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bedroom tour

by Kaylah Stroup October 4, 2016

I’ve been living in my apartment for just under two years now… and I’m finally ready to show y’all my bedroom. Well, as ready as I’ll ever be. In my last apartment my bedroom was the last room I shared photos of, and in the house I owned before that I don’t think I ever shared photos of the bedroom. I’m going to toot my own horn here, I’m good at decorating living rooms. Seriously, look at my living room. It’s adorable. Bedrooms though… they stump me! They always end up getting all the odds and ends that don’t work in other rooms, so they become this mish-mash of furniture and decorations that don’t quite go together.

Right now my excuse is that I don’t plan on staying here much longer. There’s no point in buying any new furniture because I’d move tomorrow if the right place presented itself. That’s also the exact reason why I wanted to take the time to document this space. It may not be the neatest bedroom, or the most beautifully decorated bedroom, which has absolutely been a factor in my not sharing it. It’s not the kind of room I’m going to find plastered all over pinterest but it’s my room. It’s where I’ve been sleeping for the last year*, having Netflix marathons, and devouring pizzas with my dude. It’s an important piece of my history.

The white cabinet is not mine. It’s attached to the wall, in what I feel is the most random place ever. Just one of the joys of renting!

Sources;
▴ Striped quilt is from Macys. Two things; One – It’s on SUPER clearance right now. Two – It shrinks a lot in the dryer. My queen is embarrassingly small after a few washes but thanks to that clearance + some coupons I got a king for under $20!
▴ Lockers are a lucky craigslist score. You can read more about them here.
▴ Ice cream cone lamp
▴ Globes, signs, and periodic table were all picked up second hand.
▴ Stool, and gold turtle shell from Target.
▴ Phrenology head is from Home Goods.

If you’re curious about anything else, just ask!

A few related posts :
▴ My collection of curiosities
▴ Where I work
▴ Vanity Tour
▴ Living Room Tour
Or just view more posts about my apartment under the “apartment” tag!

*Probably doesn’t make much sense for me to say I’ve been living here for nearly two years but only sleeping in this room for one year but I recently swapped rooms with my office. Check out this room when it was my office space last year here.

lensbaby in the desert

by Kaylah Stroup October 3, 2016

Right before I left for this year’s trip to the desert a package from Lensbaby arrived in my PO Box, inside was their Composer Pro II with Edge 50 Optic. I had previously owned a Lensbaby Spark, and never figured out how to use it properly. I’m normally pretty good at figuring out how stuff works but this lens always stumped me. I obviously understood how it worked in theory but my resulting photos were always less than desirable. It drove me crazy! I wanted so badly to master it! I eventually sold it and wrote off ever trying any more of their products… until this one.

I was so excited at the timing and couldn’t wait to test out the Composer Pro while on vacation. I ended up completely forgetting about it until Two Guns though! Vacation brain! I got it out, haphazardly shot a few shots that didn’t turn out at all, and got frustrated. Jeff, who had been SUPER excited to try the lens out all along, gave it a whirl and basically shot solid gold right from the get go …which made me really mad! I had read the instruction booklet before leaving home so I couldn’t understand what I was doing differently than he was or how he was getting such great results right off the bat. He offered to help me use it but I refused because I’m a little baby who wants to figure things out on her own.

At our next stop, a scenic overview in Arizona, Jeff, once again, was
shooting awesome photos with the Lensbaby. I sheepishly asked if he’d show me how to use
the lens. I already understood the basics of how to use the Composer Pro
but there was one piece of advice that really helped me out and that
was tilt the lens at what you don’t want in focus. Maybe I missed that
in the instruction booklet, maybe it just wasn’t in there but that made
all difference for me.

If
you’ve never used one of these, or aren’t familiar with what in the
world Lensbaby is – you’re probably pretty confused. This isn’t a regular old camera lens! Lensbaby makes
creative effects lenses, optics, and accessories that help you shoot in a
new way. So basically, the Composer Pro II with Edge 50 Optic
is like a Tilt Shift lens, it produces a
slice of focus that sort of gives you a miniature effect. You simply
tilt your lens away from what you’d like in focus, manually focus on your subject, and shoot. The result is an area sharply in focus while the rest is beautifully blurred.

