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support small business!

by Kaylah Stroup March 23, 2020

Hi friends! What a wild couple of weeks it’s been. I’ve been struggling a bit to find my voice in all of this. I don’t want to contribute to the doom and gloom. I figured the best thing I could do right now is continue to do what I’m always here doing and that’s sharing fun finds and talking about all the little things in life that bring joy.

So, I’ve rounded up a whole bunch of my favorite small businesses, both local and online and listed some ways to help them out (with & without spending money!)

this post contains affiliate links.

Danial Ryan makes the most ridiculous cat-themed art. I discovered them at the end of last year and immediately purchased some prints for my office. They make me smile every single time I see them. (Bonus – they’re actually having a pretty amazing sale right now!)
You know the bowties Professor wears? C’mon, you follow my cat, right!? They’re all made by Carvas Cats.
Lichen and Limestone makes some seriously great smelling candles. They even have one called ‘Ghost Stories’ that smells like marshmallows, campfire, and fear!!
It’s probably the best time in the world to learn something new. How about this kit from Mickey Alice Kwapis to pin your own moth or butterfly? Specimen, tools, and instructions are included. She also has a beetle pinning kit.
I’ve been a huge fan of Wit and Whistle for a while now. Her illustration style is so wonderful. (Also, if you’re a plant person, you need to be following her personal account on instagram!)
Frog and Toad Press makes lots of adorable cards, patches, and stickers. I’ve been a fan for years! I had to buy this patch over the weekend, it only seemed fitting.
Calliope Paperie. If you need cards, pens, etc – basically anything to make your mail cute – Kristina is your girl! She’s one of my favorite internet folks.
Atelier Stella Ceramic makes some of the most lovely ceramics. Don’t you need smiling little buddies to hold your plants!?
Palate Polish is nearly the only brand of polish I wear these days. I could sing their praises for days. Turmeric is my all-time favorite nail color. Seriously, nothing can beat it.
This skull sleep mask may help you get some much-needed rest!
I found Studio Coup through their ‘please adopt’ pin which turned me into an instant fan.
Valley Cruise Press (Cleveland based!) makes so many cute enamel pins, throws, keychains and more. They’re super nice folks too.

ramen cat by Danial Ryan, ‘I don’t worry. Why should you?‘ print by soobeeart

If you’re local to Cleveland –

Gotta shout out my favorite business first, Mason’s Creamery. Y’all I would be devastated if Mason’s didn’t make it through this time. Grabbing ice cream there after a bike ride is honestly one of my favorite summer things. Not only is their ice cream the tastiest, they’re so incredibly nice. They are currently closed but you can buy gift cards now and eat ice cream later. Think of it as doing your future self a solid.

AffoGATOO cat cafe! I was excited about the idea of a cat cafe coming to my neighborhood but when I started seeing their adoption numbers climb and climb I had a whole new love of the place. They’ve been open just over a year now and helped 375 cats find permanent homes. They are currently closed but still are caring for adoptable cats. You can help by donating on their site or grabbing a gift card to use when they open back up.

Oh Pink! Party Shop. Their storefront is currently closed but the online shop is open! You can find cards, stationery, and party supplies. They even have pre-made care packages right now that would be perfect to send to your pals.

outside of Mason’s Creamery last fall

pin by Hemleva, all polishes except white by Palate Polish

Don’t forget your favorite bands!

So many tours had to come to a very abrupt end. That’s an obvious loss of income but the big thing I didn’t even consider until a musician I like posted about is that before a tour most probably purchase A LOT of merch in preparation. That’s a huge chunk of change that they won’t immediately be making back.

Buy physical copies of their music (directly from wherever they have linked on their sites) and buy merch!

My favorite band, Man Man! They don’t have any merch online currently but they do have an album for pre-sale.

left planter by EMC Modern Handmade Ceramics, right planter by Friend Assembly

No extra cash to spend currently?

I totally get it. I almost feel weird doing a post like this when I know there are so many folks out there hurting from the current situation but what needs to be remembered is that these small businesses are those folks’ livelihoods as well. Plus there are definitely still ways to support your favorites without spending a dime.

Like, share and interact with their content. I know you’re probably sick to death of hearing about it but the algorithm can really work against small businesses. When you like or comment on things, especially on Instagram or Facebook, it lets it know that that’s quality content you’re interested in seeing, that maybe your friends would be interested too.

If someone you like hasn’t been showing up in your feeds lately, go and like their stuff! Likes are free, spread them!! Along the same lines, if you’ve ever bought in the past from them, share a photo! Haven’t purchased before? Share one of their recent posts in your stories. Seriously, just share the love! It’s such a small effort but makes a world of difference.

Friend to bugs patch by Frog and Toad Press

crescent moon pin by These Are Things

More, more & even more!

