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what I wore : Life Fantastic

by Kaylah Stroup
details
shirt – Man Man
jeans – H&M
jacket – c/o HauteLook
scarf – Modcloth
camera bag – Siena c/o Jo Totes
shoes – c/o Twisted Shoes

I’m obsessed with this shirt. The kind of obsessed where you don’t want to wear something because you want to keep it perfect. Not only is it zombie Ben Franklin eating pizza in a cemetery, it was one of the only souvenirs I bought on my first big solo roadtrip. I’m also a huge fan of this style of shirt, raglan shirts are the best!

You guys, I could talk about how much I love Man Man basically until the end of time. They’ve been my favorite band for a really long time but I got to see them live for the very first time at the beginning of this year. Then I miraculously caught them three more times. And by “miraculously” I mean I drove… a lot. Worth every single mile. There are only a few bands I can listen to over and over and over and they’re certainly one of them. There’s just something about Man Man that just sucks me in and I cannot get enough. They’re on tour now, you should go check them out because they’ll blow your mind plus some of the dates are with Xenia Rubinos and she can siiiiing! At the very least, give my favorite Man Man song, Van Helsing Boombox, a listen. (Also try Rabbit Habits, Against The Peruvian Monster, Whalebones & Poor Jackie) You won’t be sorry!

It was really cold taking these pictures. I mean, really reeeeally cold. As much as I totally adore this coat I know that forty outfit posts in a row featuring it would get super boring so I had to lose the coat for most of the pictures. Although I did have to include one photo of it because it looked super snazzy with the jeans and I wanted to show off my new scarf. Anyway, jumping pictures help keep you warm. And that smile in the fourth picture? The look of sheer insanity which is exactly what you need to be a blogger in the winter.

Happy Monday!
xoxo

PS. Here’s a photo I took on the other side of the cemetery right after I took outfit pictures. Isn’t it so pretty!?

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what I wore : the perfect jacket

by Kaylah Stroup
details
jacket – c/o HauteLook
sweater – Kohl’s
rings – question mark ring c/o asianiCandy, purple ring c/o demiflux
backpatch –  Olivia Mew
cat lady pin – Thora Ford Jewelry
necklace – c/o Rings & Tings
camera bag – Siena c/o Jo Totes
jeans – Kohl’s
boots – Forever 21
Guess who took outfit pictures in the rain? Yeah, that’d be me. I headed out in the fog to take some pictures at the cemetery because I thought that would look super neat. I get there and there is a guy mowing grass. Fine, no big deal, I’ll head to the back of the cemetery. As soon as I get back there it starts to sprinkle. I hurry and pose, continually checking over my shoulder to see how close the man on the tractor was getting. Five minutes or so pass and it starts to sprinkle a little harder and he’s definitely getting closer. Too close for comfort in my opinion but I’m determined to photograph this outfit because I feel darn cute. A few more minutes pass and I’ve got all my detail shots taken when it starts to pour. I dashed back to my car all bummed out because I normally spend a lot more time taking outfit pictures and I reeeeally loved this outfit …so much so that I ended up wearing it a few more times later that week. To my surprise, when I looked through the pictures that evening there ended up being quite a few I liked and well as the unsurprisingly completely out of focus photos that inevitably happen when you’re rushing around like a huge creepy creep taking pictures of yourself in public.

Anyway, this jacket. I. am. in. love. I haven’t even touched any of my other jackets since getting it. It’s perfect. I received it a few weeks back from HauteLook. HauteLook is a free, members-only website that hosts limited-time, limited-inventory sale events. They feature women’s and men’s apparel, accessories, and shoes, as well as kids’ apparel and toys, beauty brands and home decor. Sign up here to find out about their latest sale events, there are new ones added daily at 8am Pacific time.  HauteLook has just launched Nordstrom Rack for HauteLook that
features ongoing sales so members can browse and shop great brands at a
great value 24/7! Plus, members can return items in-store or online. Below are some of my favorite items that are currently on HauteLook. Aren’t those boots the cutest? They’re such a steal.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5
Hope you’re having a lovely Tuesday!
xoxo

Yes, this is a sponsored post. But you best believe I really do love this coat and HauteLook is pretty darn awesome. Thanks for helping support the companies that support The Dainty Squid!