Below is the view from our balcony at the best hotel everrrrr, The Wigwam. We’ve stayed here two years in a row, and it’s heaven on earth. Stay there, and thank me later.

The photo above isn’t focused as nicely as I’d like but I LOVE that it looks I took a shot of someone’s tiny model train set up.

It took a
little bit of time for me to pick it up but I went from “This thing is
stupid! It doesn’t work! I hate it!” to “Holy cow! This is the coolest!” I’m disappointed that I only got to use it on the last full day of the trip since I’m sure there were a million awesome opportunities missed. Guess that just means we’ll have to go back. Hehe!

Since getting home I’ve continued to practice. I’ve realized that using a tripod helps tremendously in finding the perfect focus. There’s definitely a bit of a learning curve with the Composer Pro II with Edge 50 Optic. It’s fun to push myself out of my comfort zone with photography, especially because it’s something I feel so confident in. I’m really looking forward to taking a walk downtown and getting some cool cityscape shots with it soon.

xoxo

If you’re like to see more of my Lensbaby photos I shared these two of my very handsome puppy here + here.

abandoned in the desert 2016

by Kaylah Stroup September 28, 2016

I’ve basically blogged about nothing this month other than my little road trip out west. You’ll have to excuse me, I’m still soaking it all in. My pal, Allie (who has a blog you’d probably love if you’re reading mine), recently said that a third of the fun of taking trips for her is looking back on everything she did aaaand I feel exactly the same way. I like planning trips, and getting all hyped up about them. Obviously I love traveling, seeing new things, and just doing things that aren’t part of my everyday life but I also reeeeally love sitting down with a cup of coffee and sorting through all my photos – over and over. I guess it’s just that it can be hard to take it in and really appreciate everything that’s happening while it’s actually happening, ya know?

Anyway, I had a handful of photos that didn’t really fit into my other posts from the trip yet still resonated with me enough I wanted to share them. Have you ever felt homesick for a place that isn’t home? That’s what looking at these photos makes me feel. (Yeah, I know it sounds weird. It’s a bunch of random abandoned buildings…) But the way it feels driving through the middle of the desert where it seems like there’s no one else around for miles and miles. Spotting the crisp, sun baked, ruins of buildings that haven’t been used in ages, and stopping to poke around those places. Just being somewhere that is complete opposite of home! Those are some of my favorite things. I don’t know that I would ever want to actually live out there. Well, maybe a large Arizona city would be nice. That miiiight be my favorite state. Regardless, these places still hold a very special place in my heart. These are the things that draw me back to the desert year after year.

In an abandoned gift shop I found the photo below. I really love that they thought it would be a cute idea to leave this. They look so happy, and I enjoy seeing evidence that others are having just as much fun as Jeff and I while checking out these random places.

I, obviously, tried searching on social media for them but came up with nothing. If by some super strange coincidence you know them, let them know they made at least two people smile with that photo! Also, please check out that dust bunny on my finger. I wanted to photoshop it out at first but it honestly made me laugh too much to get rid of. Sooo gross.

Until next time, desert!
xoxo

If you’d like to check out more photos from this trip – Roswell, NM, Rehoboth Mission Cemetery, Two Guns + The Apache Death Cave, + instant film from out west 2016.

Or if you just want more desert abandonment – 2014 + 2015.

what I wore : on the right track

by Kaylah Stroup September 27, 2016

green hair, the dainty squid, kaylah doolan, fashion blog

the dainty squid, black dress, cleveland, fashion blog, green hair, ootd

details

jean jacket – thrifted

glasses – Prism c/o EyeBuyDirectUse code “IFDBDUYWY8” for $10 off your first order

dress – Birdie Dress c/o Unique Vintage

back patch – Valley Cruise Press

shoes – TJ Maxx

This is my dancin’ outfit! Or at least it was the night I wore it. The week before last I went to see Astronautalis (who is still on tour, hitting all fifty states. Go see him and thank me later!) I have very mixed feelings about concerts. Part of me loves them, loves to get sweaty, and dance with lots of strangers buuut the other part of me can’t understand why in the world I would ever think it was a good idea to purchase tickets and commit myself to such activities. I swear, I don’t think there has ever been a concert, even for my favorite band, that I didn’t try to weasel my way out of an hour before the show started. Definitely glad I went though. Not only was Astronautalis awesome, the opening band, Oxymorrons, blew my mind. I seriously LOVED them. I’ve never in my life seen a crowd go so wild for the opener. Their energy was off the charts. You can listen to a bunch of their music on their website but the experience of seeing them live is like nothing you could ever get through a screen.
xoxo

