Hula Hoopla

I finally buckled down on a project I’ve been wanting to do for awhile, making hula hoops! Its super easy and I feel silly for not doing it sooner. I had to leave my old hoops in Oregon, so I’ve been jonesing for some new ones for awhile now.

Rather than write out a tutorial, I’ll share the one I used, here. The supplies are super simple: irrigation tubing, something to cut it with, and plastic connectors. Then you can decorate them with whatever colors of electrical tape you have on hand. Besides the aesthetic quality, tape creates a nice grip on top of the slippery tubing.

I bought all my supplies at Home Depot; it cost about $25 for supplies to make approximately 8 hoops. They turned out awesome, and I’m excited to try some variations on weight, colors, size, etc. Making your own allows you to customize it to your body and skill level. I’m also going to throw together some smaller ones for kids; anytime I babysit I bring mine along, and they’re always a huge hit.

As I mentioned previously, I’m going to tote some along to the festivals this summer, and sell them for just a little over cost. Because nobody wants to be price gouged on a damn hula hoop….

The color combos are endless!

Besides being whimsical, hula hooping is great exercise. I’m going to make one weighted with water for a better workout. I suppose its never too late in the summer to work on my bikini body.

Happy Hooping!

Fast T-Shirt Reconstruction

My work recently went through their storage rooms and pulled out box after box of leftover promotional goodies. I snagged the golden opportunity and carted home a dozen or so t-shirts. They all have booze logos on them and are size XL, but since I work in a bar, they’ll be perfect work clothes once I reconstruct them into my size.

For example, here’s one I doctored up tonight:

A little sexier than a men’s t-shirt.

I started by cutting the sleeves and collar off. Then I cut slits diagonally down the back and double braided them to make the design you can see in the picture.

The last step was taking it in to the proper width, a simple straight sew up both sides. Considering that I eyeballed the entire thing and didn’t pin anything before sewing, it turned out much better than I expected! The whole project took about 15 minutes, maybe less.

Aside from sexy casual cocktail dresses for work, these make good summer coverups too. They’re loose fitting and made of t-shirt material, so comfy as can be!

A Crafty Interlude

A week or so ago, I scored a great little 70’s era sewing machine at a thrift store for dirt cheap. I was already on the market to buy one anyway, and this one’s style was undeniably charming! From what I know, these older models are workhorses, and I look forward wholeheartedly to the many hours of frustration my poor sewing skills are soon to bring me.

I’ve now become (even more) healthily obsessed with craft blogs and DIY videos, but as high as my dreams may reach…my patience, skill level and wallet, have thus far held me back from doing much more than collecting cool fabric I find at thrift stores. I did however, do this to an otherwise passed over t-shirt…

No sewing required!

It was a simple little no-sew project that took me about 10 minutes, but regardless: I was a proud craft warrior when it turned out as intended.

Stay tuned for more impressive results!