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It’s the little things…

by Kaylah Stroup October 14, 2015

like playing in the leaves!

Over the weekend Jeff and I went out to my parents house to celebrate my niece’s golden birthday. (Seven on the seventh!) It’s always nice to escape the city, and visit with my family but this particular visit just felt extra special. My eldest brother hasn’t lived in Ohio for a while, so my other brother’s children and his have never been able to celebrate fall together. The whole family pitched in raking leaves and then the six kids had at it! They eventually ended up arguing over whose turn it was to jump in the pile but it was so satisfying to get to watch them all experience the joy of playing in the leaves together. You can’t help but feel a little bit warm and fuzzy seeing them have SO much fun.

This is why fall is my favorite time of the year. The colors are beautiful. The weather is absolutely perfect, not too warm, not too cool! The fallen leaves make the ground crunchy and when the wind blows just right it smells so great. Best of all? It doesn’t matter how old you are, playing in the leaves is always fun.

Fall could last all year and I wouldn’t be mad. I seriously can’t express it clearly enough how much I love this season. I hope everyone gets to experience a true fall season at least once in their life, there’s nothing like playing in a huge pile of leaves!
xoxo

The little things is an on-going series celebrating the little things that make life special… and look, for once it’s not a sunset! Haha!

Skull Pouch Update

by Kaylah Stroup October 12, 2015

Hey, hey! I have a little Halloween treat for y’all today!

The photos I took for my skull cleaning post ended being something I unexpectedly LOVED…a lot. Those photos are the backgrounds on both my laptop and desktop computers, and on my phone. I don’t know why exactly I love them so much but I do.

With Halloween approaching I thought it’d be the perfect time to actually get those photos printed on some fabric. I like skulls all year long but I know a lot of people don’t. The thing is I go by the thought that anything goes in October! October 1st I actually went out and bought skeleton leggings because if anyone questions me I can just say they’re for Halloween. So whether or not you feel you need an excuse to have your odds and ends stored in a cute little skull pouch I’ve got ya covered!

A bit of good news for everyone – I’ve lowered shipping costs for all destinations, including international. It seriously blows my mind how expensive shipping packages overseas, and even to Canada has become. Even with such small items it’s a nice chunk of change. I want everyone to be able to enjoy my things, not just those who live in the US so even if that means eating a little bit of the costs myself, I lowered the price!

The pouches are available for purchase here! Just
like the past collections, these are limited edition. There is a very
small number of the larger pouches since they use up so much fabric. I
wouldn’t hesitate if you’re interested in grabbing one. Once
these ones are gone, they won’t be restocked and the fabric won’t be
reprinted.
xoxo

PS. If you purchase one of these or one from any previous collection – I wanna see pictures! Tag me on instagram or even shoot me an email.

on the cutting room floor – pt. 1

by Kaylah Stroup October 8, 2015

I took these photos the other day at the beach. I had a horrible, horrible headache and hoped some fresh air would help. (It didn’t. I couldn’t get back to the couch soon enough…) While
I strolled the beach I picked up glass, which isn’t something I really
do anymore. Despite not feeling well I took a handful of photos of my
finds, and I ended up really loving them. I tried so hard to think of something to write along side these
photos and was kind of just stumped…

One way that blogging has effected the way I take photos is that if I know that I’m planning on sharing something I will shoot more photos than needed. I’ll take the extra effort to search for angles I may not usually go for, and find as many ways as possible to visually represent whatever the post is about. It’s great because it pushes me out of my creative comfort zone sometimes, and it encourages me to take more photos which is always a good thing. But upon looking back through my folders I realized that this leaves me with a lot of photos that never make it blog posts. Sometimes because I don’t think they’re good enough but more often than not it’s because I don’t know what to say about them.

When I look back through some of my older posts something that bothers me is that I didn’t write much. Things seemed to apparent at the time why would I take the effort to write more? But I see now that I should have typed more to go along with photos. Lately I’ve been trying my hardest to write more in posts when I can. I hope that it shows, I know that I’m a lot happier with my posts. The bad thing about that is that are so many photos I don’t share and just end up forgetting about.

