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30 gift ideas for your ~weird~ friend

by Kaylah Stroup December 6, 2017

tooth, dental, bones, oddities, gift guide

brain specimen coasters.
standard typodont.
skull lapel pin.
skeleton oven mitt.
denture shaped ice mold.
PyroPet candle.
beetle dress. Confirmed as the cutest darn dress – see it on me here!
chatterbox pouch.
molar vase. Perfect for small plants – see!
mini human body model.
brain mug.
didactic human skull.
denture soap.
spine model.
human eye model.
brain in a jar lapel pin.
skeleton toe socks. Own them & love them!
wind up teeth socks.
tooth magnets.
tooth zipper pouch. Made from a photo I took!
anatomy coloring book.
typodont with braces.
visible man.
curiosities shirt. I own the sweatshirt version – see it worn here!
eyeball lunch bag.
skeletoucan lapel pin.
skull lapel pin.
tiny skull ring.
human foot model.
bone pens.

The Dainty Squid’s version of a gift guide! Did you expect anything different? I had this idea toward the beginning of the year and have been anxiously awaiting the moment I could finally start the post. Included in this post are 30 items perfect for your friend with weird tastes or to send your relative who has no idea what in the world to get you!

Happy Holidays!
xoxo

what I wore : polka dotted

by Kaylah Stroup December 5, 2017

cleveland blogger, ootd, green hair, kaylah doolan what I wore, dainty squid, cleveland fashion blog, ohio blogger

details
glasses – BonLook
dress – polka dot dress via Amazon
lapel pin – Weird Beard Candle Co.
cardigan – layering wrap with hood via Target
purse – foldover clutch via Amazon
socks – Target
shoes – oxfords by White Mountain

For the longest time I avoided cardigans that weren’t short, and fitted. My idea of something different was same cardigan, new color. I actually own six or seven of this cardigan, no joke. It’s still a favorite. But then I discovered a love of long cardigans. First of all, they’re usually much warmer which is important when you’re a freeze baby. Aaaand they can totally save a too short dress which is important when the majority of dresses made in 2017 are too short for your frame! This dress is fine when I’m standing up straight but basically if I move at all you’re guaranteed to see some booty! Target claims this cardigan is a robe for lounging around the house in but I say it’s perfect for saving short dress and making them into the coziest outfit ever!

outfit photos are v. serious business, obviously.

project 365 : days 330 – 336

by Kaylah Stroup December 4, 2017

330 : 365 Went to get outfit photos but chickened out after a few shots because it was COLD. It’s that wonderful time of the year where it looks fairly nice outside but is actually like negative forty seven. But look how cute my coat is with that inner leopard print!!

331 : 365 Sushi socks! Also, Christmas tree! Woo! We were debating if we’d even put one up this year but holy smokes, I’m glad we went for it. It just makes the whole room so cozy. I’m going to be very sad when it’s time to pack it away for the year.

332 : 365 Squid hanging out on the arm of my office chair. It’s so distracting when either one of the cats wants to sit with me but it’s so sweet that I just can’t tell them no.

333 : 365 Some beach finds. My favorite of the day being that little donkey. It’s just a silly little plastic toy but I really like the way the lake weathered him. Check out more of my found on the beach arrangements here.

334 : 365 Klaus thinking that if curls up reeeeeal tiny I won’t notice and kick him off the couch. PS If you missed it last week, I shared a tour of the living room!

335 : 365 Why does this cat always have something stuck to his nose?!

336 : 365 Desk view.

337 : 365 Creep under the Christmas tree. Both Squid and Professor have been sleeping almost exclusively under the tree since I put it up last week. It’s THE cutest.

Hope your week is off to a great start!
xoxo

Friday Favorites #442

by Kaylah Stroup December 1, 2017

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

Lovin’ this keychain!

(via Ankit)

Loly in the Sky has some of the absolute cutest stuff. Dying over these shoes and that kitty wallet!

(via Loly in the Sky )

SO CUTE!

(via Modcloth)

Make your own bubble tea! This would make sure a cute Christmas gift!

(via Sandy Leaf Farm)

Probably need to just suck it up and buy a pink coat already. This one is so cute with the leopard print collar! This one is super cute too (and 1/3 of the price!)

(via ASOS)

I’m such a sucker for cute notepads!

(via Urban Outfitters)

This patch!

(via Eradura)

How cute are these map print travel bags?! I found them here too!

(via Kikkerland)

Love this colorful moon banner.

(via Urban Outfitters)

These earrings! So cute!

(via Steffi Lynn)

Link Love…

Make Today Awesome! I’m all about sweatshirts with positive sayings.
Planet coat hooks!!
Black cat lover? Here’s the perfect Christmas sweater for you!
Still don’t have my ears pierced but that doesn’t stop me from day dreaming about the earrings I’ll buy someday. Love these!
Eye love this sleeping mask!
CACTUS DRESS!
I know that this polka dot maxi dress is totally out of season but it’s so darn cute. I really like the cut of it.