PS Check out the last time I shared this dress here. For once, it’s actually something different than pictured in this post. 😉

Kings Park Psychiatric Center

by Kaylah Stroup September 26, 2016

Jumping back to August – the very last stop of our New England road trip* was Kings Park Psychiatric Center, an abandoned hospital complex which closed its doors back in 1996. My big stop of the trip was Dead Horse Bay, and this was Jeff’s. I hadn’t done any research on the area, and was generally pretty pessimistic about it. There was no way we’d be able to get in, I thought. With so many huge abandoned buildings in one place it has to be teeming with police, right? It was only fair we went though and no matter what it’s always fun to see the outside of these places.

I did a tiny bit of research right before we got there and gathered that maybe, just maybe, this would actually be possible to explore. I’m obviously not promoting trespassing, because it’s dangerous you guys, seriously, but let’s just say this was probably one of the easiest spots we’ve ever gotten. I couldn’t believe it.

It felt too easy though. We went in one of the largest buildings on the property, a patient ward built in 1939. My legs shook the whole time. I just couldn’t calm down. Maybe it’s because I’m out of practice or maybe it was the spirits that haunt this place. You know I’m joking, right!? We haven’t been doing much of this lately but I just had a bad feeling I couldn’t shake. Jeff could tell I was unnerved and said it was more than okay if we finished up after a few shots.

We made our way back to the car, cooled down in the air, and drove around the rest of the property scoping everything out. Jeff spotted a second building he wanted to explore. After how nervous I was in the first I was thiiiis close to offering to drop him off and just sit in the car while he did his thing. I knew I’d regret it though so I put on a brave face. I was cool as a cucumber inside the second building. This is only my second hospital (see number one here!) so they’re still very very exciting to me, unlike factory buildings.

It was extremely hot when we visited so knowing we had a bit of a trek back to the car Jeff suggested we start to head back before we were both completely drained. This is the part where we got lost in an abandoned hospital, you guys. We made our way down to the level we thought the exit was on and wandered around hoping to find where we came in. You realize you’re lost when you start passing the same graffiti turn after turn. For me it was a tag that just said “Steph Curry” I saw about six times. After about forty-five mins of this, Jeff eventually say “You know what, just go out that window. It doesn’t matter what direction we’re facing, we’ll find our way to the car.” While he was packing up his camera equipment, he encouraged me to go first. It was a bit of a drop and by “a bit” I mean second story window. I rode a skinny tree to the ground like a fire pole. As soon as I got to the bottom and looked up to Jeff for approval like “Did you see how awesome that was?!” I could see something was wrong, his face said it all. He muttered “Don’t freak out but you’re in the courtyard.” which meant I was completely trapped between walls. I went out that window for nothing. I had to climb back in… somehow. I had a brief moment of “I’ll just live here. No biggie.” before the adrenaline started to pump. Back up against the tree, and feet on the bricks, I wiggled my way up to the window where Jeff helped pull me back in. Your body can do some crazy stuff when it needs too!

Once back inside we wandered around in circles for a bit longer before
peeking out a window where I was able to recognize a structure I spotted
near the entrance when we originally went in. After looking for it a
bit more we realized we were on the wrong floor the whole time. Whoops! Five more minutes and we were outside at last.

I’ve seen numerous horror movies where people are stuck in abandoned buildings and I think “go out the window, you dummy!” but I guess that might lead you to being stuck in the courtyard. As someone with a pretty great sense of direction, it’s really amusing how confusing hospitals can be. Everything looks the same after a while. Floor after floor is the same, and each of the wings on those floors are normally laid out exactly the same too.

