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5 things I tried in May

by Kaylah Stroup May 30, 2019

â–´ GoPro Hero7 Black. For our five year anniversary I bought Jeff a GoPro. A month later, I ended up buying myself as well because I enjoyed using his so much. I’ve been wanting to play around with making videos for… like ever. I’ve just felt like there was too much to learn and I wanted to just be good at it automatically. I’m not sure what it is about the GoPro that makes me feel so excited about learning but I’m super inspired. I am very excited about this purchase.

As for actual product notes on this, I’m very happy I sprung for the Hero7 Black instead of the Gray. (Approximate $150 price difference currently) The video stabilization is AMAZING and having a removable battery is much nicer than having to charge the actual camera.

PS. Follow The Dainty Squid on Youtube!

string lights review

â–´ String lights. Not just any old string lights though! I own more than a few different sets of string lights, all of which are battery operated. I feel like they go through batteries like crazy and are never all that bright. These bad boys are different. First of all, they plug into an outlet. Second, they’re bright as heck. Third, they’re super long! The lights comfortably wrap all the way around my inspiration board and the excess sits in my lamp (which isn’t plugged in anymore because string lights > lamp) I truly didn’t know string lights could actually work so well. I was under the impression they were kind of just junky, pretty but not all that useful or reliable. These are different!

â–´ 1 hour intense teeth whitening kit. I have been very casually looking at teeth whitening products for years now. I’d be interested in them for a few days, read tons of reviews, be unable to choose one, and then forget about it for a while. It just seems like the reviews are all so flooded with overly edited photos.

Earlier this month at Target, I impulsively bought this kit. I had very modest expectations and this product met them. I don’t feel like it made a radical difference but it definitely improved how I felt about the color of my teeth. It didn’t make them sensitive either! I’m not sure I’d buy the same one again though but only because I’m more interested in trying out their 7-day kit instead.

I guess what I’m saying is – it wasn’t life changing but it was definitely worth the twelve bucks I spent. On that note though, if you’ve had REALLY great results with another product I’d love to hear about it!

washi tape

â–´ Set of 28 washi tapes. Why am I mentioning these? Because I spent seven million years comparing prices and listings before finally pulling the trigger and grabbing these ones. Buying cheap washi tape, both online and in the store, always feels like a risk to me. I’ve bought so many non-sticky tapes that don’t even come off the roll nicely. This set was cheap and it’s actually really nice! They weren’t tiny either, each roll is 5 meters long! I use them to pack The Dainty Squid shop orders. I will absolutely reorder when I get through these ones.

â–´ Storage trolley. I was tired of breaking my back ironing fabric on the floor. A second office chair that I moved into my office to iron on gave me the idea to look for something similar but with a flat top. I loved the height and that it rolled out of the way when I didn’t need it. This printer storage trolley was the first thing I found and holy smokes, it’s perfect. I use this cutting mat on top when I want to cut and iron. It’s a great alternative to another desk in my tiny office. I don’t think anyone who makes things has ever been opposed to more surface space to work on!

Bianca Jumpsuit

One last thing purchased after I got the majority of this post done – this jumpsuit. An ad for it popped up on my instagram feed. Five minutes later, after scouring their instagram for more photos of people wearing it, I bought the jumpsuit. Happy to report back that it’s just as amazing as the site hypes it up to be. I will be wearing this alllll summer long.

Did you try/buy anything awesome in May?
xoxo

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exploring an abandoned house

by Kaylah Stroup May 29, 2019
spooky abandoned house in Ohio

Early last month we woke up before the sun and headed out on a little adventure. The plan was to explore an abandoned church that we found out was accessible. We circled the neighborhood looking for the perfect place to park that wouldn’t look suspicious. After what felt like forever, we finally chose a spot and started the short walk to the church.

And that’s when the police officer passed us, slowed down, and pulled into the parking lot directly across the street. It was no coincidence. He knew what we were doing and we knew that. Instead of doing the obvious choice of immediately turning around and heading back to the car we decided to take a long stroll around the block.

On our walk, we found this house wide open and waiting for us to dip inside.

abandoned house

It was a quick explore. In and out in around fifteen minutes. I’ve talked about it before and I’m sure it’ll come up again but exploring houses is such a strange feeling. Why did these people just up and leave one day? I can see leaving behind big furniture but they didn’t need their clothes anymore? And the old family photos!?

