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"what i wore"

30 days of biking recap

by Kaylah Stroup April 30, 2015

Today’s ride will wrap up 30 days of biking. I did it, I rode every single day! Rain, snow(!?), and sunshine. Some days I biked in shorts and a t-shirt, there were others I wore two pairs of pants, my winter jacket, gloves and a hat. I rode a total of 175 miles, not including today’s ride obviously.It was an interesting month for sure, and not just because of the weather. In the middle of the month there was actually a bit of a mishap. Long story short, while riding with three of my friends we were attacked and I was ripped off my bike by some “tough guy” trying to steal my backpack. I actually wrote a long blog post about it that is still sitting in my drafts because it was just too raw, too full of emotion. It was traumatic and I’m still not positive I want to talk about it. All that matters now is that we’re all okay, they weren’t able to steal anything from us, and that I didn’t let it stop me from getting back on my bike. The next few days were tough, I didn’t want to ride. But for some darn reason my commitment to 30 days of biking was too strong to break. I was back in the saddle the next morning, and have been every day since. Booyah! You can’t steal my backpack or my fun, ya turd.

On a lighter note, it felt SO good to ride everyday. I don’t know that my body actually looks any different but I certainly feel like it does. I feel so strong. If there’s one part of my body I’ve struggled with it’s been my thighs. I’ve always hated the way they look when I’m sitting, how they flatten out and look a billion times bigger. Sitting in shorts I’d always be on my tip toes so my thigh wouldn’t be completely flat. But you guys, my thighs are sexy. I don’t care how big they are now. They’re strong. They’re made of muscle. I’m proud of them.

30 consecutive days of biking was a bit stressful for me just because I was watching the weather like a hawk and that’s something I never do. There were days I’d see it was going to rain in the evening so I’d rush out in the morning when I didn’t really want to ride and do a few obligatory miles only for it not to end up raining later in the day. I feel like I may have possibly gotten more miles in this month if I hadn’t been worrying about squeezing in a bike ride at a certain time and just went with the flow, if that makes sense.

30 days of biking, I love/hate you. You kept me on my bike when I didn’t want to do be, which in this case was the best thing for me. I’m glad April is over but I’m already looking forward to doing it again next year!
xoxo

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bike style

by Kaylah Stroup March 23, 2015
 details 
 jacket – Target
shirt – TJ Maxx
jeans – High Waisted Button Up Jeans c/o Unique Vintage
boots – Palladium Boots
camera bag – Lowepro Fastpack 250
patch – Best Made Company
explorer pin – Explorer’s Press
good vibes only pin – Pintrill
bicycle – State Bicycle Co.

My bike is has become a huge part of my life, if you couldn’t tell. It has, without a doubt, changed my life. It’s my favorite possession – even ranked above my camera which is saying a lot. I try to find at least a little bit of time everyday to ride. It’s what makes me the happiest.

Last summer I shared my typical bike outfit. That was Kaylah who had only been on a bike for a few months, and was still figuring out what I liked to bike in. I was having issues with being comfortable on my saddle, and found that things without a seam in the crotch made all the difference. Cue me buying a million pairs of comfy yoga shorts and pants. They got me through but now I’m trying to expand what I wear on my bike. I could (and have) read a million articles about being stylish while biking but I need to figure out what’s comfortable for me.

Here’s where “bike style” comes in. These posts will be just like my outfit posts except they’ll be things I’m wearing on bike rides. It’s a way to challenge myself to wear something other than yoga pants and a cozy black tee. I love that, it does look cute, and I’m sure you’ll end up seeing me wearing it at some point but I want to expand so that doesn’t end up being what I wear all summer long.

Currently I’m just trying to get back into biking in jeans. It caused me so much pain over the summer that I swore them off completely. Now I’m figuring out it all depends on the jeans and how big the seam is. These jeans are super cozy to ride in the only downside is they’re turning blue saddle. Hah! Luckily it’s nothing some bleach wipes can’t fix!

xoxo

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Favorite Outfits from 2014

by Kaylah Stroup January 21, 2015
It’s a liiiittle late in the year to be doing a 2014 recap but despite that fact I can’t seem to get this one off my mind so I’m writing it anyway! Each year since I started doing outfit posts I’ve done a little round up at the end of the year with my favorites. Last year was kind of different for outfit posts. I moved at the beginning of the year which means I lost all favorite spots to shoot. I took a couple months off but honestly REALLY missed posting outfits.