▴ Psych Blues Film! Remember when I reviewed them here? ▴ Miniature Rhino makes Sashiko mending kits. Her instagram is so inspiring. It makes me want to repair my whole wardrobe! ▴ I LOVE Cat Rocketship’s work! Skeletons but cute. ▴ For Strange Women‘s whole shop is just so pleasing to look at. ▴ Do you like mushrooms? You need to check out Margot Mushrooms ▴ Of course, I have a small business, The Dainty Squid shop! ▴ Lastly, Can I offer you an egg in this trying time?

Stay home & stay safe friends! xoxo

doolan family school bus – part 6

by Kaylah Stroup October 22, 2019

Its been four whole months since my last bus update aaaand holy cow, a lot has changed since then! I really don’t even know where to start.

I kind of got out of the habit of shooting photos and video because it felt like not too much was happening. The work that was getting done wasn’t as big and epic as say, laying down the flooring or building benches. But wow, looking back at my older bus posts and videos (all linked at the end of this post) I realize now that I definitely goofed up by not shooting more. So much has gotten done. As of right now, the bus is even painted a pretty new color BUT because there’s so much else to catch up on, I’m going to save that for another day.

Prepping, priming, and painting has been a huge undertaking. When you only have one day per week to work on something like this, it’s gonna take forever. I think I can speak for the whole family when I say we’re very excited that it’s finally done.

We decided on a two-tone paint job. The top is white, and the bottom… my mom’s favorite color. Like I said, I’ll share more next post. Before any painting could be done though we had to clean the exterior of the bus really well, rough up the old paint a bit, remove all the stickers, and give it a good wipe down. All that before two coats of primer, and then finally paint. It took a lot of work but was truly satisfying. Watching the yellow disappear was niiiiice. I don’t even recognize the bus in these photos.

The inside of the bus has been getting lots of love too! The dividing wall between the main part of the bus and the bathroom/storage room was finished. The sliding door installed. Countertop laid down. Sink and stovetop installed! Wooo. It looks good!

More than that, it’s now painted as well. We chose a nice, bright grey based white to brighten up the interior. I absolutely love how it turned out.

We picked out a simple gray fabric for the cushions which I am definitely procrastinating on making. The parts of the benches where you can still see wood will be getting covered with dark wood trim. We got a bit of it done already, though it’s obviously not shown in these photos. I’ll tell you what, it’s looking slick. The cushions are really going to tie the whole space together though and make it seem so much closer to being finished.

*Ellie really loved carrying paint brushes around. Such a good little helper pup.*

Priming the schoolie — *Priming the outside.*

Here is the accompanying video. I feel like my previous videos were very similar to the blog posts they went with but since it’s been so long there’s stuff in the video that isn’t in the pictures. The video also gives you a way better feel so the layout and what the back room looks like.

Watch below + subscribe on YouTube!

I CANNOT wait to hit the road.

Check out previous bus conversion posts here – 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5. I also have some renovation recap videos on my YouTube channel.

doolan family bus – pt 5

by Kaylah Stroup June 18, 2019

Bus update time! Check out previous bus conversion posts here – 1, 2, 3 & 4.

Another Sunday of bus work in the books! My sister in law and I concentrated on making cushions from the original seats. My dad and husband worked installing the water tank and getting it all ready for the toilet & sink. All while my brother started building the back wall!

Just the addition of those few boards for the wall makes the bus seem so different! I still have a hard time envisioning all the wood finished, and what it’ll look like with the sliding door, counters, cushions, etc but I can now see the basic layout. (Well, shoot, I’d hope so since it’s mostly done in that sense!) It starting to feel real!

In this week’s video I tried to talk a bit at the end so check it out, and let me give you a little tour of the bus! The video also includes some bonus footage shot by my ten year old niece. So cute!

I know I hit you with the same thing every week, “it’s coming along sooo fast!” But really, isn’t it!? xoxo

doolan family bus – part 4

by Kaylah Stroup June 5, 2019

Bus update time! Check out previous bus conversion posts here – 1, 2 & 3.

Last week we started tearing apart the old seats to salvage the foam inside. Nevermind the fact they’d been sitting out in the elements for two months. My dad is alllll about recycling materials. Had I written this post the day these photos were taken, I’d probably write that we wasted time trying to save foam that was hella gross BUT I am a week behind in sharing photos and I now see he had a plan all along and these will be perfectly acceptable inside our cushions!

For real though, that doesn’t take away how absolutely nasty of a job this was. The vinyl had let in water and then held it in. When you cut the seats open they sounded exactly like someone peeing. There are certain textures I don’t really like to touch or I get the heebie jeebies. The inside of the seats? UGH. The worst.

