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5 things I loved in August

by Kaylah Stroup

▴ Baggu reusable shopping bag. I’ve seen Baggu’s bags floating around the internet for ages. I always thought the patterns were cute but due to the high number of tote type bags I already own, purchasing one just wasn’t at the top of my list. I finally got my hands on one this month aaaand I already went ahead and grabbed a second one. It’s such a beautiful, well made bag. I’ve used it on a few trips to the store so far, as well as using it to hold a whole bunch of snacks on our last roadtrip. It’s roomy yet folds up small. It’s even easy to get back into the flat pouch it comes in! It’s just perfect. I don’t know how many of them I actually need but goodness knows I want to buy a few more.

▴ Donut shaped vase. This last year I’ve found a lot of joy collecting random plants from my very small yard. #kaylahfindsflowers! It can be a challenge to present such a small amount of blooms and filler items but this strange little vase changes everything. I love how unique it is!

▴ Skull earrings by Datter. Didn’t take long at all after getting my ears pierced to figure out that they’re sensitive. I can wear earrings of any material for most of the day but by the end of the day they start to get itchy. I needed something me for everyday wear. For my birthday, my parents got me these sterling silver earrings I’ve been crushing on since before I even got my earlobes reconstructed. So far, so good! There was a part of me that was nervous skull earrings would be a little weird as my everyday earrings but they’re so sweet and dainty you probably wouldn’t notice them unless you were really looking.

▴ NCLA I Been Drinkin’. I received this nail polish in my August Glossybox. It was my first time trying NCLA… and I’m in love! Perhaps not my first choice for a color (although, I must admit, I LOVE IT on my nails!) it applies beautifully, dries quickly and hasn’t chipped yet. I’m gonna need this baby blue shade next!

▴ Winking face pillow. Another wonderful present from my parents. I’ve admired this pillow from afar for such a long time. The second I put it on my couch it just looked right. I guess because I’d been thinking about it for so long? I love it. I actually regret not getting it sooner. If it’s been on your list as well, just go for it already!

The Dainty Squid

Did you try/buy anything awesome this last month?
xoxo

Check out previous month’s product roundups here – March, April, May, June + July.
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that time I bought an Xbox One on a whim…

by Kaylah Stroup

Back in July, on Prime Day, Jeff and I made the split second decision to buy an Xbox One. Okay, so, it wasn’t that split second of a decision. We’d been talking about buying a new gaming system for a while. We both own a Wii (not like we needed separate ones, they’re from before we moved in together) but as big of a Nintendo fan as I am, I’ll be the first to admit their game selection is kind of weak. I basically only stuck with them for so long because I’m obsessed with the Zelda franchise. I also was under the assumption that other platforms only offered things for people who like first person shooter games. I love playing video games but I wasn’t sure there was a place for me in that world. Nothing I was able to see on the surface was really that appealing.

So, we’d been tossing around the idea of buying a new system for a while but couldn’t really decide on which one to go with. The idea of playing video games together is fun, and it’s something nice to do while we escape the heat in the only air conditioned room of our apartment, the bedroom.  We’d looked briefly into the different platforms we could go with but could only come up with a few games from each one to play and that just didn’t seem worth it. We’d talk about it, get excited, and then realize it was probably a waste of money.

On Prime Day we got to talking about it again. I was browsing Amazon and spotted that they had the Xbox One as one of the deals. It was marked down significantly and we had a pretty big gift card left over from Christmas. The starter package we were looking at came with 3 months of Xbox game pass and a download of Rare Replay. It felt like a no brainer! We pulled the trigger and two days later we were setting up our new gaming system!

BTW this striped sweatshirt is TOO comfortable.

A little over a month later, I’m still feeling like this was a good purchase. Maybe even a better one than I was expecting! Having a free trial to Xbox game pass is awesome. As someone completely new to a platform, it’s invaluable. It’s essentially Netflix but for games. We can download anything on there and play it for free as much as we’d like. It’s the perfect way to test out a bunch of games and get a better idea of what you actually like. I quickly realized there’s a whole big world of video games out there that appealed to me.