It took a lot for me to venture out and find new spots in the city. I’ve glossed over it a lot in the past but I definitely have my fair share of quirks. One of which is that I’m extremely shy. I take that back, I used to be extremely shy (put me in the kinda shy category now) so going out into the city to find spots where I could do the most awkward thing ever – essentially take a ton of selfies – was rough. Slowly but surely I’m gaining confidence, and feeling less and less weird about what I do. It’s funny because in these photos, especially ones from closer to the time I moved I was the most uncomfortable I had ever been but by golly, I look the happiest. Each outfit shoot was a victory for me. They pushed me out of my comfort zone and I was rewarded with photos I loved.

 back in action // black, white + colorful all over // stripes + polka dots // polka dots + puppies
 seasons change
magic jeans // a typical ride // another year older // overalls
golden tote
eye love you // back again // jail bird // on the tracks
stay cozy

Other than being little reminders of how far I’ve come with anxiety, it’s really neat to watch my style evolve. 2014 was definitely a game changer for my wardrobe. I went from dresses nearly all the time to wearing lots of jeans. I actually bought more jeans last year than probably anything else. My closet had maybe three pairs before that. My outfits now need to be able to handle anything as opposed to in previous years where I didn’t get out of the house much and the extent of what I really did was grocery shopping and light hikes in the woods.

Right now I guess you could say I’m on a short hiatus. It’s freezing here, and outfit photos, although I know I would love the photos, just don’t sound like that much fun. But I’m sure 2015 will be full of them, just give me a few weeks.
xoxo


See past years favorite outfits : 2011, 2012 + 2013

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snowy marina

by Kaylah Stroup January 20, 2015
Winter seems to finally have really hit in Cleveland. We held out a while but finally started getting snow. These last two weeks or so have been pretty brutal; below freezing temperatures, and some decent accumulation. My first thought every first big snow is “it’s time to go to the beach!”

I knew the beach I usually go to to do outfit photos, and collect trash from probably wouldn’t be too great, at least not this early in the winter so I ventured out of my side of town and over to the east side.  I wasn’t a hundred percent sure where to go but I knew there were marinas over there. Long story short I pulled into a park to turn around, and got my car stuck. My poor little VW Golf is pretty horrible in the snow, combine that with tires that are basically just for show, being downhill, and a warmish day where spinning my tires just turned the snow into ice. I wasn’t stuck for long before I realized I had no chance of getting out on my own and called Jason . We spent over an hour trying to work my car out before crossing our fingers, and just gunning it through the grass toward the sidewalk. It was kind of a fun little adventure. Things like that are way easier to look at from the bright side when you have friends who are always willing to come rescue you from stupid situations.

Anyway, I fiiinally made my way to the marina. It was just as beautiful and other worldly as I’d hoped. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of visiting the lake in the winter. I feel lucky to live so incredibly close to the water. You guys, my new apartment is a quick bike ride from my favorite beach. I cannot wait til it’s warmer out.

Like I mentioned, these were taken on a warmer day so a lot of the ice had already begun to melt. Since I’ve never actually been to this marina when there wasn’t snow it was kind of hard to traverse. With everything covered in snow I had to be extra careful to not take a wrong step.  I’m looking forward to going back when the temperatures drop real low again and I can climb around a little bit more confidently.
xoxo

You can other frozen Lake Erie posts from previous years here, here + here.

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abandoned school

by Kaylah Stroup January 12, 2015
Last week we showed some out of town explorers a few of our favorite spots around Cleveland. One of our stops was the abandoned middle school I blogged about a while back. This was my third time shooting it and I’m still not satisfied. I just want to shoot every corner of this place. This school is one of the very first abandoned places I ever shared
here on the blog. It’s also one of the very first I really really loved. It’s just so wonderfully colorful, and even after all these years of being abandoned it’s  still packed with things. Things that help you get an idea of the lively place this used to be. Notes filled with secrets, and papers with names. Little pieces of what used to be.

I guess in the grand scheme of abandoned buildings this place isn’t
really all that great but for some reason I can’t get enough. I just feel a special attachment to it. I’ll honestly probably cry when/ if it gets demolished.