Also inside the seats – hair barrettes! Many, many hair barrettes! (Can’t forget to mention that my parents had already found 20+ while removing the seats from the bus.) My niece thought it would be a good idea to make all the men in the family wear the barrettes. They all obliged but no one more happily than Jeff. He’ll do anything to make a kid smile. I picked a winner.

*Check out that gross fuzz from inside the seats on my hand too.*

This week was also for building the second long bench and hanging the table! Both things make the bus feel so much more complete. Obviously both things also still need a lot more work done on them but having the basic framework done is so wild! Sitting at the table with my nieces and nephew I can envision us actually on the road. It’s exciting!

*I’m cracking up over Jeff and his hair barrettes in this shot.*

For only working on this bus one day per week I think we’re absolutely killing it! In person, while we’re actually there, it feels a bit like its slow going but when I look back at the previous posts I’m able to see just how quickly things are progressing. Even the difference from my last post to this one is huge! xoxo

doolan family bus – part 3

by Kaylah Stroup May 27, 2019

I’m back again with another bus update! Check out part 1 & part 2.

With the brand new floor completely down, last week was for working on building benches! We got a pretty good start on the ones that will be on the left side of the bus. (I say “we” but A LOT of credit goes to my brother who is really taking the lead on building!) There are two of them that face each other with a table that goes in the middle. The table top will be on a bar that allows it to drop down to the same level as the benches so it can be converted into a sleeping area.

The bus will have seating for approximately 10 plus with slightly less sleeping area since a good portion of us are hammock lovers!

It’s really starting to take shape. I was having such a hard time picturing what it might look like when it was just an empty bus. Each week that we work on it I become more and more excited!

I can’t wait to get this bad boy on the road. xoxo

PS. Pop over to Youtube view the video! …or just view it here tiny sized.

doolan family bus – part 2

by Kaylah Stroup May 14, 2019

Last week I shared the start of the family school bus renovation. Check it out here. Today I’m back with another update!

After ripping out all the old flooring and laying down plywood, it was time to put down pretty new flooring. My oldest brother had just finished remodeling the kitchen in his home. He had some flooring leftover and coincidentally enough, it was just enough to cover the bus.

*“I know I’m a dirty puppy. Plz let me on da bus anyway.”*

While my dad and Jeff laid down the flooring. My brother started building the benches. During the week he had actually drawn out a fairly detailed plan for the bus which was definitely appreciated. My dad doesn’t use the internet and to be honest, I find the whole world of bus renovations quite overwhelming.

Similar to how I found planning my wedding stressful because I’m great at comparing my life to the pretty pictures online and feeling crappy about it- that’s kind of how I feel about designing a bus. Um, for the record, I’m pretty sure I ended up having the best wedding ever though. Not that I’m biased or anything… There are SO many incredible designs out there but it’s hard to know what’s for real and what’s really just for show, hard to know what costs a reasonable amount and what was wildly expensive. It just feels really overwhelming and unattainable. Sometimes I think that looking at too many ‘inspiration’ photos can really clog your own creativity and take away the focus from what works for you. I guess that’s why I never really got into Pinterest?

All that to say, I’m super thankful my brother took the lead here and just drew up some plans!

Below you can see the start of a bench. There will be a second one in front of it, facing it with a table in between. The table will drop down to make a bed for two. Behind that will be the kitchen and further back will be storage. On the opposite side of the benches that have already been started will be a long bench. All of the seating will have storage underneath because we all agreed that was definitely one of the most important aspects of a camping vehicle. Storage, storage, storage!

I know it doesn’t look like too much has changed since the first post but honestly, I think it’s coming together very quickly. I’m super excited to see it really start to take shape over the next few weeks.

Jeff recently got a GoPro which I’ve had a blast playing around with. I’m still getting the feel for video. It’s a whole new world for me. After watching so many old home movies lately, I’ve had a real itch to capture more family memories. I’m, of course, always armed with a camera but I’m realizing now just how important it is to have video. This bus is definitely a great little thing to fool around with video on. I’m happy with how this turned out but I’m definitely looking forward to improving on my filming and editing skills.

As always, I’ll be back with more updates as I have them! xoxo

the doolan family bus!

by Kaylah Stroup May 7, 2019

For as long as I can remember my dad has said he wanted a school bus that the family could camp in. A few months back, he made that dream a reality. He bought a bus at an auction!

(Side note – My dad & auctions are a solid pair. If you haven’t read about the photo album he bought at an auction that I helped reunite with its family – read here! It still brings a smile to my face whenever I think about it.)

The bus runs and the interior was the condition you’d expect it to be after hauling kids for however many years. So, a bit beat up but still solid! It’s the prime candidate for a vehicle to be made into a family camping bus!