Two games have really stuck out to me so far…

Human: Fall Flat

Hilarious, infuriating, and stupid are all some words that come to mind when I think of Human: Fall Flat. Described as ‘an open-ended physics based puzzle game’, this game is all about pushing stuff, pulling stuff, and climbing stuff all to make it from point A to point B. The levels are fairly quick… as long as you don’t keep making the same mistake over and over again. The character is hilariously hard to control. He’s basically a drunk baby which is annoying and at the same time, exactly what makes it so fun. It’s the most fun when playing with someone else but can definitely be played alone. I love playing it with Jeff because we just spend most of the time laughing at each other’s character and how stupid they’re moving. It’s a blast!

Check out the gameplay trailer. Available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PS4, as well as Mac, Windows, and Linux.

The Flame in the Flood

The Flame in the Flood is a survival adventure game. You raft from island to island with your dog foraging, crafting and evading predators. It’s a challenging game that took me quite a while to get the hang of. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to make one wrong move that will end up killing you. Once I finally fully understood the game I was hooked. I like it so much that immeidately after beating it the first time, I started a new game. It’s so much fun, and the graphics are just beautiful.

Check out the trailer. Available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mac and Windows.


Do you have an Xbox One? Tell me about some of your favorite games! As the weather continues to get cooler and cooler, I know I’ll be playing more!
xoxo

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Ooma Butterfleye review + giveaway

by Kaylah Stroup

Thank you Ooma Butterfleye for sponsoring this post.

I don’t know about you but the words “I wonder what the animals do while we’re gone” has come out of my mouth more than a few times. Probably like 500 times, at least. Professor is an absolute nut. He runs back and forth across the house constantly. Squid, on the other hand, is a bit more secretive. She has a funny little habit of quitting and acting casual if you catch her playing. She’s very coy! And Klaus, who knows what the dweeb is up to while I’m not around for him to squeak a ball at. Jeff has mentioned quite a few times how fun it’d be to have a camera so we could see what they’re up to at all times but the idea of looking into it and finding the best one never really topped my to-do list.

Then came the Ooma Butterfleye, a sleek little camera that you can live stream from your smartphone! It has facial recognition, automatic arm and disarm based on your GPS location, and you can even talk through the camera at whoever might be in your home (a feature very confusing to my poor dog!) With the help of built-in storage and battery backup, it works during power and internet outages. It’s motion activated so it only starts recording when something moves at which point you’ll get an alert on your phone ‘motion was detected’ All of that topped with a nice clear image makes it basically everything you could ever want in a home security camera. Sounds awesome, right?

Jeff and I both really love traveling but the one thing we hate is not being able to see the kitties. We get photos of Klaus from my mom but the cats hide from our pals who keep an eye on them so we never get pictures of them while we’re gone. Obviously, using the camera to see that our home is safe and sound is wonderful but I truly do love being able to check in on the cats.

We’ve had the Ooma butterfleye for just under a month now. I’m enjoying it more and more every day. It was super easy to set up after the battery charged for a bit. The app walks you through the short process and within minutes it’s up and running!

The camera actually showed up right before we left on our New England road trip. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. We’d barely been gone an hour before I was checking on the cats. I was immediately super impressed with how nice the image was. It was so comforting to see that they were enjoying some alone time, napping in the sunshine. Nearly every time we stopped for food or coffee we spent at least a little bit of time watching them nap or aimlessly walk around the living room. We even got to watch our friends look for Squid and Professor under the couch when they came over to feed them. Sadly, we hadn’t figured out how to talk through the camera yet at that point. I didn’t realize you just had to turn your phone sideways to get the full-screen image and mic button.

Even when we won’t be gone for long periods of time, being able to check on the house and my pets is awesome and such a nice peace of mind. Jeff and I have already been chatting about how nice it’d be to get another camera or two to set up in some other rooms in our home. I’m hooked!

If you’d like to try the Ooma Butterfleye out for yourself here’s your opportunity…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!
xoxo

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Friday Favorites #479

by Kaylah Stroup
This post contains affiliate links. Check out our disclosure policy for more details.

Afera’s embroidery kits are so cute!

(via Afera)

Hand lettering 101 – because who doesn’t want to learn how to write fancy!

(via Amazon)

This bralette and undies set! Love that color.

(via Madewell)

Always good advice!

(via Old English Co)

Fall is overall season! I’m digging this pair. They have really great reviews too. (Also, there’s a review photo where a girl has a dog in her pocket so you should probably go check that out!)

(via Levi’s)

How cute is this camera strap!?

