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some of my favorite posts

plant room 2021

by Kaylah Stroup August 14, 2021

Throughout the history of this blog, I have always loved documenting and sharing the spaces I call home. Now that I actually own and am learning to renovate a house of my own, I feel even more inclined to do so. We’ve been here just shy of a year now and already SO much has changed. I’ve shared photos of this room, my plant room, a handful of times before but it’s always changing. So, despite the fact these photos are a little over a month old, I want to give them a permanent place here on the blog. Something I can come glance back at in the future.

sources –
love seat
plant stands
arch mirror
brass hand
lamp
circle shelf (similar)
dress

For good measure, in case you’ve forgotten, here’s what the room looked like when we moved into the house! If you’d like to see more of this room check out these posts – plant room renovation + plant room update. I even made a video about it.

exploring Ashtabula Harbor

by Kaylah Stroup August 10, 2021

Special thanks to the Lift Bridge Community Association + Ohio. Find It Here. for inviting us out & sponsoring this post!

Recently Jeff and I were invited to explore the historic Ashtabula Harbor area. I couldn’t hop on the opportunity quickly enough! We’ve been in full-on house renovation mode for nearly a year now so a mini-vacation was definitely in order. One night and two full days was barely enough time here. We squeezed so much in! Here’s a little peek at our trip –

Where we stayed…

We spent the night in the cutest Air BnB! It was a charming 1930s home filled with the coolest decor. Seriously, look at that table made from an old sign! It had a fire pit and the garage had been converted into a summer room. It’d be the perfect spot to rent with a couple of pals. They’re even pet-friendly.

Best of all, it’s within walking distance of not only Bridge Street, the main strip of Ashtabula Harbor, but Lake Erie!

What we did…

Eerie Harbor Ghost Walk! As a lover of all things spooky, this was surprisingly my very first ghost tour! The tour was heavy on the history side of things, as opposed to pushing ghost stories which I really enjoyed. It was neat to learn more about the area with some spooky lore mixed in! Our tour guide was energetic and enthusiastic.

We rented kayaks from Harbor Yak which I cannot recommend highly enough. I love kayaking to begin with but being out on the lake as opposed to in a river is such a rad experience.

Before sending us out into the water they gave us a little rundown of the different things we could head to while out on the water. There is a massive ship docked in the harbor waiting to be scrapped so that was my obvious choice of which way to head. We also made our way out to a sandbar where someone had made a cool little structure out of driftwood.

If kayaks aren’t your jam, Harbor Yak rents hydro-bikes, paddleboards, and canoes as well. You can, of course, go out on your own but they also offer a sunset tour as well as a few other group activities.

Besides having some absolutely top-notch restaurants, the Harbor is also home to many cute shops along Bridge Street. From curated vintage finds to handmade chocolates and of course, locally made art – there is absolutely something for everyone to enjoy. I recommend walking the length of each side of the street in its entirety and popping into each. There are so many neat things to discover.

Pictured below – Farmhouse Vintage + truffles from Marianne’s Chocolates.

Ashtabula County is home to many wineries. Needless to say, a wine tour was a necessity. We visited Laurello Vineyards, M Cellars Winery, and Kosicek Vineyards. I’m going to be completely honest here, I didn’t start drinking wine until maybe a year ago and my taste was quite cheap. What’s up $5 bottles from Target! Visiting wineries 100% changed my tastes. I didn’t realize what I was missing, truly! I had an incredible time learning more about how wine is made, all the science that goes into it, and obviously tasting was fun.

Perhaps best of all, we were chauffeured from winery to winery by Richmond Limo. Y’all, I have never even been in a limo before this. I had SO much fun! Our driver, also named Jeff, was so nice and funny. If you’re looking to safely do some winery hopping without having to choose a friend to be your DD, this is absolutely the way to go. I honestly can’t wait for another excuse to get a limo.

Five minutes away from our Air BnB is Walnut Beach. We went early in the morning and nearly had the whole place to ourselves. The shoreline, covered in small pebbles, is prime for beach glass hunting. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, I hope my love of Lake Erie has been apparent! It’s just so underrated.