The first time I went I didn’t own the 10-22mm yet, which quickly became my absolute favorite lens to shoot with. For the longest time I swore I didn’t need anything other than a 40mm or 50mm but abandoned buildings got me itching to shoot wider. I wanted to show more than the tiny details. Other than my bike, that lens was my best purchase last year. I’m pretty excited about the shots above. The first one is probably one of my favorites I’ve ever taken in that school.

Hope you’re having an awesome start to your week!
xoxo


See more posts about this school here, here + here.

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Hello, Orange!

by Kaylah Stroup November 10, 2014
orange hair, pink hair, purple hair, short colorful hair
orange and pink hair

I’ve shared photos of my new hair color already but I do like making an “official” post about it after each big change. Even if only so I can document the colors I used. I mix shades like crazy so without making note of it somewhere I have no idea for future reference. This is definitely one I’ll be keeping for a while, and coming back to time and time again.

Orange, pink, and purple aren’t necessarily three colors I would normally put together but a few weeks back I was riding my bike around downtown when I looked up at Terminal Tower. Terminal Tower is a 52 story skyscraper, essentially it’s Cleveland’s centerpiece. The building has 508 LEDs that are lit up every night, and often change colors. That night when I looked up Terminal Tower was orange, pink, and purple. It looked so beautiful. The second I saw it I knew those had to be my next set of hair colors.

Since this was a spur of the moment dye job – when is not? – I had to settle with whatever colors I could get my hands on. I really wanted to use Special Effects Hi-Octane Orange for a more vibrant shade but of course, nowhere around here sells that. Here’s the list of what I ended up using…

Manic Panic Sunshine
Manic Panic Hot Hot Pink
Manic Panic Pillarbox Red
Manic Panic Pretty Flamingo – in two different shades?
Color Jamz Yellin Yellow
Punky Colours Fuego
Punky Colours Purple

I mixed all the reds, oranges and the yellow together with equal parts conditioner for my orange shade. It ended up maybe a little bit peachier than planned but still beautiful. Pretty Flamingo was/is kind of baffling. One of the bottles was orange, the perfect color, and the other was peachy pink. Had that been something I ordered online I would have been mad. (So, beware that you may not get the color pictured if you do buy that color online!) But even with settling for colors I used, I’m pumped about the results.

orange, pink, purple hair, dainty squid

This is probably my favorite dye job is a loooong time. Its always fun to try something a bit new and out of my comfort zone.
xoxo

For tips on getting hair colors to last, check out this post! 

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7 tips for maintaining bright hair color

by Kaylah Stroup September 30, 2014

For eleven straight I’ve been dyeing my hair unnatural colors. During this time I’ve written numerous hair related posts including how to bleach your hair, two tips for switching colors, and my must have hair products. Today I’ll be sharing how to maintain your color. All of the hair dyes you would use to dye your hair a funky color are semi-permanent and fade no matter what. In my outfit posts you can see my hair color is never the same more than once, even daily my hair color changes due to rinsing. Fading is inevitable but here are seven easy tips to help make your color last.

1 // Good color starts with healthy hair. While bleaching your hair isn’t the best way to start, it is necessary to do in order to achieve a bright color.  Unhealthy, damaged hair will not hold color well. You may make it from black hair to pink in a week by bleaching your hair twice a day but that pink won’t hold because your hair is in rough shape. Be patient with your journey from dark hair to colored hair. Make sure to nurture your hair. Hair masks and repair products are your best friends! (I shared a few of my favorites here!)


2 // After healthy hair, the next most important thing is a high-quality hair dye. I highly recommend Punky Colours and Special Effects. I’m sure there are other great dyes, but those are the two I always turn to despite trying many others. Since those brands do NOT damage your hair, it’s totally fine, and really highly recommended that you leave it in for much longer than the recommended time. The packaging usually says something “let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing.” If you leave your hair dye in for 20 minutes that color is not going to last very long at all. I normally try to leave my hair color in for a minimum of three hours. The longer, the better! Since I always mix my dyes with equal parts conditioner my hair is also being nourished while I wait on the dye to set.

3// Rinse with cool water. This is actually my best tip. If you skip all other tips (please don’t, especially healthy hair!) this is the one to follow. Warm water opens the hair cuticle allowing the color to escape. I’m not saying you need to wash your hair with ice cold water, but in reality, the colder the better. I wash and rinse my hair in as cold of water as I can stand, toss it up in a towel then crank that water up for the rest of my shower.

