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some of my favorite posts

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!

All the tiny treasures from the lake.

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 ▴ random texts from my teenage niece (I just desperately want to be ‘the cool aunt’, okay?) ▴ getting in the habit of baking cookies every week for my family ▴ talking about all the fun trips we’ll take in the bus ▴ cool mornings with the windows open ▴ Klaus playing in the mud!! ▴ Professor playing with a donut! ▴ being less than a month away from being back in my favorite place in the world ▴ 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!

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.

*“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

beach combing

by Kaylah Stroup May 8, 2019

One beach, a half hour of wandering, twenty-eight objects to get the tangles out of your hair.

Wild, isn’t it?

I also found a handful of barrettes and a weft of braided hair that had to be at least a foot and a half in length.

A quick found on the beach FAQ

You found all of these in one trip? Sadly, yes.
What do you do with all after your done? Normally I toss it in the trash or recycle if appropriate. Sometimes I may take certain pieces with me if I think they’ll look cool in a future arrangement or if it’s something I collect. Toy soldiers & all other tiny plastic characters come home with me! I also collect plastic plants, leaves and flowers.
Do you wear gloves when you pick all this trash up? No, I don’t. These are things that are washed up from the lake, not just left on shore. They’re no dirtier than the sand or water. That’s not to say I don’t sanitize my hands as soon as I get back in my car though…
Are all of your beaches this gross? No, absolutely not. We have lots of gorgeous, clean and downright picturesque beaches along Lake Erie. This one in particular just seems to collect all the debris from the lake. I have yet to find another this bad in the area.

combs found on the beach — Boots by Joules. *(I highly recommend them!)*

CHECK OUT MORE ‘FOUND ON THE BEACH” POSTS HERE!

If you like my ‘found on the beach’ collections – prints, phone cases, and more can be found here.

the doolan family bus!

by Kaylah Stroup May 7, 2019

For as long as I can remember my dad has said he wanted a school bus that the family could camp in. A few months back, he made that dream a reality. He bought a bus at an auction!

(Side note – My dad & auctions are a solid pair. If you haven’t read about the photo album he bought at an auction that I helped reunite with its family – read here! It still brings a smile to my face whenever I think about it.)

The bus runs and the interior was the condition you’d expect it to be after hauling kids for however many years. So, a bit beat up but still solid! It’s the prime candidate for a vehicle to be made into a family camping bus!

My parents ripped out the seats together a month or so back so when Jeff and I arrived last weekend it was time to rip up the old, gross, rotten flooring and start prepping for the new flooring. We spent the better half of the day – four adults, two teenagers, and two dogs – happily crammed in the school bus working away.

Right after my parents got the seats out. I had the pleasure of ripping up all the rubber. I *LOVE* ripping up flooring! Such a great stress relieving activity!

Klaus is afraid of every single noise ever but luckily, my niece was there to snuggle him nearly the whole afternoon.

I’m not sure that any of us have a true vision for what the bus will look like when it’s finished. Benches, lots of storage space for camping goods, a stovetop, a questionable toilet (that, for the record, I am totally against!) and obviously, sleeping space are all things we discussed. We agreed that painting the outside all black would be rad. Beyond that, I’m not sure what else… but I’ve very excited to see how it progresses.

Now, more than ever, I’m so happy to have a family project. This bus feels like exactly what we need right now. Something to pour our blood, sweat, and tears into. I can’t wait to get back out there and work on it again this weekend.

I’ll be sure to share updates as I have them! xoxo

abandoned rubber factory 2019

by Kaylah Stroup May 2, 2019

Two years ago I explored this massive abandoned complex for the first time. Not too much has changed since then which is rather shocking considering how quickly some places become unrecognizable. I guess when the property is mostly ruins to begin with, decay is less noticable.

This rubber factory complex closed nearly thirty years ago. Multiple buildings still stand but a vast majority have been demolished, at least their upper levels have been. The property is littered with holes, both large and small, giving you a peek as to what’s down below. Definitely a place you have to watch your step, lest you end up breaking an ankle or worse!

The buildings are mostly empty. A pile of tires here, a burnt couch there. Few traces of its original purpose are to be found. Of course, in true massive abandoned factory form, there are piles and piles of invoices, checks, and other files containing personal information that definitely should have been properly disposed of laying around.

If you’d like to see more, Jeff has a video!

Use the ‘abandoned‘ tag to view more posts on forgotten buildings across the US. (Here’s 2017’s visit to this same factory!)
Lastly, be sure to check out my husband’s book – Abandoned Cleveland.

what I wore – on the beach

by Kaylah Stroup April 23, 2019

outfit details – sunglasses, jacket, sweatshirt, jeans, rain boots & camera bag.