Searching for beach glass at Walnut Beach.

What we ate…

Where do I start with food? I seriously ate some of the best food of my life over these two days.

Bascule. Shown above. We were able to try a sample platter of their appetizers which actually worked out perfectly because I don’t know how else I would have been able to choose from their menu. Wasabi shrimp? Confit duck wings? Drunken dates? Gosh, yes, please!! My favorite ended up actually being their roasted cauliflower which are made with a house-made curry powder, eggless aioli, lemon, and EVOO. So tasty! Make sure to save room for dessert too! That’s not even a posed photo of me above – that is literally just a gal STOKED about her chocolate pot de creme.

Briquettes Smokehouse. Shown above. This was the perfect spot to grab lunch after kayaking all morning. They have a beautiful patio but we opted to sit inside to hide from the sun for a bit. Their upstairs seating area has a great view of the river!

Jeff had a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on the side. (All their meats are smoked in-house!) I filled up on their buffalo chicken dip. It was delicious! I will absolutely be craving it.

Rennick Meat Market. Shown above. Rennick was actually our last meal of the trip. Nearly everyone we talked to at different spots around the Harbor listed Rennick as their number one spot to eat. I was definitely looking forward to it, and I had very high hopes… which were completely blown out of the water.

This truly may have been the best meal of my life. Each item we ordered was, without a doubt, the best version of that thing that I’ve had. If (no, when) you visit, definitely make sure to order the caramelized onion dip and the fried brussels sprouts. Also worth noting – our leftovers reheated beautifully. I don’t think that I’ve ever been so pumped to eat leftovers.

We also grabbed coffee at Harbor Perk and a decadent cupcake from Little Charlie’s Bake Shop! I’ve, sadly, reached the age where sometimes things are too sweet so normally giant cupcakes like this aren’t something I’d go for. Jeff is a peanut butter addict though so we had to try their peanut butter cup cupcakes. Y’all, I did not want to share. It was perfect. The frosting isn’t overly sweet so I could have easily finished one on my own (and probably wanted another!)

Ashtabula Harbor is a hidden gem! It may not show up at the top of lists of places along the lakeshore you must visit yet but it’s truly only a matter of time. They have everything – beaches, history, culture, incredible food and lots of wonderful shops!

before + after // closet door

by Kaylah Stroup July 11, 2021

this post contains affiliate links.

Another before + after post. This time, the closet door in my bedroom! I know that doesn’t really sound wildly exciting but I am truly jazzed on this little update.

All of this started when I decided to paint my closet gold. I actually wanted to paint it three different shades of gold. I bought my three shades but after getting the first coat on, I realized they weren’t different enough. You couldn’t really tell at all. I ended up mixing them all together for the second coat. For the third coat, I chose my favorite of the three and bought a fresh gallon. I decided I liked the color so much I’d paint the back of our bedroom door with it. I LOVED it immediately.

There was a part of me that thought I should probably paint the closet door the same color but I was nervous I’d end up hating it. It’s definitely a bold color choice, and I didn’t want the gold to be overwhelming. I figured I’d just leave it white and if at any time in the future I thought it felt right to paint it, I would.

Well, it finally hit me the other night while lying in bed, the door needed to be gold. I woke up the next morning, cleaned it off, fixed some holes, and painted it! I could not be happier with how it turned out!

when we purchased the house // after removing the carpet squares and starting to repair the walls.

finished room with the white door // & now with that gorgeous gold door!!!

It’s kind of wild how much a couple coats of paint can really change the whole room! I’ve already decided on a few more spots around the house that will be getting the colorful door treatment at some point. Can’t wait to pick out more colors.

Clearly, I still need to hang things on the walls. As I mention every single time I point out my kind of naked (at least for this maximalist) home, I definitely think that finding the right pieces takes time. While I really really would like stuff on the walls right this second, I don’t want to just throw any old thing up there. Gotta find the pieces that speak to ya, you know? It’s our ‘forever’ home, there’s no rush.

