Holiday Gift Guide (under $20!)

Holiday season is right around the corner, so it's time to start looking for Christmas gifts. So I've compiled a short list of some cute, inexpensive items (and DIY's!) that you might even be tempted to add to your own wish list!

DIY Lace Earrings

The perfect gift for the sophisticated lady in your life. 

"A Map of the Introvert's Heart" Pillow

Introverts will appreciate your thoughtfulness! 

DIY Modern Cake Stand

For someone with great baking skills. Or it might inspire you to start baking, too (if you don't bake already)!

Cute Monkey Dusting Mitt

This adorable sock monkey will encourage kids (or even adults!) to clean up after themselves.

Cozy Holiday Socks

Who doesn't love a vibrant pair of holiday socks?

Kid-Size Cute Holiday Socks

More cute socks, but for tiny feet. :)

Bubble Scrubber

Blow bubbles while doing the dishes! Perfect for little people with a short attention span, but mainly just for fun.

Ceramic Baby Sloth Bowl

A unique and equally adorable bowl to keep rings, candies, or other small items.

Soap or Lip Balm from SoapsByRiya

Holiday sale! Items are more than half off. Give the gift of beautiful skin.

Picture Frame Nesting Dolls

Add a personal touch to a mantle or shelf with these cute nesting dolls!

Wham-O Hamper Hoop

Have fun putting away laundry by shooting hoops with it! 

NOTE: All image credit goes to the websites listed for each item.

Click the item's name for the link to purchase it.

10 Amazing DIY's That'll Make Life Better

Yeah, it's been forever. But I have 10 amazing DIY's for you, and hopefully you'll forgive me.

Here we go.


1. Milk Jug Sandwich Keeper

Upcycle a milk jug into a handy sandwich keeper!


2. Duct Tape Bookmark

Make this super easy bookmark to keep your place in that captivating novel you can't put down. Actually, go ahead and make more!


3. Crocheted Sea Creatures

If you're crafty and love a good challenge, try these adorable crochet sea creatures! For more gorgeous crochet projects, check out this link.

4. Carry-All Laptop Bag

Carry your iPad, tablet, or laptop with you everywhere you go, without the hassle of tangled wires and pens and pencils falling everywhere.

5. Woven Chain Bracelet

Make this classy, metallic, but colorful bracelet and wear it, too!

6. Travel Pillow

This adorable DIY pillow will lull you to sleep whenever you're traveling. Plus, adjust the template to your comfort. Perfect for all ages!

7. Earbud Organizer

We all know the struggle of having tangled earbuds or trying to cram them into a pocket. Well, this easy case will solve those problems. Say hello to tangle-free music.

8. Gold Tube Bracelets

Made with just two basic components, these bracelets will up your accessory game.

9. Letter Bookends

Create these personalized bookends to brighten up your bookshelf!

10. Candy Jars

Basically all you need for this is spray paint, some old jars, and wooden knobs. You can really use these jars for anything, and they'll look nice on a counter top while still being functional.

Happy Crafting!

NOTE: Picture credit goes to the website linked for each DIY.

Introducing SoapsByRiya!

This post explains what inspired me to open SoapsByRiya, and why you should be buying natural skincare products rather than drugstore brands.

So...I already posted on Google+ about this, but I just wanted to draw your attention to the Etsy widget I added to my blog. You can see it under my profile on the sidebar. Look to the right of the page. Yeah.

Basically I started this shop to share my new-found love of handmade soaps and lip balms with other people. I just think they make adorable gifts, but they're still a nice change from drugstore products. I try to make sure all my soap bars are sulfate-free (if they're not, it will say so in the description).

Sodium lauryl sulfate (sulfate for short) is a chemical found in many soaps, shampoos, and conditioners you can buy at most drugstores or grocery stores. It is added to create lather, which is the foam that comes off the soap bar when you use it. However, it isn't good for your skin, neither is it good for the environment when it goes down the drain. For this reason, it's better to buy handmade or sulfate-free soaps.

Any colorants added to soaps are free of irritants, chemicals, and additives. Natural color is used whenever possible. Lip balms I sell are not colored. Any color present comes from the pure essential oil that is added. Essential oil comes directly from a fruit, herb, or plant. No fake stuff. All my soaps are non-toxic, but please, don't eat them. It's just not a good idea.

Some soap bars, such as the Lavender Soap Bar (see image below), contain real herbs. These herbs are not preserved or altered in anyway from their natural state.

Please check it out at Etsy - SoapsByRiya.

NOTE: My mom is the legal owner of the shop and helps me out from time to time, but I create and photograph all the products you see in my shop.

Like, comment, and share if you like what you see!

