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some of my favorite posts

four years together

by Kaylah Stroup

As of today, Jeff and I have been dating for four years!

I feel like we’ve been together forever though. It felt like my life really started when I moved to Cleveland then somehow I lucked out and met this dude a month later. He’s been a massive part of my life ever since. I am so thankful our paths crossed.

Four whole years of…

▴ spur of the moment road trips
▴ bike rides around the city
▴ scouring Google maps for new spots to photograph
▴ gorging ourselves on sushi (okay, that’s only been like a year and a half but whatever)
▴ being squished out of bed by our bed hog dog
▴ daydreaming of someday marrying you
▴ eating way way way too quick at restaurants (I think we’re getting better at slowing down!)
▴ exploring all the best nooks and crannies wherever we go
▴ being best friends
▴ spaghetti, lemon pasta, pasta salad, Caprese salad and all the other things you cook best
▴ falling in love with new cities and daydreaming about running away together
▴ watching tv shows obsessively for a bit and then completely abandoning them (sometimes even on the very last episode)
▴ annoying the snot out of each other
▴ stealing your clothes because they smell so good (wearing your sweatshirt right now…)

But most of all, fiercely loving the heck out of each other.
xoxo

Jeff, I love you so much! I’m thankful for everything you do for me and I CANNOT WAIT to marry you at our favorite place in the world in just over fifty days. 💖

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10 things making me smile…

by Kaylah Stroup

▴ Klaus playing in the water!

▴ Lazy weekend mornings with coffee, french toast + my main squeeze.

▴ This light chasing little dweeb.

▴ Being surrounded by plants (+my long hair! Do you know how many years I ‘tried’ to grow it but always cut it!? So pumped to finally have followed through!)

▴ The Screaming Squid.

▴ Avocado pit progress! (Check out my last update here)

▴ This photo of my dad + his favorite daughter.

▴ Evening sunlight.

▴ This little cat about to beamed up to be with his people.

▴ This sunset, forever + ever. Maybe the one on our wedding day will top it? Not sure what the chances of seeing another rainbow cloud are though…

Other good things on my mind:
▴ Buying a wedding dress! (Will it fit? Will I LOVE it? So nervewracking and exciting) ▴ catching Squid + Klaus cuddling ▴ warm weather coming later this week ▴ riding my bike ▴ less than two months until the wedding! ▴ wedding = desert = best weather ▴ weekly coffee date at a coffee shop less than a five min walk away ▴ dog watching from my office window ▴ having a clean kitchen ▴ morning bubble baths ▴ Professor chasing his tail

What’s making you smile today?
xoxo

PS. Can’t recommend this gratitude journal enough!

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abandoned around Cleveland

by Kaylah Stroup

Just some recent photos from abandoned buildings around the Cleveland area…

Sometimes we visit really rad places but I just don’t feel like taking the time to set up my tripod, or maybe I’m just too busy being nervous about the neighborhood to take the time to find that perfect shot and don’t end up getting more than a couple shots per location. This post includes photos from four different spots we checked out recently. Two new to me – a church and a very old school. Two old favorites we seem to visit over and over – both factories.

If you haven’t gotten your fill of dilapidated buildings – check out the tag “abandoned” for more posts!
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nail sticker how to + FAQ

by Kaylah Stroup

For about six years now I’ve been using nail stickers of some sort to get crisp lines in my nail art. They’ve played a huge part in developing my nail style. (That’s a thing right? I definitely feel like I have a style.) I couldn’t imagine not having them in my nail kit. Since I’ve been getting back into sharing my designs I thought I’d do a little post on my favorite tool of the trade! Under $7 and basically unlimited options – there’s no excuse not to give them a go!

First, a quick how-to!

① File, buff, wash then dry your nails!
② Paint base color.
③  Let it dry. No, really, let it dry. Not half dry or mostly dry. All the way dry!
④ Choose your sticker, place it on the top of your hand to get some of the sticky off, and then apply to your nail. Make sure to push it down firmly, especially in the corners of your nail where polish could seep under.
⑤ Paint your nail, and remove sticker immediately. Peel slowly, following the curve of the sticker.
⑥ Repeat on the rest of your nails. The order I find easiest is pinky, ring, middle then pinky, ring, middle on the other hand. Pointer finger from the first hand, pointer from the second and thumbs last. Thumbs are the only nails I do where I put the stickers on more than one nail at once. This way I’m able to really push down the sticker throughouly without messing up an already painted nail.
⑦ Finish it all off with a top coat. I recommend Seche Vite!

Q.  Nail stickers? So, it’s the whole design and I don’t have to do any painting?

A. No, they’re basically just stencils. I’ve found them to be way easier than using tape and you don’t have to do any cutting. If you’re bad at painting your nails or don’t have the patience to do fun designs, I recommend checking out Incoco nail polish appliques! 