Still pretty bare but a definite improvement from this, eh!?

sources
wall color – White Batten by Sherwin Williams
door color – Gothic Gold by Glidden
ceiling fan
rug
curtains
TV stand – thrifted
gold plant stand

found on the beach

by Kaylah Stroup July 8, 2021

For years and years, I’ve been picking up trash on the beach and collecting interesting pieces. I never meant to start a trash collection but there was just something about all the colorful pieces I couldn’t resist. Any trash trash like wrappers, balloons, plastic bags, etc goes into a garbage can. Toy soldiers, hair clips, and fake food? That sort of stuff comes home with me.

I’d always knew I’d like to do something with it but just never really felt very motivated to do so. I have a large tote bag jam-packed full of goodies that has moved with me from apartment to apartment. When we bought our house, I briefly considered tossing it all before moving but just could bear to part with my potential art supplies.

I’ve been working hard on renovating the house since the day we moved in. Literally, the first day in the house we started kitchen demo! Over the past eight months, my focus has been more on renovations as opposed to actually decorating but recently, I’ve been bitten by the decorating bug. I’ve become super motivated to finally hang things on the walls. We had too much stuff to hang on the walls of our apartment but the house is so much larger that we are in serious need of some new art.

The main focus on the walls in my office is two large prints from my favorite graffiti artist. See a peek here. The color scheme is a little bit different than what I’m normally drawn to for things I’d decorate my own space with so needless to say, I didn’t really own anything else that fit with them. I’ve been hunting down art with similar colors but kept coming up short on something large… so I made something of my own!

I could not be happier with how this turned out. The colors work perfectly with the rest of the art in my office and it’s so nice to see some of my trash actually get used. The only downside here is that shadow boxes aren’t cheap and now I’m obsessed with the idea of making more.

CHECK OUT MORE ‘FOUND ON THE BEACH” POSTS HERE!

If you like my ‘found on the beach’ collections – prints, phone cases, and more can be found here.

upcycled planter boxes

by Kaylah Stroup July 6, 2021

Shortly after we moved in, we discovered two giant fiberglass tubs (along with a boatload of other trash) behind our garage. The idea popped into my head almost immediately, I wanted to make them into planters!

The plan had been to cover them in wood somehow but soaring lumber prices and the fact that I always have about five hundred other projects going on meant that my beds just kept getting pushed to the back burner.

Recently though, I managed to score some free wood. We set aside some pieces for other things around the house, and the rest went to my little planter project!

I didn’t really have much of a vision for this project, just that it needed to be covered in wood. I didn’t want to see any part of the fiberglass tub. Luckily my dad was a huge help and absolutely nailed the design.

We made two since that’s how many tubs there were. The first was kind of an experiment. He led the way and showed me what to do. The second one though? We cranked it out in record time. It felt really good. DIY projects of this nature and power tools, in general, are still fairly new to me so when things just go hella smooth like this it feels damn good. The feeling of confidence that comes along with actually understanding a project and being able to do huge chunks of it on my own is wonderful.

I’m capable of many, many things. Things that I don’t even realize yet! That being said, it really helps to have such a handy dad to show me the way! I’m sure I could have done this completely on my own but it probably would have taken a heck of a lot longer.

After cutting and assembling, I sanded them down, carried them outside (holy smokes, yes, they are heavy!), and stained them. Before putting the top piece on, I lined the tubs with landscaping fabric to give me a bit of separation from the fiberglass.

Finally, I filled them with dirt and planted! One contains two types of radishes, as well as red onions. In the other, I planted a few of my tomato seedlings, basil and some marigolds.

I have them sitting on a big concrete pad that is in our yard. My plan for this pad has always been, literally since the second I saw it, to build a greenhouse here. Alas, those darn lumber prices have put a hitch in my giddy-up. For now, it’s the perfect spot for a few raised beds and our picnic table. It may not be the greenhouse I’ve been dreaming of but it’s still a cute little spot to grow plants!

Klaus LOVES looking at what’s going in the beds.