Video version below! I really love this one. It’s short, straight to the point, and gosh darn, feels like you’re exploring the house too!

Use the ‘abandoned‘ tag to view more posts on forgotten buildings across the US. Also, be sure to check out my husband’s book – Abandoned Cleveland.

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doolan family bus – part 3

by Kaylah Stroup May 27, 2019

I’m back again with another bus update! Check out part 1 & part 2.

With the brand new floor completely down, last week was for working on building benches! We got a pretty good start on the ones that will be on the left side of the bus. (I say “we” but A LOT of credit goes to my brother who is really taking the lead on building!) There are two of them that face each other with a table that goes in the middle. The table top will be on a bar that allows it to drop down to the same level as the benches so it can be converted into a sleeping area.

The bus will have seating for approximately 10 plus with slightly less sleeping area since a good portion of us are hammock lovers!

Ellie Mae is such a good helper.
school bus renovation
schoolie renovation
school bus renovation

It’s really starting to take shape. I was having such a hard time picturing what it might look like when it was just an empty bus. Each week that we work on it I become more and more excited!

I can’t wait to get this bad boy on the road. xoxo

PS. Pop over to Youtube view the video! …or just view it here tiny sized.

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Friday Favorites #516

by Kaylah Stroup May 24, 2019

This post contains affiliate links. For more information on what that means, read here.

Brain air plant planter! YES! (PS If you need air plants, I still recommend this bunch of them. I bought in 2017 and they’re still kickin!)

This dress is so fun!

This pin!

Oh! These shoes are CUTE! (Here’s another great pair of shoes in the same color!)

YES!

This bisected head! Hello! Also awesome – this ear model & “mr gross mouth” (omg!)

Isn’t this stained glass suncatcher gorgeous?! It’s absolutely incredible to me that something like that can be handmade.

Such a cute summer dress! Plus…POCKETS!

I have a major couch crush! After my bright blue couch, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have one that isn’t bold.

Last year I fell in love with bodysuits. This year, I will wear more of them. Such a simple summer style! How cute would this mustard yellow one be with these polka dot shorts?!

Link love…

  • Love the pattern on this sleep shirt!
  • I’ve been looking at getting a custom piece of jewelry to wear in honor of my mom. I want a ring and I was thinking of getting something like this one with her initals. My issue is I know how huge the internet is and have this feeling that as soon as I order I’ll find something cooler. So, do any of y’all have any recommendations? Even if it’s basically the same thing but just a seller you’ve personally bought from!
  • Skeleton notebook!
  • SadRosetta has a really fun vintage shop. If you enjoy baby dolls and other slightly creepy but somehow charming home goods, check it out! I’m way into this doll.
  • This romper is perfect.

Last but not least, The Dainty Squid shop got a mini update today! There’s a handful of brand new food themed fabrics. Hard to choose a favorite but I really am fond of the hot dogs!

xoxo

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I cry over four leaf clovers

by Kaylah Stroup May 22, 2019
Bouquet of four-leaf clovers

Up until last year, I had never found a single four-leaf clover. Over the summer of 2018, I found maybe seven total. That was with me looking constantly. Every patch of grass, nearly every time I went outside. I was happy with that number too! It was exciting.

In the past week, I’ve found over thirty four-leaf clovers. OVER THIRTY. That doesn’t include the twenty or so my nieces and nephews found alongside me in my parent’s yard. That also doesn’t include the five five-leaf clovers, two six-leaf and two seven-leaf clovers we found! Oh yeah, and a weird four and half leaf one too.

Five-leaf clover
Five leaf clover

Yesterday was rough. The grief felt so heavy. I miss my mom every single second of every single day but some days just straight up suck. Yesterday was one of those days. I texted my husband that I was having a rough morning. Then, not fifteen minutes later, I took the dog outside and immediately found a four-leaf clover in the driveway. It obviously didn’t take all the sadness away but it was a bright spot in my otherwise dark day.

It seems like this last week that strange coincidence has happened quite often. First, at the beach, by myself when I was feeling blue. Again, two days later, in the yard with my nieces and nephew. Then yesterday both times I took Klaus on a walk.

Now, keep in mind, statistically, you have a 1 in 5076 shot of finding one. When you go up to five leaves you have a 1 in 24,309 shot! Six leaves? 1 in 312,500!! (I grabbed those numbers from here.)