As a way to get those photos up on the blog I’m starting a new little series called “on the cutting room floor”. In this series I’ll just be sharing photos that I’ve taken recently but haven’t blogged about for one reason or another. Unlike the ones in this post the photos I share most likely won’t have a theme but I’m not really giving this series any rules! It’ll just be a fun little way to mix things up and share more of my photos.

xoxo

Ps that’s the first bottle neck I’ve found washed up on the beach! I don’t know how it took like four years for me to finally find one but WAHOOO!

list making for productivity

by Kaylah Stroup October 7, 2015

Fairly often I get emails asking how I’m so productive and I always kind of feel stumped – I don’t necessarily feel more productive than other people but I guess being my own boss and being the sole person who keeps this ship up and running has taught me a few things about getting stuff done.

Jeff and I were sitting at the train station the other day and he was telling me about how he read list of things that successful people did and one of the items that really stuck with him was making lists. He told me what he’d read and my response was “Well, yeah! That’s how I make lists!” Most people make lists daily but it’s how you write those lists that really matters.

So your typical list might be:
▴ clean house
▴ buy groceries
▴ laundry
▴ do social media stuff
▴ blog

It looks simple enough but those tasks aren’t very specific. I’ve found that when I break my lists down as simply as possible I am SO much more productive. My lists look more like this:
▴ wash dishes
▴ vacuum house
▴ make bed
▴ clean kitty litter
▴ write grocery list
▴ get groceries
▴ wash clothes
▴ fold clothes
▴ queue Friday Favorites
▴ edit project 365 photos
▴ draft Monday’s post
▴ share post on FB
…etc, etc

The things on the second list are easier to cross off. They get right to the point. There’s no questioning whether or not you completed the task. Being able to cross of items more quickly will make you feel more productive. I wish there was a prettier way to write this but nothing is better for productivity than feeling productive. Looking at a massive list that you’ve already half crossed off by noon feels like you’re majorly kicking some butt which makes you want to keep on chugging!

For larger tasks that can’t be completed in a day I usually set a time limit so that I can cross it off and move on to the next. For example instead of “design media kit”, I might write “work on media kit for one hour”. This means instead of avoiding it and deciding “oh, I don’t really have time today. I’ll do that tomorrow…” I can tackle it knowing that I don’t have to finish and that’s okay.

notebooks from Moorea Seal, who seriously has one of the greatest “office” categories. So many beautiful paper things!

This very simple little tip drastically improved my productivity when I figured it out. Hopefully it does the same for you. Do you guys have any easy tips to boost productivity? I’d love to hear them.
xoxo

ONA Camps Bay Review

by Kaylah Stroup October 5, 2015

I’ve been a big fan of ONA for a while now. If you haven’t heard of them before, ONA makes insanely beautiful, high quality camera bags. This whole love affair of mine started back in 2012 when I first spotted their bag, Brooklyn. I eventually got my hands on one which I subsequently blogged about often. here, here + here. That bag and I have been through thick and thin together, and it’s still holding up beautifully. I know their bags are of great quality so I was more than excited when they reached out to see if I’d like to give one of their newest bags a spin.

A few weeks back, ONA released their new Black Collection, three beautiful designs featuring premium nylon, Italian leather accents, and gunmetal hardware. I chose the Camps Bay backpack. I actually really liked Brixton but I have a tendency to carry way more equipment than I need and my shoulders can’t handle that anymore. Anyway now that I’ve had a little while to tote this backpack around I wanted to share a little review.

First things first, this is a solid bag. Not so much in terms of weight, I’m talking about how safe I feel my equipment is inside. When I think backpack I think something soft, malleable, made from a light fabric, etc. This bag, on the other hand, essentially has a shell. The material is stiff but still manages to be comfortable to wear. I’m sure given some more time it will begin to break-in and not be so stiff but I rather enjoy the feel of the bag now.

ONA claims this bag will hold your camera with lens attached as well as seven (!!!) extra lenses. I unfortunately don’t own seven lenses to test that but I’m sure it would. This baby can hold A LOT. I’ve found that by rearranging the dividers I am very comfortably able to hold everything I use regularly, including a polaroid camera which is something I’m never quite sure how to bring along. I love that anything I could want to bring along I can most likely find a way to safely pack it in this bag since all of the interior dividers are removable and adjustable.

