found on the beach

by Kaylah Stroup

Well, I have set a new standard for myself with these found on the beach sets. As someone who organizes just about everything by color – my closet, my DVDs, etc – it’s kind of shocking to me I never thought to do this before. I’m obsessed with how it looks. It was so hard to choose what photos to share because I took so many. I had so much fun sorting everything out by color. (Are you a sorter? I love sorting things, I always have!) Seeing the little piles of colors made me want to do something bigger than just organizing sets on the beach. I’ve got a ton of ideas swirling around in my mind…

Quick FAQ – things that get asked every Found on the Beach post.
Do you keep the things you pick up? No way. Once in a while I’ll keep something I really think is neat but I’m no hoarder.
What do you do with it when you’re done? I toss it in the trash where it belongs.
Was this really all from the beach in one day? For the
most part, yes. Sometimes if I find something I really think is neat on a
day I’m not collecting for a photo I’ll pick it up and hang on to it
until the next time I want to put together one of these.
Do you wear gloves? No, I don’t. These are things that were washed up on the shore, not things simply left behind. They’re no dirtier than the sand or water.

xoxo

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Leave a Comment

55 comments

Lostvestige October 6, 2014 - 12:40 pm

I love it! You made junk look beautiful! I think the last photo is my favorite, it looks like some sort of treasure hidden away on the beach.

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:01 am

Thanks! I know, I always love taking one showing it in its surroundings. Almost makes me wish I could leave it there for someone else to find.

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zoe October 6, 2014 - 1:02 pm

I'm obsessing over this photo! I'm just like you–I love things to be arranged in rainbow order. This is such an interesting piece, seeing what's been left behind at the beach. That stuffed elephant is breaking my heart a bit…it might just be the weathering from the sand and the surf, but it looks much loved. This post is the coolest 🙂

The What's In Between

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:01 am

Thanks so much, Zoe!

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Trisarahtops October 6, 2014 - 1:21 pm

I love these posts and now really want to go to the beach. x

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:02 am

I'm glad, Sarah! Hope you get to go to the beach soon. 🙂

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ohshellsbells October 6, 2014 - 1:35 pm

i think i had a play tea set growin up with pink cup just like the one you found AND that light pink rectangle goes to a set of hair curlers my mom used to have. Weird what will jog your memory.

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:03 am

Hah! Definitely strange what tiny things trigger memories!

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Jeffrey Stroup October 6, 2014 - 1:58 pm

I love this so much!

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:02 am

I love YOU so much.

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doris sander October 6, 2014 - 1:59 pm

gorgeous! I love everything about this!

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:03 am

Thanks, Doris!

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jesse.anne.o October 6, 2014 - 2:04 pm

I can't believe people leave this much junk behind! It seems crazy.

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:04 am

It's not left behind, it's things that get washed up. I mean I guess it gets left behind somewhere before it gets here but it's not like it's just left here.

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Izzy October 6, 2014 - 2:37 pm

The colour order definitely pleases my eyes, the colours are just so amazing and they fit together so well! I love these series and it's so interesting to see just what is washed up <3

The Quirky Queer

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:04 am

Thanks, Izzy! 🙂

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julia October 6, 2014 - 2:41 pm

this looks really nice… how long did it take you to arrange it that way?

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:05 am

Um, not too long. Maybe an hour? It's really easy for me to lose track of time at the beach, so I'm not really sure.

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Erie Girl October 6, 2014 - 2:46 pm

It's always so neat to see the little things people leave behind!

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:06 am

Totally!

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Kylie October 6, 2014 - 2:53 pm

Have you ever been on the Cincinnati tour of the abandoned subway line?

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:06 am

No. I haven't really spent much time in Cincinnati at all.

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Linz October 6, 2014 - 3:30 pm

I absolutely love every photo!
The mixture of these colorful litte things and the beach is beautiful.
I'm a sorter as well, so this post makes me really happy! 🙂

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:06 am

Thanks, Linz! 🙂

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jess buckley October 6, 2014 - 4:21 pm

This is every sorter's dream! I always find myself sorting things by color, it's just so relaxing! I love the way this turned out for you, and it's so cool to do something so creative, while also helping clean up the beach!

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:06 am

It really is relaxing to sort things!!

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Miranda October 6, 2014 - 6:11 pm

This is absolutely incredible. I love your attention to things like this!