Happy Friday!
xoxo

living room tour 2017

by Kaylah Stroup November 30, 2017

insect collection, bugs, shot through plants, bunny taxidermy

It’s been nearly a full year since Jeff and I moved into an apartment together. The most perfect lil apartment there ever could be! The first room we ‘finished’ decorating was the living room. ‘Finished’ because is a room ever truly done? No! I think it’s safe to say we both consider this our favorite room of the whole apartment. All our favorite things are displayed in this room. It’s where we spend the most time, and where we feel most truly at home.

I had been avoiding photographing it for a while now because I truly don’t think photos do it justice. Every time I’d start to take photos for this post I’d feel like the room was just missing something. In reality, while hanging out in the room, I could never figure out what that thing was though. Then the other day I randomly took a picture of the room that inspired me to finally give shooting it another try aaaand here we are now! Enjoy!
xoxo

dainty squid living room tour oddities, tooth collection, dainty squid home

Sources
couch – Thrive Furniture (no longer in business?)
eye pillow – Fancy Clancy
plus sign pillow – Amazon
Nearly everything else was picked up second hand at an estate sale, thrift store, or in the case of my boar taxidermy – rescued from the trash.

More apartment related posts
Fun lighting must-haves – Includes a few more photos of the living room with all my cool lights on!
Rainbows in my home – You spotted the rainbows in the photos above, right? Well here’s how to make them.
Six months + six reasons – Just a sappy post about why I love living with Jeffrey.
Where I work – office tour!

ghost town – Silver City, UT

by Kaylah Stroup November 29, 2017

Shortly after leaving Eureka Cemetery, Jeff and I stumbled upon Silver City. Despite having mapped out a great deal of the ghost towns in the areas we’d planned on being in the state, I somehow had never seen or heard of this one. According to Wikipedia, ‘there is nothing left other than a few holes where mines were, and a number of tailings piles.’ And now I see why Wikipedia isn’t a reputable source…

Silver City ranks pretty high on the “Boy, I’m glad we slammed on the breaks and turned around for that one” list. From the road we were able to see a building or two but it wasn’t until we got out of the car and started exploring that we saw just how much remained of this silver mining town. What was supposed to be a super quick stop for a photo or two turned into us wandering around until we were too hungry to go on. Each time we’d thought we’d seen it all we’d stumble upon another building or neat little hole in the ground. It was an incredible find!

silver city, ghost town

Below are my souvenirs from Silver City. I brought a bunch of land camera film (which you can find here) on the trip but this was the location I shot the most. It captured so beautifully. I have so many photos from this location I could easily write a second post just to share my film photos. The film photo displayed below was my favorite, perhaps even of the whole trip. We found that area of Silver City last. We were both starving and ready to leave but there was a building I could see off in the distance that I wanted to shoot real quick before hopping back in the car. I ran over to grab my shot and stopped in awe of that little layout. It just looked so ancient. Something about it just really struck my fancy.

Around Silver City in a few places were little piles of gathered items. First was a pile of pretty rocks. (I shared a photo of that here.) A few minutes later I stumbled upon another pile which included some rocks, pieces of metal, and this nail. I just couldn’t seem to leave it behind. I wanted to bring my own little piece of Silver City home since it stole a piece of my heart. Too cheesy for you? I thought so too but I’m only half joking. I don’t feel like I could ever accurately describe how much these trips, and random stops just like this one mean to me. Silver City may not be your average tourist destination but we couldn’t have loved it more! Unplanned surprises like this are exactly what I love so much about roadtrippin’!!

utah, ghost town Silver City, Ghost Town, Utah

project 365 : days 323 – 329

by Kaylah Stroup November 27, 2017

323 : 365 Jeff has been taking outfit photos for me lately which is SO NICE. It’s so much easier than me running back and forth to my tripod. I’m loving all the textures and colors in this shot. Can I just have a pair of Palladium Boots in every color?!!

324 : 365 Rearranged some plants so they could reap the benefits of my grow light. (Full review here!)

325 : 365 Picked up some Sally Hansen insta-dri on a whim and remembered why I love that brand so much. I recall liking insta-dri before but I swear this stuff is even better now! It dries so dang fast. I ended up going back a few days later and grabbing another color. I’m currently wearing leapin’ lilac. It’s beeeeautiful!

326 : 365 Sleepy babies!

327 : 365 Ear photos turned selfie session. I am so so so in love my new earlobes.

328 : 365 Guess what I finally did! Took photos for a living room tour post! What, what!!! I mean, it only took me eleven months. You can look for that coming later this week. My duckling also got a new hat so that’s pretty rad too!

