How-To: Engagement Ring Holder!

Once my best friend's engagement party was over and done and all there was left to do was pack away leftovers and chat, she realized that she did not know what to do with her engagement ring.  We joked about it and found a solution.

When I went home, I started working on a little holder that she could use when she wasn't wearing her ring, whether for sleep, showering, or cleaning. 

This craft is very simple and cute, and makes a great present. 

To read about her engagement part, click here!

What you will need:

• Small frame
• Flowers, buttons, pegs, etc.
• Glue
• Paper
• Scissors
• Pen

I spent under $5 on it, and it turned out adorable.  They are really easy to customize to the person's unique tastes.

 First thing you will need to do is take the paper insert out of the frame and trace it onto some pretty paper.  I chose to use blue card stock, though it looks green in this picture.

 This is the frame I used, still with the paper insert inside.

 Switch the paper insert for the piece of new paper you have traced and cut out.

 Pick what you want to add to the frame.  I chose to use one of the darkest paper roses I acquired from Michael's.

 Take the foam sticker off and glue the rose down using some sort of glue.  I chose to use E-6000 because it is the strongest stuff I had on me. 

 I think the rhinestones, bow, and flower combination make this frame super adorable.

 I was working on my sister's bed, which is why my background looks so fabulous! This is how a ring will fit on it.  It will hang down, which is fine.  I chose to use a rose that was a bit snug, so that the ring would not fall or slip off.  There are many ways to make these ring holders.  I have seen many on pinterest, but did not like them enough.  I decided to make my own.

How it looks standing up.  

It really is adorable, and Hayah loved it! :]

Happy Crafting, 

♥Riley

P.S. Do you have any engagement crafts you'd like to share? I'd love to see! :]

How to Go to a Sporting Event/the Races & Why you Should!

This will be kind of an odd/unnecessary/short post.

For Christmas 2013, I decided to out-do myself and all my prior Christmas presents to my family.  Money is just money, and I'd rather them have really cool gifts.  

For my dad this past year, I bought him tickets to all 4 days of Winternationals.  Winternationals are the drag races held in Pomona, California every February.  It's the start of the season.  Then, in November, the finals are held in the same place.  

My dad and I frequent these events because they are really fun and a great way to spend time together.  

Dad and I at the finals 2013

Not so sure when this one is from. I think it might have started raining.

Note my crazy hair and my dad's awesome shirt!

This one was taken at a NASCAR race, in March a few years back!

Right before we got rained out! Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014

I often will have my dad pose in front of things for pictures.

I really enjoy it.

No, seriously, it's my favorite activity.

See the sun on our faces?

Friday, February 7, 2014.

I love these pictures! The way I presented this present to my dad was by filling a huge frame with construction paper and these photos. Then I gave him his tickets in a nice plastic folder for safe keeping.

 Now he has a cute wall decoration and a folder to hold his things in.

I think that going to events like NHRA drag races can be a great experience. You can find interests between yourself and others and go out and enjoy yourself.  It's really nice to get out of the house and go on an adventure sometimes, and it's easy to find inexpensive days to do such! For NHRA events, you can save $7-8 on ticket prices just by bringing in a Mello Yello can or bottle.  I bought my dad's tickets on the NHRA website for $130 total, including all four days.  You can save a lot this way!

Races are awesome ways to bond with your parents, significant others, friends, and other family! You learn more about each other and get to share in the excitement. 

Now on to the actual "How-to".

California usually has awesome weather to be outside in, but February and November tend to be really chilly.  We have made several mistakes with what we have taken before, but those days are long in our past.  

We now know what to take with us.  Bleachers hurt to sit on after a time.  It can get really really cold, and those bleachers will only make it worse.  You'll get hungry and thirsty. I highly recommend you take a backpack with you, and fill it with some key items!

In your backpack:

1. Sunscreen, if necessary. Some events are hot and bright.
2. Jackets. Trust me, you'll need them.  We've gone to events that start in the day and seem hot, only to find it freezing after dark.
3. Sunglasses. It gets really bright! 
4. Small Blanket. GREAT to keep you warm and keep the wind off of you. You can also sit on it if you need to!
5. Seat Cushions. You REALLY need these, or something to substitute them with, like a small blanket or sweatshirt.
6. Snacks. We like Cheez-its!
7. Soda/Water.  It can get expensive buying snacks and drinks at events.  We've found that they don't care what you bring in, as long as it's not alcohol.
8. Hand Sanitizer. Port-a-potty's, need I say more?
9. Ear Plugs. If you're going to the races, you'll probably need these.  It can get VERY loud.  & even though I can handle it without them, I like to use them to protect my ears. 

On your person:

1. Layers, layers, layers! You will seriously high five yourself!

I'll definitely add to these lists if I think of more things you'd need to bring!

That being said, have fun at the Drags! :] ♥

My dad was SO excited he wrote it down in his calendar the day he got it.

This is what the tickets look like if you buy them online.

Pomona Fairplex.

Please let me know if you have any tip/tricks  to going to events, and what your family likes to do together!
 ♥ Riley

Felt Christmas Present Envelopes! $1 Gift!

Recently I was thinking of ways to give people presents. 

Envelopes are a great way to give someone a special gift, and what better envelope than one you hand-made that will last forever?