Cold water also helps reduce bleeding if you have more than one color, otherwise your hair color will just turn into a mess similar to when you mix different colors of paint together.

While we’re on the subject of water, it should be noted that swimming in chlorinated water is awful for your hair color. (But hey, if you want to fade your hair, go for it! Check out this video I made for an idea of how badly pool water will affect your hair!) For good measures, just keep your hair dry as much as possible and avoid hot water!

4 // Avoid shampoos with sulfates and styling products with alcohol. Sulfates and alcohol-based products are two huuuuge things that will fade any hair color. Sulfate free shampoos can be kind of tricky to find sometimes, but they’re definitely worth switching to. I recommend Sparks Color Care Sulfate-Free Shampoo + Conditioner.

Even with sulfate free shampoo, you should still try to cut back on shampoo use. Shampoo strips your hair of its natural oils, as well as the color. If you’re lucky enough to not have super greasy hair (like me!) skip washing every other day and use a dry shampoo on your off days. My dry shampoo of choice is Aveda Shampure. (also on Amazon) It’s a little bit more expensive than others I’ve found and tried but easily the best!

When I shampoo I try to only apply it to the roots, where my hair is most likely to become greasy, and only avoid the ends of my hair since that’s what normally fades most quickly anyway.

5 // Mix some color into your conditioner. If you add hair dye to your conditioner you’ll be depositing a little bit of color every time you condition. This only applies if your hair is a solid color, or a mix of the same colors in different shades obviously. This is also a great idea because you’re able to leave conditioner in your hair for longer without running the risk of fading it. Healthier hair + brighter color = win/win!

Alternatively, you could try a color depositing conditioner! There are lots of new ones on the market these days. Keracolor comes in 13 different colors + has excellent reviews. My dye brand of choice, Punky Colours, also just came out with one! There are currently 11 different colors + it’s a few bucks cheaper.

6 // Avoid heat styling. If you must heat style (hey, I feel ya), use a protectant! This is my personal favorite, I’ve been using it for a while now. When I’m using my curling wand, and not just my blow dryer, I also add some argan oil to the tips which helps protect the color as well.

7 // Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. Just like your skin, the sun isn’t necessarily good for your hair color. Try wearing a hat if you’ll be spending a long time in the sun. There are also UV protection sprays for your hair. I use Sparks Color Care Protecting Spray. Highly recommended!

Keep in mind that just choosing one of the above points isn’t going to save your hair color. If you’ve switched to a sultfate free shampoo but still wash your hair every day in hot water, the fact you’re using a sulfate free shampoo really doesn’t even matter anymore.

A combination of all of the above should help you maintain your hair color a bit longer than normal.

If you have any hair questions or are looking for more tips, check out my hair master post! 
xoxo

7 tips for maintaining bright hair colors - The Dainty Squid

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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

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See ya later, purple!

by Kaylah Stroup April 16, 2013

Saturday night, on a complete whim, I decided to bleach and dye my hair. My bathroom cupboard is packed full of hair dye in just about every color I could ever want so I just waited to see how light my hair bleached to before deciding what I wanted to dye it.

Oddly enough the purple and pink bleached right out. Normally they’re two colors I have problems getting out of my hair but I was literally watching it disappear before my eyes as I applied the bleach. I still had some residual blue left. I’m opposed to going back to blue for a little while though. I still want to play around with new colors and combinations before settling down with a color again.

This is Punky Colour Turquoise mixed with equal parts Punky Colour Bright Yellow and conditioner on the top layers of hair with Punky Colour Apple Green underneath. I’ve had green hair three very short times in the past (here is one of them) but this is definitely my favorite! I think this one might be sticking around for a while or at least until I can’t fight the urges to completely make over myself again. 😉

I’m just glad I decided to do this way after St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve found that someone will always ask if your hair color correlates with whatever holiday is closest. When I was in the ER at the beginning of the year with a concussion the nurse and doctor both (at separate times) asked if my blue hair was “for the new year”. Um, no? Pink hair for Valentines. Orange for Halloween. Pastels for Easter. Purple for The Grape Jamboree (it’s a local thing). These are all things I try to avoid.

Hope you have a lovely Tuesday!
xoxo

You can find all my tips on bleaching, dying and maintaining colorful hair here.

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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