxanna Shirazi
Brothel by Alexa Albert

I’m unsure what to even say about The Last Living Slut. I love the idea of the book, it sounded promising, but it actually just made me feel uncomfortable. The one line in particular really killed it for me? “I didn’t want to do this, but I wanted to be polite.” She’s talking about having sex with someone. Ehhh. In the beginning of the book she started off talking about how important a “female’s pursuit of sexual pleasure” is but it never really felt like it was about her pleasure, more like she was the one being used by these “rock stars” (I had no idea who half of these people were.) I’d have no problem with the book if it were more transparent from the start but various stories mention her being uncomfortable with what was about to happen. There was no grand redemption in end, I just left with a bad taste in my mouth.

Brothel started off slow but quickly picked up the pace. It was really interesting to read about a brothel from the perspective of a “square” -meaning she wasn’t a prostitute- female. Alexa Albert visited, lived with, and eventually became really great friends with the ladies of Mustang Ranch, one of the most prominent legal brothels in Nevada, while conducting a public-health study.

Chicken was my favorite from this group and easily one of my favorites from the whole year. I’ve previously read Hos, Hookers, Call Girls and Rent Boys and Johns, Marks, Tricks and Chickenhawks which are collections of writings written by… well… everyone that titles mention, both books were edited by David Henry Sterry. I’d seen him mention Chicken in those books but finally got around to picking it up recently. Oh my goodness, it was wonderful. I’ve read a lot of books on prostitution but never one by male prostitute. I highly, highly recommend it.

I’m so excited to hop into a new book. I’ll definitely be setting another reading goal for 2014. It’s so wild to think that just two years ago I thought that there was nothing else out there I’d enjoy reading other than Chuck Palahniuk. Once I got started I just kept unearthing more and more subjects I really enjoy. I encourage you to set a reading goal for the new year as well, it doesn’t matter how small. Reading one book is better than none!
xoxo

Freed Cemetery // on film

by Kaylah Stroup December 3, 2013

I’m a month late sharing these but better late than never, right? So, back to that trip to West Virginia with my mom and grandparents! One of the main things the trip was about was visiting the family cemetery. I’d never been there and of course, it absolutely appealed to me for a variety of reasons. My grandfather hadn’t been in a few years and may never get to visit again due to declining health since getting to the cemetery is a bit of a trip.The cemetery is on the top of a large hill that’s home to a herd of cattle. But before conquering the hill you have to cross a stream. It’s not really a long hike from the car to the cemetery (maybe fifteen or twenty minutes) but I can definitely see how it would be a tough one for the bad knees that seem to run on this side of the family.

It was gorgeous up there. Not to mention the cemetery was immaculate, I can’t believe someone takes such great care of it considering the location. It’s a fairly small cemetery but packed full of relatives. I got to see where my grandpa’s parents and siblings were buried among many other relatives (and some people who we didn’t quite know who they were.)

The cemetery alone was well worth the trip to West Virginia. It was an amazing experience, to say the least.
xoxo

All of the photos above were taken with a Canon T2 and Fuji 35mm Superia X-TRA 400.

Old Calhoun County High School

by Kaylah Stroup November 11, 2013

Both my grandma, and grandpa on my mother’s side are originally from West Virginia. It’s not all that far away from where we live but my grandma is the only one who regularly makes trips back home.

Recently my mom asked if I’d be interested in a taking a small, weekend road trip with her, and my grandparents to see where they grew up. I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

On Saturday, my grandma opted to stay back and spend the day with her sister. Just my grandpa, mom and I went out exploring. He showed us all around the area he grew up, pointed out where people he knew lived, places he hung out and more. It was a really special experience. One of my favorite stops was where he went to school. It’s since been abandoned which, of course, makes it about a thousand times more interesting to me.

We snooped all around the property and peeked in all the windows we could despite the numerous no trespassing signs. He showed us where he used to hang out behind the school with my grandma. It was so incredible to be able to visit there. I’m really glad it was still standing. We visited another school he went to in his youth that wasn’t so lucky. All that was left standing of his primary school was the chimney, which was still super neat to see.

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