Q. Are they reusable?

A. No, they are not. They’re one time use.

Q. The stickers are peeling up my nail polish when I take them off. What’s up with that?! 

A. Sounds like your polish might not be completely dry. I always suggest painting designs with the stickers in two separate days so you’re not rushed. Of course, you don’t have to wait a full day but at least give your polish an hour or so. I normally throw on my first color in the morning and finish with the stickers in the evening.

Q. My nails are completely dry but my base coat is still peeling off. What do I do? 

A. This could be one of a few things. 1. You have a crappy nail polish. I’m certainly not a nail polish snob, I will always snatch up a 99 cent polish but there are some that are just not made very well and these will peel up when the sticker is pulled off. 2. Your sticker is too sticky! Easy fix – put the sticker on the top of your (clean & dry) hand and peel off before placing on your nail. I actually recommend doing this all the time.

Q. The nail stickers are leaving a residue, what do I do?

A.  I’m not 100% sure why this happens, I’ve only had it happen a few times but it was before I started doing the trick of putting the sticker on your hand before your nail to remove some of the stickiness. If nothing else, wait for your polish to dry, and then go wash your hands with soap and water before applying the top coat. Sticky gunk comes right off.

Q. Why aren’t my lines as crisp as yours?

A. The trick to crisp lines with these stickers is peeling them off as soon as you’re done painting each nail. This means polishes that aren’t completely opaque on the first coat are far less superior when it comes to using the stickers. Once you start building layers you’re running the risk of making a mess.

So basically be patient, make sure each coat is COMPLETELY dry before putting down the sticker, and get yourself some great polish (I’m all about Sally Hansen & Zoya!) Set aside a little chunk of time to do your nails or do it over a period of a few days and with some practice you’ll be doing your nails like a pro!
xoxo

Find nail stickers here.
Check out loads of nail inspiration under the #kaylahsfancynails hashtag.
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found on the beach

by Kaylah Stroup

Just some colorful beach finds for you today. What can I say? I’m a sucker for trash organized by color.

Everything in these photos was found on the same day, on the same trip, within the same hour. 

I usually decide on what kind of arragement I’ll make after being at the beach a few minutes. I like to take a bit of time to look around and see if anything is jumping out at me. Like the color yellow, hair barrettes, or teeny tiny pieces. On this particular trip I wasn’t seeing much. Obviously I was seeing LOTS of trash but nothing super interesting so I decided to just pick up lighters. There’s always an abundance of them! If you recall, back in 2014 I actually saved all the lighters I found throughout the summer to do one huge round up photo. 199 of them by the end of the season. Check it out! I was shocked to only find twenty on this trip. I mean that’s a huge number but I guess thats just how desensitized I am to the amount of things that wash up. It’s sad, really.

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. HANDMADE ZIPPER POUCHES + POST CARDS CAN BE FOUND HERE.
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nail round up II

by Kaylah Stroup

Sally Hansen Barely Blue Bell, Sally Hansen Tidal Wave + Wet N Wild Power Outage

Sally Hansen Gray by Gray + ILNP Mega

I already owned a holographic nail polish so immediately after purchasing ILNP’s Mega I was like “Oh, you turd. Why’d you waste your money!?” Then I painted my nails with it and completely changed my tune! It is AMAZING. This paint job doesn’t really do the polish justice, although you can kind of get an idea of how colorful it is on my pointer finger. It’s just such a wildly colorful polish, especially in direct sunlight. You have to go look at the review photos. I’m hooked already. I can’t wait to buy some of their other colors (especially Cameo! The best way I can describe how it looks is the prettiest beetle you’ve ever seen…)

China Glaze Concrete Catwalk, Zoya Kelly, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Slick Slate, Nature Republic Karu, Layla Mercury Twilight + Scotch Expressions washi tape

OBSESSED with these nails. This was my first time in a very long time using taping as a design element. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Doing something different on each nail is easily one of my favorite things. It’s just so relaxing to kind of play around and freestyle like this.

palate polish, nail art, nail blogger

Palate Polish Eggplant, Nature Republic White + scotch tape

xoxo

I’ve got a hashtag over on instagram – #kaylahsfancynails – if you’d like to see some peeks before my round up posts go live.
Check out my last nail round up here.

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nine truths about having dyed hair

by Kaylah Stroup

I’ve written more than a handful of posts about dyeing your hair. My guide on maintaining dyed hair remains number one in my popular posts even years after first hitting publish. Hair dye is kinda my thing (…or at least one of my things.) I’ve had the idea for this post for a while now, even had multiple drafts of it going. I can’t imagine myself without fun colored hair but it definitely has some annoying quirks. Here’s a list of things I’ve learned along the way, and things you might want to consider before making the leap…

Nine truths about having dyed hair…

▴ Everyone has an opinion. Is it always a good one? NOPE. The first thing that comes to mind upon typing this is “you were prettier with ~insert color here~ hair.” Of course, unwanted opinions aren’t something exclusive to dyed hair but I genuienly think some folks are clueless how much those comments hurt.