Under the flap, and above the main camera area, there is another zipper compartment that I’ve found to be the perfect size for a light lunch or snacks. Along the backside of that compartment is an area for your laptop. The camera bag also has two side pockets. They are a little bit tight but I’m still able fit a water bottle inside. They’re a great size for my shutter release! Basically just about anything you could want to bring along this bag has room for it.

One main downfall I find with this bag is that to get anything out you need to take the bag off, set it down, unbuckle it, and unzip. It’s a bit of a process and there are certain situations where that just doesn’t cut it for me. I might need to get my camera out or switch lenses quickly sometimes and this bag would hinder that. There are other times though when I feel like that this bag is exactly what I want, specifically when I’m on my bike. I don’t need my camera right away and I enjoy the added security this bag provides.

A second setback is the price, currently $409. The bag is obviously beautiful. ONA’s craftsmanship is impeccable. It’s certainly an investment. Out of all the camera bags I own I feel that my equipment is the most safe in this bag. Is it necessary to spend that much to get an awesome camera bag? No but I’m doubting you’ll find something as nice as this one. Ultimately it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it.

All in all, color me impressed by the Camps Bay. It’s beautiful, it’s comfortable, and it can hold a heck of a lot of equipment, which for an over-packer extraordinaire is the best!
xoxo

Thanks to ONA for providing me with the camera bag! All opinions are my own.

PS. I own a handful of other camera bags. If you’d like to see reviews on some of the others in my collection let me know!

30 days of biking recap

by Kaylah Stroup October 1, 2015

Challenging myself to another 30 days of biking was a most excellent choice! Just like the 30 days of biking I did back in April this month definitely had it’s days where I wondered why I made such a silly goal, where it was hard to get out at all, and when I simply rode around the block just to get my ride in. There were days it was nearly too hot to function and days I rode in the pouring rain. Yesterday I rode with a hat and a jacket. I definitely chose a fun month to experience a little bit of everything in terms of weather. But hey, I did it!

Half way through the month my body was definitely feeling it – and it felt so good! I’ve always been the kind of person that is like “Oh wow, I worked out once, look how strong I am!” or “I ate some fruit, I’m probably the healthiest person ever” so 30 days on my bike has done wonders for my self confidence. It doesn’t necessarily matter if there is a physical difference, I feel awesome! I’d love to get to a point where getting out on my bike every day is something I do and don’t even think twice about. No matter how much I’m dreading doing it I have never ever gotten back and not felt excellent. After a ride my mind is more clear, my body feels great, and I swear my skin is prettiest after a light sweat.

After spending so much time off my bike at the beginning of summer I was almost certain there was no way I would reach my goal to hit 1,000 miles before the end of the year. While I’m still a ways off it at least now seems like an attainable goal as long as I keep on pedaling.

In the last thirty days I have biked 155 miles, found a new favorite spot to bike to, and regained a good portion of my confidence that was lost back in April. I’d call it success!
xoxo

gratuitous plant post

by Kaylah Stroup September 30, 2015

I suppose you could call this a gratuitous plant post, I just wanted to share some photos of my succulents. I am seriously so proud of these lil guys. I’ve never in my life had plants that were this happy, and growing this well. Taking photos of them is something I do often… maybe a little too often but it’s so much fun to be able to look back at a photo from the beginning of summer, last month, or even last week and see how much a certain plant has grown.

The weather will be changing soon and they’ll have to be moved inside for the winter. I’m a little bit nervous to see how they do being back inside. I’m worried there just won’t be enough sunlight inside but I guess the worst thing that can happen is they get leggy, and I have to propagate which just leaves me with more plants to play around with!

For the longest time I could never figure out how people got such nice full arrangements. I would try buy smaller plants and stuff them into a planter but it would never look the same. Growing my own plants has allowed me to finally achieve the look I have loved this whole time. So one my plant goals for next year is to work on my arrangements. Above is one of my favorites. The variety of colors, shapes, and textures is just perfect. I’m pretty proud those are all plants that started from a single leaf.