329 : 365 Unboxing the ~~modular cat~~ Christmas tree.

Hope your week is off to an awesome start!
xoxo

Friday Favorites : Black Friday 2017

by Kaylah Stroup November 24, 2017

It’s become an annual tradition to share Black Friday sales from my favorite small businesses each year. I’m so excited to share these with you! This is a hefty list, so grab your coffee and get ready to shop.

Ban.do has 25% off everything and up to 45% off their most popular items with code ‘ITSBFBABY’! They have one of the most fun websites so if you only browse one today, maybe make it ban.do?

Pony People is offering 25% off everything with code ‘BLACKCATS’! If you like kitties, you need to pop over to their shop!

Daisy Natives is having a big sale, everything is marked down! I already own the tshirt and I’m gonna need that sweatshirt!

Papio Press is 50% off prints and 15% off nearly everything else!

Classic Specs is offering 30% off for Black Friday! This is a huge deal seeing as they normally don’t offer discounts at all! I have Bevy in Milky Mauve (shown below) LOVE THEM!

Wanderlust + Co is offering 30% sitewide with code ‘cyber’! Look at that girlgang jean jacket! It even comes with patches!

Frolik Studio is offering 30% off orders of $20 or more for Black Friday weekend.

50% off at BB Dakota! Lovin’ this striped lounge set.

Lucky Horse Press is offering free domestic shipping on orders over $30 from today through Sunday. They also have a 5 for $20 card deal, and 3 for $25 enamel pin deal.

Weekender Supply Co. has an awesome deal going on – The code ‘WEEKENDER25’ will give you 25% off the entire order. Additionally, orders over $50 before discounts and taxes receive free worldwide shipping.

Moorea Seal has 20% off site wide! No coupon needed. This may have just been the hardest little collage for me to make because I love SO much of her stock. I am particularly fond of the face planters she has.

Urban Outfitters is having a BOGO 50% sale that ends tonight. I am utterly obsessed with this bird leg table.

Maiden Voyage Clothing is offering 10% off any order of $10+ that will run from 11/20 through 12/01. No code required!

Baggu is offering 25% off with code ‘OKHOLIDAY’. I love love love this polka dot circle purse.

More sales!

Black Crystals is offering free domestic shipping on all orders over $30 through Nov 24-27th!
Use code ‘BlackFriday’ for 50% off EVERYTHING from 7 Charming Sisters. Just look at that bug ring!!
Keds is offering 30% off full price + 10% Off Sale with code ‘NOLINES’. I’m loving these shoes in black and gold!
Brit + Co has 50% off a class of your choice! If you’re looking for a way to learn a new hobby, definitely hop over to their site!
Finest Imaginary is offering 10% off, no coupon code needed. She has SO many cute lapel pins!
Amazon fashion has some major markdowns happening over the holiday weekened.
Rock Hound Soap is offering 10% off all purchases over $25 through 12/2! Check out this clear quartz crystal, it’s seriously amazing to think that’s actually soap.
25% off everything in my Society6 shop with code ‘ blackfriday’. I will forever be fond of this tooth pouch!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo

Eureka Cemetery

by Kaylah Stroup November 22, 2017

utah, old headstone

After ooh-ing and ahhh-ing at all the incredible animals on Antelope Island I suggested we head to Eureka, Utah. Eureka is listed on quite a few websites as a ghost town so obviously that was what drew us there. The photos looked promising. Upon arriving we quickly realized this was not that case. I mean, there are definitely abandoned houses, and storefronts but there is also a pretty sizable population of folks who still reside there.

Would it have been cool to get some shots of the abandoned buildings? Sure but shooting buildings that are surrounded by people’s homes is something I’m not super comfortable with. It feels like an invasion of privacy. Neither of us had cell phone service, and hadn’t bothered to really think ahead about where we’d be heading next so the only thing we could do was just keep driving. It didn’t take long before we stumbled upon Eureka Cemetery. It didn’t look all that interesting from the road but it seemed like a decent place stretch our legs for a few minutes. The majority of the graves near the front of the cemetery were fairly new meaning not something I’d photograph but then I spotted ‘big deal’.

eureka cemetery, utah, unique headstone

I had to get a shot of that grave marker. I hopped out, got my photo, and realized just how lovely the colors were. I’m generally not a fan of shooting in direct sunlight but I’ve found that when I shoot cemeteries in full sun I usually end up loving those photos the most. The lighting conditions mixed with the gorgeous colors (Utah, I love all your yellows!) yielded some spectacular photos! I’m so happy with how these turned out. The incredible mountainous scenery, the barren cemetery, the unique headstones! I’m in loooove!

headstones, eureka cemetery