Only seems right to include a photo of my first radish!

goodbye spring!

by Kaylah Stroup June 28, 2021

This post’s title sounds dramatic. Goodbye spring! I’m also over a week late here since summer officially rolled in the 20th BUT this was my favorite spring season… probably ever so it only feels right to write a little something about it.

If you’ve been following me for a long time, you may recall that although I spent the last six years in the city it’s not where I came from. I grew up on seven acres, surrounded by woods. I lived to ride 4-wheelers, catch frogs, play in the pond and sit by the fire.

When I moved to the city, I acclimated quickly. I loved the hustle and bustle. It felt natural. I almost couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Being a regular at the coffee shop around the block? So rad! Being able to hop on my bike and be downtown within ten mins? Amazing! Living within walking distance of so many places, restaurants, and things to do was something I had never experienced before and loved deeply.

Eventually, it started to wear on me. I wanted to walk outside and not be yakked at by my neighbor who clearly didn’t understand I couldn’t hear her over my dog barking. Taking Klaus out became a constant source of stress because our landlord decided to make the apartment below us an Air BnB. New people sitting directly outside my door drinking until all hours of the night? That equals one very unhappy dog. I just wanted space of my own. Space to roam. Somewhere I could be alone outside.

Immediately after moving here, I felt relief. Our house is so much larger than we were ever imagining we’d end up with. Even though the weather quickly turned, just having more indoor space made my heart soar. I had things to do that didn’t involve just sitting in the same teeny tiny apartment and that felt great.

Each new season in our new house has been exciting. Fall was such a lovely introduction to our property. We watched the leaves change and admired all the beautiful colors of fall while sitting fireside in the yard. When winter came around, I anxiously awaited the first snow so I could see how incredible the house looked with a pretty white dusting. The cold weather also gave me an excuse to stay inside and work on renovations that would make the house feel like home.

Spring though? It’s turned me into a broken record. Multiple times per week I text Jeff something along the lines of “Oh my gosh, I love it here. Can even imagine living anywhere else?” I truly can’t remember a time I was so excited to be outside each day. I walk the trails through our woods multiple times per day, just soaking up all the details.

Spring seemed to start slow. The buds on the trees stayed tiny for so long. Then, all of a sudden, it just exploded. I blinked and our whole yard was filled with life. Green everywhere you look! Watching all the plants grow and grow and grow has been amazing. I’ve loved discovering all the different things planted around our property. There wasn’t much going on in terms of landscaping but spring showed us an abundance of daffodils. The honeysuckle blooms were next and wow, there were a lot of them. Then, time in my garden started. I never thought that pulling weeds would be something I enjoyed but I truly feel at peace sitting there in the dirt.

I’m constantly discovering cool new insects I’ve never seen before in person. Each new flower is a cause for celebration. I feel a kinship with all the animals I spot foraging around our yard. The sound of birds greets me at the start of the day, and frog singing puts me to sleep. I couldn’t ask for more!

All that to say, I’m so unbelievably happy here. I can’t wait to see what summer brings.

plant room update

by Kaylah Stroup January 17, 2021

One of my last blog posts was my big reveal of this room but since then I have some new additions that are making the room even cozier. I know from past experience that I change the spaces I live in… well, basically constantly. I think I’ll be even more prone to do this now that I actually own a home (and have space to store furniture that is still loved but not needed at the moment.) That fact alone makes me want to do a better job of documenting the spaces around me. I want to be able to look back at this space in a year, or even six months, and see how much it’s changed.

So, here she is today, in all her glory!

It’s January of 2021 and this is my favorite room in the whole house. 3328 square feet and these ones are my favorite.

It’s not complete yet, I’m still hunting around for the perfect pieces of furniture (vanity, dresser, seating) to call my name. Still, this is the space I love to retreat to after a long day. Most of the time, it’s where you can find the cats. It’s such a relaxing space I’ve even started doing yoga again. Any excuse to spend time in here!

Aside from a whole bunch of new plants, my newest addition is a gorgeous Moroccan rug from Revival. I’m swooning. Revival sells one-of-a-kind, restored vintage rugs as well as limited edition rugs, designed and woven in collaboration with artisan partners. I spent well over an hour lurking their site for the perfect one.