(via Yes I Did Camera Straps)

This journal!

(via Urban Outfitters)

This nail polish color! So good!

(via Cirque Colors)

Loving this entryway storage unit!

(via Urban Outfitters)

These shoes!!

(via Madewell)

How cute are these photo frames!? I think they’d look rad with pressed plants inside as well.

(via Urban Outfitters)

Link love…

Happy Friday!
xoxo

PS. I have a ton more rad finds here! This week I made a list featuring a whole bunch of instant cameras + their accessories!

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Polaroid Originals OneStep 2 review

by Kaylah Stroup
This post contains affiliate links. Check out our disclosure policy for more details.

Polaroid Originals OneStep 2 review

Back in June I got my hands on the Polaroid Originals OneStep 2. I’m no stranger to instant photography, and film photography in general but I was kind of shocked how much I liked this bad boy! It quickly became one of my favorite cameras. So, if you don’t feel like reading anymore and were just looking for the go-ahead to buy a new camera – here it is! Do it, you won’t regret it. If you still need convincing, read on…

I’m going to assume you’re familiar with the original Polaroid cameras of yesteryear. This camera looks the same, and can even shoot the same film but it’s the modern version! I know a lot of people got turned off by the first 600 instant film that started being made after Polaroid ceased production. It was expensive, took ages to develop, and wasn’t super reliable. Without hesitation, I’ll say that it’s improved by leaps and bounds! Even the 600 film that is being made now is so much better than it was just a couple years ago.

I digress. The Polaroid OneStep 2! Let’s talk details. High-quality lens (2ft to infinity!), powerful flash, rechargeable battery, self-timer function, and a tripod mount on the base. The camera is simple to use – just turn it on and hit the shutter button. It has the standard exposure compensation switch (minus, natural & plus) but to be fair, I never really touch that unless I’m shooting in a much darker location. It also has a flash suppression button you need to hold down while you shoot if you’d like the flash to not fire. Another thing I never use. I’ve found that with instant film, in general, flash on is always a good idea. There’s a small LED indicator on the top that lets you know if you how your battery is doing (green = charged, orange = only a few shots left before the battery dies) and how many frames are left in the pack. It even comes equipped with the ‘frog tongue’ so your film is shielded from light when ejected from the camera.

The settings may seem limited to some but I truly enjoy how straight to the point they are. There’s no fiddling around, just shoot and capture the moment. It’s exactly what I think instant photography should be.

Polaroid Originals review

One of the major highlights is that this camera can shoot original 600 film as well as the relatively new i-Type film Polaroid Originals is making. Since the battery is in the camera instead of the film cartridge, they’re able to sell it at a cheaper price point. Approximately $2 per frame, as opposed to $2.37 per frame. It’s not a huge difference but it definitely starts to add up if you’re shooting a lot. It’s still not cheap but to me, nothing beats the tangibility of instant film, and I really am a sucker for that square frame.

Right before getting this camera I had spent a lot of time shooting with my old Polaroid so I was very familiar with what to expect. In my opinion, the photos taken with the i-Type film and the new camera are so much better! The colors are more vibrant and the tones are prettier. I hadn’t even gotten through the first pack before I was hooked and knew that my old Polaroid camera would be retired.

Polaroid albums – not super cheap but if you’re gonna spend the money on film, you might as well take care of it and show it off.

My one complaint is battery life. I’ve found that I can get through one and a half, maybe two, packs of film before it dies. Luckily the cord is just a Micro-USB so you can charge it in your car or with a power bank, if you’re not at home. The thing is, I don’t feel like I should have to worry about it even that often. You have to be super diligent in remembering to turn the camera off after each use. (Although, you’ll probably make the mistake of leaving it on a few times before you really learn your lesson!) Definitely not a deal breaker but I do wish I could worry about it less.

Instant photography will most likely never be cheap. If you love to shoot lots of photos all willy-nilly, your best bet is sticking with a digital camera or your phone. Same things applies if you’re a sucker for perfection. The joy of instant film is the unpredictability. While shooting with this camera, I’ve never wasted any film. Surprisingly, everything has at least developed! The Polaroid Originals OneStep 2 is certainly the closest I’ve ever gotten to perfection with instant film though!