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Freed Cemetery // on film

by Kaylah Stroup

I’m a month late sharing these but better late than never, right? So, back to that trip to West Virginia with my mom and grandparents! One of the main things the trip was about was visiting the family cemetery. I’d never been there and of course, it absolutely appealed to me for a variety of reasons. My grandfather hadn’t been in a few years and may never get to visit again due to declining health since getting to the cemetery is a bit of a trip.The cemetery is on the top of a large hill that’s home to a herd of cattle. But before conquering the hill you have to cross a stream. It’s not really a long hike from the car to the cemetery (maybe fifteen or twenty minutes) but I can definitely see how it would be a tough one for the bad knees that seem to run on this side of the family.

It was gorgeous up there. Not to mention the cemetery was immaculate, I can’t believe someone takes such great care of it considering the location. It’s a fairly small cemetery but packed full of relatives. I got to see where my grandpa’s parents and siblings were buried among many other relatives (and some people who we didn’t quite know who they were.)

The cemetery alone was well worth the trip to West Virginia. It was an amazing experience, to say the least.
xoxo

All of the photos above were taken with a Canon T2 and Fuji 35mm Superia X-TRA 400.

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what I wore : fall colors

by Kaylah Stroup
details 
glasses – Dylan c/o BonLook
sweater – TJ Maxx
camera bag – Siena c/o Jo Totes
tights – JCPenney
shoes – Amazon
Geez, long time no outfit post! I really miss taking outfit pictures at least once a week. My new hair color and the gorgeous colors outside (which coincidentally go really beautifully with my hair!) inspired me to finally try and get back into it. It’s kind of a bad time to try and get back into the swing of things with winter coming but a little bit of snow never stopped me before. (Here’s some past snowy outfits.)
I’m crazy about this sweater. It’s comfy as heck and it has elbow patches which automatically make almost any piece of clothing the cutest. I bought it at TJ Maxx in Pittsburgh when I went there for a couple days to see Man Man last month. I like picking up pieces of clothing on my travels because then they forever remind me of that trip. Doing that is like buying souvenirs that aren’t tacky. Not that I don’t love super tacky souvenirs, I most certainly do. It’s just Pittsburgh is too close to home to want to wear something that says “Pittsburgh” on it.
Hope you have an awesome Tuesday!
xoxo

Pssst. Here’s two older outfits featuring the same dress. 1 & 2

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Old Calhoun County High School

by Kaylah Stroup

Both my grandma, and grandpa on my mother’s side are originally from West Virginia. It’s not all that far away from where we live but my grandma is the only one who regularly makes trips back home.

Recently my mom asked if I’d be interested in a taking a small, weekend road trip with her, and my grandparents to see where they grew up. I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

On Saturday, my grandma opted to stay back and spend the day with her sister. Just my grandpa, mom and I went out exploring. He showed us all around the area he grew up, pointed out where people he knew lived, places he hung out and more. It was a really special experience. One of my favorite stops was where he went to school. It’s since been abandoned which, of course, makes it about a thousand times more interesting to me.

We snooped all around the property and peeked in all the windows we could despite the numerous no trespassing signs. He showed us where he used to hang out behind the school with my grandma. It was so incredible to be able to visit there. I’m really glad it was still standing. We visited another school he went to in his youth that wasn’t so lucky. All that was left standing of his primary school was the chimney, which was still super neat to see.

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my office…

by Kaylah Stroup
I’m kind of overdue on sharing photos of my office. I moved into this room quite a while ago but there just kept being small things I’d remember needed done every time I’d go to take photos. The Mutter museum print needed framed, bulletin board needed cleaned off, shelves just didn’t seem to look right with what was on them, etc. It finally feels “complete” in here. Not that any room in my home is ever actually complete, this one is just at a really great point right now.

 

a few sources:
desk
jackalope jewelry holder
tooth planters
giant mushroom 
stay home banner
blue cart, mirror, wall pockets, & glass plant house are from Ikea.
shark trash can, owl pencil holder & ice cream lamp are vintage.
If you’re curious about anything else, just ask!

xoxo

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what I wore : fall flowers

by Kaylah Stroup
details
hat – thrifted
sunglasses – c/o Oasap
shirt – TJ Maxx
rings –  triangle c/o Spotted Moth, gem c/o The Northern Sea
overall dress – Forever 21
tights – Target
shoes – Lunar Ballet Flats via ASOS
bag – c/o Oasap

Can I tell you a secret? I hate that overalls are in style right now. Don’t get me wrong, I love overalls. I own at least five pairs. They’re cozy as heck, and cute to wear around the house. But something about seeing them everywhere kind of drives me nuts. The only good thing about it though is they’re becoming way easier to find. I’ve spent hours scouring thrift stores for ones my size and rejoiced in finally finding a few pairs that fit. But now so many stores carry them! Of course, I’m not down for spending too much money on them but I do still love to browse and stalk them until they go on clearance! Anyway, point of that story was that I was lured into Forever 21 with the idea they might have some overalls at a decent price. I didn’t find any but I did find this adorable overall dress. I have a feeling I’ll be spending the majority of this fall season in it.