I have strictly science based beliefs. I know my mom is gone. I don’t think ghosts or spirits are real. Previous to this week, the idea of her communicating with me from beyond the grave would have been laughable. So, I’m not saying it’s my mom…

But I’ve also been wrong before. Right now, I really like the idea of being wrong.

Four leaf clover patch
I see at least two in this photo.
four leaf clover collection
with my mom’s wedding ring

When I posted this photo on instagram and put the alternative caption “Mom, is that you?” a couple of folks shared ways that they feel like their loved ones communicate with them. I’d love to hear more of those stories! It really does sound a little out there but at the same time, it doesn’t. To be honest, I’ll take any sort of comfort right now! xoxo

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10 things making me smile

by Kaylah Stroup May 20, 2019

Convincing others to beach comb with me! Took my sister-in-law ninety-eight years to finally get up here and now she wants to come every week! YES!

Beachcombing Lake Erie

All the tiny treasures from the lake.

Beach pottery from Lake Erie

This plant, still!

This weirdo. Yes, he absolutely got in there himself.

Hitting the four leaf clover jackpot.

Then finding a second four leaf clover jackpot with my nieces and nephew a couple days later!

Mother’s Day Flowers from my dad. “But Dad, I’m not a mom!” “You’re Klaus’s mom!”

Finally, finally, fiiiinally getting into video. Even if it feels wildly overwhelming right now, its fun to have something new to learn.

New string lights that make my whole office feel new. Lighting is everything, y’all.

This toad princess!

Other good things; Sunshine & warm weather â–´ random texts from my teenage niece (I just desperately want to be ‘the cool aunt’, okay?) â–´ getting in the habit of baking cookies every week for my family â–´ talking about all the fun trips we’ll take in the bus â–´ cool mornings with the windows open â–´ Klaus playing in the mud!! â–´ Professor playing with a donut! â–´ being less than a month away from being back in my favorite place in the world â–´ the fact that Jeff & I will be celebrating one year of marriage in 20 days

What’s making you smile today?
xoxo

PS. Can’t recommend this gratitude journal enough!

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Friday Favorites #515

by Kaylah Stroup May 17, 2019

This post contains affiliate links. For more information on what that means, read here.

This shirt!

I’ve been eyeing up this backpack purse for a little while now. I just love that color.

Pretzel pin!

Oooof, what a dream collection piece!

I’m just picturing these shelves covered in plants. It’s super affordable!

Modcloth is having a huge sale right now. 30% off all dresses, including the ones already marked down!This is one of my favorites.

Another favorite of mine! I feel like a million bucks in this dress. It’s great for twirling!!

On the subject of super cute dresses, check out this wrap dress. It’s also available in long sleeves if that’s more your thing. It was a long winter, y‘all. I am so ready to wear dresses again.

This lamp!!

I love this locket, it even has a little heart inside.

My goodness! Would you just look at this gorgeous mug!?

I am very into these tapestries! There are butterfly and fungus ones too.

Link love…

  • Because I’m all about great dresses this week – here’s another black and white polka dot one.
  • This entryway storage thing with mirror is adorable!
  • I don’t think I’m a white swimsuit kind of gal but if I were, I’d be all over this one. Honestly, that model is just really selling it for me. She’s so cuuuute.
  • The packaging for these sushi socks absolutely kills me! What a fun gift.
  • This is stupid expensive but y‘all, a candle in the shape of an egg that reveals a dinosaur as it melts!!!
  • I am LIVING for Boom Blush’s wedding dresses, especially this beauty.
  • Love love love this flowery bralette.
  • This set of undies is soooo cute!

Last but not least, The Dainty Squid shop got a huge update earlier this week. Over fifty near items! I have so many favorites from this round of goodies but these bunny pouches definitely rank high.

Also, SUSHI!

Happy Friday! xoxo

A few of my favorites from Modcloth’s dress sale!

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doolan family bus – part 2

by Kaylah Stroup May 14, 2019

Last week I shared the start of the family school bus renovation. Check it out here. Today I’m back with another update!

After ripping out all the old flooring and laying down plywood, it was time to put down pretty new flooring. My oldest brother had just finished remodeling the kitchen in his home. He had some flooring leftover and coincidentally enough, it was just enough to cover the bus.

school bus renovation
laying flooring in renovated school bus
School Bus Renovation
“I know I’m a dirty puppy. Plz let me on da bus anyway.”