Feedback and constructive criticism is definitely appreciated and encouraged! :) 

Lavender Soap Bar

Lavender and Peppermint Body Bar

The Extrovert's Guide To Introverts

The idea for this post did not spring from a specific occurrence, but rather multiple events since I was really little kid that brought me to the conclusion that some people maybe just need a bit of guidance. Just a little bit.


So here's a list of do's and don'ts to put you on the right track to understanding and fostering friendships with introverts.

DO'S

• If you think we're feeling sad/upset, ask us how we're doing. We'll probably respond, "Fine." Proceed to give us a hug and tell us everything will be alright. (Note: If you are the cause of our "anguish", then apologize first! Duh...)
• Invite us to parties and other events. Even if we don't come, we'll feel included.
• If you like something we're wearing, or maybe the way we did something differently, compliment it. You'll be on our good side, and it'll boost our self-esteem.
• Introduce us to all your friends. We're too shy to do that on our own.
• Come and talk to us! Most of us are really interesting if you give us a chance. The quietest people have the loudest minds...

DON'TS

• If we are reading a book, we clearly do not want to talk to you. Don't ask us what we're reading and then proceed to spoil the ending. It's rude.
• Not all babies are extroverts. Don't touch them with dirty hands, and don't make scary faces and loud noises at them. They will not always like it.
• Don't comment on something we wore or did just because it's not something you would have worn or done. We're probably trying really hard to "fit in", and you're making it harder.
• Don't assume things when we snap at you or grumble at you. We're probably just having a bad day. Leave us alone. Or, even better, say, "Okay, I get it," smile, and walk away.
• Don't decide not to invite us to things just because you think it's not "our thing". We feel super left out, paranoid, and like everyone is hanging out without us.
• Don't judge us. And don't even bother arguing about whether we are actually introverts, just shy, or passive-aggressive. We won't respond to you.
• Don't jump to conclusions about us. We're all different and unique. We're not antisocial. We're just a little on the shy side.

But most of all, just be nice to us. We can be really supportive and loyal if we feel like it. Be patient, and we'll be your friends. Oh, yeah. And everybody loves to talk about themselves. So ask questions, and we'll probably open up to you in no time.

YAY! Now using your new-found knowledge, go make some new friends! 

How To Get Into College

How do I get into my dream school without taking a dozen AP's and being the president of eight clubs? That's quite a common question asked by young people today. But what if there was a way you could get into a better college than all your friends but still live life to the fullest?

I've been loving this book by Cal Newport, called How To Be A High School Superstar. It explains "a revolutionary plan to get into college by standing out (without burning out)".

Check it out here:
http://calnewport.com/books/high-school-superstar/

The book tells the stories of multiple students with average grades but not-so-average personalities.

Paraphrased from How To Be A High School Superstar:

          Let's use the example of Kara. In 2004, Kara visited a college counselor at an elite Bay Area private high school. The counselor flipped through a file containing Kara's details, and concern flashed across her face. "So, how are your grades going to be this semester?" the counselor asked.
          "Not as good as I hoped, probably some B's," Kara answered.
         Glancing down at the list of schools where Kara wanted to apply, the counselor asked, "Stanford has a ten percent acceptance rate. Do you know what that means?"
          Hesitatingly, Kara ventured, "One in ten get in?"
          "No. It means nine in ten get rejected. What makes you think you're better than nine other people?" Before Kara could respond, the counselor said pleadingly, "Kara, Stanford doesn't take students with B's."
          Kara's best friend Elizabeth was quite the opposite. She took so many AP's she might have broken the state record, and she even dropped a class because she got a B on the first quiz, and that decreased her chances of an A as a final grade. She also stayed away from classes that required creativity or natural ability, only caring about classes where she could attain an A by just raw effort.
          But Kara stayed true to herself, and when it came time to apply, she scraped together enough money to apply to twenty-one schools, as her dad refused to pay for that many schools.
          "I was freaked out that I wasn't going to get in anywhere," she recalls.
          But she did get in. In fact, she got into twenty out of twenty-one schools she applied to, including MIT, Caltech, Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, and, of course, Stanford.
     How did Kara shatter the unshakable confidence of the regular stressed-out students who thought stress is the only way to stand out? She was a "relaxed superstar".

          Relaxed superstars are students who live relaxed and happy lives. The topic of college admissions doesn't dominate their lives, which gives them more time to do things that will actually matter in the application process. Cal Newport notes, "Perhaps the most striking trait of these students is their happiness. Spending time with them, I have been astonished by how much they seemed to enjoy their lives."

Moral of the story: Do what makes you happy. Be genuinely interesting. Don't shut down your inner voice. And when it comes time to apply, you'll breeze through the admissions process like a superstar.