All in all, the Polaroid OneStep 2 is definitely a great choice if you’re in the market for an instant camera. I can’t sing it’s praises high enough. Polaroid Originals’ film is only getting better and better. Give it a shot!
xoxo

The OneStep 2 comes in a few different colors currently including mint, white, and graphite.
If you’d like to check out even more instant film options – I made a list just for you. Check it out, ‘in an instant’.
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abandoned in the desert 2018

by Kaylah Stroup

These are the very last photos from our wedding trip. I’m so sad to have finally gotten through them all. I mean, I know it was all the way back in the beginning of June but I liked knowing that I still had photos left to sort through. After each trip to the desert, I end up having an assortment of photos from the abandoned places we stopped at along the way. Each year I save all these random photos until last and end up writing a post about how much I enjoy desert abandonment, how much these trips mean to me, etc. Perhaps it’s a bit redundant but y’all, I like to talk about it. (2014, 2015, 2016 + 2017) 

Obviously, this year’s post is a little more special than normal. Not only did we get married on this trip but my parents were there with us at all of these places. After officially deciding that we’d get married in Arizona, one of the things I was most excited about was getting my parents back out west. My mom loves the scenery and my dad loves poking around all the abandoned houses. Roadtripping around with four people was definitely more difficult than it just being the two of us but I feel so thankful that we had the opportunity to experience this with them. I don’t feel like crying, it’s too early for that, so I’ll just say holy cow, I love my family.

More from this trip;
▴ just married!
▴ instant photos from our wedding week
▴ that time I got married in a ghost town
▴ Cadillac Ranch
▴ Boothill Graveyard
▴ Twin Arrows + Two Guns
▴ Steins Cemetery
▴ abandoned motel in New Mexico
▴ Thurber Cemetery

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Ponyhenge

by Kaylah Stroup

The Rocking Horse Graveyard

My travel bucket list is… unique. While I certainly wouldn’t mind going to Stonehenge, places like Cadillac Ranch and Ponyhenge are what actually top the list.

When we started planning out some locations we could stop at on our New England road trip, my number one spot ended up being Ponyhenge. Also called ‘The Rocking Horse Graveyard.” I’d seen photos of it for years. I could NOT wait to finally see it in person!

When we got off the highway and still had a bit of drive left, I got a little worried. Our trip had already had quite a few stops that we didn’t research enough and that ended up being a bit of a letdown. I was worried that I was directing us to nothing, especially since Lincoln looked so darn quaint. I’m expressed interest in immediately moving there at least five times as we drove through. It was beautiful. Alas, we weren’t off looking for charming homes, we were looking for ponies!

Ponyhenge

The origins of Ponyhenge are a little fuzzy. There are mixed stories but basically, there was a single rocking horse left in a field, random people started dropping off their old horses, and eventually, it became what it is today. A field of, at the time of our visit, 24 old rocking horses. According to various articles I found, Ponyhenge is periodically rearranged. Sometimes they’re in a circle, sometimes rows and other times, they’re simply scattered about.

When we arrived, the ponies were in a circle with a few hanging out in the center. The field was overgrown. (I’d been crossing my fingers it would be!) The sky was gloomy, and threatening rain. It was perfect for photos! Although, the ponies and general gloominess of the day may be a little bit spooky, the area it was in was the complete opposite. Everyone who jogged or biked past, and there were quite a few, enthusiastically greeted us. It was awesome. Spooky ponies and extra friendly folks – feels like a town with a secret, eh?

Ponyhenge is easily one of my favorite roadside attractions I’ve ever stopped at. It’s literally just a field full of rocking horses but gosh darn it, I love it. I truly hope someday I can own a piece of property like Ponyhenge that people will add to, come photograph and just enjoy! There’s just something really special about this type of thing.

We found the ponies by putting ’39 Old Sudbury Rd. Lincoln MA’ into our GPS. The ponies are actually a little bit further past that in a field. There’s even room to pull off in front of them. My first impression was that it was much smaller than I had imagined but don’t that let that stop you from checking them out. Heck, bring a pony to leave behind if you can!
xoxo

Taken with Polaroid Originals OneStep 2. 

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Friday Favorites #478

by Kaylah Stroup
This post contains affiliate links. Check out our disclosure policy for more details.

Very very into this hand vase. That’s exactly my style.