While my dad and Jeff laid down the flooring. My brother started building the benches. During the week he had actually drawn out a fairly detailed plan for the bus which was definitely appreciated. My dad doesn’t use the internet and to be honest, I find the whole world of bus renovations quite overwhelming.

Similar to how I found planning my wedding stressful because I’m great at comparing my life to the pretty pictures online and feeling crappy about it- that’s kind of how I feel about designing a bus. Um, for the record, I’m pretty sure I ended up having the best wedding ever though. Not that I’m biased or anything… There are SO many incredible designs out there but it’s hard to know what’s for real and what’s really just for show, hard to know what costs a reasonable amount and what was wildly expensive. It just feels really overwhelming and unattainable. Sometimes I think that looking at too many ‘inspiration’ photos can really clog your own creativity and take away the focus from what works for you. I guess that’s why I never really got into Pinterest?

All that to say, I’m super thankful my brother took the lead here and just drew up some plans!

Below you can see the start of a bench. There will be a second one in front of it, facing it with a table in between. The table will drop down to make a bed for two. Behind that will be the kitchen and further back will be storage. On the opposite side of the benches that have already been started will be a long bench. All of the seating will have storage underneath because we all agreed that was definitely one of the most important aspects of a camping vehicle. Storage, storage, storage!

I know it doesn’t look like too much has changed since the first post but honestly, I think it’s coming together very quickly. I’m super excited to see it really start to take shape over the next few weeks.

Jeff recently got a GoPro which I’ve had a blast playing around with. I’m still getting the feel for video. It’s a whole new world for me. After watching so many old home movies lately, I’ve had a real itch to capture more family memories. I’m, of course, always armed with a camera but I’m realizing now just how important it is to have video. This bus is definitely a great little thing to fool around with video on. I’m happy with how this turned out but I’m definitely looking forward to improving on my filming and editing skills.

As always, I’ll be back with more updates as I have them! xoxo

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grieving in the digital age

by Kaylah Stroup May 9, 2019

I think I want to unfriend my mom on Facebook.

She passed away suddenly around a month ago. One night shortly after it happened my dad handed me her phone to check on something for him. I quickly slipped onto her Facebook app and sent myself a friend request.

For a few years now I’ve been friend-free on Facebook. I found that I wasted too much time on there scrolling through stuff I didn’t care about. Even if it was posted by people I liked, I just didn’t need to spend my precious time scrolling through it multiple times per day. I wanted to delete it all together but alas, you need a personal account to have a business page. Even if I don’t personally like the site, lots of people still use it regularly so it’s a business necessity.

The best option for me was just to delete everyone. No friends, no family, not even my husband. My Facebook feed is only updates from my favorite band, and a local cycling group. But as soon as she died, I wanted my mom as a friend. I wanted to be able to post on her wall and scroll through her photos. What I really wanted was to be able to see her name all the time, to be connected to her in that sense. I hated that I wasn’t her friend.

The past few weeks I’ve scrolled through her feed numerous times. I read our exchanged messages over and over. They date all the way back to 2010. I stop, hovering over every “I love you!” and “<3<3<3” that never actually turned into the heart emoji because she could never remember that she had to put a space between the hearts. I’ve flipped through every single photo of her, including the ones posted of her by others, more times than I can count. I’ve read every single comment on every one of those photos. I even end up lurking her friends trying to figure out who they are. I wonder how well they knew her. Do they miss her too?

At first it was comforting, at least I think it was.

More recently, it feels wrong. It’s become a messed up treasure hunt. Must find some new piece of mom to obsess over. Traces of her are all over social media if I can just find them maybe I’ll be closer to her. I look for her name as someone who liked people’s photos. I regret not watching every single silly video she sent me. Being able to see all these things, our interactions are put under the microscope.

It doesn’t feel good. It feels intrusive and obsessive. For me, seeing her social media presence doesn’t feel like the right way to grieve.

I think I want to unfriend my mom on Facebook… but I’m just not ready to do it yet.

I didn’t / still don’t really have plans to write about grief. I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s been a real roller coaster. I like to keep my online presence and the things I share positive and uplifting. I hoped to be able to keep my chin up and look on the bright side but wow, grief is really something else.

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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