Just a couple of photos from the beach late last month. Right now, more than ever, I’m especially thankful to live so close to the lake. I know I’ve said it before but it’s my favorite place to just relax and unwind. I love plopping down in the sand and searching for treasures. Nothing but me and the crash of waves. It soothes my soul like nothing else.

Lake Erie, I love you!

that time I grew some beetles…

by Kaylah Stroup April 22, 2019

The woods surrounding my parent’s property are covered in birdhouses my dad built and hung. He has a snake camera that he uses to peek inside. Often we take walks just going birdhouse to birdhouse checking to see what, if anything, is living inside.

Last summer on one of these walks, we found a fallen birdhouse. It was wet and rotting. When he picked it up we realized there were a handful of big fat white grubs munching on the decaying material. In true dad form, he asked if I wanted them (because what daughter doesn’t want some!) I said ‘heck yes!’, we gathered some of the surrounding dirt and popped it all in an old screw box he had laying around the garage.

I brought that box home, misted it regularly and gave them fresh dirt as often as they needed. (They went through a surprising amount of dirt/rotting log, leaving massive poop pellets in its place!) After a bit of time passed, nearly all of my grubs had made themselves cozy little cocoons. They looked just like clumps of dirt.

They’d been hanging out in their cocoons for what felt like forever. I’d just about given up on them. I’d gone from checking on them quite frequently with great enthusiasm to barely ever looking in the box because I knew nothing had changed.

Until last week! It finally happened!

I opened the box and right on top was a big fat healthy June Bug! I couldn’t have been more excited if I tried. There’s something so satisfying about being able to witness nature do its thang like that.

Right now I have two hatched beetles and another three cocoons left PLUS a handful of juicy looking grubs. I’ve got my fingers crossed for more beetles to hatch soon.

One of the grown beetles burrowing into the dirt.

I’ll keep ya updated if anything else exciting happens! 😉

abandoned china factory 2019

by Kaylah Stroup April 10, 2019

Two years ago I explored this factory for the first time. Unlike the majority of the other factories (and abandoned buildings in general) I’ve been in, this one is still full of items that show nearly every step of how its products were made. Despite the fact there was an auction to clear out remaining inventory after the factory closed, there is still tons to see. Between all of the remaining buildings on the property there are molds, decals, silkscreens, blank dishes, finished products, kilns, and more. All that stuff combined puts this place in my all time top ten favorite abandoned spots.

(Other favorites include – the abandoned trailer park, the ghost town I got engaged in, the masonic hall, the Knox County Poorhouse & of course, Two Guns!

Not too much has changed since my previous visit. Surprisingly, the majority of plates and mugs were still intact. Stacks upon stacks of plates covered in a thick layer of dust. Untouched!

stacks of plates in an abandoned factory

a massive pile of broken mugs in an abandoned factory

There was apparently a fire on the upper level on the main building. It made quite a mess but failed to destroy all the paperwork. I spotted invoices, checks, and accounting paperwork detailing how much had been spent on advertising.

See ya in another couple years, china factory! xoxo

PS. If you’d like to see more, Jeff has a video!

adventures in stamp carving – part 2

by Kaylah Stroup April 8, 2019

Last week I tried stamp carving for the very first time. (Read more about there here!) Despite my nervousness about trying a new hobby, the results were super encouraging which is good because I am definitely that overambitious person who tends to give up when they aren’t automatically amazing at something the first time they try. My first stamp wasn’t perfect but it came out a million times better than I ever imagined. I couldn’t wait to give it another go!

hand carved tooth stamp — My second stamp. I was having the worst time even drawing a tooth so the fact it turned out even this well is a miracle. I look forward to recarving this one.

With the first stamp, I just traced out my image onto the tracing paper that was included in the kit with a pencil then turned that over onto the carving block and rubbed so that the lead would transfer onto it. It wasn’t perfect and seemed like a pretty inefficient way to do things. Before carving my next larger stamp I picked up some carbon paper. It made everything a lot easier.

For my third stamp, I continued with my tooth theme and carved out some dentures. Initially I wasn’t too pleased. I carved, printed, went back in to fix some stuff, printed again, and continued this cycle a couple more times. I’m just not quite satisfied with those teeth. They’re a little wonky.

When I printed my newest stamp next to my first I realized just how much I’d improved already! Despite the fact I don’t love the teeth on this one, my lines are so much smoother than the first! The whole stamp in general is a lot less blocky.

I just have to keep reminding myself that it’s okay not to be great at something. I truly enjoy this whole process, especially printing! I love getting my hands dirty! Practicing and learning something new feels great.

I hope that eventually I’ll be decent enough at this to print some fabric or at least do some patches. (The second I printed my first stamp I knew I’d need to make something specifically to use as a backpatch on my jean jacket!) Just gotta keep practicing!

Supplies used – Speedball’s rubber stamp making kit, a foam brayer &carbon paper to transfer the image.

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