Miranda
Little Gold Pocket Watch

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:07 am

Thanks, Miranda!

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kayse October 6, 2014 - 6:12 pm

Looooove this arranged by colors. I used to eat all my food arranged by colors. Especially love the last picture!

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:07 am

Haha! That's kind of strange!

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Maria October 6, 2014 - 7:15 pm

If you sold these up scaled I would buy one and put it on my livingroom

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:07 am

Definitely been on my mind to make some more permanent pieces! 😉

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Autumn Season October 6, 2014 - 7:58 pm

This is absolutely divine and tragically sad at the same time. Clever idea.

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:07 am

Thanks!

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Kim Topolewski October 6, 2014 - 7:59 pm

I was actually wondering if you kept any of it/if you properly trash it later! Thanks for the FAQ 😛

Also, I sort things all the time. Usually it's candies, like M&Ms or Skittles. Each color has to have an even number of the same color and if they don't, I'll eat it down til they do. Then I'll eat one color at a time in a rotation until they're all done. TOTALLY weird, I know.

<3
kimberrleigh

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:08 am

Oh, the M&M thing is not weird at all. I do the same thing!

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Melissa October 6, 2014 - 8:16 pm

This is beautiful! I love things that are so well-organized!

Melissa
wildflwrchild.blogspot.com

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:08 am

Thanks, Melissa! 🙂

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Mindi Wooley October 6, 2014 - 8:28 pm

I love looking at these! I always mean to ask, and I'm sure you probably hear it a lot, but how long does it normally take to organize them? Sorting your DVDs by color sounds fun! I used to keep mine alphabetical with foreign ones on their own shelf, but I've been super lazy and they're all jacked up. Maybe I'll try color next time!

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:08 am

Um, not too long. Maybe an hour? It's really easy for me to lose track of time at the beach, so I'm not really sure.

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Candy October 6, 2014 - 8:38 pm

These photos are simply beautiful! All of your found on the beach posts remind me of when I'd go hunting for sea glass with my Dad as a child, and the way that every time I am on a beach now, I still look for smooth pebbles of glass. When the derelict pier in our town got blown down in a storm, my Dad and I went to the beach to find all sorts of exciting debris and beautiful sea-aged wood to take home. My Dad made a table out of it.

Owl Girl | A London lifestyle blog

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:09 am

Thanks, Candy!

Thats really neat! I always see people taking drift wood and wonder what they're going to do with it.

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Krista Clor October 6, 2014 - 11:17 pm

Lovely photos! Imagine all the stories that those things carry with them. What if some of them has been lost in the sea for a decade or more? Now that's interesting.

Life With Antlers // A Personal Blog

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:09 am

That's a super interesting thought!! I never even considered that.

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Louise October 6, 2014 - 11:18 pm

This looks amazing! I love your beach trash posts- they're always so beautiful and interesting!

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:10 am

Thanks, Louise!

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Sheridan Vaccaro October 6, 2014 - 11:18 pm

I love finding beach treasures! It's so funny some of the things people bring to the beach. Also, to think how far some of the items have traveled is crazy. You make beautiful creations.

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Kaylah October 7, 2014 - 2:13 am

It really is neat to think about how far some of these things may have traveled!!

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Sarah October 7, 2014 - 3:29 am

I love everything you post but this is the coolest thing I've seen blogged in a long while! 🙂

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RaeAbigael October 7, 2014 - 5:07 am

i really love your "found on the beach" series. i'm always looking forward to new junks turned into something special 🙂

http://www.raellarina.net/

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Peebreeks October 7, 2014 - 9:57 pm

I really like these posts. A great way to help clear up the beach! x

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zooxanthele October 8, 2014 - 2:39 am

I LOVE your beach trash posts! I especially love how you've sorted today's post into colours. I'm one of those people who sorts everything into colour also (even things that remind me of a certain colour, like song, I group a specific way)

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J October 9, 2014 - 2:09 am

Love the color coordination!

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Kelsea Echo October 9, 2014 - 10:58 pm

This is amazing! I'm in love with that little elephant! 🙂

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Kezzie December 14, 2014 - 2:54 pm

Hi Kaylah! I love what you did with the rubbish! What a fun way to turn a chore of trying to help clean a beach into beautiful artwork!x

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