(via Urban Outfitters)

Crushing on allll the pink Palladium Boots!
light pink, bright pink

(via Palladium Boots)

Obsessed with Bug Draws Stuff’s custom portraits. Her style is so cute. I’ve been wanting to get a portrait of Jeff, the pets and I done for a really long time. Every year that passes is just another missed opportunity at a collection!

(via Bug Draws Stuff)

This sweater! So good!

(via Modcloth)

Loving this smiley notepad.

(via Urban Outfitters)

Look at this pink camera bag! It even had a side access pocket which is something I will never buy another camera bag without.

(via Amazon)

Loving this pillow. I actually picked up one for myself this week. It’s PERFECT on my blue couch! (It’s under $10!!!)

(via Target)

This mug!

(via Bando)

Cheese enthusiast? Yes, I am!

(via Danger in Design)

Modcloth just added a whole bunch of Halloween themed clothing items and I am EXCITED. I am so ready!
1 & 2

(via Modcloth)

A retractable charging cord keychain. I am very into this!

(via Bando)

These socks!

(via Many Mornings)

Link love…

Happy Friday!
xoxo

PS. I have a ton more rad finds here! 

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Thurber Cemetery

by Kaylah Stroup

The very last stop on our epic family roadtrip / destination wedding adventure was easily one of my favorites. It’s hard to say something is your favorite when you literally just got married a few days earlier and spent a whole bunch of time with the people most important to you. So, let’s call this my favorite aside from the things that basically automatically get ‘favorite’ status. Although, one could argue an old cemetery complete with friendly livestock grazing inside automatically ranks up there as well.

This was another FindAGrave app find. Just like our previous stop, we were all hankering for a place to stretch our legs and explore. I browsed Roadside America but didn’t find anything that looked interesting on our route so I turned to my second app of choice, FindAGrave. The reason I always say it’s not the best is because of the limited information it gives on places. It’s nice for locating cemeteries but who really knows if it’s going to be worth checking out or not. I decided it was worth the gamble since it wasn’t too far off the highway in the direction we were heading.

We arrived at the address only to see it was wooded, gated, not visible from the road and presumably, up a bumpy looking dirt road. Worse than that was that, there was someone at the gate closing it up. We pulled into the large pull off area in front of the gate and asked ‘Is the cemetery up there?’ hoping if he had some sort of authority he’d say it was okay if we poked around. He cheerily responded that yeah, it was up there, the road was driveable, he was just visiting his grandparents, to make sure to close the gate behind us and to have fun!

We crept up the dirt trail in our rental cars. After going through a second gate, we entered the cemetery. I could immediately see that it was going to be a good one. Then I spotted why there were so many gates and why it was so important to keep them closed! A beautiful cow was grazing alongside the graves. I’m not sure if there were more but I was excited just to see her. It was a really beautiful sight, and of course, I’m always excited to see animals. I was also very happy we’d been dragging around the 70-200mm lens. I was able to get some nice close up without disturbing her.

After getting my shots of the seemingly random cemetery cow, I started to wander around the rest of the grounds. It seemed like everywhere I looked there was something that got me all excited. One of the things I loved most was the huge range of different grave marker types. The whole thing was the complete opposite of the uniformity most cemeteries have. There were crosses made from pipes, headstones that appeared to be stamped somehow, metal crosses, and of course, your classic granite obelisk among many other unique one of a kind things I’d have trouble even describing.

Thurber Cemetery has a ton of history, and what makes it most interesting is that they have signs scattered about with little factoids. Instead of being dry and boring, they were actually fairly humorous. Clearly written by someone with a lot of opinions – check out the one a few photos below. “idiotic cemetery restoration attempt…” 

I hesitate to describe a cemetery as ‘fun’ but I’m having a hard time thinking of any other descriptor that works as well or sums up my feeling on it. There was a cow, there were cactus, a little bit of every type of grave marker you could think of, and interesting information sprinkled throughout. I loved Thurber Cemetery. I’m really glad we got off the highway to check it out!
xoxo

More from this trip;
▴ just married!
▴ instant photos from our wedding week
▴ that time I got married in a ghost town
▴ Cadillac Ranch
▴ Boothill Graveyard
▴ Twin Arrows + Two Guns
▴ Steins Cemetery
▴ abandoned motel in New Mexico

Clearly, it needs updated since in the two years after hitting publish I’ve found many others I LOVE but I have a list of my top ten cemeteries!

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