I don’t think there could have been a more perfect way to end this trip. The drive home was extremely boring, I-80 might be the most boring road ever, but we talked about the hospital nearly the whole way back. The amount of history in these places hold is incredible. I’ve spent so much time since our visit there researching KPPC and I just keep finding new things that intrigue me. This hospital, despite clearly being a very well visited spot which would normally knock a spot down a few pegs for me, just might be one of my favorites!
xoxo

*For more posts about my visit to New England check out these posts; On the cutting room floor – road trip edition, Old Bennington Cemetery, Acadia National Park, Pemaquid Point, Giant’s Stairs, Maple Grove Cemetery, Granary Burying Ground + Dead Horse Bay.

instant film from out west 2016

by Kaylah Stroup September 22, 2016

desert, abandoned, instant film, arizona, twin arrows, polaroid

This last year and a half I’ve really slowed down on shooting film. A number of things factor into this but it’s mostly the cost. Back in March Fujifilm discontinued my favorite film, and I’ve been trying really hard to ration the film I do have because $40 for a pack of FP-3000b is INSANE and I absolutely refuse to spend even close to that for ten measly photos. I have a hearty stock in my refrigerator that I’m hoping to save for the future. I try to only use it on special occasions or when it feels absolutely necessary but there is one time I will always break out the film – vacation!

I didn’t shoot nearly as much film this year out west as I did on my first trip out there in 2014 but I did get some really lovely results with the few packs I did use. For each of these photos I took a nearly identical shot with my digital camera as well but there’s just something about the way film looks that captures the vibe of road trips so perfectly. I treasure these photos!

cactus, impossible project, instant film, polaroid

instant photo, land camera, polaroid, abandoned

polaroid, instant photo, polaroids, cactus

abandoned swimming pool, arizona, impossible project, polaroid

Shoot film while you still can!

xoxo

For more photos of the places pictured in this post check out – Roswell, New Mexico + Two Guns.

The photos above were shot with FP-3000b, FP-100C, and Impossible Project color frame film.

lapel pin collection – updated

by Kaylah Stroup September 21, 2016

Back in October of last year I shared photos of my lapel pin collection which has only continued to grow since then. Even if you don’t remember that post, you’ve probably noticed in my what I wore
posts that I kind of have a thing for accessories. Fun necklaces, rings,
brooches, lapel pins, etc. I love them all. I 100% do not abide by the
quote “before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one
accessory.” I basically do the opposite. Before leaving the house I
usually look in the mirror to make sure I have at least a few eye
catching things on.

Lapel pins are super hip right now. I’m
ashamed to admit that I’m usually kind of sour when things I love become
super popular but there are so many independent companies out there
making them and you can find one for just about any interest you may
have. Seriously, I have one about beach combing! I’ve welcomed this boom with open arms. I love finding new brands
with lapel pins. They’re small, and usually cost less then $10 a piece
so they’re easy to collect. They’re also a really awesome way to support
creative folks and their businesses (…at least that’s how I justify having so many!)

A few weeks back I upgraded the bulletin board I display my pins on. The old one, a three dollar score from the Target dollar spot, finally ran out of room. I was able to find something with a little bit more space in the same place, the dollar section at Target! You just can’t beat it for three bucks! My new one holds a bunch more, and displays them beautifully.

It would be crazy hard to link to where each of the pins are from so
instead I’ll link to some of the folks I own pins from and then you can
blame me when you blow all your money on pins!
Valley Cruise Press
Explorer’s Press
Asilda Store
These Are Things
Kodiak Milly
Bunny Dee
Studio Coup

No Fun Press
Fair Goods
Finest Imaginary
Gloomology
Titina
Two Ghouls Press
Pintrill
I like cats
ShellyMarz
Hooptedoodle
Spellcaster
Thora Ford Jewelry

If you see a pin in my collection that you can’t seem to find in the links above, just ask!

Do you collect lapel pins? I would love to see your collection!
xoxo

what I wore : all the stripes

by Kaylah Stroup September 20, 2016

green hair, the dainty squid, kaylah doolan

OOTD, Cleveland fashion blog, what I wore, striped maxi skirt

the dainty squid, kaylah doolan, green hair

My jackalope peeking out of clothes will never not be funny to me.

details

crop top – Kohls

skirt – Target

denim jacket –thrifted

pins – Valley Cruise Press, Pintrill, Moorea Seal

glasses – Prism c/o EyeBuyDirect
Use code “IFDBDUYWY8” for $10 off your first order

shoes – Saltwater Sandals

This weather, you guys! Jean jacket weather! Very clearly my favorite. Prepare for nearly all outfit posts this next month and a half to include my jean jacket. I promise not to talk about it all the time but I am just so excited that the weather is finally cooling down. It’s so nice to be able to wear all my favorite clothes again without roasting. I don’t know about you but I feel like I’m at my peak awesomeness in the fall.