My parents ripped out the seats together a month or so back so when Jeff and I arrived last weekend it was time to rip up the old, gross, rotten flooring and start prepping for the new flooring. We spent the better half of the day – four adults, two teenagers, and two dogs – happily crammed in the school bus working away.

Right after my parents got the seats out. I had the pleasure of ripping up all the rubber. I *LOVE* ripping up flooring! Such a great stress relieving activity!

Klaus is afraid of every single noise ever but luckily, my niece was there to snuggle him nearly the whole afternoon.

I’m not sure that any of us have a true vision for what the bus will look like when it’s finished. Benches, lots of storage space for camping goods, a stovetop, a questionable toilet (that, for the record, I am totally against!) and obviously, sleeping space are all things we discussed. We agreed that painting the outside all black would be rad. Beyond that, I’m not sure what else… but I’ve very excited to see how it progresses.

Now, more than ever, I’m so happy to have a family project. This bus feels like exactly what we need right now. Something to pour our blood, sweat, and tears into. I can’t wait to get back out there and work on it again this weekend.

I’ll be sure to share updates as I have them! xoxo

Post Apocalyptic Columbus

by Kaylah Stroup October 19, 2015

I’ve never been someone who though the idea of an apocalypse was cool. That kind of sounds silly because I’m sure that most people don’t think the idea of an apocalypse is “cool” but what I mean is that post apocalyptic movies and books don’t necessarily spark my interest. They aren’t something I search out. Obviously I have a love for all things abandoned. I love to see what things look like after humans have left them behind. So I guess in a way I am totally enthralled with “post apocalyptic” stuff.

Over the weekend Jeff had to run to Columbus for some business. He invited me to tag along. I agreed to go on the promise that we would find something to shoot down there. It can be kind of hard to find abandoned things to explore in a city that you’re not familiar with and we didn’t have all day to search for spots. I knew that so I was trying to keep an open mind about whatever we did stumble upon.

After driving around a little bit Jeff remembered a spot he had recently seen a photo of. We did a bit of research on our phones and as luck would have it we were actually less than five minutes away. It’s a small stretch of abandoned highway that has a perfect view of Columbus. The only way to describe this spot was post apocalyptic. It’s impossible to see the skyline peeking out from behind the over grown highway and not feel like you’re in the Walking Dead.

This was my second stretch of abandoned highway (the first being the abandoned PA turnpike) and the one thing I cannot get enough of is that center line. I don’t what it is. Maybe because those lines just prove what this used to be. It’s not just a hunk of concrete with cracks in it where plants have begun to sprout, it’s a road!

After leaving that spot we hit Thurman’s Cafe for lunch. My burger was pretty awesome but dude, those onion straws were what really won my heart. I could really go for some right now… From there were headed to some abandoned trains cars we found online while researching.

Not our most exciting adventure but an awesome one nonetheless! These two spots were way cool. It’s always fun to find weird little forgotten spots that are just barely off the beaten path.
xoxo

living room update!

by Kaylah Stroup July 31, 2022

This spring I was looking for some projects to keep my mind busy. I mean, the house is full of projects I still need to finish and tons I haven’t started yet but I needed something ‘easy’ to occupy my mind. I wanted a quick flip with great results to give me a boost! (This did not end up being a quick fix but it was definitely an excellent mental boost!)

Although the green on the walls in here was what inspired my whole ‘paint everything green!’ addiction, I realized that it was the wrong shade of green. (There are some shots of it at the bottom of this post.) It was more of a blue-based green. I didn’t realize that I was super picky about my undertones but I am definitely a yellowy green gal! So, that was the number one thing I wanted to change.

Then in true ‘if you give a mouse a cookie…’ fashion, I decided if I was going to do anything in this room, I ought to do everything else that was bothering me. I patched some decent sized cracks in the wall, re-finished the floor, and picked out new furniture!

The living room wasn’t terrible with what we had in it… but it wasn’t great. The blue couch I had been moving from apartment to apartment over the last decade no longer felt like me. Fast forward to this finished living room? It perfectly encapsulates my design style at the moment. I am OBSESSED with our living room.

PS. Peep the matching bandana Professor has to my leggings! Both are from Redbubble. You can use code ‘RBC-P22-thedaintysquid’ for 15% off your order.

sources + info!
couch is Sven in grass green
paint color is ‘Sweet Annie’ by Glidden
rug
snake lamp
hand chair
hand curtain tie backs

Of course, we can’t end an updated room post without a little peek back at some of the room’s previous looks! The first photo, with the red rug and curtains was the living room on inspection day. (I think all of this stuff, other than the tv and wall art, were all here when we took ownership of the house too.) The second photo is what it’s basically looked like the whole time we’ve lived here.

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