For this project I used:

• One half sheet of red felt - Michael's - 33¢
• One strip of green felt - Michael's - 33¢
• Fabric glue or Tacky glue
• Scissors
• *Optional*: Craft Iron or Regular Iron

 The first thing I did was decide how big of a box/envelope I wanted.  I practiced folding over my felt until I decided on a size and cut it out.

 Then I cut out a straight green strip of felt.  This needs to be as straight as possible, but can be any thickness you see fit.  Take your fabric/tacky glue and run it down the entire strip.  I wanted mine in the middle so I set the strip down in as close to the middle as I could get.  

 I flattened it out with my hands for some time, just because I wasn't sure this glue would work and I wanted it to have good contact.

 Then I folded the bottom up to see how long I wanted the top and sides to be.

 I ran glue along one half of what was going to fold up.  This way I knew how far to fold it as well.

 I pressed it down to make sure the glue was contacting well.

 I decided to use my miniature craft iron my Grandma got me to make the lines crisp.  I folded the top over too and ironed all of the creases.

 I don't know how to describe this shape but it makes an excellent bow.

 Fold in one side to the middle.

 Fold in the other side.

 Better view.

 Place a dab of glue on all of the pieces. But don't use as much as I did or it will show through. Oops!

 Then take a strip of felt and glue it in the back of the bow where you cannot see it.

 I tried the bow a couple places before I decided on a location.

 I liked it right above the opening, and glued it down there. 

 This is what it looks like open.

I cut a piece of paper to fit in it, as that was what described the Christmas present to the recipient! 

Please let me know if you try this craft and if you made any changes to it! :] I'd love to see yours!  

♥ Riley

P.S. What did you put in yours/what would you want to receive in one of these cute and festive envelopes? :)

Oddish Plushies! $1 Craft

Hi Guys!

This time I decided to make an Oddish plushie! Oddish was always one of my favorites! He was so little and cute, I couldn't help but love him forever.  

Without further ado, Oddish Plush!

[Updated 3/3/2014, This is now how I make my Oddishes]

This plush requires two different colors of felt, a needle, thread, paint, and stuffing.  Assuming that you already own a needle, thread, and paint, it will cost you less than $1

 First cut out a pattern! This is also me really excited about my new scissors my grandma got me! ^-^

I used this Oddish as an example of what I wanted the body to look like!
Here is the link to the picture: http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/123/9/1/oddish_by_beyx-d3fjesv.png
Here's the link to the artist's deviantart! http://beyx.deviantart.com/art/Oddish-207498415

 I used the pattern as a very rough example of what I wanted and assumed about 1/4 of an inch seam allowance [a fancy term I've read on some sewing posts].  I'm going to be sewing a seam 1/4 of an inch inward and flipping it inside out.

 Two pieces cut! Ignore the Disneyland parking permits, I was using my binder as a surface.

 Make some leaf shapes on a green piece of felt. 

I didn't cut them out at this point because I was unsure of the size. You will also need two ovals for feet in the same shade as the body!

 I had trouble making knots for the longest time....but I found a pin on Pinterest that really helped! 
Here is the link to her instructions: http://ecb.edesignsfashion.com/2012/04/27/how-to-start-hand-sewing-without-knotting-the-thread.aspx Hopefully you guys find them helpful too!

 What the knot looks like on the other side.

 Not sure why I took this picture? I think I'm trying to show that I'm doing a running stitch.

 Ignore how awful I am at this! I'm still learning. :]

 Leave some unsewn so that you can flip it inside out and stuff.

Oh! And sew on the feet! I highly recommend you do this before you sew the body together.

Sew your oddish closed using the hidden stitch! I learned from this tutorial on Pinterest: http://fernandfreckle.com/tutorial-invisible-seams-the-hidden-stitch/
Then cut out the leaves! Then decide where you want them. He looks a bit like a pineapple here!

 Decided I liked it this way better.  But decide how you like your leaves! I used five leaves but you could have a different number if you'd like!

 Sewed these leaves on using the invisible stitch I mentioned earlier! Not sure if it was the best way, but you can't see the stitches and they hold on just fine!

 Add some more leaves! I alternated the ways they faced to add some dimension.

 A top view of what they looked like!

This is what mine looked like with all five leaves attached to it. Ready for paint!

 & the back of him with the leaves.

 Don't use the marker I did. My hands were so stained from it!

 Paint on red eyes!

 & a mouth! Using a dark pink.

 Then I used a small bit of a lighter pink for the tongue! Add a dot of white to each eye for a shine and then outline the mouth and eyes with black to help make them stand out!

 I then started painting lines down the center of the leaves to look more like Oddish.

 Painting! I find that it comes out the best when I use a very tiny detail brush like the one pictured.

 Here are all the paints I used.  Two kinds of pink [both Tulip fabric paints], red paint [it is puffy, but I squirted it on my binder and used it with a paint brush], a white and a black.

I literally squirted it on my binder. It'll come right off!

 Ta-da! I hope you like this post on how to make an Oddish of your very own!

 All completed!

Thank you from my growing family of Pokemon Plushies! Tutorials for all of these are on my blog! :]
http://milkpolka.blogspot.com/2013/08/pikachu-plushies.html
http://milkpolka.blogspot.com/2013/08/hoppip-plushie-milkpolkamon.html
http://milkpolka.blogspot.com/2013/08/charmander-plushies-5-gift.html
http://milkpolka.blogspot.com/2013/08/poliwag-plushies.html

♥ Riley

P.S. Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to my blog posts!