Along with probably twice the number of succulents, since I’m a lot less picky of an eater I think next year I want to grow some things of my own to eat. Kaylah’s pepper farm?! I just want to grow all the things. Gardening is so rewarding. Any of you guys grow anything this year you’re excited about?
xoxo

PS. In case you missed it, you can find my post on propagating succulents here!

two million sunflowers

by Kaylah Stroup September 29, 2015

Last week I shared my list of goals I had set for this season (read them here) and one of those goals was to visit the sunflower garden. While plotting out what I’d be doing for the next few days I decided to check facebook for the garden’s address in case it was near something else I wanted to do. While searching I saw where someone had asked how the sunflowers were faring since it was getting so late in the season. Whoever runs the page responded back that they were starting to droop and that if that person wanted to come that they should go immediately. So, that’s how I ended up crossing off one of my goals the same day.

Prayers from Maria, and this massive sunflower field were created by Maria McNamara’s family after she passed away at age seven from a brain tumor. This sunflower field was created to help raise awareness for childhood cancer and celebrate Maria’s life. I read somewhere but can’t seem to find it again that after the flowers have peaked the seeds are then sold at one of the local garden centers raise money for research which is grossly underfunded. Last year they sold out pretty quickly. The field is much larger now, and there were more than two million sunflowers seeds planted this year! Hopefully those will be sold just as quickly!

I was definitely a little bit late to visit the flowers. Even a week
earlier and I think the flowers may have been in better shape. Drooping
or not, it was incredible to see SO many sunflowers in one place and for such a great cause. What a beautiful memorial that was grown and enjoyed by many!
xoxo

The Rubber Duck Factory Revisited

by Kaylah Stroup September 28, 2015

Last Sunday Jeff, Jason, and I attended a lecture on Cleveland history. We learned the history of a handful of buildings downtown, and ate lots of snacks. It was pretty awesome. Not only was what we were learning interesting I absolutely love seeing people talk about their interests. It was wildly obvious this man loved researching our city and that was enough to get me excited.

After the lecture I was feeling a serious urge to get into something abandoned. I guess it really just comes down to the fact that passionate people spark my passions. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what I love about photographing abandoned buildings but something I really enjoy is documenting changes.

Something during the lecture that piqued my interest was when he was talking about this headstone and how he was really glad someone had photographed it way back when because it is no longer legible. It’s just a worn down obelisk now. He mentioned that a lot of things can last for a while, they might stay in the same condition for hundred years then all of a sudden in the next fifty go rapidly down hill. I’ve found abandoned buildings to be a prime example of that.

After the lecture, while waiting on a friend to get off work, we walked over to “The Rubber Duck Factory” just to waste a little bit of time. I hesitated to even take any photos of the place because none will ever been fun as the ones from my previous visit but then I thought about why I loved photographing these places so much and what he had said about deterioration of things.

This old warehouse is in no way, shape or form as significant as a headstone but it’s crazy to see how quickly it’s just crumbling away like the headstone I mentioned above. So much has changed since my last visit; furniture is gone, someone has been dumping shrubbery, there is tons more graffiti, the roof in one of the largest sections has collapsed and most noticeably… I couldn’t find a single rubber duck. My last visit we gathered nearly five hundred of these dirty ducks. I checked all the spots I knew I hide ducks and didn’t see even one.

It’s funny to me that now anytime someone goes there they’ll be left wondering “Why in the world is this called The Rubber Duck Factory?” I love that I was able to go there and document a time where there was an abundance of ducks because no one else will be able to do that again. …Unless the ducks show up again…? I guess that’s not totally out of the realm of possibility. Maybe they’ve just been kidnapped!? Oh man, someone should have totally turned this into a puzzle complete with a ransom note. Opportunity lost!

Like I said, this building isn’t all that important in Cleveland history but it’s certainly fun to record little things like this. Soon it will be demolished so that condos can be built and all that will be left will be the memories and photos myself and other photographers have captured.
xoxo

Find my post from my first visit here.

Sept 27, two days after drafting up this post, the Rubber Duck Factory actually burnt down. Such a crazy coincidence.

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