For this post I teamed up with Fab to style items from their two top categories, jewelry and women’s (clothes/shoes/accessories). I chose this adorable necklace and this set of bags. The bags are so great because a. that print is the cutest and b. the different sizes make the set really versatile. The biggest makes a perfect beach tote. The smaller two fit in my purse to hold all my miscellaneous odds and ends.

Happy Wednesday! Hope it’s sunny where ever you are in the world.
xoxo

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Another pupdate…

by Kaylah Stroup
I certainly don’t blog about Klaus enough. Some of my favorite posts to look back on are the ones from right after I adopted Professor Stingray. Watching him grow in photos and reading all about his little quirks (almost all of which he still has!) is the best. I want to have posts like that to look back on about Klaus.

I’m an extremely visual person. It’s more than likely that photos inspire me to write a post as opposed to writing a post and taking pictures specifically for it. Klaus is a ball of energy so pictures of him taken with something other than my iPhone are few and far between. But I’m now making it my mission to take more pictures of this pup and write more about him.

Where shall we start? Perhaps with the fact that he’s tripled in size since the day he came home. At the emergency clinic on the first day he weighed a whopping 7lbs. As of the 13th of September he weighed 21.8lbs. I can tell he’s gained since then too. In the last few weeks especially I’ve realized how large he’s getting. It was like one day I woke up and he wasn’t a puppy anymore. It’s harder to pick him up now and forget carrying him around, that’s definitely a thing of the past. That dog is solid!

Klaus facts :

• He’s lost most of his baby teeth, which I’m sad to report I didn’t find any of!
• He’s gotten into the habit of rolling over on his back to show off his belly when you approach his crate to let him out. It’s the funniest because he maintains eye contact and does it in super slow motion.
• He still doesn’t bark regularly which I couldn’t be happier about. He’s barked maybe a total of ten times.
• He loves to be under things. When he was smaller it was all about being under the coffee table but now that he’s way too big for that he’s finding new things to be under. If you’re sitting on the ground with your legs bent, you best believe he’ll be under your legs. Every morning when I do my stretches he loves to run under me and lie down.
• I recently got him his first tennis ball and that boy LOVES to run after it. Actually, he really just loves running. At least once a day he gets the zoomies, where he just goes nuts and races around the backyard.
• He went to the beach for the first time this month. He was afraid of the waves but loved the abundance of sticks. I’m excited to take him back soon.
• He finally outgrew his first harness. I’m actually heading to the store to get him a new collar today. He’s not wearing one right now and he looks hilariously naked. Hah!

There still haven’t been any huge breakthroughs with the cats. They tolerate him a lot more than when he first came home but still no direct playing and definitely no cuddling yet. The cats no longer leave the room when Klaus comes trotting in. A few days ago I had Klaus out and was playing with him when I walked into the kitchen to spot Doctor Octopus laying down in Klaus’ crate. Even if Klaus wasn’t around, that still feels like a great step! Klaus normally thinks that Doctor Octopus is trying to play with him when he’s swatting and hissing which is equal parts hilarious and sad. Poor guy just doesn’t understand the cats are grumpy and don’t want to wrestle with him.

It’s been a blast so far. Having a puppy is great but I’d be lying if I said I was excited for him to grow up and calm down a bit. He can be a bit of a pain in the butt sometimes but I think we’re making decent progress together. Soon I’d like to start him in some obedience classes.

On another note, does anyone have an recommendations for dog shampoo that actually leaves your dog smelling good? The biggest shock of having a dog is realizing they kind of smell horrible. Haha! Seriously though, I’ve tried a handful of shampoos already and within a day or two he’s back to being a stinky dog. Having Klaus makes having four cats seem like super low maintenance, at least they can bathe themselves.
xoxo

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