Revival even has a ‘view in your room’ tool that is wildly fun to use. I can’t even tell you how many I viewed in this space before finally choosing this one of a kind beauty!

Sources
Rug c/o Revival (use code DAINTYSQUID10 for 10% off!)
ceiling light c/o Lights.com
side table
cicada door pull
plant stand
grow lights
Chair is vintage
Wall color is Herb Bouquet by Benjamin Moore

Check out my previous post about this room for the before photos. I even made a video about it.

Get out my room, mom!

the writing on the wall

by Kaylah Stroup December 28, 2020

The plan with my plant room was that it’d double as kind of a massive closet/dressing room. I mean, who doesn’t want to get ready each day surrounded by a bazillion plants!?

So far all of my folded clothes are in the room but my dresses and cardigan haven’t made their way in here yet. My main concern was just getting the room renovated. Let me just get that finished then I’ll worry about the mess that is the closet, ya know?

Last week, after finishing up the room, I realized I should probably stop putting it off and actually get the closet in order. I figured it wouldn’t be too big of a project. Just organize it, slap some paint on it and call it a day. A band-aid fix until I felt like gutting it.

I started by peeling off any wallpaper that was loose. It didn’t take long until I discovered writing on the wall.

Vila
June
Fred

I snapped a photo for my instagram stories. When I looked up from the waist height writing I was met with more writing except this time there was a date involved. I immediately Facetimed my husband and told him to rush upstairs to come see.

The writing is so faint I can only really make out ‘closet’ and the date ‘June 22, 1900’. One hundred and twenty years have passed. Layer after layer of wallpaper applied. Many folks have lived in this house since then but not a single one of them has laid eyes on that writing until me! THAT IS SO EXCITING. My eyes legit welled up over it.

The excitement of that discovery made me get out my camera so I could film any further finds. Watch below + subscribe on Youtube!

Here’s what I ended up finding after peeling back more wallpaper.

Vila Thompson Closet
June 22, 1900
Friday at 10 o’clock

plant room renovation!

by Kaylah Stroup December 22, 2020

We never intended to buy a seven-bedroom home. It’s just Jeff and I plus the animals with zero – I repeat, zero – plans of human children. When an opportunity as perfect as this one presents itself, though, you don’t question what you’ll do with the extra bedrooms. You just go for it and figure it all out along the way.

In the past three months, we’ve made and changed plans a ton of times regarding what each room might be. One thing has never changed though, the front bedroom upstairs, the one with the great light, would be my plant room.

Like a lot of the upstairs rooms, it started with carpet squares and a drop ceiling. Woof. I almost left the drop ceiling, thinking I’d just tackle it at a later date but I am so happy to have it finished. The following two photos are before I started renovating…

Underneath the drop ceiling was wallpaper! Super pretty stuff but it was badly damaged so I opted to cover it with beadboard. It was something I’d never seen done before in person but thought it could look rad in this room.

Above – My dad accessing the situation. 2x4s had to be hung so the beadboard would have something nice to hold on to since we’d be hanging it with brad nails. We had a ~wonderful time~ finding the studs.

Below – After hanging crown moulding, caulking, and painting! Then it was time to finish sanding down the floor.

Mid-sanding. LOL.

And now! The room isn’t quite finished. I’d still like to purchase some old furniture for it, specifically a vanity. It needs about 100 more plants, of course. More seating would be awesome too because I basically never want to leave the room. These things take time though. I want to find the perfect pieces and not just rush into buying stuff just to fill the room.

Pop on over to my Youtube channel to see the ‘final’ look! I have before and after video as well as side by stills in the video. There’s even a timestamp in the Youtube description if you really want to skip right to the B+A!

I’m so proud of this space. I did everything I physically could by myself. I, of course, needed help hanging the ceiling but everything else was allll me! I’ve come a long way just in these last three months. I feel like I’ve learned so much already. My confidence has skyrocketed too. I mean, did you see those floors? I DID THAT!

Slowly but surely, this house is becoming cozier and cozier! I’m so excited to see what we have done in another few months.

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