So, remember in my how I style my hair post from last week I mentioned getting a curling wand from NuMe? Well here are the first photos of my hair after using it. I still feel like I have a little bit to learn about it and how to most effectively curl my hair but I’m obsessed! The results last so much longer than when I just use foam rollers. I’m kiiiind of obsessed with my own hair. Like I mentioned in that last hair post, I’ve always really only liked the color so to actually like how it’s styled is a rad feeling! For the first time ever, I don’t have that urge to chop my hair off. I definitely plan on sharing more photos and information on the wand in the coming weeks so stay tuned for that!
xoxo

PS. Here is the last time I shared this outfit back in 2014. Not too much has changed! 😛

Two Guns + The Apache Death Cave

by Kaylah Stroup September 19, 2016

I originally found Two Guns on Roadside America back in 2014. It was right on the way to where we were heading except we were majorly crunched for time. We had reservations and had to check into our wigwam before the front office closed for the night. But Two Guns!!!! It looked amazing. We had to stop, there was no two ways about it. Jeff and I agreed we’d only spend ten minutes there so we both got out of the car and literally ran from building to building snapping photos like crazy. The ten minutes was up in no time at all. We got back to the car gasping for breath and full of adrenaline. My pictures weren’t that great but it’s honestly one of my favorite memories from that whole trip.

To this day, we still talk about that visit all the time. I’ve even exclaimed that I want to get married there someday. They’re just some silly abandoned buildings but they became something special because our brief visit was so fun.

Each trip out west Jeff and I try to take a different route so that we aren’t just doing the exact same thing over and over. So far, other than the airport we fly into, we’ve done a pretty great job at this. A few days before we left for this year’s trip Jeff text me to say he had just realized we’d be near Two Guns. Swinging by this year would only add seven minutes to our drive so obviously it was a necessity to stop and actually take our time there.

stickers, street art, denture sticker, arrested development

When I first got into geocaching at the beginning of this year I was blown away by the fact that there are basically geocaches everywhere. One of my first thoughts was “I wonder if there was a geocache at Two Guns!” Sure enough there is but it’s WAY cooler than I could have ever imagined. Since the second we read the description, Jeff and I have been basically frothing at the mouth to get this thing. The cache isn’t near the abandoned buildings, instead it’s underground… in the Apache Death Cave. I won’t go into it but the cave has a crazy interesting history, as made quite obvious by the name. You can read more about it here. There’s even more insanity not listed in that article if you still feel like digging around!

We wandered around the abandoned stuff for a while, getting all the shots we weren’t able to take on our first visit then it came time to find the cache. We took the short hike over to where we thought the cave might be and sure enough there she was. The photo below shows where you climb down. In older photos I found on google it appears that those logs used to have boards going across so the walk down was fairly easy but these days you choose a log and hope your balance is good enough. Jeff took this really cute photo of me walking up the logs!

You guys, I love adventure. I like exploring new places, and I like a bit of danger. I love when my adrenaline is pumping and I talk a big game but when it comes right down to it, sometimes I’m a giant weenie. I was terrified in this cave. Not because of bats, or the dark but because I was afraid rocks would fall and we’d be trapped. I was afraid the cave, which is said to be cursed, would end up being our one final adventure.

Jeff, on the other hand, basically had the time of his life in this cave. He even said “I think I can retire from geocaching now.” because seriously, how could a cache be in a cooler spot than this one?! Despite being afraid, I was definitely enjoying myself. It was a true adventure! How many people can say they explored a real cave in the middle of the desert? Not somewhere you have to pay an admission fee, and have a guide. But a reeeeal cave. IT. WAS. AWESOME.

After making it out of the cave alive, wahooo, we poked around the property a bit more checking out the ruins of buildings. We didn’t get a chance to see this area last year so it was all new to us. Then when I started researching the cave after leaving I realized we missed a few more buildings that hold fairly significant history here. Guess that just means we have to go back again…

Until next time, Two Guns!!
xoxo

To see more posts from this trip + others, check out the “travel” tag.

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