▴ It never lasts that long. There are lots of things you can do to help your color last longer (I wrote a post about it here) but the fact of the matter is those amazing dye jobs you see on instagram don’t last. Hair dye fades with every single wash. Dyeing your hair is more like a journey than a destination. The color will always be changing. You have to learn to just roll with it, and embrace the fade.

▴ It might not turn out as planned. You can swoon over pretty hair photos on pinterest forever but there’s a good chance that even with the same dye that person used your hair won’t turn out the same color. There are so many variables that effect the color your hair will turn out.

▴ You’re probably going to hear dumb jokes. “Lemme guess, you’re Irish!” Someone at the grocery store the other morning even said “Are you SURE it’s not for St. Patrick’s Day?” Orange hair is automatically for Halloween, and for some reason when I had blue hair I was asked multiple times if it was for New Years Day.

▴ You WILL get stared at.  Point blank. Don’t think you’ll be blending into the crowd anytime soon! You’ll probably even get shouted at too. Can’t count how many times someone has screeched at the top of their lungs how much they liked my hair. Sounds nice… until everyone and their momma is staring at you.

▴ You look like everyone else. Well, not really but with your pink hair as an identifier to strangers, you definitely look like that other person with pink hair. I can’t even tell you how many times I got strangers claiming I looked like Katy Perry when I had blue hair… except I literally look nothing like Katy Perry.

Me or Katy Perry? The world may never know.

 ▴ You’re going to stain things. Your pillow case, towels, probably the collar of your white shirt and definitely your finger nails. That’s just life. It washes out, most of the time. Some brands are worse than others but even the best dye will still inevitably get on things other than your hair.

▴ It’s a conversation starter. People will want to tell you about that time they tried to dye their hair pink but it “didn’t work” or their cousin with purple hair. They’ll want to know who did your hair, and maybe if you’ll do theirs too. Also, I’ve been asked multiple times, each time by a dirty old man, “does the carpet match the drapes?” Ick!

▴ “Semi-permanent” doesn’t mean it washes out. Dyed hair is a commitment. Your hair will never be the same again. I’m not saying that to scare you. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. But just know that without the help of professional your hair isn’t going to be brown or blond after a few washes. Sometimes it’s really just smarter to buy a wig or colored extensions.

Fellow candy colored hair people, anything else you’d add to this list?
xoxo

If you’re looking for some tips on bleaching and dyeing, check out my hair master post! 
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abandoned factory – revisited

by Kaylah Stroup

abandoned ohio, cleveland

I guess the theme of the abandoned buildings I’ve been sharing on the blog this last month, like the factory full of trash & the masonic hall, is that I’ve been there before. 2014 was the year I moved to Cleveland, and the year I really got in to photographing abandoned buildings. I had always had an interest but didn’t know where to begin, and being afraid of the city didn’t help much either. Then I met Jeff…

The photos I have from back then are laughably bad but I do remember how excited I was about them. Also, being able to look back at how these buildings have (or haven’t) changed since my last visit is pretty awesome.

Most of the photos in this post are in a different section of the factory than the previous post but I still managed to (accidentally) shoot two photos that are essentially the same view. Things have definitely been moved around a bit but I’d say for four years, it looks shockingly similar! That basically never happens. Guess somehow this building has basically flown under the radar of most folks.

If you haven’t gotten your fill of dilapidated buildings – check out the tag “abandoned” for more posts!
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found on the beach

by Kaylah Stroup

lake erie beach trash, plastic soldiers on beach

Since Lake Erie finally thawed earlier in the month I’ve been hitting the beach pretty hard. This happens every year. I only go to the beach a handful of times during the winter, am usually bored by the lack of things to find in the sand, then as soon as it thaws I remember all over again exactly what it is I love so much about it there.

First trip there after the thaw I found a couple plastic soldiers within minutes of arriving. I’ve briefly mentioned it before but I collect those. I’ll basically pick up anything that catches my eye on the beach but I’ve made it a point to not bring anything home. Then, around a year ago, I broke my own rule… Guess who has so many plastic soldiers she had to buy a new container for them recently. Yeeeeah, that’s me. Anyway, finding so many in such a short period of time filled me with enthusiasm. It’s basically taken all my strength to not go to the beach every single morning these last two weeks. I know it’s just trash but it’s like a treasure hunt. I’m hooked!

I haven’t made any big arrangements in a while but I have made lots of small ones! Here are some recent photos from my favorite spot along Lake Erie.

arrangement of beach trash

bee boots by Joules

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. HANDMADE ZIPPER POUCHES + POST CARDS CAN BE FOUND HERE.
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